Northwoods Outdoor Sports Corner
LEVEL UP WITH YOUR SKILLS – GO TEAM GO!
For all of POV’s sports enthusiasts, read up on helpful tips and tricks on your next sporting adventure. We are sharing expert advice, online resources, and what you need to know about doing different sports at and near the resort.
Next Up | Ice Fishing for Beginners
Want to try ice fishing for the 1st time? This. Is. Your. Year! Temps are very mild. Ice is great. Fishing has been great so far this season. And we can answer any questions you might have on getting started. AND we have gear to rent – so you don’t even need to go buy stuff to try it out.
In case you didn’t know…POV Lake Resort is the top-rated of all inclusive ice fishing trips Wisconsin! We have ice fishing shack rentals $75+/day. Our shore on 3k acre North Twin Lake has easy, walkable or vehicle access via our boat launch to excellent ice fishing — catch pan fish or perch and fry up a dinner!
Prepping Before Arriving
Bring winter gear, including recommended waterproof insulated boots and snow pants. Bring gloves as well. You’ll likely shed layers in the shanty with the space heater, so bring layers of clothes for under your coat. Get ready for your all inclusive ice fishing trips Wisconsin!
Get your fishing license ahead of time. Go to https://gowild.wi.gov to purchase online.
Getting Started on North Twin Lake
Get ready for the best of all inclusive ice fishing trips Wisconsin!
- We do not allow rentals if ice conditions aren’t safe, so you should not need safety spikes, cleats on your boots, or ice fishing bibs. However, we ALWAYS emphasize caution!
- Your gear will be ready any time your reservation day under the outdoor awning of the gray rec building to start (sled + gear).
- Head out to your shanty on the lake any time.
- The ice auger is self-serve in the rec room. Use your sled to get it out on the ice to make holes, and then please return it to the rec room in the same condition for others to use — including putting the battery back on the charger.
- We recommend going where others have gone before you digging holes on the lake. You will likely ice fish both inside your shanty and outside it with holes. Go to areas outside the shanty where holes have been drilled before or nearby where others are currently ice fishing – they are likely at the action! There is a great underwater “bowl” between the island and our shore – look at the contour map in the rec room to see depth changes — always a favorite of fish!
Read More from Ice Fishing Guides Themselves
- Ice Fishing: Simple How-To Techniques and Tips by Eric Leatham
- Flag Up! Ice Fishing in Wisconsin by Wisconsin DNR
- How to Go Ice Fishing in Wisconsin: The Complete Guide for 2024 by Lisa
DNR Regulations for Ice Fishing
- Three lines in the water per person (so for instance, you could have two tip ups and one pole in the water at a time)
Statewide fishing restrictions apply (see p. 8 of full regulations). Fishing holes cut through the ice cannot measure more than 12″ across. The doors of enclosed fishing shelters must be readily opened from the outside while occupied; they may be locked only while not occupied and not in use. The shelter owner’s name and address (in English) or DNR Customer ID number must be legibly painted or otherwise affixed on the outside of the fishing shelter with block lettering a minimum of one inch square and in contrasting colors. Fishing shelters that are occupied or otherwise in use are exempt from this requirement. After the date for removing shelters from the ice, you may continue to use a portable shelter, but you must remove it daily when it is not occupied or in use.
Staff Assistance
We strive to stay the top-rated all inclusive ice fishing trips Wisconsin. So if you need help, reach out. On-site assistance is available any time between 9am & 6pm. Outside these hours we’re available to help with urgent support, emergencies, & quiet hours issues.
To reach us, use one of the following methods:
- Ring the doorbell outside the gray rec building during staffing hours
- Resort Help Line: 715-204-4111 (Note – This is Not a Cell #)
- Resort Emergency Line: 715-545-3474
- Email: info@povresort.com
- Online Chat: We have live chat with staff – click the blue chat icon in lower right corner of screen and someone can help you right away!
Gear Overview for All Inclusive Ice Fishing Trips Wisconsin
We provide one 24-28″ ice fishing jigging rods per person (up to four persons). The fish below the ice are sluggish, and they will not put up as hard a fight as they will in warm water conditions so the line doesn’t need to be as weighty as a normal fishing pole.
Downsized jigs are the lures of choice in conjunction with live bait for the majority of your ice fishing. We provide a mix of lead or tungsten jigs in several head designs.
- If you would like to set a line for larger fish like bass, northern pike and walleye while you actively fish other holes, use the two tip ups provided per person. They are designed to straddle the hole and are equipped with a flag to indicate when a fish has taken the bait.
- We also provide a set of pliers per rental to remove hooks from fish and to secure split shot to your line.
- We also rent out separately (see above) a Vexilar ice fishing transducer fish finder. If you don’t know how to use it, here is a two-minute video orienting you to its operation (the model we rent out).
What You'll Be Fishing for on North Twin Lake
North Twin Lake and the waters off our shore are ready-made for the best of all inclusive ice fishing trips Wisconsin. Below are not only the most common ice fishing fish to go after, they are plentiful in our waters!
Bluegill
Try fishing in shallow bays where the water is about four to eight feet deep. For bait, try a teardrop lure tipped with live insect larvae. Gently jig the lure up and down. As a general rule, the warmer the weather, the better it’s for Bluegill ice fishing. Catching them in bitter weather is challenging since they move to deeper water. Be quiet. Fish spook and avoid vibration and noise. And move! Hole–hopping, even small distances, can produce fish. Also, fish the entire VERTICAL water column.
Yellow Perch
Jig for perch at 35 feet. For bait, try small, live minnows or weighted ice flies and insect larvae. Gentle jigging with a lightweight bobber and a short pole with a strong line and a sinker seem to work great. Perch might be the other most popular species for ice fishing. They’re active throughout the day, though first light and sunset really drive the bite with perch. Once you find a school, the fishing can be nonstop action. You can find smaller fish nearshore, while bigger Perch live in deeper waters. Local anglers prefer to work with more than one hole at a time to take advantage of it.
Walleye
This schooling fish is found along the shorelines and in shallow bays. Key spots to look for Walleye include gravel bars, weeds edges, rocky drop-offs, and mid-depth mudflats, with depths ranging from 20 to 30 feet of water. Tip-ups rigged with minnows are the best technique. Ice anglers heavily target walleye. These fish are most active during the evening hours. Walleye have fantastic night vision and feed in lower light than most fish. Be prepared to fish until late evening for these toothy critters.
Northern Pike
While not as common on NTL, they’re out there. Fish shallow bays with large live minnows on a tip-up in four to 12 feet of water. Pike are well known for their affinity to cold. The colder, the better. Set your tip-ups before sunrise for the best chance. As the water warms, they become less active.
Where to Get Bait
To be the top-rated of all inclusive ice fishing trips in Wisconsin, we make getting bait easy.
We sell spikes self serve in the rec room. These are often the easiest to get started with for beginners. You can pay cash there or with a card at https://povorder.com, Spikes (a.k.a. maggots) when a 2-3 are tipped on the hook of a jig or other ice-fishing lure. Like a small minnow, these live terrestrial baits tend to catch almost any fish that swims under ice.
Minnows (an ice fishing favorite) are also for sale at the Phelps Convenience Center 7 minutes down the road. We sell Styrofoam minnow buckets in the rec room self-serve store if needed. Size your minnows to your intended catch. Smaller shiners or other types of locally available minnows are ideal for panfish, trout and other small and medium-sized fish.
To keep your Minnows live and swimming, which will attract more predatory fish, it’s important to hook them in non-vital organs. Passing the hook just under the back side of the dorsal fin is one of the more popular methods and keeps the hook centrally located.
When You're Wrapping Up Your Rental
- FISH CLEANING | There is an ice fishing cleaning shack by Cabin 12 by the boat launch (painted blue exterior). There is no running water in the winter, but you can leave your fish guts in the freezer in there. We request you do not clean fish in the cabins, BUT if you do…PLEASE clean up after yourselves.
- DEPOSITING GEAR | Please leave all of your ice fishing gear in the same condition as you found it – it should be left in the same spot under the outdoor awning of the gray rec building. Do NOT please leave it in the shanty or your cabin. Exception: if you’ve rented the Vexilar transducer please place it on the counter in the rec room when finished. Also again the auger should be returned in the same spot in the rec room with the battery re-placed on the charger.
- Cheers – we hope you had a great time out on the ice! We hope your experience met your expectations as the best of all inclusive ice fishing trips Wisconsin! If you have any feedback please don’t hesitate to share with us at info@povresort.com.