Hello everyone...sorry I didn't get any updates besides our podcast up the past couple weeks.  I was on vacation somewhere alot warmer than here.

The rest of the guide team didn't take any vacation and has continued to find walleyes and perch this past week. 

This last big snow storm missed Mille Lacs for the most part, but with some snow and alot of blowing it made the roads around the lake drifted pretty bad.  The network of roads to any mud/gravel flat we had over this past winter has taken a hit.  I'm sure by this coming weekend, George and the crew will have these roads back open.  For any of you with hard houses out on the mud...you might want to check with Hunters to see about making sure the road to your flat is open.

This time of year you find that the window of aggressively feeding walleyes is pretty small.  Your best bet for walleyes right now is top/top edges of gravel humps or mud flats during low light periods and then sliding off the structure to deeper water as the day goes on.  Sliding back up of course in the late afternoon.  There are still plenty of walleyes being caught.  Macho minnows tipped with a crappie head is still the spoon of choice.

Our guide team has been spending more and more time these past couple weeks looking for the big schools of jumbo perch.  We have been targeting the deep water off the mud flats and gravel bars along with the deep transition areas.   The perch are starting to school up more and more.  We had guide trips this weekend were our clients had their limits by noon and 1 p.m.  There is nothing better than seeing your locator light up as your forage minnow willows towards the bottom.  We call this a christmas tree.  All the red/green/yellow lights growing off the bottom towards your falling jig....perch on!!  And as fast as you can get your fish off and jig back to the bottom, only to see the lights fly up to meet the jig again!  We have had several large "christmas trees" over this past week.  Pulling 5-10 jumbo perch out of one hole in about a minutes time.  If you have never experienced perchin...now is the time to come up and try it. 

The Northland Forage Minnow in gold/silver/hot perch have all been good this week.  Fill each hook of the spoon with as many euros/waxies as you can get on there.  You will see the advantage of this when you land on that first "christmas tree".  Getting the spoon back down there as fast as you can...without having to worry about bait on your hook is key to pulling as many perch out of the school as possible.

A reminder to everyone...we are limiting the number of people to 20 for our Perch Weekend March 5th, 6th, and 7th.  Our entire guide team will be there for this weekend.  Each day you will be with a different member of our guide team in a very small group.  There will be daily prizes for biggest perch, most perch....biggest Tullibee...etc.  Prizes are donated by Northland Tackle/Strikemaster/Frabill and Hunters Point.  A weekend of learning a little bit (Seminars)....Catching alot of perch...(guided trip for two days)....Eating some of the best food on the lake (Hunters Point meals and lodging)....and of course, alot of laughs!  I promise you this will be a great weekend. 

Good Luck to everyone this coming weekend.  There are still walleyes to be caught and the perchin has begun.  Until next week.....we hope to see you on the ice!