fishing on url

[LABS4ME]

Good post Jiggle...fishing was slow for us too...but how can you beat meeting up with old friends on the ice, (or the W.W.) catching some slabs, and figuring out where in the he!! is the short in the LAB shacks wiring1 See ya' back up there Jan. 18th? You gotta get a kitchen pass from the Mrs. We've got unfinished business with them speckled slabs.

Good Luck! Rip som Lips!

Ken

[whimpy]

Thanks for the report!! i'm comeing up Feb 17,18,19 hope we have the same luck.

[MJCatfish]

Jigglestick,
Your attitude on fishing is great, I'm guessing that's why you have the success you do. Thanks for the information. I always look forward to reading your posts as they usually put a smile on my face or a tickle in my ribs. Keep up the good work!

Keep fishin' fun,

MJ

[jigglestick]

well i promised a post on last weekends results, and here it is. we fished out of hilmans road, and went a little further than last time. the first weekend we went out averaged about the same as last time as far as number of fisherman per fish caught. we ended up with 11 crappies and 3 northerns with the biggest being 37 inches, which was caught on light tackle by a 13 year old buddy of my kid. boy was he tickled. i was the only one fishing for crappies that evening, as the boys were in the camper horsing around. it's all about fun. the next weekend we started fishing about 3:00 p.m. crappies started about 4 and were very spotty til i went to the saloon. then when i got back i caught a couple more. both saturday, and sunday, i picked up a couple in the a.m. we fished one line each during the day, and each kept a tip up set, and boy was that worth it. we ended up with 24 crappies, and 5 northerns iced, with 3 about 4 pounds, a 33" and a 37" the big ones were caught by putz.
if you are wondering if it's worth a trip to red this year? i would tell you this.i'd take 6 red lake slabs over 6 eater size walleyes any day. you might not get your limit, but then, you might.
you will most certainly have a very good chance at hooking a very large northern. probably for most of you, the biggest one of your life! i'd say probably for the ones who have never fished red before, the biggest slabs you will ever catch too!
each time i am out there i am amazed at the size of the lake, and the possibilities it holds in store.
at the very least you will have checked it out, gotten away from work or home for a few days, and to me that is worth well it's priceless. good fishing all.

[THE GAMBLER]

Jigglestick's attitude is certainly exemplory however he needs close watching. He's been known to walk in circles and sit on a bench feeding the squirrels. (he's also been known to drool a little)

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PLAY THE HAND YOUR DEALT

[upnorth]

It is good to hear that there is someone posting info on the bite on URL good, bad or otherwise. Things do sound promising tho.

Sounds like fishing was not too bad. We can't catch limits everytime out or we would have to call it catching instead.

[kelly-p]

The nasty fronts coming through with all the wind slowed things down for a couple of days but everyday there are more people reporting good fishing and more and more limits coming in spread all through the West Wind, Hillman's and Hudec's areas. I see Jerry at Roger's is reporting better results also.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[JIGSTER]

Appreciate the updates!!!The great thing about Red is you just never know what's going to happen!!None 1,10,20 It don't matter as long as ya have a good time!! Good Fishin' Jigster

[Darton37]

My wife say's im nuts but I just love staring at fat red lines on my vexilar followed by a cocktail or two at the WW.

[Guest]

I have to say I disagree with you guys. I sounds to me like you guys are just making exscuses for driving 6 hours and not catching any fish. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the outdoors and spending my time with freinds and family, but If I'm gonna drive that far, spend that much money, I wanna catch some fish. I like to go fishing, but I really like catching fish too. Why don't you just come out and say that the fishing up on URL has been bad so far? Are the guys at Hudecs and WW giving everyone 50 Bucks when they leave to come on here and say they had a great time up there even though they didn't catch anything? Again don't get me wrong, Hunting and Fishing are my two favorite things to do, I've been out hundreds of times without harvesting anything, and I have a good time. But If I get up at 5 AM, throw all my hunting gear in the back of the truck, drive out to my favorite spot, walk a half of a mile through the swamp, set up decoys, sit there for 4 hours and never squeeze the trigger, I'd say the hunting sucked that morning. I don't try and sugar coat it by saying "oh, the weather was nice" I could drill a hole in the pool in my backyard and setup the portable and fish, but I wouldn't say I would be having a good time. I'm not trying to be the ***hole here, but just say that the fishing sucked, and it's not worth driving up there for a few weeks yet.

Thats just my opinion I could be wrong.

[Guest]

Mr. (or Mrs.) "IOnlyCatchTheBigOnes" I couldn't have said it better myself!!!
GOOD JOB!!!!!!

[cluelessfisherman]

Wow, I don't know what to say to IOnlyCatchTheBigOnes - except to get a clue!!! Hey - I admit I am Clueless, but at least I'm not too ignorant about what I say and my attitude toward fishing. There is a reason they call it FISHING and not CATCHING. If everytime you went out and caught gobs of fish like you say you want to do, is it all that much fun? To me and many others, fishing is enjoying being in the outdoors with friends and if we catch a fish or two, it's all for the better. I enjoy TRYING to catch fish - it judges your skill and character a lot more than just catching them (or only the big ones according to your name). I drove up to Red twice already this year with some friends who are from Nebraska - we only caught 5 crappie total - not even a pike, but you know what, I wouldn't change a thing! We had more fun chatting and playing cards and watching our bobbers - so what if they didn't go down every 10 seconds. You know another reason why I go to Red? It's the hospitality that the resort owners and folks give up there - they make you feel like you're right at home. They don't have to do that, they can just look at you like a dollar sign, but they don't. Jerry and Joani from Rogers Campground are some of the nicest people I know, and because they take the time to talk and share tips, I will continue to go to the South shore. I have heard nothing but great things from all the other resorts and folks going out of their way to put you on fish like Kely-P and many others.

I guess what I'm getting at is that there are many other factors included in a fishing experience, and catching fish is only a small portion - something that isn't always necessary.

Ok, I'm getting long winded, and I'm probably not making too much sense. But if you're going to have that attitude about always catching a bucket of fish, please stay on your owm lake and leave Red and others to folks who are perfectly happy catching 1 fish or 20 fish and have fun no matter what doing it! Or until you get a clue, just drill a hole and fish in your pool.

Sorry, but it had to be said.

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Clueless - -

[This message has been edited by cluelessfisherman (edited 01-11-2003).]

[SuddenlySummer]

O.K.

Here are some other factors that you need to consider.

Last March I drove the 5 hours up there and got into some fish.

There wasn't any place in the area for me to stay execpt Bemidji. That's 1 hour away. To make a long story short I smacked a 180 lb. buck just five miles shy of my hotel in Bemidji.

My 2001 Sport Dodge Ram Quad Cab will never be the same.

Yeah, sure, there are other factors that make fishing great but when we take the trip to give you our money it can cost us more than you'll ever know.

[Guest]

you could just stay home I spose!!

[SuddenlySummer]

O.K. Red Rumper, I will.

[cluelessfisherman]

SuddenlySummer, I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune with the deer. Trust me - I know that Red isn't an easy trip for most folks. You can just ask my friends from Nebraska that drove 9 hours to come up here.

I guess whenever you take a drive you are at risk for running into a deer or someone else. We all risk that everytime we drive to a lake. I realize that as I slam on the brakes for deer every time I drive back to Bemidji after dark from Red Lake. In the past 3 years, I have made the trip to Red over a dozen times and have never caught more than 4 crappie a trip. So no, I have never "got into the fish." But despite the risk of wildlife and the elements (and not catching fish), I keep going back.

I suggest everyone do the same - go for the love of fishing!

Clueless - -

[This message has been edited by cluelessfisherman (edited 01-12-2003).]

[Guest]

I have been following this forum for over a year now. To Kelly and all your friends keep up the great work its not only informational material but there is a lot of humor and stories on the forum that is awesome to read. I travel the Midwest each year ice fishing from Wisconsin to North Dakota. Last year after stopping at Big Winnie my father and I went and visited Upper Red Lake in February stayed at Hudecs resort and visited W.W. Our catch for the two nights stay may have been only 7 crappies. But the memories that where built on that trip will last a lifetime. All the people we talked to and including the stop at W.W made us feel at home. To be honest in all the states that we fish we have found people to be friendly. Never have I encountered anyone lying about the fishing just to get ones money. I have to disagree with a post that tends to say that with the hard work that goes into hunting or fishing that its not a great outing if one doesn’t bring home something for the freezer. In fact I feel sorry for a person on this train of thought and feel that the sportsmanship is lost in this way of thinking. I have enjoyed all my outdoor trips and the added bonus of the harvest was just the completion of that day’s trip. When I hike into the backcountry sit all day and wait for a Buck and not see one. When I sit all season on a bait pile waiting for a bear and not get one. When I paddle all day jump shooting ducks and not pull the trigger. When I spend time sitting on the frozen water of Lake Winnebago waiting for an elusive Sturgeon to swim under the hole (sometime years between fish) to through a spear. Most of all when I travel the country to ice fish and not catch a thing. I would never say the outing sucked. But instead I would thank the man above for giving me good health to be in the outdoors and enjoy the day away from the hustle of the office. Never would I hang a price tag on any of the outings whether I harvested game or came home empty handed. Because the most valuable thing that I gained that day was the love and memories of being outdoors and the friends that I met along the way. To the fine folks of the upper red lake area keep up the great work that you are doing on this forum we will be heading up February 10th and staying at the Drake through the 15th.. I won’t care if you say the fishing sucks and stay home. Because I will be pushing the pedal down to be among the fine folks who love the outdoors and don’t judge the day by the ones they didn’t catch. And that’s worth all the money in the world. See you soon.

[Guest]

a poor day at fishing is better than agood day at work . wait, I have never had apoor day fishing!

[kelly-p]

IOnlyCatchTheBigOnes,
Yes fishing on URL sucks this year for some people, the people that only want to fill their bucket fast. A lot of people were spoiled the past 2-3 years with the easy CATCHING. Now a person has to go drill a bunch of holes and look for the fish and then get them to bite. That is called FISHING. This year people like you actually have to go out there and find fish rather then follow a crowd or the hard houses around the lake. I imagine that is a little scary for you. Hopefully the other people at Gander Mountain do not all think like you?
This year is showing the difference between the people that enjoy fishing and the people that are only out there for the catching. I'm enjoying it. It is not as crowded and the people out there are happier. The people out there fishing this year are a far happier group and they respect other people and the lake more then the past two years. The litter problem has dropped to less then 20% of what it was and the crowding of other fishermen has all but disappeared.
Yes I will have to say that for some people the fishing on URL sucks this year. For the rest of us,,, we're enjoying it.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[THE GAMBLER]

I was with jigglestick the weekend he mentions in his report. It couldn't be more accurate. Everyone likes to catch fish, but catching them is merely a bonus to the fun you can have on URL. Some of you are complaining about driving a few hours and are disappointed when you don't limit out. I fly up from south Florida every 2 weeks just for the fun to be had on URL. As I said, the catch is an added bonus. If all you are looking for is fish, they can be bought in a store, where the fun is not available. A trip to URL is what YOU make of it, not the fish. Enjoy it.

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PLAY THE HAND YOUR DEALT

[Guest]

Let me ask a simple question and PLEASE give it some sincere thought before responding. How much does the consumption of alcohol (any kind, any amount) have to do with the "fun" that you guys describe when talking about the URL experience? In other words, how much "fun" would you guys have up there if you didn't touch a drop of alcohol the entire time?

[THE GAMBLER]

Fun is what you make of it. With or without alcohol. Maybe the ones who don't enjoy it are by themselves or with the wrong people.

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PLAY THE HAND YOUR DEALT

[PUTZ]

I tried knitting but it got tangled in my
mono. what A mess geeee gosh and heck pass me
A cup of tea kelly I am so frustrated that
I drove all the way up here to get away from
all the IDIOTS but it didn't work.
Hell they can't even fill out thier PROFILES
all the way
Pass me A fish and lets go beer.
PUTZ

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just cross this line------

[This message has been edited by PUTZ (edited 01-12-2003).]

[This message has been edited by PUTZ (edited 01-12-2003).]

[Guest]

Good...Good...keep the replies coming..

[Surface Tension]

When I go to Red Lake its usually something thats been in the "plan" for a while. The anticipation is part of the trip for me.
I know lakes and rivers that I can clean house on but I dont like the "area" so I never fish them. I go to lakes and areas that Im drawn to.

Some guys go up to Red to meet up with friends, some go up with there friends.

Do I like to catch fish, you bet. A limit for sure. But if it dont happen it dosent ruin my trip.

So go where you like to go, with who you like to be with but if you need a bucket of fish sounds like Red "sucks" "D

Jiggle sounds like you had Successful trip.

[Surface Tension]

OK the truth about beer.
When I wake up in the morning I know I'll be feeling better later on.

[upnorth]

Some interesting ideas tossed around on this post.

I don't drink while fishing(or anytime for that matter, but who cares about that)so for me having a few barley pops is not a motivation for going fishing. I go fishing for some enjoyment of the great outdoors, and to spend some time with people whose company I enjoy. If I catch fish that definetly enhances the experience.

I go fishing quite often where and when I don't get a "LIMIT" of fish. I think in most cases that is an unrealistic expectation. In my opinion a limit is in place to curb greedy overfishing, not as a goal as to when to leave the lake!!!!

On the other hand I don't go fishing where I have little or no chance of catching fish. If I hear that a lake is not at least giving up some fish, I head elsewhere. Otherwise you are just drowning bait

I think we get a little spoiled at times with fast and furious fishing and think it should be that all the time. But then where would the challenge be?

If the only thing you go fishing for is the catching, you can expect some really miserable days of fishing.

Scott

[This message has been edited by upnorth (edited 01-12-2003).]

[JIGSTER]

Major and others,you might have read this one before,it may have been on this site I'm not sure here it is anyway:

A bum,who obviously has seen more than his share of hard times, approaches a well-dressed gentleman on the street. "Hey,Buddy,can you spare two dollars?"

The well-dressed gentleman responds,"You are not going to spend it on liquor are you?" "No,sir,I don't drink," retorts the bum.

"You are not going to throw it away
on some fishing gear,are you?" asks the gentleman. "No way,I don't fish," answers the bum.

"You wouldn't waste the money on a bird lease would you?" asks the man. "Never," says the bum, "I don't hunt."

The man asks the bum if he would like to come home with him for a home cooked meal.The bum accepts eagerly.While they're heading for the mans house,the bums curiosity gets the better of him."Isn't your wife going to be angry when she sees a guy like me at your table?"

"Probably," says the man,"but it will be worth it. I want her to see what happens to a guy who doesn't DRINK, fish or hunt."

Have a good one, I gotta go have one after typing this!! Good fishin' Jigster

[Poutmaster]

Major - I make the the 400 mile round trip to URL about 6 times a winter. I fish hard. Sometimes they come easy, sometimes you have to work hard to get your limit. I'll have a beer or 3 while fishing, and a few cigars, but that just supplements the overall experience. Whether you catch 5 or 50 fish the bottom line is this is an excellent(world class)Crappie fishery right now and everthing else just help supplements the whole experience. By the way, well put ColdRush!

PS: I'll be up there next weekend guys (1/17). I hope to hook-up with a few of you and put some faces to the names. We'll be staying at Russ & Judy's.

[Drake]

We saw a mixed bag of results from the folks fishing URL this weekend, and they were all fishing in the same general area. One group of two caught 16, while two others were fishing a hundred yards away got two, and yet four others were fishing 1/4 to 1/2 mile away from them and all four got their limits. Another group left with big smiles, not that they really slammed them (they had 8 that ranged from 12" to 13.5") but they had a great time and are going to head home and have a fish fry together. Now to get our ice house up and running again so we can head back out!

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Drake Motel
drakemotel.com
(888)253-8501
[email protected]