Jonny P Report July 15

[Random guy]

As rumor has it fishing is terrible on Upper Red, well we all know how rumors go.

Walleye fishing has changed gears as it has done since the lake was new. Fishing is terrible if you still think you are going to go out to the last break and catch 100 walleye under a bobber.

Walleye fishing has been productive if you pull away from that infamous breakline and head out to some of the many structural elements across the lake. Fish are showing up along rock edges for anglers gently working light jigs up and down the sides of the small rock piles. Anglers are also tipping over walleyes pulling shad raps or slow drifting lindy rigs and long snells across the deeper open water. Simple method has been to use your electronics to mark fish then drift or troll across them, if nothing shows up move to the next pod of fish or stay until the livewell is full.

Pike have been on an angry streak with dramatic ups and downs, bi-polar pike I call them. Windows of action lasting 2-6 hours almost every day without rhyme or reason but when they go they really go if you are not jigging for walleye when they turn on. Most fish have been coming from the newly topped out weed beds and shore base weed lines along with tanker pike mixed in with the deeper open water feeding walleyes. Walleye anglers have had to keep a firm grip on the jigging rod the last week.

Some crappies are showing up very tight to structural elements such as a clump of reeds, tiny rockpile or crib structure, not much for numbers of fish but remember you are catching 14-16” crappies.

Midlake structure is producing some decent perch for the guy that likes to vertical jig with an ultra light. Leeches on wild colored jigs with gold mixed in will mesmerize the perch into biting, they do like their shiny stuff.

Sheephead, these fish have no honor or self respect. If you are on the water, next to the water even if you can hear water you are going to catch sheephead. Guys that really want to target them or groups with kids that just want to catch a bunch of fish that fight to the death have set up with slow drifted snells tipped with a worm or leech, needless to say the kids where smiling.

Get off the breakline and go looking around, it’s a big lake full features that will surprise you. If you don’t have to pull into Westwind’s harbor to fuel up the boat you haven’t looked around enough.

[Pikester]

Awesome report and thanks for the info Jonny.

[Random guy]

Well it is 11pm, I just got in from the lake and I have decided I truly hate sheephead. I left with a handful of river minnows, a bag of frozen shiners, two dozen crawlers and I had to use plastics by the end of the night because I was out of bait.

Awesome fish until ya see it, fight like mad but man when they come out of the water with that ugly mug and start grunting then proceed to take a potty break in the boat ya just can't find the love.

[grpd]

Jonny P from what I have noticed in reading these forums on Red Lake that you obviously know as much about Red Lake as anybody or darn close to it if not and was wondering, have you noticed a high fish mortality rate due to the catch and release slot. I am not trying to start anything but just curious, I read the Millacs Lake forum and everyone is complaining about the fish dying due to poor release procedures or whatever, was just wondering if you have noticed it on Red Lake, Red lake is bigger and not as deep as Millacs so maybe it does not make a difference on Red, the fishing pressure on MIllacs is high also but Red also has a high amount of fishing pressure, anyway just wondering if you noticed any fish kill due to poor catch and release practices or is it not a problem on Red Lake?

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Well Ip put my time on the lake Saturday, didn't do too well, I caught a few snakes a few sheepheads and a few under 12" walleyes. To my surpise I got back to the campsite and the family did pretty well on the River. They outfished me. I tried a few different things out there, lindy's, spinners, shadraps, jigs, I came prepared and I lost. But darnit we had a good time and I'll be back before the ice consumes the lake. How is fall fishing up there????????

[MOBY RICHARD*]

grpd, If you look down the list a little you will find the Trophy Lake thread in the Red Lake Forum, and it has a similar discussion to the Mille Lacts Mortality thread.

It has a fair amount of the same info, some different, and no final conclusion as to the percentage on Red due to lot of intricate data.

Also remember that the controled studies were performed under near ideal release conditions, and release in the wild may result in higher Mortality, especially in warm weather.

Red receives far less pressure in the Summer, but there is always going to be Mortality in every lake, and of every specie, much of it unseen and over a long period of time due to injury or infection, and much of it unecessary due to poor/rough handling of fish.

[Random guy]

From what I have seen we are doing ok with hooking mortality so far. Yes we lose a few fish but nothing to bad as of yet. I know one thing I spend many days on the water and I see the fisheries boat out working the lake several times each week, those guys have their eyes on the lake and are paying very close attention to the water temps, fish health and population of everything from the big pike right down to the smallest little minnows.

As for the fishing it has been tough lately if you refuse to try different things and figure out a pattern. Yesterday fish found the frying via speed trolling shadraps and vertical jigging minnows tight to structural elements.