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Riverbend Feb. 16th & 17th


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Fished with Riverbend on both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend out at the reefs. Fishing was pretty darn good both days although Sunday for us was really going well until the wind came up and the whiteout started!

Saturday it started out just after 9AM when I literally set two different lines by hand while adjusting the depths using my Marcum. I know that I literally caught 30 fish myself on Saturday when I was the only one in the house jigging. I either caught them on my jigging rod (red-rattlin varmint) or on a gold fat boy under a bobber next door. Lots of little saugers around 10 inches or so. My brother-in-law John is a rookie ice fisherman and he missed so many sets that the boys on the other side of the house were begging to switch sides. They still caught some fish including the biggest which was an 18" walleye. Ended the day with 5 good walleye in the bucket and 2 jumbos as well as 9 saugers with only 1-2 smaller saugers that couldn't make it back down the hole.

Like stated earlier, Sunday started out very good with pretty steady action on gold jigs and glow red or glow pink/white jigs. I did get the two boys jigging and that at least got my son a few more fish. We did switch sides of the house but that somewhat coincided with the storm slowing things down other than a short flurry of walleyes around 1PM. The boys were being stubborn and refused to admit "operator error" until they were getting pasted real bad in numbers/chances and gave in and switched sides. Of course, I sat down for all of 20 seconds on the other side of the house, gave the bobber line a shake and changed its depth and caught a keeper sauger. My son literally sat with his face in his hand for a minute before he could look me in the eye. That minute is going to live in infamy for along time! Ended up right at our limit although we were short one walleye towards our limit but had a sauger to cover that one. Sunday we had two 17 1/2" walleyes and one real good sauger, two jumbo's as well.

Riverbend hospitality as always was excellent. The boys burned up the pool table. We survived a pretty long ride back in on Sunday during the storm and a walk over the bridge both ways on Sunday and coming back in on Saturday. Guides were not only friendly but definitely interested in what we had to share. I'll be back. My son is already harping at his mom who told him he won't be able to come along next year if he has to miss school. We have a year to get that house pass for him so I guarantee he'll be along.

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Thank you for the awesome report. I am heading up to river bend in two weeks and I cant wait. First trip ever to LOW was in January and I used Riverbend and now I have a new addiction to deal with.

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That was a very good report and I am looking forward to my stay there in the beginning of march.

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Tripleplay: great report, thanks for taking the time to put it together. My youngest son and two buddies are headed that way tomorrow morning. This is the first time in 8 years that I'm not able to make a February trip. sounds like the weather is going to be better for the next three or four days. Whats the story on the bridge? Is it out on the way to the reefs over a pressure ridge? Seems one always heaves about 3/4 of the way up there.

Is your son now a believer, or still a doubting Thomas? Hard to hold back the smirk isn't it..LOOOOOL. Bill

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bturck,

Is there anything I need to bring specifically besides my lures and electronics when I stay up there?

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Are you staying at the Lodge or in a sleeper? If you are staying at the Lodge they will provide the transportation to and from the house, along with the minnows and fish cleaning when you get back at night. I bring along 4-5 rods rigged with various jigs and presentations, my electronics and my tackle bag. If you want some beverges or snacks while your out there you can certainly bring those. The resort will also make you a bag lunch for $6 to include sandwich, chips, candy bar or cookies. Thats about all we do on our day trips whether we drive out or are transported. Let me know if you have any other specific questions. Good luck and hang on. Bill

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Thank you very much. I am staying at the lodge and will be on the meal plan they offer. Again thanks for your help.

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Darnnit Bill you are'nt around this weekend but your son will be eh? I got an invite last nite to come along on a trip out of the Riverbend on Friday and thought I'd maybe finally get to run into you! February dregs of the wintertime so I think I will maybe tag along and be pampered, LOL, no hole drilling or scratchin my melon on just where to go this Friday!!!

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Son of a gun Norm, I guess we are going to pass in the night again 'eh. I would really like to be making this trip however due to the sale of my agency and the company requirements my secretary who has bought me out is in Chicago.

Brad and two buddies will be there Thursday noon thru Saturday. They are set to head to the reefs on Friday. If you see a 26 yr old in a white Castle snowmobile jacket keep an eye on him for me LOL, hmmmm who's going to watch you..... I told him to buy you a beer if you can hook up. I will be there March 20,21 and 22. Hope you all have a good time and lots of fish this weekend. I'll be dialin' up the cell phone to check in for usre. Good luck, hang on. Bill

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toomuchfun I will be there Sunday Mar 2 and monday Mar 3 and I am staying at Riverbend. If you are there then we might be on the bomber together. I am driving a gray focus and my name is Ralph. Give me a name if you are going to be there at the same time and if you are using Riverbend.

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toomuchfun: I'm sure you'll have a good time. They have good food, biscuits and gravy in the morning will get you off to a good start. Are you up there alone or with others? Bill

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I have a buddy coming with but with him there is always a possibilty he drops out. I much prefer fishing with someone than by myself.

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I will be up at Riverbend Wed. 5th thru Sat. the 8th. So I won 't be seeing you up there but Good luck to you! Please post a report and hopefully I will have a chance to read it before I leave.

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toomuch: My son and his two friends left this morning at 500am. They should be north of Blackduck by now. I'm not going to be able to make this trip, but I will post there results on Sunday, as they will be coming home on Saturday night. Bill

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Bill,

I say this every year but it was your comments about Riverbend and the service, etc. that ultimately sealed the deal for me on trying them for the first time. I told Charlie that exact same thing this past weekend. I don't see us switching resorts away from Riverbend and although I never really had any negatives about any of the other resorts on LOW that I've fished with I've come to really count on Riverbend for a great time and I love the reef fishing.

If I'm remembering correctly, there are three or four ridges/heaves that you cross on the way out to the reefs. The first is small and you drive right over it. The last which is near the reefs is the one that caused most of the problems last year but right now you just drive right over it although that could have changed as well. I think this one is somewhere in the half way to three-quarters area going out. They already had a wood bridge over it and the ice is pushed up a good 4 feet from the level ice/snow. We drove over it on the way out but they asked us to walk across it due to the temperature changes coming back on Saturday. When we got to it on Sunday morning, it was pushed up higher and the wood bridge had a number of broken/splintered boards on the high side. We walked across it with no problems both ways but I expect that one of the resorts probably worked on it on Monday and replaced those boards and that it is probably good to go. One thing I did notice is that there is a crossing spot about 15-20 ft from where the bridge is now and I'm guessing that spot got bad so this spot with the bridge on it could as well.

My son is darn good at ice fishing (he bought my starter Vex from me) but he got a real lesson last weekend from dad. I think due to his age he will still be a doubting Thomas which just means I get to hopefully repeat the lesson a few more times! I definintely don't want to start a Vex versus Marcum debate on this thread but I happen to agree with my son that the ability to switch over to the Super Fine Line (SFL) on my Lx5 might have made the difference as it was easier to pick up the separation between lure/bait and fish. Or it could be that I'm just a better fisherman (or was jigging more) but I want him to believe that it was because I'm a better fisherman and now he needs to work hard to put me back in my place. What smirk! I was laughing so hard, but not out loud to start that my chest hurt after catching that fish!!

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Tripleplay: Glad to hear that you are satisfied with the experiance at the Bend. It was recommended to me 8 years ago and I have been there ever since. There are a lot of great resorts on the lake, and they have to be in order to stay in business year after year. I got started here and until something were to change with the service, fishing success etc I have no reason to change.

I tried to call my son a few times this morning, he's up on the reefs with them right now, but I can't get through. Not sure if he shut his phone off or not. ( See the post from this AM Riverbend Burglarized). I'll try and get a report later today No doubt the pressure ridges up that way can cause some issues. There is a lot of pressure with the changiing temps and wind, and it has to go some place. Yesterday was a slow bite for them, so hopefully today its good and will wipe out the negative reponse they had. Bill

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