RIVERBEND 26TH-28TH

[bturck]

Four of us made the annual trek on the 26th to Riverbend and were greeted by our old friend Richard who is back on the ice after a couple of years off. We headed to the Gap for a 1/2 day and managed to ice 15 very nice fish. Biggest eye was 18 1/2" and the biggest saug at 17". The best bite occurred between 300-500p. We were in 25' of water on a hard sand bottom, so close to the Canadian line that I was starting to worry about the currency exchange. Dead sticks were the rig of choice as the jiggin just didn't get it done. Chartreause Glo Demons, Lindy Red Frostys and plain red hooks outfished any of the standard jigs we tried. A great fish fry was had that night at Riverbend where the chefs outdid them selves, along with the dinner salad and German Potato salad.

Headed back out at 700am on Thursday and managed to ice 22 nice sauger and eyes. We did pick up a few on jigs in the morning. I had stopped at Log Cabin bait and picked up a couple of JR Stop Signs on Wed night and they did produce fish. The majority of the bite however was still on the dead sticks. Just could not get the fish to chase a jig. the afternoon bite on Thursday was definitley slower than Wed with only 8 of the 22 coming after lunch. The sun came out and the activity increased dramatically with well over 25 additional houses in the area than the day before. A great day on the lake however. Once again a great fish fry that evening.

Friday we headed out again at 700am and went almost to the end of Adrians road in 32' of water. We iced 6 keeper saugs and many small throwbacks. The dead stick Glo Demons and plain red hook again worked best. Lots of fish marked but chasing a jig with the exception of a couple just wasn't what they were looking for. We pulled the plug around noon and headed back home. All in all a good trip with great weather and the usual Riverbend hospitality.

I suppose I really should mention this part of the trip before someone else chimes in, like Steve from Log Cabin. Being the honest fisherman that I am I cannot tell a lie I absolutley stunk this whole trip with my catching ability. Out of the 43 fish that were iced I ended up with 7 so you do the math on where the rest of the fish came from, and I can honestly tell you it wasn't from my side of the house. But as I told Steve it's a team sport...... Roads by the way are in great shape and we found 17-19" of ice where we were. Once again Adrians have done a great job. Good luck and hang on. Bill

[jjohnson5150]

Nice report. Thanks for sharing. 12 days until LOW for me!

[Mike Walerak]

I was fishing the same days and have almost the same report. Except through in some Rattling Varmits from JB Lures. Our largest fish was about 20" for the trip. Mobility was key for us as the fish definalty prefered different depths at different times of the day. We found the far east side to have the most consistant bite.

We stayed at Lake Road Lodge/Motel.

[bturck]

jjohnson: Good luck on your trip. Post any results when you get back. I'm headed back on Jan 15th for 3 days with my wife. She really enjoys the trip, and can hold her own.

Where are you staying?

Mike, thanks for your input, sounds like its pretty much that way in the whole area right now. Sure would like to see the weather level out for a bit, lots of ups and downs so far. Good luck and hang on. Bill

[Hookmaster]

Hey Bill,

Richard was our guide the first morning when my son experienced his first bomber ride. The fresh fish dinners at River Bend are so good!! Now we need a little more info on your lack of fish production. I know how it is when one side of the house does better than the other. Were you not getting bites or not hooking up on the one's you got?

[bturck]

Hookmaster: Sounds like your son had a good time. That bomber ride is pretty cool especially for the young folk who've never been on the super sized snowmobile.

I just wasn't marking any fish. I caught two the first day, 3 the second and 2 the last day. The first day was totally goofy will all of the fish coming from one side of the house. My two son's were up there bangin on em, and my cousin and I were just along for the ride. Like I kept tellin em, its a team sport. However I'm not sure my free agent status is going to get me very far. It was still fun, never a bad day on the ice. At least someone in the house was putting fish on the table.

Did you happen to stop at Riverbend and ask for me? Judy said someone did but they didn't leave a name or location, so wasn't sure who it may have been. Bill

[the buck]

Bill,

I just got back from my second trip at the "Bend" and as always it was enjoyable to be up there. I was the one who asked for you. Just missed you on Thursday night. Saw you Friday morning but didn't get a chance to visit with you. I was wearing the rust colored Cabela's hat. Fishing was good on Thursday, my buddy and I iced 19, only 6 were keepers though. I got a 5 pound pout though. Obviously they are not the fish of choice, but they are fun to catch. Friday was a different story. We were in one of their new houses with indoor toilet (make sure you ask for that one when you go up with the wife) 30ft depth and we only caught 3 all day, only 1 was a keeper. I was disappointed, but hey - thats fishing and it was a treat to be out there. Judy and Charlie did a wonderful job as always - nice people. Not sure when I'm headed back up there but hope to catch up with you sometime. When are you going up in Feb or March? I wanted to mention to you, my wife works in your business also. She works part-time for Pete K. and Dick P. in town. Keep your stick on the ice! Buck

[bturck]

thebuck: Wish you had hollered at me on Thursday morning. Would have liked to have said howdy. Feb trip is going to be a no go for me. Julie my secretary has bought my agency and she will be in Chicago that week. I'm hoping to get up on March 20,21,22nd. Julie is also going to be in Chicago that week, so I'll be looking for someone to cover the office for two days. if that works I'll go otherwise I'll just have to read reports.

I heard that Pete and Dick had a new office person working for them, did not know it was your wife. Maybe depending on her schedule she would like to fill in for me. If she's interested have her stop by my office. Bill

[the buck]

Bill,

You're good to go. Tina said she would be glad to do it, but will have to talk to Dick & Pete first. Those dates might be a good time to get that last trip in. I will let you know.

[Keith_MN]

Bill,

Glad to hear you guys caught fish;

And I'm really glad to hear that I didn't give Mike a bum steer on the red hooks. They were definitely the ticket when eyeguy and I were up there just before Xmas.

See eyeguy's post for the complete report on our trip.

[bturck]

the buck: That would be good. We've got a lot of time before March. I can bribe Pete and Dick if need be The other three guys that are set for the March trip are hopin I can fill that 4th spot especially since I set the reservations up each year. If not this year for sure next year as I won't have to worry about working anymore Bill

[eurolarva]

I dont want to hijack your thread but I was wondering if you could answer a question or two? I am going up to Riverbend in Late January and using their houses to fish. Are their houses accesible by road or do I need Riverbend to take me to the houses. If I use their transportation will It be worth while taking my own portable equipment to move around on foot?

[bturck]

eurolarva: Access to their houses will depend on the snow cover at the time you are there. We were able to drive out ourselves and even go cross country without any problem. Riverbend does not maintain a road such as Adrians and if the snow gets heavy they will then use the bombers to transport back and forth. I would call ahead a couple of days in advance to see what the current conditions are.

Regarding your own equipment: If you're using the bombers for transport taking your own portable equipment would not work, such as auger, portable house, heaters etc. The bombers don't have the ability to haul any extras other than the personal equipment of the fisher persons.

They do a good job of trying to stay with the fish as they move to deeper water. On Friday morning Richard and Adam moved 7 houses deeper and they will contiue to do that in an attempt to provide the best oppurtunity to catch some fish. As you know there is never a gurantee as fishing depending on conditions can certainly change from day to day. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions, happy to help if I can. Good luck and hang on. Bill

[eurolarva]

Thank you for the quick reply. I will still bring my stuff. I may be hitting a couple of places on the way and might do a half day on LOTW before my two days and nights of fishing start. It has been a long time since I have looked forward to something as much as I am this trip. Hopefully the snow wont be a problem when I am there and can be portable.