Upper Red Lake Fishing Reports by Outdoors with JonnyP

[bturck]

Kelly I would imagine its hard to justify to Patsy just sitting there, at least for the past few weeks you could tell her you were headed out to check on the houses.....A good woman is hard to find though....

[Random guy]

pretty sure my driveway's snowed in Kel! Just sayin...hate to see you sitting there driving Patsy nuts:)

I plowed your driveway this morning so he got out of that.

[traveler]

Hey thanks Jonny, I owe ya one! Guess I'll have to make a trip up to look for some of those pesky crappies now...:)

[RobG]

Wanted to give a huge thank you to Jon, Kelly, and the gang for the hospitality and friendship.

Made the trip to Upper Red from Utah so I could experience something incredible. I was not disapointed.

The fishing was not as good as I wanted it to be....but it turns out that the fishing was really just a small part of my trip that made it such a great time.

I know a lot of people say that when winter comes they head for Florida or Arizona....I have found my Winter get-away in Waskish, MN. I loved it.

Thanks again - I will see you again for the 12/13 ice season...and this time I am bringing a few more friends!

[Random guy]

Hey thanks Jonny, I owe ya one! Guess I'll have to make a trip up to look for some of those pesky crappies now...

It was bugging me and if Kelly goes in with the V plow no more grass, trees and who knows what else woulod get shaved. He lost his power steering so it takes a large area to get that locomotive turned around.

I am actaully going to start working some fish tommorow, today is beaver traps through the ice. I just have to find something to do that involves cutting up ice.

[Random guy]

Rob, I look forwad to seeing you and a crew come up back up and raise some heck with the walleye...deep down I know you think about walleye and pike when you are trout fishing.

[Random guy]

Wow, spring has sprung...a few weeks early but we will take it. The lake of course is ice free already and a warming quickly. Walleyes are getting ready for the spring runs and that means the crappies are close behind. Water temps peaked close to 50 before this latest cold snap and that tells me soon crappies will be on the move for the reed edges.

As we all wait in anticipation for the 2012 walleye season on Upper Red Lake remember the river is closed to all fishing due to the spawn and efforts to maintain a healthy walleye population. Now granted this means the river proper but hopefully this year we can see some respect for the fishery and not have a bunch of boats stacked up at the closed fishing sign casting 3/8 oz jigs and large minnows over them into the river mouth. Sad that some just can't let Mother Nature do her thing. I don’t understand the desire to harass spawning walleyes on a recovering lake...yet those anglers will be the first to complain when the population starts to drop. I guess what I am saying is those boats pushing the limit and working spawning walleye in the name of crappie fishing I have zero respect for, nor does the majority of Minnesota sportsman. So those of you out looking for crappies along the shorelines and picking apart the reed pockets I wish you luck and I will be right there with you. Those targeting walleye spawning areas with walleye tackle that have never held a crappie in a 100 years should be ashamed. With the crappies, perch and other fish we have a ton of opportunities to target those species and let the walleyes do their thing, we have 9 ½ months to target walleyes. Give em a break.

[rooster30]

Well said Jonny

[alex1]

+1 here too Jonny. the perch we caught up there a year ago through the ice were darn tasty

[Random guy]

We now a nice perch population. Trouble is they have 108,000 acres of hidy holes, but we are always looking.

[thore]

i dont have much respect for people targeting spawning walleyes or panfish on their beds how about we give them all a break

[Random guy]

We are coming back into our normally scheduled program. Water temps are starting to come back into the 50 degree mark, walleyes are peaking the river runs and soon to be getting with it for the lake runs. The birds have returned to the water and the crappies are starting to move in.

That said we are not extremely early, yes a little early but not too bad. Walleye should still be stacked against the last break for opener and most of May unless the temperatures gets overly hot in May and push them out.

As for the crappies they are doing the typical here today gone tomorrow trick as the pull up and pull off the shallows with the changing waters temps, a few good calm sunny days will lock them into the shallows. So far orange or natural color hair jigs such as a Fuzz-E Grub have been producing the best with some bites coming on a good ol plain hook and split shot under a bobber.

[Random guy]

Oh, and I forgot about this little guy. He was released to grow...not big enough yet but soon!

[Random guy]

Fishing was surprising yesterday with some pretty intense action, and of course where the fish where. North shore, in four feet of muddy water. I’m not sure what type of minnows was jumping on the reed edge but they where thick and the walleyes pushed through the mud fog to get to them.

As for tips and tactics I was running small Wally Divers in wonderbread and gold/red colors along with Lindy Shadlings in pink shiner, yellow perch and of course black. That shallow everything was run on planer boards to get the cranks out from under the boat.

With the CS5 Wally Diver and # 5 Lindy Shadling 17-27 feet of line depending on your speed, clip em to the boards and go catch fish.

Anglers pitching jigs with frozen shiners and larger fatheads/rainbows on wild colored jigs where picking up fish on the slow retrieve. It also appeared bigger fish coming in on the jig verses a smaller fish on the cranks.

[Random guy]

I did try for some super shallow pike after limiting out on eyes and all I learned from that is Minnkota trolling motors truly do have an unbreakable shaft! Wow 20 foot Alaskan came to a dead stop and a bunch of grinding sounds before the motor sprang back. Thing looks fine, I don’t believe it but it doesn’t have a scratch. Lesson learned is the shallows are really shallow this year and no pike in the reed pockets but lots of rocks.

[Random guy]

Here comes the the waether we have been waiting for. Walleyes should be firing off and maybe just maybe the waters will clear and the pike will turn on.

[bmc]

Thinking about making a trip up that way from Deer River on Thursday.

Hoping to see a report between now and then....hint.....hint! LOL

Thanks,

Brian

[Random guy]

Current bite is going, not great but going. Fish are showing up in 2-6 feet of water. Yes 2 feet of water, why we don’t know but that is where they are. Fish size tends to be smaller with a few bigger ones mixed in. As the water clears up after such a long spell of wind we will see the deeper /bigger fish bite pick up.

[Random guy]

After yesterdays guide trips the key was a silver spinner that had a touch of color to them. Lindy spinners in Purple Smelt, Shad, Fathead, Shiner and Tullibee with Tullibee being the best producer. We were running those on 3/8 oz bottom bouncers long lined behind the boat and actually taking the longer 6’ snell on the Lindy Spinner and cutting it down to 3’ keeping it above the rocks and short weeds. Best action was directly in front of Westwinds Resort down to the poplar trees on the eastern shore often called “The Birches”

With today’s winds I’m going to head down to Mort’s and see what he has cooking on the south shore.

[bmc]

Great report Johnny!

What depth was best???

Still planning on heading north Thursday, unless the wind is rippin'.

Brian

[Random guy]

3-6 feet was best with the strikes coming as I crossed 5.4-5.8 feet of water.

[Random guy]

Bigger walleye are starting show a presence out deeper; 10-12 feet of water. The jig bite still produces fish but you have to find them first and finding them had been fun. Shades of silver in the Lindy Spinners such as Shad, Shiner, Tulibee and of course gold are producing behind bottom bouncers on the slow side of 1 mph. This morning was a quick four man limit...I mean "three dorks and one young lady limit"... pulling spinners.

Today I was able to answer a question I get asked about the Lindy Spinners often. “Why 14lb. fluorocarbon leaders?” Well not only is fluorocarbon almost completely invisible in the water it is as tough as cable with the flexibility of mono. Why so tough? Well I have been screwing around with this single gold Lindy spinner for two weeks just to see how it holds up.It has been run on boards, drug through weed beds, caught many fish, been snagged in the rocks and sharpened several times. It has had many hours, no make that days, behind a bottom bouncer and today it landed this 40 inch pike without failure. Now that is why quality components such as 14lb fluorocarbon leaders on the Lindy Spinners make a big difference. Set up for walleye finess but stong enough to take big fish abuse...all for a few cents more then spinners made with lower standards.

You can see it was engulfed in the rusty cage of teeth and held up like a champ.

[shaky legs2]

Jonny, I have used fluorocarbon in the psst for leaders in clear water but didn't like the knot tying strength as compared to mono. I use the palomar knot whenever I can but on bog-stained waters what is the advantage of fluorocarbon over mono in comparable test strengths??

[Random guy]

With good knots I have not noticed any failure or decrease in strength. I will normally use a double uni or double cinch when going terminal.

[Random guy]

Just got back from vacation and was greeted with one ticked off lake. Fishing is tough, no way around it. Next few days will involve some leadcore and a box of Shadlings looking for the secret hiding spot the walleye went to. Stay tuned for more on Red lake.

Although I have been hitting surrounding area lakes for soem great panfish and bass action while the walleye have a case of lockjaw.

[Coldwater Crappie Guy]

When can we start calling for ice house reservations?

[Random guy]

Patsy will start taking reservations I believe in September, the contact info is on my website.

[Random guy]

With recent steady winds the bite on Upper Red Lake has been far from excellent. Granted you are not going to go out and tank the Red Lake limit in an hour but a few old tricks with a new splash of color will put fish in the boat.

With the hot temps, high sun and muddy water it is no surprise to anyone the bigger fish are now roaming the cool, clearer deep water. With the now deeper walleye is the basic Upper Red lake walleye food sources; spottail shiners, emerald shiners, young of the year perch and fingerling whitefish. All wild colored small targets of prey.

An effective approach to the dog day walleye on Upper Red Lake is putting those small presentations directly in front of them in that very small eight inch strike zone along the bottom. Both leadcore trolling and down rigging stand out colors in the small #5 Lindy Shadling and even smaller #3 Lindy River Rocker is a great way to trigger strikes form those nomadic Red Lake fish.

Running the correct size baits deep enough will help put fish in the boat but also the right colors and sound will make a huge difference in such adverse conditions. Lindy has put out a few new colors that really shine through muddy and stained waters. One is the classic Firetiger pattern that we all know and love on so many lures along with a highly reflective White Shad that has always been a standby in stained waters. The new superstars to be ripped through the depths is the Bumble Bee pattern and the ultra natural yet highly defined Red Racer, a true mimic of the Rainbow minnow. We all know rainbow minnows are a natural food source in northern walleyes waters and the Red Racer mimics it perfectly. The new Bumble Bee pattern takes the classic perch pattern and puts it in high definition, a hard to miss bait in the stained depths.

The Red Racer is a perfect match to the rainbow minnow.

Also the ultra small but wide wobbling River Rocker in colors such as Perch, Raider, Redtail and Dace are all great patterns that produce fish in the stained water.

Get a hold of a leadcore rod or a simple downrigger and push those small baits down to the not so deep depths of Upper Red Lake and fish will come back up.

[Random guy]

The wind died for a couple days and we actually had a jig. YUM grub bite going for one afternoon. As of yesterday’s big winds again...back to trolling.

[Random guy]

I'm getting emails about how nobody can get on the lake, the lake is doomed, the sky has fallen and all kinds of apocalyptic stuff...

...this happens every so many years. In the early 90's it was the same deal, as it was in the 80's and the 60's and every other time drought type conditions hit this area. Heck they used to play baseball on the sandbars along the river mouth back in the row boat days. The rains stop, the lake drops and getting out gets tough. Of course before a big boat was an aluminum 18' Lund Fisherman with a 35 horse Johnson and the standard was a 16' Lund with a 10hp or 15 Evinrude WITH reverse if ya spent the big money. A bad day meant you had to use the oars (everybody carried them) or put the 4x4 block in the motor to clear the sand. Now its 250hp deep V glass boats or monster sized deep aluminums with an even bigger four stroke hanging off the back, and we wonder why we can't go across 8" of water. There is a reason Upper Red Lake never had big charter boats like Lake of the Woods, we could not get them out of the river.

A simple solution to this? Pay the ten bucks and launch out of Westwinds dredged canal. If you can afford a boat so big it can't get out you can afford a ten dollar ramp fee.