Winterkill in Minnesota?

I live near a very dark, bog stained lake in northern Minnesota. The ice melted about two weeks ago, and I cannot get the Northern Pike to bite. They were very abundant all last summer, and this winter during ice fishing. This winter was very long, and there was alot of snow. This weekend I was casting and i retrieved a very rotten northern. It had been dead for quite a while. I walked the shorelines a week after ice out, and saw one dead perch afloat, but that was it. Bullheads were not a problem catching this weekend, but nothing else. Could this be a winterkill, or could the Pike just be too lazy to strike my spoon because of the cold water and the spawning that is taking place late this year because of the late winter? one more quick note, the vegatation is abundant, with lily pads covering half the water in the summer, and the lake depth is 16' in the deepest spot.

Winterkill in Minnesota?
I'm located near Duluth, MN and we had snow flurry's LAST night!



Although I've only been in MN for 7 years this is the LONGEST winter I've experienced.



We have had amazingly low temps for this time of year!



I don't think you've had a winterkill on your lake. I think we are having a VERY cold Spring and it is effecting Spawning, (as you suggested). Last year we had very warm temps in the Duluth area. This year it's FREEZING!



It's so dang cold up here the Birch/Poplar aren't even budding out!



Anywho- It's the temps not a winterkill.
Reply:if you have 16 feet of ice , i dont think it was winterkill, just a fishless day, might just be the water is still cold and there just not hitting anything like a spoon yet. give it some time, what was the water temp ?
Reply:They are in spawning bays spawning.Find a good place and cast a large soft plastic bait or crankbait.

Reel it in slowly.This worked last weekend for me and my friend.
Reply:Fish are still in slow mode because of cold water temps and many cold fronts. Give it about 4 weeks and things will be totally different (I hope)

Rubber Slippers