whats avalable at Mille Lac

[AL PALMER]

Hi all,planning a few trips to Mille Lac this year. never been there before.I rented a ice house from Appledorns. I have few questions and hope someone can help me out. I read alot of skippers post and Ithink you got a handle on whats happening in the area.I'll be fishing for eyes and perch mainly but would to dabble with a few tip ups for pike.I hear alot of pros on useing quick strike rigs and would like to try them but I don't want to buy all the components to make them since I will only need a few.So question no.1 is can I buy them pre made at the local baits shops and question no.2 do they sell that lovely smelling frozen smelts for bait??
    Also do the resorts drill extra holes for you outside your rental shack?
 thanks for any replies you can give me.

[Skipper]

1) Where is Appledorns? I know the south side of the lake, the north side is an alien universe to me..

2) The whole lake is full of walleye and perch, but my best pick for pike is Isle Bay.

3) Live suckers and shiners are readily available here, so no need for frozen anything!

4) Quick strike rigs are tough to come by, and when someone has them they are overpriced and/or junk! They are the ticket though, I always keep a few hundred on hand!

5) If the check clears, I bet they will drill you a few extra holes if you ask politely.

[AL PALMER]

 Hi Skipper, I gess my spelling is a little off. It's Appeldoorn's Sunset Bay Resort. 4 miles north of Isle. Just starting out this year,but I can see by next year this time I'll be ready with new auger,sonar,and portable.Ever since I started reading all the info this site has to offer,Its me thats hooked,not the fish  THANKS!!!!

[Skipper]

Yeah, I know the place. You are in a good area for sure.

Check out Lakemaster, They have Mille Lacs mapped out in one foot contours. The information is available in data cards for gps, paper maps, and a CD ROM for your PC. I have the "contour pro" PC version because my gps doesn't have mapping abilities. I can pre fish the lake on my computer, plot points on the map, send the points to my gps via a cable, then print out a detailed map with my points included. It is so cool words cant even describe! I will give you a word of warning about their paper maps, the map is black with contour lines. The lines get so close together you can barely read them. The PC version allows you to "zoom" into a particular area and only print the map you want.

[Hard Ice]

Mille Lacs is known the world over as a premier walleye and muskie fishing lake. With over 133, 000 acres it is the second largest lake in Minnesota.

http://www.sunsetbayml.com/

yup i like to fish the south side of the lake too over the years i have fished all over the lake but found the south side to be better then the rest of the lake at times..

[Desperado]

Al Pal
Call Appledoorns and talk to Paul Waldowski (aka P Waldo).  He's the resort manager there and an all around great guy! (just don't tell him I said so  )
 
Ask him about some tip up holes outside; no matter what the answer is, at least you'll get a straight answer.
Or you could consider renting an auger.
I know you can rent a gas auger at Lundeen's.  It's about 15 miles from Appledoorns. 
There's a couple places closer that I'm not sure if the rent but areworth calling and asking. 
Pat's in Isle (about 3 miles from Appledoorns) and Johnson's Portside (halfway between Isle and Appledoorns). 
 If you decide to go the rental route, P Waldo may have some suggestions too. 

P.S. It's worth it to go to Pat's for breakfast when you're in the area.

Here's some info for the places I mentioned
http://www.johnsonsportside.com/
http://www.lundeens.com/     (click on their "Other Services" for rental info)
 Pat's Sport Shop  (320) 676-3525