Open water fishing tends to stop when the sun goes down, but ice fishing is a whole different story. All winter long, Lake Mille Lacs turns into frozen landscape speckled with ice houses and anglers stay up all night long to get their fill of catches. When it comes to overnight ice fishing trips, Lake Mille Lacs is the place to be! So, to answer the question of, “Does Lake Mille Lacs have night bite?” Absolutely!
A Night Owl’s Favorite Fishing Season
When it comes to overnight ice fishing trips, winter is a night owl’s favorite fishing season. Winter and ice fishing opens the opportunity to ice fish throughout the night. When it comes to Minnesota fishing regulations, summertime is the season that is strict on hard stops to fishing at 10pm and other months in between stopping at midnight. For a while, night bite for ice fishing was not allowed on Lake Mille Lacs. However, winter is now back and open for overnight ice fishing trips and is the perfect time to relax and snag some of the fish that prefer the night life.
What Bites After Dark?
Nite bite can be a test of patience for some, but it is a fantastic opportunity for those looking for the big fish that wait for the witching hour for a late dinner. There are species that prefer the daylight, but don’t let that deter you from dropping your lines throughout the night.
One popular fish that we all know and love makes appearances at night are walleyes. You will want to sink your lure to a little above where you would during the day and try to use glow-in-the dark lures to catch their attention. Not much is different other than those two factors to nab yourself a late night walleye. Catch your walleye limit and spend the night trying something unique.
Other species that tend to stay active at night are bass, muskellunge, and some panfish. No matter what you are targeting, you’re likely to be pulling in a good amount through your overnight ice fishing trips. For best results cover your holes and use a tip-up with a light indicator to let you know that you’ve got something on your line. There’s a little different finesse to night bite, but Lake Mille Lacs won’t let you down!
Nighttime Safety and Lodging
Overnight ice fishing trips can be a little different than hitting the ice during the day. One of the biggest differences is the safety factor. First and foremost, it is a lot harder to see once the sun goes down. There’s no street lights on the ice and on cloudy evenings, the moon light doesn’t provide much assistance. It’s always a good idea that if you do need to travel beyond your ice house at night to have a headlamp, high wattage flash light, or something similar and extra batteries. Getting lost out on the ice or finding a place that is unsafe to traverse can turn great overnight ice fishing trips into a nightmare.
Staying warm is another aspect of night bite to consider. The temperature drop considerably once the sun disappears, so it is important to make sure you have the correct set up to stay nice and warm. If you have your own ice house, double check that you have a heater that is safe to use inside. You will want to make sure that it is firesafe and won’t produce potentially lethal gas if you have a generator running it. One of the easiest ways to avoid either of these issues is renting an ice castle or ice fishing skid house.
Here at The Red Door Resort, we offer a variety of lodging options for angler’s comfort and safety. If you are going to be up all night fishing, you might as well do it in comfort and style without worrying about the potential hazards of a makeshift set up. We’ll even have you covered with a spot to cook up your catches if you want, or to just make yourself a nice hot meal. When you stay with The Red Door Resort, you’ll be sure to have an unforgettable night bite fishing trip on Lake Mille Lacs.
