Lake Poinsett is a large, fish bowl shaped lake. Poinsett is a fairly deep lake for the area, with the majority of the lake being 14-18ft and spots reaching as deep as 20ft with depths slightly fluctuating with water levels. The water is quite clear, which allows for deep weed beds to be present even through winter. Walleye are exceptionally abundant thanks to record year classes within the past few years. Yellow perch are also a popular target, particularly among ice anglers. Northern pike, black crappie and smallmouth bass also offer a nice bonus for anglers.
Angling Information
Ice Fishing
Lake Poinsett is one of the top ice fishing destinations across the Midwest in recent years. This is for good reason, anglers have been having terrific success catching walleye, yellow perch, black crappie and northern pike.
Walleye
Poinsett is generally a large bowl, but the side of the lake you select often has a big impact on the species you are going to catch. The north side of the lake can be considered a better walleye location overall. This area features numerous points, a deep hole and also a shallow hump. Break lines and also a weed line on the north side of the lake also provide structure to concentrate fish.
Of course fish can be caught on all areas of the lake, but overall the walleye fishing is better on the north side. Picking a piece of structure and fishing it an extended period of time, maybe 30-60 minutes, will give you a good idea if fish are on that structure. If you contact fish, the odds of more fish being in the area are high. If you don’t contact fish, it’s time to move to the next piece of structure.
Fishing structure, the key to success is going to be a 1-2 punch. An aggressive jigging presentation will call fish in, but they may commit to a dead stick once they come in.
For jigging presentations, flutter spoons are an excellent option. Silver, gold and other metallic colors are top producers. Working these baits aggressively and 3-5ft off bottom can help draw fish in from a distance. Another good approaching is lipless rattling lures. Aggressively working these baits can make a good commotion as well.
(Learn more about this aggressive strategy in Ice Fishing Flutter Spoons!)
A plain hook and jig under a slipbobber is a perfect follow up. Once the fish come in, it is near impossible for them to resist a struggling minnow right infront of their face. Having tip ups in the area can also help select some of the larger fish.
(Learn more about fishing with tip ups in Tip Up Strategies!)
Yellow Perch
The majority of perch angling takes place on the southern end of the lake. In this area, expansive weed lines run down the shoreline and break lines. Perch will work their way around these weed lines and the term “here today, gone tomorrow” is often the talk of most anglers.
Perch anglers need to stay mobile and be ready to contact fish. Giant schools of perch will move with nearly no end game in mind, but starting at their last known location is often a top option. Working with multiple people allows you to all go in different directions and then contact each other once fish are found.
The perch can roam across the entire lake, but starting on the southern end is always a good move. As winter progresses, the fish may move several miles and areas you had been catching walleye and crappie on weeks before may be filled with perch on any particular day.
Perch anglers’ presentations may vary. Hardcore jig anglers, will say that tungsten jigs and plastics or spikes/wax worms are going to be the most successful. Other anglers say smaller 1/32-1/16oz spoons are the most effective.
Both of these presentations can work, but it overall really depends on the perch mood. When using tungsten jigs, gold, silver and pink are going to be top options. Wax worms, minnow heads and spikes are all good options, but plastics such as Maki plastics or Moustache Worms can all produce fish as well.
(Learn more about targeting perch with plastics in Plastics for Ice Panfish!)
For spoons, baits like VMC Tumblers and Tinglers, Northland Forage Minnows and Lindy Frostees are all good options. Baiting these with minnow heads or spikes are good choices.
Black Crappie
Few anglers flock to Poinsett and specifically target crappie, but that doesn’t mean some dandy fish don’t end up in their bags! Overall, black crappie are really a bonus species anglers catch when pursuing the walleye or perch. There are ways to maximize your odds to catch these crappies.
The largest trend is crappie are generally close to weed lines. Whether it is a deep submerged weed patch or shallow weed lines, crappie generally don’t get too far away. More traditional crappie presentations are often a top choice. Tungsten jigs and the same spoons you would use for perch are generally going to trigger the most crappie.
Northern Pike
Much like crappie, northern are generally just a bonus fish. However, there are some trophy caliber fish that swim the depths of Lake Poinsett. Having a tip up and a shiner or chub is your best chance at picking up one of these bonus fish.
The Carp Connection
The carp connection is something I detail in Making the Forage Connection for Ice Success. This was a pattern I found fishing numerous hours on Lake Poinsett. I was lucky enough to discover this trend while pre-fishing for a charity tournament in early January.
Often we would find that our Vexilars would light up with large red lines often 2-5ft thick close to or just above bottom. We would often catch walleye, but also occasionally crappie or perch every time we had these marks. Originally, I thought that these were extremely large schools of that species that were moving quickly. However, once I set the shack up and cleared the holes out we were able to see all the way to the bottom in 17ft of water due to the extremely clear water. As soon as the marks lit the screen up again we looked down and observed large schools of carp moving through the area. Often the schools of carp would be anywhere from 3-20 fish with the average size being about 5-10 fish. Throughout observing we saw many walleye, perch and crappie following these schools very closely.
As this trend continued to develop and we kept looking down I had one particular school that was 3 carp and then a 27 inch walleye right behind them at the same depth. This walleye slowly came up to my spoon and took it. The next day we saw another mid-upper 20s walleye swimming with a larger school of carp as well. We fished this trend for the next two weeks, including taking First Place in the charity tournament I was preparing for. The interesting thing about this trend is that on a lake that was widely famous for its low light bite it would produce walleye, perch and crappie all day for fish that were following these carp, including that 27 inch walleye that came at 2pm in the afternoon as well as multiple 13-14 inch crappie and 12-13 inch perch.
Our best theory for why this is happening is because the carp are stirring chironomids, which are small bugs, out of the mud with their tails dislodging them into the water column. While in the water, these bugs present an easy buffet for all game species. Although these prey species are extremely small, they are rich in protein and from an energetic standpoint it is much more advantageous for even a trophy caliber walleye to follow these carp at a slow speed feasting opportunistically on small bugs than expending energy chasing perch or baitfish all winter long.
You can read the rest of my findings in Making the Forage Connection for Ice Success.
Spring and Fall
Walleye
Poinsett also draws anglers particularly in the spring and fall. The reason for this is a fantastic shore bite that take place along the rocky shorelines. Whether you’re in waders or on shore, there is often excellent fishing that takes place in the evenings. Anglers fishing out of the boat also find great success as well!
Anglers have the most success throwing jigs and plastics such as Ripple Shads, GULP Minnows or other similar baits. Anglers can also catch fish throwing jerkbaits such as X-Raps, Husky Jerks or other similar suspending baits.
Let the fish dictate your presentation. If fish are aggressive, working these baits quickly helps contact active fish. If the fish are more passive or neutral, incorporate more pauses and twitches and let the fish take a really good look at your bait.
Particularly in the spring time, anglers have some of the best trophy angling of the year on Poinsett fishing the Lake Albert inlet. Small boats, kayaks and even canoes can get anglers on top of these fish. Similar jigging presentations or even vertical jigging can catch fish.
Summer
Walleye
Many anglers prefer trolling crankbaits on the southern end of the lake this time of year. Baits like Salmo Hornets, Flicker Minnows, Flicker Shads and Rapala Shad Raps are popular options to tie on to lead core.
Crankbaits are not the only option to catch fish. Trolling bottom bouncers and Mack’s Lure Smile Blades is another top option as well. Working along break lines on the north side of the lake can produce some good fishing as well. Walleye particularly prefer Slow Death style hooks and night crawlers.
Fish can also be caught by dropping vertical jigs on the edge of weed patches. Scanning with your sonar and finding pods of fish then dropping jigs and minnows on them can catch fish as well. Gold, white and green jigs can all produce fish well.
Surrounding Area Information
Nearby Towns: Arlington, Estelline, Watertown, Brookings
Nearby Lakes: Lake Albert, 81 Ponds, Lake Sinai, Lake Thompson
Area Bait Shops: Kones Corner (Bryant), Wards Store (Bryant), Handi-Mart (Arlington)
Area Lodging: Dakota Ring Neck Lodge (Lake Poinsett), Pier 81 (Lake Poinsett), Cottage Motel (Lake Norden), Lake Poinsett Camp, Beach House Resort Cabin Rentals, Pheasant Motel (Arlington), Lake Poinsett State Recreation Area Campground
Area Restaurants: Siouxland Bar and Grill, Smokins Pub and Grub, Boathouse, Badger Hole (Badger), Bullpen Steakhouse (Lake Norden), 14/81 Restaurant (Arlington)
Related Articles
Understanding the prey of the species your are pursing is critical to ice fishing success. Nick Harrington breaks down the various situations anglers will encounter when targeting walleye, perch and northern pike across South Dakota and the Midwest in Making the Forage Connection for Ice Success.
Ice anglers are all about that gold! Early in the season, the perch fish can be absolutely fantastic! Chris Seylar breaks down what he looks for it start his ice fishing campaign off with some gold in Early Ice Perch Tactics!
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