Hey everybody,
With the open water fishing season about to come to an end, I'm
sure many of you are thinking about the hard water season.
Lake Vermilion
typically has some fishable ice by late November, even as early as
Thanksgiving many years. You won't see me out there on 3 or 4 inches of
ice, but I know there are some of you that will be out that early.
Safety is the big issue early in the season. Always be prepared for the
worst if you venture out early. I have a good friend that broke through
the ice last winter and being prepared for a bad situation is what saved
his life. He was wearing a PFD and had a set of icepicks around his neck
to help him climb out of the freezing water.
Remember what they always
say, "There is no such thing as safe ice." The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recommends 4 to 6
inches for a man on foot, 6 to 8 inches for a snowmachine or ATV and at
least 12 inches of good ice for a car or pickup.
I'll have some more ice fishing tips and weekly reports as we move
into the hard water season. Lake Vermilion can be a great place for
winter fishing and some of the largest Walleyes in the system get caught
through the ice every winter. There is also some excellent jumbo Perch
and panfish action along with excellent Northern Pike fishing the entire
winter season.
Have a great deer season all you hunters out there,
Looks like the weather should be perfect for opening weekend.
"Ace"
![]()
Terry "Ace" Sjoberg.
www.aceguideservice.com
Terry "Ace" Sjoberg is the owner-operator of Ace guide service on Beautiful Lake Vermilion. He has been guiding on Lake Vermilion since 1987 and does full and half day fishing adventures for muskie, smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike and most Minnesotan's favorite fish, Walleye. He has a full-time professional guide service so he is on the water almost every day between May and November. Ace has also spent many years as a tournament angler, including the Masters Walleye Circuit. He is a two-time Champion of the "Lake Vermilion Walleye Classic;" a two-time MWC "World Walleye Championship" qualifier; and he has several top 10 tournament finishes over his career.
Ace has also written several articles on topics related to fishing, everything from where to fish and how to fish for your favorite species, to what presentations work the best and the correct way to use them. Muskies are his favorite species, but he also loves fishing for those hard-fighting Smallmouth bass. He has been published in many outdoor publications including "Muskie," Musky Hunter," "FLW Outdoors," "Ice fishing," "Minnesota
outdoors," and "Midwest outdoors." He has also written for a number of outdoor websites including local fishing reports.
For more see www.aceguideservice.com.
