The fishing along with the temperatures are heating up! Beautiful weather is on the way and that means warmer lake temps which in turn means better walleye fishing. Our guides and launch captains are turning in some good catches of fish and large fish as well. Your best bite for keeper fish still continues to be in the low light hours in 10-15 feet of water with a slip bobber tipped with either a night crawler or a leech. Our guides are finding fish during the day deep with lindy rigs in 30-33 feet of water off of the edges of structure. You have to weed through the big fish to get your keepers which isn’t a bad thing. We look forward to the upcoming weekend and week for the walleye bite to continue to pick up, hopefully we will see you on water. Remember to be safe while you are out fishing, and stayed tuned for our up to date fishing reports.
Fishing Report 5/14/2012
By lacey on May 14, 2012 | 
0 Comments
The big fish are cooperating very nicely out on this side of the lake, with numerous fish over 28″ coming into peoples boats this past weekend. Many people are finding these fish on the deep edges of the rock piles in 20-25 feet of water, with slip-bobbers or Lindy rigs tipped with a leech or a night crawler. If you are looking for keeper walleyes and perch the low light hours on the rock piles in 6-12 feet of water. Anglers are having their best bite with a slip-bobber and a leech. There are some reports of anglers doing well with large fish trolling crankbaits shallow at 1.5-2.0 mph on the tops of the rock bars as well.
The weather will continue to get warmer throughout the week and with the nice weather, we will continue to see the water get warmer. The warmer water the better the walleye bite will continue to get. Currently the surface water temps are hovering between 55-60 degrees. Another friendly reminder is that the night fishing ban starts tonight so all fisherman must be off the lake by 10 pm. Good luck fishing and hope to see you on the lake.
May 12, 2012 Fishing Opener
By katey on May 12, 2012 | 0 Comments
Today has been nice! Too nice for a good daytime bite. We have lots of sun and little wind. The midnight and early morning anglers did well. It was a mixed bag for reports on what was working. One guest did well on black and silver Rapala Clackin’ Minnows trolling anywhere from 6 to 12 feet of water. Several anglers did well on leeches bobbering up off of the rock reefs down here on the South end. Just like early last season we are getting a lot of reports of big fish, with several 26+ fish caught. We are hoping for a good evening bite. Either way anglers are enjoying themselves. The weather may not be helping the bite but, it is making for a nice day on the lake!
3/28/12-At the Northwest Sports Show
By lacey on March 28, 2012 | 0 Comments
A record breaking year, the ice came off in a hurry this year on Sunday there was still a good ice sheet and by Monday afternoon the official ice out date was set. This is the earliest ice out date on Lake Mille Lacs in recorded history, the previous record was held April 2, 2000. Looking back at the catch rate for the 2000 fishing season, it proved to be a great fishing opener and was a great overall season for walleye fishing. We are looking forward to this years fishing season, as we are getting an early start to getting the resort grounds ready for this summer’s visitors. Currently we have Mike and Katey down at the Northwest Sports show, stop by and say hi and ask about our show specials and talk about fishing, they are always willing to share a few secrets to help you land the big one.
Now for those who can’t wait to get their boat on the water, there are some fish to be caught, just not the marbled- eyed kind. Many anglers are finding some panfish action in Isle and Wahkon Bays. The best bite for the crappies and sunfish are found in 2-4 feet of water and most anglers are targeting them with a small jig tipped with a plastic tail or a bobber with a crappie minnow. Many of the smaller local lakes are ice free as well, the best bite in the area for crappies right now is Knife and Ann lake where anglers are finding limits of crappies on a daily basis. Water temps, remain fairly cool, so please use caution if you go out onto the water, also please try not to disturb the spawning walleyes.
Fishing and Ice Report 3/21/12
By lacey on March 21, 2012 | 0 Comments
What a difference a week can make. The ice went from drivable to not even walkable in a few days. Most of the shorelines have started to melt and some the bays are starting to become ice free as early as yesterday. With warm temps expected to stay through the rest of the month it means its time to put the ice fishing gear away for the year. We had a great year of ice fishing on the lake. Thank you to all those who came up and stayed or booked a guided trip with us for the ice season, we are looking forward to the open water season which is right around the corner. The summer fishing season is predicted to be one of the better fishing seasons in recent memory. If you are looking to catch your trophy fish or catch a lot of trophy fish this should be the year you come up to fish the big lake, the survey numbers for the large fish look great! Our guides and launch captains are getting their rods and reels ready for the upcoming season, something many of us should be doing as we dream about that big fish getting landed.
Here at Mcquoid’s as we switch from winter to summer, it looks to be another busy summer for us, we have some very large events that are going to take place this summer. Our first major event of the summer will be the Cabela’s NTC and MWC tournament during the first weekend in June, it will be the biggest ever held on Lake Mille Lacs. You can find out more information on this event at: www.masterswalleyecircuit.com. The second large event is going to be the All-Star walleye school, which has some of the best walleye pros in the game willing to teach you how to catch more walleyes! You can find out more information at: www.allstarwalleyeschool.com. We will also be busy hosting many family reunions and weddings during the summer season. Summer is right around the corner and we look forward to another busy summer, again thank you to all those that visited us during the winter season and we hope to see you this summer.
3-14-12 Fishing Report
By katey on March 14, 2012 | 0 Comments
It’s a little earlier than usual but, it’s about that time to get your ice fishing in before the ice is gone. The thermometer is at 58 right now and its the perfect day to hit Isle bay for the crappie bite that has started. Anglers are also getting some decent bluegills out there as well. A small, bright colored jig and a waxie will do the trick. The crappies will also hit a small minnow. Chapman’s Resort is still maintaining there access and anglers are able to drive out although it may only last through the weekend. Be sure to call for conditions if you plan on heading up. There are also some reports of a good tulibee bite on the mud flats and a few anglers have had good perch luck near Hennepin Island. Be prepared to be mobile. Most of the snow has melted off the ice and with the nice weather it wont be hard to stay mobile and get on top of a few last nice ones before we are moving on to open water.
3-7-12 Fishing and Snow Conditions
We are still holding on to the snow from last week and trail conditions have been good. The Drifskippers have continued to groom the trails. We may get some rain in the next few days if it warms up like it is supposed to, so feel free to give us a call to check out conditions if you are thinking about heading up.
Anglers are still finding perch but, they are having to work hard and stay mobile. Perch are feeding heavily on bugs so the bite has been best on waxies or larva. We are still waiting for the bluegill and crappie bite to start in the bays. Most resorts have closed down road maintenance but, there are still some good spots you can get to by foot, snowmobile, or four wheeler. We still have safe ice and we will keep you updated on the conditions as the weather warms. Check with your access point before heading out
This year’s opener will be May 12th 2012. We are anticipating another great year with good numbers of trophy sized fish. We are currently working on expanding our launch and guide service this summer. We had a great summer fishing season in 2011 and we are planning on it being just as good, if not better for 2012. We will be hosting the MWC/NTC Tournament this coming June. We are looking forward to a great tournament!
3-1-12 SNOW! Trail and Fishing Report.
By katey on March 1, 2012 | 0 Comments
Good news for anyone hoping to hit the trails before our winter is long gone. We got 10 inches of snow Tuesday night and Wednesday during the day. The trails have been groomed and are in fantastic condition. We have cold temps and should hang on to it trough the weekend. It will be warming up Monday so we will keep everyone updated on conditions. We are also letting rentals out for the first time this year. Give us call for conditions or to book and take advantage before it all melts!
Most of the houses are off the lake but, perch fishing continues to be good. We still have a good amount of ice and lots of anglers hitting the jumbos. It seems they have switched into that “bug bite” phase so waxies and larva have been working the best. Most anglers are reporting
Fishing and Ice Report (Hopeful for snow!) 2-28-12
By katey on February 28, 2012 | 2 Comments
Walleye and Pike season closed Monday but, we still have plenty of good ice down here for the perch bite that should be picking up soon! We had a great year, as far as trophy size fish go, one of the best numbers-wise in a long time. Despite the slow start to our ice fishing season we had a really good year. The perch bite is off to a good start. Down here we are finding fish off the first deep water breaks. Small jigging spoons tipped with waxies or larva seem to be triggering the best bite.
We are anticipating our first snow storm as well. A little late but hopefully we can get some people out on the trails this weekend. We will update trail conditions tomorrow morning both on the blog and on the facebook and twitter sites.
Fishing Report 2-13-2011
By katey on February 13, 2012 | 0 Comments
This weekend we saw a lot of fish moving deeper off of structure into the basin areas. Our guides have been getting limits of walleye and jumbo perch in 30-35 feet of water. A jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head still seems to be the best bet. Don’t be afraid to look for schools off of structure, especially in deeper water mid-day. Walleye schools will move back on top of structure low light to feed.With mid-February coming we are anticipating the large schools of jumbos you can find off you first deep water breaks here on the Southeast corner of the lake. When these fish start aggressively feeding they will take a minnow or waxie. We’ll keep you updated as we hope to be finding these schools soon. Anglers in permanent and wheel houses are still getting large walleye over night on set lines. This has been one of the best years in a long time for large walleye with several guests getting 28+ inch fish!
We have a good solid 22-24″ of ice down here but, don’t forget to check in with your access point. Not only can they direct you to where the fish are biting but, they can steer you clear of any unsafe areas. Remember ice conditions change daily.
