What side????

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I heard some people say that the south side of Red lake hasn't produced the fish like the north side of the lake. Any of this true?

[The Donk]

It depends who you are talking to. I would say more people fish the North side, that may be why you hear more about it. I personally like to fish out of Mort's or Rogers because they provide more "split off" roads where you can get away by yourself, the North side is more of an ongoing road you just get off where ever you want. BUT, if there isn't much snow, you can go anywhere there too. Back to the question, I think the crappies have related to the North side more the last few years, but the walleye fishing on the South side is unbelievable more often than not.

[shaky legs2]

A rhetorical question to think about now that the class of 95 is on the way out: "Where were the big slabs first discovered?"

[cookie129]

They have always been here? Maybe not that huge class. We caught them years ago before the walleye crash and no one cared.We will always catch a few and the mother load is always a possibilty in my book. Untill a winter goes by that everyone gets skunked I will keep looking for them.

[Random guy]

Quote:

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"Where were the big slabs first discovered?"

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North Shore, a spot I still refer to as the "on ramp" to the crappie highway.

As far as what side to fish I would say both. The North side offer vast crappie habitat, thus holding more crappie...although the south shore has stronger habitat in small pockects. So you get to chose, fish the big high numbers area with everybody else of try to hit one of those pockects on the south end and have a bonanza all to your self? Both north and south produce fish and will continue to produce fish for those that chose to work a little bit and go off by themselves looking.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Jon. P

Last year I came up with my inlaws and we went out from the minnow station. I think Kelly was the guy who helped us. I kind of want to go back to the minnow station, but when I e-mail them, and They said that the 19-21 of Dec wouldn't work due to Ice conditions being to thin. Then we e-mail chad Benson and he told us no problem. So right now we are leaning toward Chad. However, if the ice is thick enough, we'd like to go out of the minniow station again and work with kelly. He did a class act job last year. Now we know that ice conditions are the determining factor, we'd just like know we have a spot to go out of if the ice is thick enough on the 19-21 of Dec. Or doesn't the minnow station put our shaks untill after the 25th? Can you help with this delema, we'd like to work with the minnow station again for this trip if possible???

[MOBY RICHARD*]

Well if Chad can make the Ice thicker, Faster, let's all go out of Chad's...

Must be all that Hot Air comin' outa Kelly P. that makes it Thinner...

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Sorry guess i should have put it this way.

I'm trying to get a booking for the 19-21 of dec. if the ice is thick enough at that time. Whoever we e-mail at the minnow station wouldn't even take a booking with the chance of the ice being thick enough. Where Chad would. We'd just like to have the 19-21 slot in the chance that the ice would be thick enough. But who knows, maybe the minnow station won't go out untill after christmass.

[kelly-p]

Usualy at X-Mass time we have 14 to 18 inches. 14 inches spooks me a little bit. Plenty safe to go out for a day but the ice is still shifting and moving around and too thin to bridge cracks saftly. Any strong wind of even a strong low pressure system and 2 to 3 foot wide cracks can appear anywhere. I've been apart of way too many horror stories out there on 14 inch ice and strong wind to feel comfortable having customers out there over night. I realize that we lose some bookings by waiting until after X-Mass to book but I'm too old to lose the sleep laying in bed staring at the ceiling wondering if everyone is O.K. out there.

[Random guy]

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I'm too old to lose the sleep laying in bed staring at the ceiling wondering if everyone is O.K. out there.

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It doesn't matter how old you are, me being much much much younger then Kelly it still makes me very nevrous. I would never put clients over night on 14" of ice on Red, espicaily when I watched 24" plus of ice busting apart last year from wind and low pressure. I like my clients to come back again and I don't want to be the guy trying to explain to somebody's wife and kids why I told dad it was safe to be on the ice.