Red River Fishing Reports

[Joe]

Welcome to the Red River Fishing Reports Thread. If you are new to this thread and want the most current reports look to the upper right of this post and click on the highest number.

Be sure to share your fishing reports and river conditions as Ed Carlson did while he was with us. Feel free to ask questions on this topic as well.

This thread and your contribution to it is now a tribute to our friend Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson.

[Scoot]

Fishing reports are very few and far between this year. Between the cold weather, high water at freeze up, and snow on the ice (and making access to and from the rivers tough), very few people have been out. I've usually fished a dozen or more times on the rivers by this time and I haven't set foot on one once this hard water season (and likely won't). So... I don't anticipate many reports coming in this thread.

[BrianLucky13]

Has anyone been down around Oxbow yet??? Ed, I've seen you down there quite a few times the last few years. Have you been there yet????

Nobody is really saying anything. I moved so im not on the river everyday now!!!

[Ed Carlson]

Nope...too crappy of ice there for me.

[Ultralights]

Brianlucky13. Have you been on the red in the F/M area lately. The Ice is really good where its good, and crappy or none existant where its bad.

[BrianLucky13]

To tell you the truth I havent!!! Maybe this weekend tho!! I havent heard any reports or anything at all for that matter about the river this winter.

I'll give you a few spots that everyone knows about tho. Where the Wild Rice River goes into the Red can hold a lot of fish!! I havent been down there since spring. Some days you can catch hundreds of goldeneyes and no walleyes then the next day catch a few walleyes and no goldeneyes!! I dont know if you can park on the street and walk 50 yards down to the river tho, cuz it might have a no tresspass sign there now????

Another spot is in Oxbow(south of fargo.) You can park at the golf course parking lot in walk down the hill. There is a dam down there so be carefull!!! Check the ice as you go out!!! Ive only caught walleyes and pike down there in the winter.

Another spot is right off 52nd ave in Fargo where the access is. There a few bends around there with trees in stuff like that. Try to use the inside corners and stay out of current. Havent caught a lot of fish in this area but its where I grew up and most my walleyes over 30 inches have came around there!!!

If you can find a deep hole(20-28 fow) with a nice bend by it I would fish that area. Trees help too. If it looks fishy its always worth a shot. If you dont catch anything move on to the next spot. River fish school up pretty good!!!

These are just general spots that most people no about!! The ice isnt good this year so be safe!!!

Good luck!!

[Ultralights]

Thanks for the info! We were all so thinking of fishing around the N. Fargo [PoorWordUsage] and MBJ park.

Last night we tryed up by 35th ave N. troll wood park just caught golden eye.

Ill let you know tomorrow how it goes, thanks again.

[Scoot]

Ultra- careful! The ice is bad below the N Dam and it's bad again just to the N of Trollwood.

[Ultralights]

thanks for the help again. Tonight we got off work early and decided to fish off of 52nd Ave. S. in fargo. We drilled a lot of holes and ended up fishing straight across from the acces. we had 20 fow about 30 ft from shore. (had one line out there and missed two on it, both b4 dark) the next holes where in 15.5 fow about 20 ft from shore. (missed a couple and caught 2-3 goldeney's) moved towards shore another 10ft and sat in 11ft. caught & missed about 10 goldeneye. we had our house about 4ft closer towards shore and sat in 6.5 fow. with trees both up and down stream from us. the current up there and in the 11ft hole was almost non existant. There was 3 of us out there from about 3:30 to 7pm and no walleye. thought we maybe lucked into finding a good spot that was easy to fish thinking of heading down stream from there to the next bend, it looks promising. All in all it was awesome weather we fished outside the house most of the time & the goldeye offered up some excitement.

[BrianLucky13]

Glad to hear you caught some fish. Too bad no eyes tho!!!

So where you going next??? I would try where the wild rice goes into the red!! Most of the time you can find the eyes down there. Ive had better luck there early ice then late ice. The later in the year I try to stay close to the dams. Also after dark is always the best on the river!! And for some reason dead minnow work better for me then alive minnows.

[Ultralights]

Ill be going home for the weekend to fish either BP or ottertail.

Way too may snow cats running the river on the weekends around here. although they did make it nice to pull our house around on thanks for the tips and ill let you know how it goes next monday or tuesday night.

[BrianLucky13]

It looks like im going to Fargo this weekend!!! So I'll be hitting the red south of Fargo in some areas where Ive caught some fish in the past.

People have been catching walleyes and perch on Ottertail!!

Good Luck!!!

[BrianLucky13]

Just got done fishing the red!! Hit the oxbow dam for 2 hours. Marked 2 fish and had 1 bite and thats it. Fished 4-8 fow. Current was bad. Ice seemed to be good everywhere I went.

Then went farther north in town. Caught a ton of goldeneyes and thats it!!!

Gonna try North Fargo 2marow!!

[jiggin9]

BrianLucky13-

I fished the red on sunday with very similar results. I caught enough golden 'eyes to drive a guy nuts. How was the weekend fishing for you? I still haven't been able to locate any of the good 'eyes yet. I hope this rain won't wreck the ice conditions.

[kingr]

Are gold eyes similar to suckers?? Would they taste any good smoked?

[Ultralights]

Not at all. their meet is too soft to really make them worth smoking.

[Ultralights]

Brian. How was day 2 on the red? With all the rain I havn't made it back out.

[Ultralights]

Kingr.

You get out on the red this year on the ice?

[BrianLucky13]

Just got back from the cities. Fishing on the red sucked last weekend!!! Worst Ive ever done actually. Didnt even mark a fish in north fargo. Should have caught a couple walleyes down by oxbow but they didnt hit very hard.

The river is posted down where the wild rice runs into the red so that suckes. I wasnt gonna knock on a door at 9 oclock pm to see if I could walk down there.

I dont know what the rain has done to the ice now. Some of my best days on the red has been when water is on top of the ice later in the year but not this early. I would stay away from the dams for now tho!!!

[Ultralights]

GOOD Call. I'm going to check the ice by 52nd Ave S this late after noon. If its bad there ill probally try by oaks grove park in Moorhead. There was a lot of ice there.

[gottajig]

For the past two weeks, we have pounded the 'eyes on the red. We have found em out in the current as well as in the tribs...last sunday we caught one 12.10 and friday we brought home 7 nice guys all were 16-20 inches......hopefully it will do nothing but get better!!!!

[kingr]

Ultra,

No I have not. Between running back and forth to Duluth checking on my house and the normal weekend "stuff" I've barely got out this winter. Not to mention venturing out on the River not knowing a thing about it is not a good idea in my book. When I have been out it's been around DL where I grew up

[jiggin9]

It's nice to see some people are getting on top of some 'eyes on the RR. Are you fishing in the FM area or farther North towards the Crookston, Thief River Falls area? The only 'eyes I've found around FM have been of the golden kind. Nothing to write home about, that's for sure.

[Ultralights]

Brian

Fished last night down by 52nd Ave S. again. the ice was good, over 12" yet. When i drilled the holes, the 3" of water on the ice ran down the holes. Caught golden eye one after another till 8:15pm.

Gotta Jig, Canadian walleye don't really count, lol. Congrats on the fish! You must be fishing North of Fargo, currently due to job specs, i am mostly concerned about finding eyes in the F/M area.

[BrianLucky13]

Ultralights, just north of where your fishing there is a creek that goes into the red. Might wanna give that a try. You have to park and walk about 150 yards tho.

[Scoot]

Be careful by the creek BL13 is referring to- the ice can be shakey around there- especially this year.

[BrianLucky13]

The ice is good there!!! It always have been unless you drills holes in the current out in the middle.

[Scoot]

Hmmmm... I wonder if we're talking about the same spot. The spot I thought you were referring to has had some pretty skinny ice on some years. We must be referring to a slightly different place.

[BrianLucky13]

Theres only one creek that goes into the red just north of 52nd ave. That would be Rose Creek. Right off El Cano drive is where you park. There is some kind of park there now. Fishing in the creek used to be better then in the main river itself.

The owner used to mow us a path from the road to the river during the summer. I dont think he does anymore cause all the people going down there and having parties and what not. Many big catfish to be had down there in the summer. Good spot for eyes in the winter and spring too.

[Scoot]

Brian,

I realize what you meant- you are referring to an actual creek (I realize you said "creek", but I was thinking of any ol' water coming into the river). There's a small spot where a sewer drain is located just N of 52nd Ave that I was referring to. Water moves through it all or most of the winter and it has crappy ice by it much of the time.