Get Ready For The Maple Lake Ice Fishing Derby This February

Warmer weather in Central Minnesota gives anglers some flexibility to move around a bit on area lakes.  That according to Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News, who joined me on WJON this week.  Schmitt says mild weather allows for moving around chasing fish as opposed to waiting for them to come to you.

Ice Fishing

Schmitt says finding fish on electronics hasn't been hard but getting them to bite has been lately.  He says low light time periods have been much more effective when fishing for walleye.  Schmitt does suspect fish to become more active with warmer weather so he suggests taking advantage of that.

Winter Severity Index

Glen indicates things are looking pretty good with the Winter Severity Index, which monitors the mortality rate with Minnesota's wildlife.  This includes deer, turkey, pheasants, etc....  Schmitt says it can get bad for wildlife if there is a combination of cold and snow over an extended period of time.  He says northeastern Minnesota has 20-25 inches of snowpack, which puts wildlife in that area in a tougher spot.

Hunting

Schmitt says many people don't realize hunters can still hunt small game until February 28.  He says we have an abundance of rabbits and squirrels in Central Minnesota.  Hunting is still open for racoons, fox and badgers until March 15.  Schmitt says coyote hunting is available year round.

Maple Lake Ice Fishing Derby

The Maple Lake ice fishing derby is this weekend in Wright County.  Schmitt says it's Minnesota's oldest fishing derby.  It's from noon-3pm Saturday February 7.  The Johnny Holm Band will be performing at the event.  It's the 51st annual fishing derby in Maple Lake.  The grand prize is a Ice Castle fish house.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, click below.