Today's Feature Fishing Report: April 23, 2026 "Grand Rapids Minnesota Area Lakes Opening Soon, Ice Out Progress Report"

After a warm and breezy day on Wednesday, I and the Hippie Chick took a ride to assess lake ice conditions near Grand Rapids. Finding open water was easy, every lake we saw looked a lot like what you see here. Tioga Bay on Pokegama Lake has large swaths of open water around the shoreline. What’s left of the ice in the center is dark, slushy looking and ready to go out any minute. All it would take to relieve the lake of any remaining ice would be a shift of the wind direction.

Bass Lake, at Cohasset MN was a bit further along. The south bay was wide open, and the main portion of the southern lobe had huge open areas along the shoreline. Just up the road, Shoal Lake, from the south side, appeared to be wide open, with no visible ice at our vantage point. Smaller waters in the north central region, for the most part, are all in similar condition.

Larger lakes, confirmed by yesterday’s satellite images, remain ice covered. That said, those images reveal dark spots that appeared to be open water along the southern shorelines. Leech Lake had the most open water, especially on the south shore of the main lake. Lake Winnie, Cass Lake, Bowstring Lake, and Upper Red all have similar patches of open, shoreline water.

The annual gathering of eggs from spawning walleye at the Cutfoot Sioux operation has not yet begun. As of yesterday, April 22, 2026, there was a small amount of dock gear set in place near the site, but no signs of anyone setting up for the egg take operation.  It takes a few days for oxygen levels to replenish once the lakes are completely ice-free. So, until both Little Cutfoot, and connected waters upstream are completely ice-free, the DNR will hold steady before beginning the operation. My educated guess is that Monday or Tuesday next week will mark the start of the operation.

With 16 days remaining, preparations for the walleye fishing opener are in, or should be in full swing. For me, replacement batteries are on the agenda. So is a check of wheel bearings on the boat trailer. Did you know that the manufacturer recommended replacement time for wheel bearings is every 10,000 to 12,000 miles? I do, and I did follow that guidance last summer, but guess what? Yes, my wheel bearing went out and did because of that, caused enough damage to require a whole new axle. So, a word to the wise, if you travel to and from a lake with your boat, be sure to get an inspection, and replacement often.

You may recall, last spring I offered an article featuring simple tips to help you avoid getting a citation on your early season fishing trips. The advice is still good, and everybody, even me, needs an occasional refresher. So, here's a link to the original article >> "Don't Land a Citation! Avoid These Embarrassing, Sometimes Costly Fishing-Boating Violations"

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