Ice Fishing Around Little Falls, MN

Featured Photo and Above Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Ice, Ice, Baby

Attention all anglers! Did you know that there are lots of great ice fishing spots in and around the Little Falls, MN area? Pack your gear, find some bait, bundle up, and let’s go! We’ll show you some wonderful lakes where you can drop a line.

Green Prairie Fish Lake

Popular for its public beach in the summer, Green Prairie Fish Lake is also a favorite destination for anglers in the Little Falls area in the winter. This lake is the perfect spot for snowmobiling, skiing, and, of course, ice fishing. You can park your vehicle in the beach parking lot and bring your gear down the beach and onto the ice. While bass and Northern Pike are sought after in the summer, pike and panfish are what most anglers are after in the winter. This lake is best for a pop up and jig fishing. A simple crawler or minnow should do the trick.

If you visit the second weekend in February, you can also see the world’s largest ice carousel at the 6th Annual Sunny Zwilling Memorial Ice Carousel Extravaganza also known as I.C.E. Fest. This free family fun event will take place from Saturday, February 11th to Sunday the 12th. Along with the largest ice carousel, there will also be smaller carousels about for visitors to walk on as well as food and drink vendors. In previous years, there has been curling, a spear fishing demo, igloo building, dog sledding, Santa with sleigh rides, ice divers with an underwater drone, ice fishing, airplane rides, and even log rolling! This fundraiser benefits children through Flyer Pride Pack, a program dedicated to giving at-risk or challenged by weekend hunger children food on the weekends. You can donate here.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Pierz Fish Lake

Another great lake close by is Pierz Fish Lake just 16 miles east of Little Falls. This lake is well known for having a dense large mouth bass population. You can also find bluegills and black crappies here in the winter. Whether you cast a line or set up some tip ups, you’re sure to catch some great fish here.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Lake Alexander

Lake Alexander is a very popular lake for ice fishing. There are three public water accesses; two on the east end and one on the west end of the lake. You’re welcome to park or drive out from any of the accesses. Most anglers seek out walleye at this lake with their best luck for catching them being at night or on cloudy days using a minnow, but the lake has a variety of fish species including Muskellunge, bass, and panfish.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Fish Trap

Most anglers believe that ice fishing declines quite a bit after first ice, but that does not hold true for Fish Trap Lake. This lake is great for fishing crappies, especially during late ice to open water season. But, if you’re looking for something other than crappies, Fish Trap also has Muskie, pike, walleye, and panfish year-round.

Photo by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Ice Precautions

While ice fishing is a wonderful way to get out and enjoy the Minnesota lakes and winter season, please use caution when going out onto ice. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recommends that there be more than 20 inches of ice for a truck and ice shelter to go out and anything less than 4 inches is unsafe. Ice is never one-hundred percent safe, so use caution when you go out.

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