Mille Lacs, Minnesota, USA
Millelacs Lake map

Ice Report as of 12/23/25 

Use extreme caution and check with resorts/lake access operations before heading out Good Luck, Have Fun & As always be safe!!

Lybacks Ice Fishing: 

Ice depths, when checked in the smooth, clear ice, were a consistent 14″ with only a few spots at 13″.  All good ice, just not enough for a lot of traffic, especially with the temps.  Individual vehicles with a curb weight under 5000lbs will be allowed for rentals and permanents that I pulled today. As they go out, if you are on the list, you will be called.  If you don’t know your vehicle’s curb weight. Otherwise, it’s an ATV, side-by-side, to get there tomorrow, including portable fishermen. Single-axle wheelhouses pulled by an ATV or side-by-side can also go.

Today about 1.5 miles out on our Tullibee Road a pressure ridge formed.  Most of the areas we are currently pulling to were unaffected.  The areas were the Gravel, Banana, and Tundra. Tomorrow (Tuesday), we will be getting across it, but it might just be ATV travel until we get more cold weather, which is forecasted for Sunday.  We’ll see what it looks like after we get it ready, or maybe find an alternate route, as it pushed in the area where we have a lot of rough ice.  We’ll see after tomorrow.  Until that time, everything will stay inside it.

The bite out past it, the deeper water and gravel last few days were good, along with the deeper water inside of the ridge, but mostly smalls (10″-12″ Walleye). But anglers who looked for areas with Perch, while mostly small, in the basins were the ones who got the keeper Walleye.  They were going for the small Perch, I’m thinking.

Agate Bay Resort: 

We were out checking ice again today. It has made more ice and we are at 11-12”.
We started plowing the main road today and found a patch of very rough ice. It will take us all day just to finish that road.
There was a new crack near shore we had to bridge. There are a lot of wet spots under the snow where we plowed and the ice needs some more cold weather to firm up.
We will be continuing to plow roads tomorrow and Wednesday. We will close at 2:00 on Wednesday and stay closed on Christmas Day. We will reopen at 7:00 am on Friday.
If you have any questions or would like to make a reservation for a rental fish house, please call us at 320-684-2233.
 
 
 

Castaway's Resort: Things are coming together out there. Few days ahead of where we were last year. Forecast looks promising over the next couple weeks. We will be open to atv/side x side traffic this weekend, please check in at the bar before heading out.

Watch Castaway's Ice Report Video: Hal from Castaway's Resort Ice Update

 Eddy’s Resort: 

A sea of red ice houses from Eddy’s is on the horizon—and they’re already starting to line our frozen shoreline! 
Ice house bookings will be opening very soon, so stay tuned—we’re so excited! 
Current ice conditions: 12–13 inches measured, with the ice road open to smaller vehicles near shore. 
Learn more about ice road passes  https://bit.ly/3a2AplT

The Mille Lacs Angler: 

​The ice is looking great! We are seeing anywhere between 13 and 16 inches up to two miles out. The road system is consistently 14"+.
​Fishing Report
-​Perch: Anglers are catching Perch in 18–21' of water using small jigs with plastics or small Jigging Raps. Green, orange, gold, and chartreuse with red hooks and minnow heads have been working well. There are plenty of small Perch with some nice Jumbos mixed in.
-​Walleye: Walleye are being caught in the 15–18' range. Keepers are hitting on a very slow jigging motion. Jigs with plastics or minnow heads in "Wonder Bread" patterns or green/chartreuse have been the most successful.
-​Northern Pike: Pike are being caught on red treble hooks in shallow water (12' or less). Other nice fish have been spotted on cameras and LiveScope but aren't always committing to the baits.
​Restrictions
-​1/2-ton trucks with single-axle wheelhouses are allowed.
-​Tandem-axle wheelhouses (up to 21') may be dollied out.
-​3/4-ton gas trucks are cleared to go out without a wheelhouse.
​Seasonal Pass Holders: If you are a current pass holder—or are interested in purchasing one—and would like to move your house out, please inquire with us directly, as these restrictions may not apply to you.
As always, our office opens at 6:00 a.m. daily, or give us a call at 320-674-0482 with any questions.

Garrison Sports Bait & Tackle: 

We were able to get the wheeler bridge over the heave and are now open to the mud for Atv, Sxs, and snowmobiles! The blue dot in the picture is where the bridge is located.
We are finding 11-14” of ice as of today but we are still battling a shoreline crack. We have it bridged so you can pull single axle houses over it with Sxs and wheelers. NO VEHICLES YET! Wheelhouses are allowed out to the heave!
The bite has been good come get em!!
 
Day Houses are on the Reef!!!
Give us a call to make reservations at 320-692-4477
$80 a day
$100 a day if you need a shuttle!
Hours are 7am-5pm (Christmas Eve Hrs 7am to 3pm, Christmas Day Hrs 1pm to 5pm)
Make sure to stop in the shop for a pass!!

Ice Camp Outfitters: 

It's shaping up to be an awesome ice season - temps look great to continue building on what we currently have.
Reminder...No ice is ever 100% safe, be smart, and have fun.
These fish are hungry!
See you out there soon!

Dickies Shacks on Mille Lacs 

we have been conducting ice checks and staking roads. The ice thickness ranges from 6 to 15 inches, with most areas measuring between 9 to 11 inches. A crack has appeared today near Bigpoint, and we will provide updates on when access will be permitted. Should you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to connecting with everyone.
 

North Mille Lacs Ice Fishing: Will be open to walking, atvs, Side by sides and snowmobiling traffic. The office will be open at 6am please come in so we can direct you on where to park. Watch Ice Video and update as of 12/18: North Mille Lacs Ice Update Video

Nitti's Hunters Point: Ice Report & Video Link: Click Here 

Beachside Resort

 

This weekend was cold and windy, and we were able to make a little more ice to get us over the next hump, and we are going to be lifting some restrictions. For the most part we are seeing around 15" of ice in the bay. There is an area by Mulybys island where we are still seeing 12.5" of ice under the little snowpack we can find. We are thinking it is because of the thick weed bed there retaining some heat and slowing ice growth. We would like to keep that area restricted for trucks pulling houses for now until we get a little more ice growth.
Our main road is over 15" and our staging area is 18".
RESTRICTIONS:
We are allowing all vehicles, 1 ton or smaller, for portable fishing inside the bay and off our road system. Please make sure you don't fish in the road and that you are not setting up right next to the stakes.
We are also allowing half tons pulling single axel wheelhouses in the bay up to where we have a bridge.
We will be offering dolly service on tandems. 1st come 1st served.
THE BITE:
We have had a lot of reports of keeper Walleye and Jumbo Perch being caught in the bay. We have also had some nice Northern caught and even a few Burbot! Stop in at the baitshop for the hot lure and tips!
BAIT:
We have Rainbows, Golden Shiners, Fat Heads, Small to Large Suckers and worms.
RENTALS:
We have Ice Castle Rentals available this weekend, and skid houses starting next week. Go to www.beachsidemn.com to check availability and book your stay!

Brandt's Ice Fishing: 

Good News… we’re gaining ice, we have a solid 14-16” and the bite seems to be a lot better than last year!
**Rentals- YES! We have some available! Give us a call at 320-532-3674 to reserve yours!
**Privates- we’re allowing up to 10x22! We’re still only out as far as 1 1/4 mile. This includes slips reef, the point and 3/4 mile reef. We’re allowing 1/2 tons and under to drive out. If you’d like to get on the pull list, give us a call! The snow we have is rock hard, so banking is going to be challenging.
We plan to stake roads further out today, but we do have a large crack just past 1 1/4. We need to let that heal before we open the roads any further out.
**Wheelhouses- Sorry, not yet…. Soon we hope!
*Reminder- We will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
We’re blessed with an early start this year and excited to see ya all!

Castles Resort


WHEELHOUSE RENTALS AVAILABLE ON THE ICE NOW 


The ice is not quite ready for half ton pickups yet, probably by the weekend! We will be extending our main ice road out this week.

 

  • Small cars & SUVs are go now 5MPH!!
  • Shuttle Service available

 

Fishing Report

  • Perch are plentiful with folks reeling in some good keepers
  • Small tungsten jigs blue/white with waxies or minnow head
  • Walleye are cooperating nicely in this barometer range
  • Dead Stick w/ shiner or small sucker minnow. Jigging with smaller flutter spoons w/small minnow or half a minnow 12' to 22'
  • Pike 7' to 10' medium to large sucker minnow

Mille Lacs Regulations 2025-2026

Walleye:

  • Daily/Possession Limit: 3 fish
  • Size: Must be longer than 17 inches; only one can be longer than 20 inches
  • Season: December 1, 2025, through February 22, 2026 

 

Yellow Perch:

  • Daily/Possession Limit: 10 fish
  • Season: December 1, 2025, through May 8, 2026 

 

Northern Pike:

  • Daily/Possession Limit: 5 fish
  • Size: Must be at least 30 inches long

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