fishing reports 2020 - Upper Red Lake Fishing Reports (URL)

[halad]

If the wind ever quits fish the E. shore 4-10ft. spinner, jig with minnow, leach. Work any area that you catch fish. Can try deeper with Rap just keep going fish are scattered in deeper water.

[dug9]

Thanks, halad! When we were there in June, we did minnows on a jig and just barely got our limit cuz most were too big. We were boating about 30-40 a day right off the old shoreline in about 6-7 FOW, 1/2 mile so of Westwind. If they're still there, that's where we'll start, but am hoping NOT to spend 2 days looking if they're gone. If you have any other ideas on where, I'd be happy to know. One thing I REALLY want to do is get my girlfriend a monster pike. She's had 2 on before, fishing walleye on other lakes but never boated one. (We had 3 pike try to eat our dinner last time we were there) A buddy of mine is hooking me up with some heavier pike gear this weekend. I read on other reports that pike like the northern shore... any comments? We're not pike eaters, so anything we catch will be strictly CPR. Again, thanks for responding!

[Random guy]

Pike can be found from Morts Dock all the way up and around to the farthest reaches of the North Shore. Trouble right now is the relentless wind has the water chewed up to froth. Bring lots of flash and vibration with for the pike to combat the muddy water.

[dug9]

Thanks, Jonny! I heard the water is pretty well stirred up, but I plan on dragging some calmer winds with us for the weekend! lol A friend just now dropped off a stiff pole and some lures for us, including some flashy ones. Most of my stuff might be a little light to land a hog. I'll probably pick up a couple more tonite while I'm shopping. I have a 17' Northwoods with a Merc. If you see me, say hi! I'll post a report next week when I'm back.

[gizmoguy]

Jonny, heard of anybody been speed trolling the new clackin raps for northerns?

[Random guy]

No but it should be tried!

[PDXFisher]

Jonny, heard of anybody been speed trolling the new clackin raps for northerns?

I tried it. Got a little one, and a sheepshead. Problem was the water was chocolate milk. Also got a bite on a rattlin' shad (1.25 oz Musky-sized one). Figured noise was the only thing that would work. Also dried the spinnerbait-on-the-downrigger trick to no good result. I want to see that lake actually Red at some point.

In three weeks of fishing with the clackin' rap, we got Walleye, Northern, Bass, Sheepshead and a Muskie on 'em. In Nestor Falls, Ont, they are gray-marketing them for $16 since they don't officially have them in the country yet.

[fishuhalik]

A bass and muskie on red? Hmmm....never heard of either out there

[Random guy]

Quote:

...Bass, Sheepshead and a Muskie on 'em. In Nestor Falls, Ont, they...

He was in Nestor Falls. But we do have Bass, one to be exact. DNR caught one Largemouth Bass in the test nets a few years ago and a musky could easily get into Red from Lake of the Woods or from the Bigfork river through connecting water ways and Im sure it does happen.

[BearDown]

I caught a largemouth on Red while fishing for crappies about six years ago.

I'm pretty sure he is not talking about catching a muskie on Red. I'd like to know what waterways connect Red to LOTW. There aren't any that I know of. You have some secret knowledge Johnny?

[JBMasterAngler]

Both lakes are connected to lake winnipeg aren't they?

[Random guy]

You have some secret knowledge Johnny?

Well the first and most obvious is the ditch along side of the highway to Baudette, It is called Ditch #5 as it enters the North shore and feeds from the highway drainage on the east side way all the way north to the Rapid River that connects with the Rainy. That is one connection. Another is the ditch on the west side of the highway that also originates at Ditch 5 and goes north and makes a few corners into the Carrp/Rako area and connects with the Rapid Rivers that feeds into the Rainy.

Ditch thirty and Deer creeks of the North shore feed from a HUGE flowage that is part of the bog and ditch grade systems that also connect with rivers that feed into Lake of the Woods. If you Google Earth Upper Red Lake you will see a checkerboard of one mile squares north of the lake, those are all ditch grades that where dug through the bog flowage to drain the bog and make farm land like no other…it made good sense in the homestead days. They all still flow and do connect where the water flows north to Lake of the Woods and south to Upper Red Lake.

Now on the eastern front the Headwaters of the Tamarac River are connected to the Sturgeon River via smaller water ways such as creeks and flowages but they are also connected in the spring by what is called the “Indian Portage”. This is a century’s old depression in the earth/bog where the Native Americans would shallow water portage from the Tamarac to the Sturgeon River and onto the Forks rivers, Rainy and up to Rainy Lake.

These are just a few examples of waterway connection that could easily be traveled by fish, especially in the spring when they are spawning in the high water. We have caught fish in many of the areas I spoke of in May and June, in fact my first musky came from and area close to the Indian Portage while fishing walleyes with a buddy from Big Falls.

So yes after a few generations homesteading, trapping, logging and having to walk across the bog to work in Baudette we might have some secret knowledge you might not know about.

[GrizzlyAdams]

As always, good information Jonny. Always fun to read and learn about how things were in the good old days where life was simple except for a lot of hard work. And they didn't do it with the machines like we have today. Gotta have nothing but respect for those who lived in "those" days.

[BearDown]

Well I'm not going to throw the [PoorWordUsage] flag just yet because I can't prove it, but if you look at the lay of the land I don't see any way that Upper Red can flow into the Rainy River. So far as I can tell, the ditches on the north and East side of Red flow into the lake and the flow goes out to the west. And streams cannot run two directions because of this thing we call gravity. There is no amount of time you can live and work in an area that will change that.

So I am going to respectfully disagree with you and leave it at that.

[kelly-p]

I think you are forgetting how flat the Bog is and how long it takes for water to flow out of it. Maybe what you should do is take a small boat or walk north from URL along Ditch #30 or Koogen's Ditch. You will hit your highest elevation about along an east/west line with Hillman Lake amd Ludlow Island that is about 6 miles from URL. At that point the water will still be at ground level or just below that. A step in the wrong place and you will be in water up to your armpits. The peat sod, "ground" there is literally floating on water. The ditches there at that highest elevation are almost always full to the top and flow slowly in whatever direction they can. I say "almost always full" because Grandpa said that during the "30's" during the big drought the water level in the ditches there dropped a little.

When the land is flat gravity only holds the water down so it doesn't float away.

[JBMasterAngler]

I was under the impression that when people came along to drain the bogs/wetlands in the area 100 years or so ago that it wasn't very successful and that everyone gave up on the poor farming and left around the 1930's. If anyone knows the facts I'd love to hear them, I love minnesota history

When I used to go hunting in the beltrami area I used to stumble upon old farmsteads and grave stones all the time. This was 15 plus years ago and the areas for the most part were well grown over...so I'm guessing it didn't take nature very long to reclaim her territory.

By the way...Muskies getting stocked in URL within the next 10 years? Think about it.

[kelly-p]

An interesting book to read about the homesteaders around URL is "On the Trail". North Country Food and Fuel at the south side of Waskish keeps copies there to sell.

The farming didn't go real bad but shipping the crops out

was real hard. There were no roads along the north side of URL so the crop had to hauled across the lake. At one time there were about 50 farms or homesteads along the north side of URL. The standard DNR "Line" is that the farming failed but they fail to mention 2 important things. In 1931 the Dam at the outlet of LRL was built raising the water levels of the Red Lakes a few feet. When someone is living/farming where the water table is 6 feet below the ground level and suddenly the water table is raised 4 feet problems arise. Also with the higher water table the rivers/ditches didn't drain as effectively making it even wetter. Any of you fishing out by the mouth of the Tamarac River are fishing OVER the old ballfield from when before the Dam was built. The other big thing that happened that the DNR does not mention is

something called the "Great Depression" of the 1930's. A lot of people were going broke across the entire nation not just along the north shore of URL.

My Great Grandparents, Halama, homesteaded about 4 miles west of Highway #72 and were "Bohunks" from nothern Europe. Great Grandparents, Petrowske, homesteaded about 11 miles west of #72 by the Little Deer River and were Prussian who had settled for a while in some river valley in Wisconson but walked away from it. Wisconsin Dells?

For me what has happened to the area north of URL since it became a WMA in the "80's" is really sad and depressing. The Huelin Ditch, Moose Creek, Koogan Ditch, and both the Big Deer and Little Deer Rivers are all blocked off with beaver dams along the big ridge so the fish can not get up them to spawn anymore and the area north of the big ridge that used to be great deer, bear and grouse hunting is now flooded out and just dead trees and brush. The DNR says it doesn't have enough money to keep the water ways flowing and the County can not do anything because the DNR has refused to pay their share of the "Ditch Taxes" for about 25 years so only the private landowners are paying into the accounts so most of the accounts are bankrupt. The funny thing is that the homesteaders along the north side of URL lost their land because they couldn't pay their taxes during the "30's". Now the DNR has not paid their "Ditch Taxes" in about 25 years.

[shaky legs2]

I would second Kelly's recommendation of purchasing the book if you are interested in first-hand accounts of Minnesota history. I have re-read it several times and learn something new every time. I am not an expert on this topic but would defer to someone who has 4 generations of knowledge on the Big Bog Country.

[jerkbait]

I wonder then with the waterways connected if there is the possibility of the spiny water flea making its way to URL? Maybe that would be more current dependit? Just a thought.

[bak2MN]

Great info Johnny and Kelly. I love all the info you guys put into your posts. With all the history, and lifelong memories and info that you and your family have, when is your book comeing out? I'm sure you could tell us all some real good things about the area. And as for any non believers well the heck with them and keep the stories and experiences and info comeing. Me and many others who read these sites enjoy them.

[GrizzlyAdams]

Couldn't agree more. Keep it comin

[JBMasterAngler]

I'm hoping on making it up there (finally) in january, so I'll keep an eye out for that book.

As far as spiny water flea goes, unfortunately I don't think it's a matter of if they will get into URL, it's a matter of when. With LOW being so close, and alot of people fishing both lakes, it's bound to happen.

[Random guy]

As far as spiny water flea goes, unfortunately I don't think it's a matter of if they will get into URL, it's a matter of when.

I have to agree with you on that. Fleas creeeping in from the north and Zebra Mussels creeping in from the south.

[dug9]

Jonny and Halad,

Sorry this took so long... I meant to post earlier, but got caught up in life as soon as we got back. I said I'd post a report, so in keeping my word, here goes... Our trip was fairly uneventful. We got up to Red later than we planned on 7/31. On Sat, the wind was howling again and we stayed in the river. Got some sheephead and a couple small northern. One was only about 6 inches... worthless, but my gf thought it was cute. Sunday we got on the lake, but it was stirred up horribly. Tried the break out from WestWind, around a couple cribs, then trolled a little on the North shore. After hooking a mess of sheephead, we didn't have the net ready for the only nice walleye we hooked and he shook loose at the surface... rats! The one area we didn't get to was the rock pile, and that's where they were that day. Monday we did hit the rock pile but only managed some small ones as the wind picked up again. By about 2PM, the wind was up and we had to head in. Tueasday the 4th, it was blowing yet again and we stayed in the river. Hooked a bunch of northern trolling. We found a couple deeper holes in the river, but just one more small 'eye. I went up there hellbent on helping my gf land a big Red Lake northern, but found she doesn't have as much patience for trolling when the boat's rolling. She's the only keeper I brought home!

[BearDown]

Don't necessarily like doing this but it will put those old wives tales to rest:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watersheds/subregions.html

[shaky legs2]

An interesting book to read about the homesteaders around URL is "On the Trail". North Country Food and Fuel at the south side of Waskish keeps copies there to sell.

The farming didn't go real bad but shipping the crops out

was real hard. There were no roads along the north side of URL so the crop had to hauled across the lake. At one time there were about 50 farms or homesteads along the north side of URL. The standard DNR "Line" is that the farming failed but they fail to mention 2 important things. In 1931 the Dam at the outlet of LRL was built raising the water levels of the Red Lakes a few feet. When someone is living/farming where the water table is 6 feet below the ground level and suddenly the water table is raised 4 feet problems arise. Also with the higher water table the rivers/ditches didn't drain as effectively making it even wetter. Any of you fishing out by the mouth of the Tamarac River are fishing OVER the old ballfield from when before the Dam was built. The other big thing that happened that the DNR does not mention is

something called the "Great Depression" of the 1930's. A lot of people were going broke across the entire nation not just along the north shore of URL.

My Great Grandparents, Halama, homesteaded about 4 miles west of Highway #72 and were "Bohunks" from nothern Europe. Great Grandparents, Petrowske, homesteaded about 11 miles west of #72 by the Little Deer River and were Prussian who had settled for a while in some river valley in Wisconson but walked away from it. Wisconsin Dells?

For me what has happened to the area north of URL since it became a WMA in the "80's" is really sad and depressing. The Huelin Ditch, Moose Creek, Koogan Ditch, and both the Big Deer and Little Deer Rivers are all blocked off with beaver dams along the big ridge so the fish can not get up them to spawn anymore and the area north of the big ridge that used to be great deer, bear and grouse hunting is now flooded out and just dead trees and brush. The DNR says it doesn't have enough money to keep the water ways flowing and the County can not do anything because the DNR has refused to pay their share of the "Ditch Taxes" for about 25 years so only the private landowners are paying into the accounts so most of the accounts are bankrupt. The funny thing is that the homesteaders along the north side of URL lost their land because they couldn't pay their taxes during the "30's". Now the DNR has not paid their "Ditch Taxes" in about 25 years.

Just think Kelly - You could have been running a mini-golf course and driving army duks into the water for fun instead of wrestling 100# propane tanks in minus 35 degree weather and worrying about scuba diving on the back of your plow.

[kelly-p]

Don't necessarily like doing this but it will put those old wives tales to rest:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watersheds/subregions.html

The first thing you might want to do is tell the DNR that they are a little mixed up if they think the highest elevation between URL and Lake of the Woods is just south of the Beltrami County/ Lake of the Woods County line. They are 6 to 7 miles too far north. The DNR line runs at 1182 to 1185 feet elevation. The east/west line through Ludlow Island and Hillman Lake that I mentioned in my previous post runs at 1196 to 1197 feet elevation.

Besides, what did you put to rest? Like I posted before. There is water whole way. The water can not drain out of the center of the bog fast enough down the ditches. There isn't any dry place in the middle of the bog that seperates the watersheds.

[halad]

Kelly live's. Dug sorry you got such a lousey weekend, was thinking about ya, Friday was good its different this year after the wind quits blowing

the fish are right in the same spot they were before the wind. Usually you can't buy a fish after a big wind. Hope you get up here again.

[BearDown]

Whatever, Kelly.

I'll let you call the DNR and and tell them that gravity doesn't apply to that area. Let us know how it goes for ya.

[ozzie]

go to the area in the spring and watch the flow of the ditch water some goes south some ditches run north.....I have always thought that to be a up north phenomenon..............