Whitefish In Minnesota (where can I fish them)

[Gordo]

Whitefish seem to get hyped a lot on the In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide show.

I am always looking for new ice fishing experiences, and would like to try fishing for Whitefish.

How far south can I find Whitefish in Minnesota? Any lakes around the Twin Cities, or are these strictly a Northern Minnesota to Canada species?

[Rebelss]

According to the "Fish of Minnesota" Field Guide, the farthest southern area to catch Whitefish is Mille Lacs. Anything farther south is too warm to support them.

[macker13]

I was fishing with a group if guys two years ago on Winnie.  We were after walleyes, but marked some suspended fish.  I checked them out with my camera and found out they were whitefish.  I caught a couple 17" - 18" on a small jig and spikes.
Boy do those things stink once you get them on the ice.

[Hard Ice]

Last year i know there was a lot talk of catching them on mil lacs lake ..where is a good question.

[fishuhalik]

those arent whitefish, they're tullibee. for whitefish, i'd head out on superior or the aptly-named whitefish chain of lakes

[macker13]

Nope.  The ones I caught were indeed whitefish.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/baudette/whitefish.html

[mcsquinty]

I read once that Lake Elmo has one of those two, whitefish or tullibee, not sure which though.

[DIRTBALL2]

I had a great time catching whitefish up on Lake Lida not far from Fergus Falls. It was late in the season, right around March, as I recall. I went out from Kansas Point to where I saw a bunch of guy's fishing. When I asked how deep I should fish for them this old-timer told me, "Three arm length's and a foot!" So I did what he said and ended up having a field day. They were all big whitefish! About 4 or 5 lbs! All the local's swore up and down that they were tullibee's. But I've never seen tullibee's that big. Have you? DIRTBALL2

[amortec]

Check this out ,Tell the difference: Cisco, Lake Whitefish, and Mooneye

Both the Cisco (Coregonus artedi) and Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) are found in Lake of the Woods and other lakes in Minnesota. Ciscos are commonly caught by ice anglers, while Lake whitefish are occasionally caught. Both fish make tasty tablefare.

Many anglers have a difficult time telling the difference between the two species. They each are identifiable as a member of the Trout/Salmon family by their body shape and adipose fin. The main distinguishing feature is their snouts. The Lake Whitefish has a snout that overhangs the lower jaw. The lower jaw of the Cisco extends up to or beyond the tip of snout.

Cisco are also commonly called tullibee or lake herring.

Lake Whitefish can grow to larger sizes than Cisco. The Minnesota state record Cisco weighed 5 pounds, 11.8 ounces, and was caught in Saint Louis County. The Minnesota state record Lake Whitefish weighed 12 pounds, 4.5 ounces, and was caught on Leech Lake.

Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) are similar in appearance to cisco and lake whitefish. Mooneye are characterized by having large eyes. They are one of only two members of the Mooneye family, the other being the goldeye.

You are most likely to catch mooneye while fishing the Rainy River, or near the mouth of the Rainy River in the Pine Island area. Mooneye are often caught by anglers using flies, especially during July when mayflies are hatching in the Rainy River. The Minnesota state-record for mooneye is one pound, fifteen ounces. 


 

[Skipper]

You can get a crap load of tulibee out of Mille Lacs. Don't worry so much about the whitefish if you are just looking for something new to do.

Crappie and sunfish jigs tipped with a waxie has always worked well for me. They seem to get hot in March in the deep water around the rock piles on the south end of the lake. You need a flasher because they will suspend 3-10' under the ice. A camera is pretty handy too.

They are not great to eat unless you smoke them. They are top notch if smoked properly.

Be careful, they love to poop on you...

Eelpout push up onto the shallow rock piles to spawn this same time of year and they are a blast to catch. Fish them with jigs and spoons tipped with minnows or minnow heads. They can be your plan B if the tulibee take the day off. Pout are usually glued to the bottom.