Upper Red Lake Fishing Reports by Outdoors with JonnyP

[CANOPY SAM]

I was thinking the same thing Jon. Temps we need are coming, but so is the wind. Gonna be stacking up sheet ice like playing cards on the shoreline.

Oh well. Does it ever work out the way we want it too? Not so much.

Do you know if the little lakes south of Lower Red are locked up, or are they still open as well? Thinking of Balm Lake in particular.

[KJMinion]

Canopy, I don't know of Balm lake but I do know that as of last weekend, just down the road, Clearwater Lake was ice free except for some of the south bays where I heard there was just a skim of ice. Some of the smaller ponds in the area were iced over but that may have changed since then.

[shaky legs2]

I am reading between the lines.

[Random guy]

Almost Sub-zero! A nice 3 degrees above zero this morning.

[traveler]

So what did the wind/snow do to the ice Jonny?

[JacobG]

Walked out yesterday to 8 feet off the breakline. There was a solid 4 inches of ice. went out this am and we gained another inch for sure. good ice so far. can see very large ice heaves miles out but all the ice withing walking distance is good solid ice.

[Random guy]

Every region may have different conditions so be careful. I could not walk off the north shore today.

[Drake]

Had some friends on the southshore and they said they were checking and were measuring 2" BUT there were places that it was just a skim coating & turned around pretty quick when a spot broke through. I'd hold off and play it safe.

[Random guy]

As usual mixed reports from region to region, 108,000 acres is a lot of room for variances. I myself am going to play the tortoise and the hare game waiting it out. I feel no need to go charging across the skim ice, I don’t think the fish are going to leave the lake. One day just before the horizon breaks off, you will see the infamous “Otter Train” moving like a mirage in the distance; then it will be game on for the Outdoors camp and we play for keep(er)s.

[JacobG]

Johnny is right. Every area of the lake is different. I was fishing out of Waskish on the east side. When I left the lake yesterday there was a solid 6-7 inches of ice. There were even a few wheelers out on the ice. Out in the distance is a huge stack of ice several feet tall running from NW to SE. so the south shore may have poor ice conditions. With the temps they are fore casting it should be more than safe next weekend! ALWAYS USE CAUTION! The bite on the other hand was slow after sat morning. Several perch and a few pike was all we could get to bite. There was also a few inches of snow that fell sat afternoon to sunday. Ill be back up next weekend again. Im not gonna say its game on for everyone............ but ITS GAME ON for me!

[Luv2angle]

Waiting on your first pictures Jonny...

I'll be heading up Friday!!!

[Random guy]

All in good time. The Otter train is hooked up and ready, once the ice is to the point I will go out on it I hope to post a ton of pictures.

[Random guy]

My trapline is now hanging back in the trapping shed, the truck is loaded and I am headed to the St. Paul Ice Show. See you there!

[Random guy]

Made it back to Beltrami County a few minutes ago. Sore feet and tired eyes but the Ice Show was great! It is always fun to talk the booked clients and see the excitement for their Upper Red Lake trips. Tomorrow once back in Waskish I will take a look at the ice and start slipping around the rumpus ridge country to see if the walleyes are where I left them.

[Random guy]

Well today turned into more of an exploration outing then a fishing trip. Ran up the extreme north shore and tried six separate regions and it was a no go. From Ditch #5 all the way to the reservation line was 1.5"-4" of ice with some wild cracks and a fresh pressure ridge running east and west. It is very apparent the north shore was the last to lock up and it is spooky. I swung around to the eastern shore right before dark and did some running around. Found decent ice where it had been wind piled but once it turned to smooth ice it got spotty quick (1 1/4 mile out). Trouble is after this wind and rain everything will look smooth, finding that line will be tricky. Talk to the resort owners as they have the details pinned down of where to and not to go.

Tomorrow I will start running jigs where I can while we all await the cold weather.

[Buckskin]

Get after 'em Johnny,probally already got your pail full! Looking forward to your report.

[Random guy]

Not yet, taking the slow and steady approach today. I want the sun good and high before I go poking around after 40+ degrees, rain and wind.

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Good meeting you at the Ice Show Jonny! My son thought it was awesome that everyone recognized him from all of his big fish pics

Look forward to heading up your way and getting in to some eyes. Looks like cooler weather for a week anyways.

[Random guy]

Well the kid has held more 10" gills then I have had in my boat or even seen for that matter.

[john74]

Jonn.. have you ever fished kabekona? I was on it a couple times this summer, pulled some nice eyes from it. Just curious on your thoughts of ice fishing it.

[Random guy]

No I have not, I do know a couple old boys that do and have had some decent days on the panfish end of things.

[Random guy]

Ok I would have posted sooner but I took a little accidental nap after fish dinner. Tends to happen more and more lately.

Today we ended up fishing in 8 feet of water where two shades of ice met creating a long shadow line. Where the white clouded ice meets the gin clear black ice is a great approach on any sunny winter day. The emerald shiners are attracted to edges on the surface; it may be shades of ice, overhanging branches or even the shadow of the boat in the summer. The predatory fish such as walleye like the comfort of darkness on bright days and the angler likes the edge so we can run our flashy jigs in the bright light, while in close proximity to the darkness. Walleyes even when not feeding midday will still follow the food out of pure instinct. Placing yourself in the path of the food naturally makes sense. Now place yourself in the food chain were jigs shine into the darkness and you will get attention and you will get attacked even when they are not in a killing mood. Attacked like lions bolting out of the darkness into the moonlight.

Now what really paid off today was running the Lindy Foo Flyer, a swimming jig that will reach out and get the attention needed for the strike. It creates the illusion of an unwary minnow feeding and darting in and out of the shadow like minnows do. It gets in a fish’s face then turns the other direction and runs, triggering strikes. There was no picking or nipping at the jig today, just attacking.

[Will]

Nice pics Johnny. What size were the foo flyers that you used?

Will

[Random guy]

I was using the 3/16. I did tie up a second rod with a 1/16 tipped a fake honey worm for when the perch would come in.

[Will]

Thanks for the info.

[jwmiller33]

Great report Jonny, thanks for sharing. How much ice were you seeing out there? Were there many bad spots (i.e. areas with significantly less ice than nearby)?

[pushbutton]

Assuming the jigs are holding horizontal when swimming? Any wobble on the fall , a glide, or just a nose dive? Can you root them on the bottom? Sorry about all the questions...just like new toys, no ice around here, and cant wait to play with them.......

[G I Mike]

Jonny P,

Great reports and info as usual. Is that a Gulp minnow on your Foo Flyer above?

Emerald Shiner Maybe? Size?

Thanks

[Random guy]

Alright guys lets see if I can cover all of this.

Yes the jig is a horizontal jig with a....ya know what here is a video explaining it.

[G I Mike]

Thanks for taking the time to pass on the info Jonny P.

It is appreciated!