Blackduck area Fishing Reports

[Drake]

Ice fishing season has been off to a really good start. While the first couple of weeks the majority of our guests have been hitting Upper Red Lake, the last week has anglers hitting Blackduck and spreading out to the many smaller lakes in the Blackduck area. Upper Red continues to have a very productive bite for our guests, limiting out and doing catch and release; but the other lakes in the area have been keeping the fish cleaning room very busy. Blackduck has mostly been providing pike and a few walleye, but the other smaller lakes in the area have also done some walleye & pike but there have been really good numbers of jumbo sunfish & crappies, with just a few perch in the mix (pictures posted on our fb page). The ice on the lakes in the area is varying with 14 to 20", and snow coverage is minimal.

We also want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. For those traveling, be safe-and if you are lucky enough to get time off between now and the New Year we hope you get some time to enjoy the great outdoors. And for all of our guests this year, a Huge Thank You for your business & supporting this mom & pop motel!

[Drake]

Hope everyone had a great Christmas & is getting some time off to hit the ice before the New Year. The above average temps have ended and now we are in an ice making cold snap. The fish cleaning room was pretty busy right after Christmas, with the majority still heading to Upper Red for the walleye bite which continues to go strong. We also had several anglers hitting the smaller lakes in the area for panfish, which went well over the weekend but on Monday the anglers that went out said that they did limit but they had to work a little harder at it. Temps are going to rise a little to the teens for the weekend (beats this -14 & windchill -24 today), so hopefully it'll be easier to hop around on the lakes. Everyone have safe travels New Years Eve & Happy New Year!

[Drake]

Fortunately, we didn't get blasted with the snow as much as they thought possible (maybe 3-4", which was good because we did need some snow on the lakes) but we did get the subzero temps & Sunday was wicked. Fishermen mostly headed to Upper Red the last couple of days & were rewarded with limits of walleye and most caught a few keeper perch also. The cold temps came in and it slowed down yesterday but the groups all said they still had their limits with a deadstick producing better than jigging; most were going out of the southshore & the ones going out of the accesses on the east side were out approx. 5 miles. Spoke to a fishing friend who said they were out on Blackduck in the 12 to 14' depths during sunset and were picking up some walleyes and a few on Gull Lake also in the same depths. The panfishing has gone well in the deeper waters at the smaller lakes in the area for sunfish & crappies

[Drake]

The weather warm up had the fishing be a little tougher yesterday, with making the anglers work a little harder to catch fish, where Thursday & Friday were very productive for most, that and the snow (about 2-3") and the winds whipping around made it hard to be very mobile, so hopefully today... We have a group of 29 anglers here for this long weekend and they are spreading out and hitting numerous lakes in the Blackduck area, catching perch, sunfish (in the 8-10" range), crappies (including some wall mounters that are 12-13"), walleye and some nice pike. For those at Upper Red the walleye are in the 10-14' depths, while at lakes such as Blackduck, Gull and the smaller lakes around the area walleyes are being found in the 12-15' depths; finding humps and bars in the lakes are where the perch and walleye are hanging; and the crappies are suspended in the deeper waters. It's good to see anglers spreading out and hitting so many different lakes as the area offers many great lakes for all species of fish.

[Drake]

Even though Upper Red has dropped the limit on eyes, that's not deterring our guests from heading to Red. The best action (although yesterday they reported it slower) in the daytime in the 12-14' depths using the shiny gold & silver colors, those who stay out in the evening are finding moving in more towards the 10' depths and changing to the red or chartruse glows produces better. Getting the two walleye is not a problem & a lot of catch & release action, but getting into some perch that are keeper size. Some had hit Blackduck, Gull, Moose, Bemidji and some of the smaller lakes in the area to finish up their walleye limit, and on lakes such as Blackduck the perch bite had also been going very well in the shallow 8 to 11' depths and a couple tried the very north access of Bemidji Lake and found perch in the same depths.

Seeing more anglers really spreading out and trying different lakes in the area (a lot to choose from-and seeing some anglers out rainbow trout fishing on Benjamin now)during each trip, finding that while one lake may have a hot bite one day the 2nd lake may be slower, and while jigging for walleye works best on Lake A, a dead stick works best on Lake B; but it is pretty consistent on the red/chartruse jig for the cloudy days/evening & the shiny gold/silver spoons for the brighter days.

[Drake]

The weekend is starting out to be a lot colder than originally forecasted (not the 20's, but the below zero temps for a couple of days and winds gusting to over 20 today) so our anglers that are up here getting an early start on the long weekend may not be moving around much on the lakes today. With walleye season nearing the end, most folks today headed to Upper Red to start the fishing trip with some walleye. For most accounts Upper Red has been doing very well, not just with walleye but some keeper perch and the occasional crappie, although some stated that the snow and then cold front had slowed the fishing down others have stated that it has continued to be a steady bite for them especially in the late afternoon hours in the 12-13' depths. Island Lake and Blackduck in the 16-18' depths has provided some walleye action; Round Lake as well as other smaller lakes in the area have provided a good steady panfish bite with jumbo sunnies and large crappies

[Drake]

The below zero temps didn't deter folks from hitting the lakes over the weekend and some photos have been added to our fbook page; Friday was good for some, slow for others, Saturday seemed slower for all but Sunday was a good day for everyone. For the last weekend of walleye season several folks hit Upper Red Lake and a couple of 13" crappies were caught as well as a 15" crappie that is on it's way to the taxidermist...talk about a slab crappie! Several other lakes in the area were also hit for walleye, pike & panfish over the weekend, with crappies coming in on Friday but yesterday one group of 8 did VERY well for what they called Crappie Fest with the 8 of them reeling in near limits of some pretty huge crappies (12-13") as well as keeping busy with a very active pike bite. Walleye season may be coming to an end, but that panfish bite has been pretty good this winter & when temps start to warm up to normal it will make it even easier to do some hole hopping and reel in those pannies

[Drake]

We are still hitting the below average (average for Feb is the 20's) temps here in the Blackduck area. But with the temps for the most part staying in the single digits the fishing has continued to be very good the past week. For this last weekend of walleye season we are seeing our anglers hitting several of the different lakes in the area and finding a bit that not only is producing the walleye, but a very active pike bite continues and the crappie bite in the afternoon hours has been Very productive with 11-13" crappies, added a good pic to the fb page. The colder temps has had folks basically staying where they set up, so not a lot of hole hopping which is the best for perch fishing, but the cold temps will be keeping good ice for what appears awhile-tomorrow high is -7 followed by a heat wave on Monday (23) then a slight drop but then back towards normal next weekend for the 20's and some great panfishing weather!

[Drake]

Think we are Finally going to get away from those below 0 temps!! The forecast is showing temps in the 30's & even 40's! The panfish bite in the area has been pretty productive the last week, with our anglers specifically targeting the crappies and we are seeing good numbers of 12-13" crappies coming through the fish cleaning room. Now with the temperatures above 0 fishing should become even more productive as anglers are going to be able to move around more on the lakes & not staying in one place because of the cold. We have also lucked out and have not received snow the past week, there's not much on the lakes (been too cold to snow) so travel on the lakes has been easy & people are able to really spread out on the lakes, as well as hit many of the smaller lakes in the area that don't get plowed with good results. The majority of the crappies are being caught in the 20' depths of the lakes in the area, with the perch being in more shallow. A simple glow jig with a minnow, with some getting some on waxies; perch throughout the day and the majority of the crappies in the late afternoon, although we have had several who have gotten into a great daytime bite

[Drake]

Nice to have temps above 0 for a change, been an extremely cold winter with below 0 even last week. But now that we have a pretty great fishing forecast, with temps in the 40's (lows in the 20's/30's) the late winter panfish bite is on and folks are traveling around well on the lakes in the Blackduck area. There is still a small amount of snow coverage on the lakes, vehicle travel & the ice is currently in good condition. We have had a lot of perch, crappies and sunnies coming through the cleaning shack from anglers who are spreading out and hitting the numerous lakes in the area. A lot of anglers are going for the crappies now at the lakes and as always for this time of year finding the better luck in the late afternoon hours starting off in the 20' depths and reeling in some of those really nice 12" slabs.

[Drake]

As of today there are still vehicles on several of the lakes in the Blackduck area, but we have been suggesting if you have fourwheelers to bring them beause of the warm temps. Yesterday our anglers who drove out on the lakes did fairly well on Blackduck for perch (which the newer access on the southside is better than the main access on the eastside-which has the run off of melted snow from the golf course). Several of the other smaller lakes in the area were also hit for the sunnies and crappies (forage minnow tipped with a wax worm has actually been pretty productive for the late afternoon crappies). Our anglers that arrived last night for their last weekly trip of ice fishing for the season have already hit the ice this morning, hopefully it will be a productive day!

[Drake]

Yesterday the temps were in the 60's; this afternoon it's showing 33 (windchill 28) and it's snowing; crazy March weather. But with the nicer temps our anglers have been able to be very mobile on the lake, and they have spread out and hit numerous lakes in the area, and the fish cleaning room has been a very busy place the last few days. Several limits of perch have come through from Blackduck and other lakes in the area, and many anglers have been targeting crappies and are being rewarded with limits of slabs in the 11-12.5" range. While crappie fishing anglers are getting bonus sunfish which have been ranging from 8 to 10" for the keepers. I did post a couple of pictures from yesterday on the fbook site to show the close up size of the fish. Anglers are out on the ice today, most are traveling with four wheelers (there were actually a couple of wheel houses on Blackduck on yesterday am and a few vehicles), and for those who don't have the wheelers they are playing it safe and walking out on the ice

[Drake]

As of today, March 18th, there are still vehicles driving on the lakes. On Blackduck our guests drove around today and a quick drive by there a short while ago showed 3 small trucks traveling around on the ice, as with Round and a few of the other smaller lakes in the area. We have been using our four wheeler, it's just easier to zip around on that, and we have been telling our folks that are coming in for the next several days that we recommend bringing the fourwheelers with so that if the shorelines do change while they are here they can still get out and about.

Several have asked the last couple of days how long they will be able to drive vehicles on the ice - the ice thickness & conditions are still good but I cannot tell how long the shorelines will hold up for vehicles, temperatures, winds, sunshine, rain can all change things, so I'd really like seeing the wheelers especially those here for awhile. Upcoming forecast: Thurs 49/32; Friday & Saturday highs in the 30's low's in the teens; Sunday 38/22.

[Drake]

ice fishing is still happening in the Blackduck area; while there was a truck on the ice yesterday 99% of the anglers are using fourwheelers & we Really would prefer to see those four wheelers out there. Yesterday the ice was still good on the numerous lakes in the area & the majority of the shorelines were in really good shape with some folks heading back home with plans to return this weekend for another fishing trip. Not many out on the ice today, early morning snow has turned to sleet & a w/nw 15mph wind. Temps are dropping (27) with lows tonight in the upper teens, tomorrow shows highs 25 to 30 and lows around 10 (spring was shortlived up here!) Looks like the weather is in our favor through the weekend!

[Drake]

The warmer weather and some wind earlier in the week gave us a hint of spring, with some separation starting at the shorelines. This morning we woke up to a dusting of snow making it hard to really tell what the ice was looking like (coloring further out, etc). Driving around to look at the lakes yesterday and this morning they were pretty quiet without anyone out on the lakes ice fishing. Think we are drawing near the end of a pretty fantastic ice fishing season, the fish cleaning room was a busy busy place this winter for walleye and panfish. But now it's time to start thinking about transitioning over to get ready for open water & all the various lakes close to us have to offer. Folks have reserved ahead for open water season, but looks like there are a few left for opener weekend & June is getting pretty full so if you are looking to come up to our neck of the woods & looking for a place to stay while your fishing give us a call. A huge Thank You to everyone who made it such a great ice fishing season!

[Drake]

Good luck to all hitting the open water for Opener tomorrow! Looks like a chilly start to the morning, we have a frost advisory till 9 am, but then it will be in the 50's with a north wind 5 to 15 mph (not the sunny, calm and 70 degrees from earlier in the week!). Opener weekend for us is always a little quieter at the motel, with next weekend being our big summer kick off weekend so we may not hit the water this weekend getting the last bit ready before everyone rolls in, but good luck all & look forward to the fishing reports!!

[Rick G]

Was on the Duck for opener. Water is very clear this year, meaning the walleyes were holding a little deeper during the day. We had our best luck in 13-15ft close to structure. The evening bite was very good,  reed beds and shoreline breaks in the 9-10 ft range seemed to be holding quite a few fish. Throwing jigs and minnows put the nicer ones in the boat. We also got a few with slip bobbers and leeches, just not as fast as with jigs.  Water temp was 53-55.

[jdpuller]

I'm looking for a bow fishing guide to go out on black duck this week

[Chris Haley]

What size are people catching on Blackduck this year so far?

[Drake]

What a crazy week weather wise up here, earlier in the week we had snow flurries, then a couple nights of frost but it's changed the last couple of days & it's been perfect (sunny, 70, 5 to 8 mph winds  ); with a decent forecast for the weekend.

Our anglers this week have been going for walleye, with an occasional pike in the mix. Blackduck Lake has been producing quality & quantity walleye with the best bite in the early evening hours -as the sun starts hitting the treeline- along the breaklines in the 8 to 12’ depths.  The water on the Duck is extremely clear (normal for this time of year) so the daytime is a little tougher, and those being caught are in the deeper  waters closer to the weeds & structure . Upper Red is also a spot that is getting hit, with a very active walleye bite for our guests in the daytime hours. Island Lake has also kept folks busy reeling in the walleye, although the majority of the eyes on Island have been over the slot.

Chris, from Blackduck Lake we are seeing a variety of sizes, but the majority we are seeing coming through the fish cleaning room are in the 16-18" range

[Rick]

Nice report Di!!!

 

Thank you.

[Drake]

Wishing everyone a safe & happy Memorial Day weekend. Thank you to all the members of the Armed Forces, past & present for your sacrifice & service!! It is a fantastic day here in the Blackduck area; it's sunny, 75, light (3 to 5 mph) winds & all our guests are out on the lakes and others are up just enjoying the area (the Chippewa National Forest is right behind us and folks are biking & hiking) for this first long weekend of the summer. July 4th long weekend will be here before you know it, so get your reservations in now!   The bite yesterday for those who made it up in tie to head out was really good; one group of anglers said the bite on the Duck was the best they had ever experienced.  Remember, there are a LOT of great lakes in the area not just for panfish but for walleye also which is a nice option for the early afternoon hours for walleye. 

[Drake]

Life doesn't get any better than this!  Sunset bite working the bars

[Drake]

We hope everyone had a safe & happy Memorial Day weekend. The weekend here was pretty great, the weather was perfect with sunshine & low winds until yesterday when it did a light rain all day, a LOT of great fishing so the fish cleaning room was really busy, got a few pictures  and several bbq's in the picnic area.  For walleye, Upper Red provided a lot of action during the day with a lot of catch and release of the walleye and plenty of  sheephead were in the mix too. On Blackduck it continues to be a bite that really hits better around sunset (although some have been catching them in the daytime hours). Island Lake and a couple of the other smaller lakes in the area the daytime bite for the walleye was very productive. For the walleye the majority are using a lindy and a minnow for the presentation and for most of the various lakes trolling or drifting from 20' down to 9' or finding the bars to work has been the best. Bass opener this weekend had some of our guests specifically targeting them and saying that it went really well (Ed & Al don't forget to email me those awesome photos). Others were up to get the panfish and they really spread out and hit different lakes in the area catching not just the quantity but also quality crappies (11-14") & sunfish (8-10"). The week ahead looks pretty good weather wise so hopefully we'll have a chance to get out and get some lines wet too

[Drake]

Been a busy night, taking pictures & adding more photos to the site; in fact it's been a crazy good fishing week.  We've lucked out and the rain in the forecast has not really materialized, except in the middle of the night last night, and it hasn't affected the fishing.   We and our guests are reeling in Walleyes (yes, Upper Red is kicking them out like crazy for our guests-slow drift/troll in the 6' depths all the way down to 3', Blackduck continues to produce more in the late afternoon/early evening and on overcast days like today the daytime bite was very good, as well as other lakes in the area are producing walleye.  Crappies (with sizes up to 12-13") and Sunfish (up to 10"-mostly caught in the weedlines towards the shore but with many smaller lakes still clear look to the weeds that you see sprouting up in the deeper waters) and a few perch are being brought in the fish cleaning room.  Surprisingly we have also been catching some of the panfish on everything-we've used waxies, minnows, night crawlers and leeches and have had good luck with all.  Bass are also still giving action.   Seriously, there are numerous lakes in the Blackduck area, in all directions, and folks are spreading out, yesterday each of our groups all hit different lakes, no two groups on the same lake, so that's good to see  and each group brought back good numbers of quality fish, with today even different lakes being hit as each group goes for different species-a lot to choose from in the area. Looks like this weekend should be pretty decent too. FYI, I just had one standard room that had to change their dates so I have one room that opened up, so if you are looking for Friday & Saturday give us a call asap

[Drake]

Sorry for not posting recently.  Things have been pretty busy here at the Drake, especially with our anglers up for fishing (and getting a chance to occasionally hit the open water ourselves also).  I always say there are so many lakes in the Blackduck area that are good for fishing, and their really are, from Blackduck Lake (which continues to produce walleyes and still more of the evening bite, although some are lucky enough to reel them in during the afternoon hours but most don't hit Blackduck Lake until around 7 pm) to lakes in all directions of us.  South of us Gull is one that is doing well for walleye and bass (with one couple shore fishing the other evening and bringing back 3 nice eyes & 3 bass) to Island Lake (even with the slot there are some really nice keeper fish & good action of catch & release).  The panfishing in the area is still strong, and we are seeing very nice sized gills (8 to 10") & our anglers are throwing back the females (still some spawning); we are seeing limits of crappies in the 10-12" range coming through the fish cleaning room, as well as bass, northerns are active and some are targeting perch.  There are so many different lakes and open water season our guests take advantage of getting out and exploring lakes that are not as easily accessible during ice fishing.  The only one I haven't heard anything about is Benjamin for the trout fishing..but I hope to at least get some of that in personally at least from the pier.  An FYI-39 (the Scenic) does have construction with a detour going on right now..hopefully not for long, but folks are able to access the lakes.

[Drake]

Now that we've had a few days of calm the fishing in the fishing in the area has picked back up again!  Thunderstorms rolled through last week/weekend and while there were some lakes where our guests did very well with the walleye and panfish with quality & quantity & have a couple of photos to add to the motel fb page,  others like Blackduck where some guests were fishing the tournament found it much slower for a couple of days after the water got stirred up from the storms.  Sometimes just a change in presentation, from a shad rap to a lindy, surprisingly moving in more shallower has improved walleye fishing as well as something as simple as increasing the trolling speed for one pair of anglers yesterday made them go from no bites to limiting out.  But with approximately 25 plus lakes in a 30 mile radious from us there are definitely plenty of lakes to choose from if one is going slower. The mid summer long weekend of the 4th of July is this weekend & the forecast is looking pretty decent & this is also the weekend of the big Jaycee's Water Festival with fireworks just down the road in Bemidji; we just had a couple of standard rooms open for Thursday, Friday, Saturday (or if you are just looking for two nights) give us a call and come on up & enjoy exploring the lakes & catching some fish!

[Drake]

How crazy is this to realize summer is half over and we're loosing a little bit of daylight each day.  Storms have been in the forecast for the last several days but we have really lucked out with days of no rain.  The last week has had our guests more of the ones up visiting and looking around the area, with the Chippewa National Forest out the back door there were several up looking at the CCC Camp, Lady Slippers, some heading to the Lost Forty, and a few up on the biking trails.  But there have been a few anglers and they are fairing pretty well.   Although the occasional ones will go to Upper Red looking for the walleye & some pike action and a few are heading to Blackduck, most anglers lately are up exploring new to them lakes in the area & doing well on walleye & sunfish as the smaller lakes are quieter with less boaters and having some pretty good fish fry's; but then filling out limits or doing some catch and release on Gull Lake (those jumbo sunfish, which remember the limit is 5) or Island Lake for the walleyes. We had a couple of rooms open up for Saturday night, and saw the Large Unit (separate bedroom, full size kitchen, living room, 4 bed 2 tv unit) which has been full all summer is actually open up the first two weeks of August, and Labor Day (last long weekend of summer) will be here before you know it so give us a call if you are wanting to head up to the area to get into some late summer fishing or just a getaway!

[Drake]

Last long weekend of the summer is almost here!! We had a couple of last minute cancellations for the 3 days so if you want to head up give us a call & we'll set you up.

Talked to some local friends last night who have been hitting Blackduck in search of walleye doing a slow troll in the 10-15' depths and they said the last two days the bite has really been starting to kick in -having a week of calmer weather has made a difference-also the calmer weather has improved the walleye bite on Upper Red; panfish are still doing well on the various lakes in the area. Now it's time for Bear season to so we'll see how that goes with the first of our hunters heading in today.  We are getting to the best time of the year up here...fishing, hunting and fall colors. 

[RiverbendCustomLures]

Hey, wondering what walleye and perch are biting on?? coming up next week for a week and would like to have an idea.

thanks!