Upper Red Lake Fishing Reports by Outdoors with JonnyP

[Borch]

Must be all of the fish fries.

[aczr2k]

I was thinking maybe layoff the cheap beer?

[Random guy]

Well after a few days of watching rentals and anglers closely I have come to the conclusion the low water is bad news for the noisy ones. Our rentals are spread across the eastern and northern shores. Some shacks on mud, some over rocks and even one on green weeds and they are all producing. Walleye limits and then some are coming in as are some dandy perch. Most are filling the bucket then holding back one shy just in case a big one shows up, and a few have. Although some anglers are not stacking the fish up as easy and it has a common dominator, the noise. As I go from house to house checking on anglers I am greeted with laughter and stories of fish fights complete with full theatrical skits of just how it went down. Then I walk into a house that accounts for every fish they caught to scratch out a limit. The same thing is going on at every slow house; generator running on the ice, every light in the house on, radio turned up and guys trying to talk over each other and the radio. Next door down ma, pa and the no good brother in law from Illinois are quietly catching doubles and triples. Switch noise levels in the houses the following night and the now quiet house is pounding fish and the the house that was fast and furious is now just furious.

With this year’s low water the Upper Red Lake angler needs to remember the action is happening six to ten feet away. Ten feet is not very far from stomping feet, bright lights or gas engines rumbling away. Now if you ask me the best fisherman on the lake is the Blue Heron. They do not move around, they keep quit, pay attention to what’s going on below them and never make a sound.

Now for presentation and location specifics: Depth does not really seem to matter as we are spread out from six to 13 feet with good results across the board, but what does matter is separating yourself from others. The more room you make the better fishing will be. Concentrate on changes both on the bottom and on the ice, little lake differences make big fish differences. Colors have been the classic gold during the day and red glow at night with some of the fun fire tiger stuff mixed in. Go to lures for me have been the Red Lake stand by, the Lindy Rattle N Flyer and the Lindy Darter. Shades of Golden Shiner, Purple Smelt and Red Glo.

[Big Herm]

Just curious with all the monster pike in upper red you don't ever really hear of anyone spearing there, is there any reason that it isn't much for spearing happening? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks

[pikerliker]

Just curious with all the monster pike in upper red you don't ever really hear of anyone spearing there, is there any reason that it isn't much for spearing happening? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks

Not sure if spearing is allowed on Red. Also there is a slot on northern pike (all pike 26 to 44 inches must be released) and that might make it a bit difficult to know how long a pike is before you launch the spear!

[Random guy]

Back in the 70 and 80's when spearing was the hottest craze lots of guys tried it but found the stained water makes it pretty tough. The fact you cannot identify your target and the slot limit makes spearing on Upper Red challenging to the point of futile.

[Where's Walter?]

JohnnyP - excellent advice! Fatheads or shiners? Do you use emeralds on red?

[kelly-p]

When I read this post by stealth3350 on an earlier topic I thought that it should be required reading for people fishing URL. My feeling is that noise/vibrations is one of the biggest reasons that portables will usually catch more fish then hardhouses on URL.

Quote:

i used the micro plus last wknd.. pretty sweet and can see pretty far... saw the walleyes just staring at the dead sticks,, then someone would slam the fish house door and they would take of like torpedos!! STAY QUIET! i saw first hand what noise does with the camera down..

Elmer Fudd said it best. Be vewy, vewy quite. We be hunting wabbits Just insert walleyes for wabbits.

[laportian]

Right on Kelly. This will holder truer in the next two months. December is great and we can probably teach a monkey to catch a walleye up here during December as the fish are in kamikaze mode. But as January sets in I think paying attention to just how quiet you are will really pay off on the slower days ahead. It will really be the differance in scratching out a limit or going home skunked.(Unless this is the year the walleyes go nuts for the entire ice season!)

[kelly-p]

Quote:

December is great and we can probably teach a monkey to catch a walleye up here during December as the fish are in kamikaze mode.

Sure,,, where I scouted last night I only got 1 keeper walleye. When I brought it over to steeplechaser's house to see if they wanted it they just laughed at me and asked if I had looked in their full bucket. At least I found out where not to move a house to.

A trained monkey huh?

[laportian]

Kelly-I often think to myself "This is so easy even a caveman can do it!". Those are on those early December days when the fish are just jumping out of the hole. You know when you can't get rebaited and down fast enough cause there is another one waiting on your screen. Fish nirvana if you will. Then sometime in the middle of January or early Feb. I'll leave the lake skunked and realize just how hard it can really be.

[bassNspear]

Yesterday afternoon and last night was very good for us. We had action all night long on gold and white glow hooks. we lost a few bigger fish that hit the ice, but over all I was very impressed with the fishing. I'm very excited for next two nights with Jonny P and Kelly!!

Fish on!!

[pushbutton]

Just found we are next up to bat in your house......would appreciate if you could leave us a few

[bassNspear]

Dude, fishing is awesome! Slow durning day but once night hits. Hold on. And keep house dark as possible for better luck

Jonny and Kelly....class acts! Best of the best. Thanks again and see you soon bro!!

[Living_The_Dream]

Had another awesome weekend trip with Kelly and Jonny taking home a limit of walleyes for 5 guys. Ended the weekend with 54 walleyes with most of them being 17-19" and the biggest one at 23" and to many perch to count. The night bite last night was insane, 3 or 4 fish per hour starting at 12am until 5am. We had to pull the rattle reels up to get some sleep before the long trip home today.

Jonny everyone in the fish house was still laughing at my reaction after you decided to "plow" a new road next to my side of the fish house with the fish house window open. As I looked up to see what was going on, all I saw was a tidal wave of snow coming at me. All I can say is paybacks buddy....see ya in 3 weeks.

Jeff

[bassNspear]

Lol. Jonny sure loves to have fun!!

[kelly-p]

Quote:

see ya in 3 weeks.

When you come back up remember the things we have been working on. When you are supposed to drive so far and then turn right. Right is the side of the truck that does not have a steering wheel. This east/ west thing. The sun comes up in the east. It goes down in the west. We can work on the north/south thing when you get back up here.

[Random guy]

It has been a great start to the year for us. Many familiar faces are returning for their annual pilgrimage to Upper Red Lake and many new faces in the rentals this year. Now I love catching up with the longtime customers but I am having a blast with the new guys. After Kelly leads them out though secret passage ways, switchback loops, then around a few trees, past a couple old homesteads and back onto the ice again I check them into the house. Every single one of them steps out of the vehicle looking around with the same confused look and statement: “Where are we, and where is everybody?” Several demean and mock our old school way of operating but it is proving to be very successful yet again. Many of these new faces are not new to Upper Red Lake; they just chose a new outfitter this year. It is a good feeling to see most everybody returning, new guys trying to wedge themselves into an overloaded reservation book and even a couple naughty ones on the blacklist trying to get back in. Guess there really is more to this business than just keeping the toilets clean.

Now for my report. I could once go into the standard factors we all know and relate to. Depth, color, jigging actions and all the cool stuff we read about and see on TV. As great as that stuff is, currently it plays a very small role in Upper Red Lake success. What has been playing a huge part in filling buckets is what we do above the ice to be an effective angler. With the low water levels, sound and how you position yourself in relation to your neighbor is crucial. Crowds are bad and crowding is even worse. Single houses all by themselves ¼ mile or more from anybody else are the ones pounding on the larger fish. Put two houses close together the fishing slows. Stuff three houses together it ratchets down another notch. Now toss in a radio, generator and stomping around things get ugly. From noise to lights we need to be very careful about how we approach Upper Red Lake. If you notice the top predators in the food chains hunt alone or in very small packs, there is a reason for that. Make sure to give yourself some room from others, keep it as quiet as possible and remember walleyes are very light sensitive; you should be too.

We all know Upper Red Lake, a glow red Lindy Rattle N Flyer on one rod and a dead sticked minnow on the other will produce fish 90% of the time, but where you use those presentations has been much more important. Find your own “Back 40” of SAFE ice to homestead and fish like you hunt to unlock Upper Red Lakes true potential.

[blackice25]

Good report Johnny. First timer to red today. I pretty much planned on and did what and you just reported... On the lake at 3pm, took jr's road out a few miles, found a nice little spot 1/2 mile from everyone, on a contour line and had lines down by 4. Having a $5 fish fry and beer at jr's by 7. I found the red rattle n flyer and simple deadstick to work well also.

And no I do not have any affiliation with jrs

[Random guy]

on a contour line

Here is something to ponder, a conundrum if you may. The lake is mapped in 6 inch contour lines correct? So every six inches of depth change constitutes a line on the map, once again hard to argue that fact. Now when it comes to open water away from fast changing structure, what if the lake was two or three inches higher or lower when they mapped it. Where would the wide contour lines be drawn on the map then?

Yes I know, it's mind blowing.

Now people will debate this but on a slowly dropping lake such as Upper Red two inches of depth will offset where the six inch of difference mark is met, tossing those cool little lines 60 yards or more either way. Yes around structure depth change is depth change but when it comes to open water on the flat bottom the contour lines are general idea, nothing in stone...because there isn't any.

[blackice25]

I went to a spot my gps showed change in elevation. I drilled 8 holes (in that area) and found 2' change in 100yds. Now weather that 11 to 13 change was once 9 to 11 or 13 to 15 or hell 28 to 30... I don't know. Guess I don't understand how water levels change lake structure?

[shaky legs2]

Thanks for the "mind pondering" thoughts Jonny. You know you just gave us another topic to argue about in the fish house besides which minnow sex catches more fish. I can hear it all now, "Shaky, I think we need to move the house 6" to the south so we will be closer to the transition area". Thanks a lot Jonny!

[Random guy]

If the lake bottom is a slow slope, as it is on 90% of the lake, the depth of the water by inches tosses the lines on the map one way or the other. There is no six inch drop at that line; it is just where the criteria of six inches of difference were met. I just get a kick out the guys that back up, then pull ahead, maybe make a few circles trying to get parked right on a contour line. Or the guys that are upset another house is on that line or six inch hump out in the middle of the lake. If the lake was two inches lower that hump would be drawn larger on the map and if the lake was two inches higher that six inch hump may have two contour lines drawn on it as now the top of the hump would exceed the one foot of depth difference criteria. Once something gets two contour lines it becomes referred to as a pile and the place to be. So now the sand dune that draws as a hump but looks like a rock pile is the waypoint to go to, when it is really nothing at all. Best is when guys tell me the map is wrong because they cannot find the break. Drill a ton of holes along the break line on the map and still can't find that six inch ledge.

It is amazing how the brain automatically paints a picture that the lake bottom is exactly as the map depicts it, when truly it is not.

Oh, and I also "do not have any affiliation with jrs" either.

[Random guy]

"Shaky, I think we need to move the house 6" to the south so we will be closer to the transition area". Thanks a lot Jonny!

Ya but you don't get a map, you get Kelly's scribbles on cardboard box or sandwich wrapper. If ya think Lakemaster has drawn some conclusions....

[kelly-p]

Quote:

Ya but you don't get a map, you get Kelly's scribbles on cardboard box or sandwich wrapper. If ya think Lakemaster has drawn some conclusions....

But my old tape measure/compass map had one feature that these new fangled lake maps did not. Some places where the lake maps show a 6 inch increase in depth from point A to point B my tape measure told me that point A had 1 inch of silt/mud on the bottom while point B had 7 inches of silt/mud on the bottom that the mapping sonar did not read. The depth did not change from point A to point B.

Besides I didn't need any batteries for my tape measure or my compass. Life was simple back then.

My compass readings did take a real hit tho when a tall evergreen in the No Name Lane area blew down and I couldn't get compass bearings off from it any more.

An interesting part of that is that around Center Bar I found places where I could push the tape measure up to 5 feet into the bottom.

[shaky legs2]

You can't beat a steel tape for testing depth and bottom composition. That area around center bar must have been prime for a bug hatch with all that mud. I have never seen another person on Red who is so adept at using that tape measure as Kelly. He is serious when he says that is his main weapon in finding fish.

[sjlund]

After Kelly leads them out though secret passage ways, switchback loops, then around a few trees, past a couple old homesteads and back onto the ice again I check them into the house. Every single one of them steps out of the vehicle looking around with the same confused look and statement: “Where are we, and where is everybody?”

This was the view from the fish house door last weeekend:

Thanks for a great weekend!

[lovetoicefish]

Great picture!

[InTheSchool]

Hey Jonny,

Sorry my daughters found your secret spot. Do you remember the day you saved my fish house while I was attending to the youngest's bloody nose from slipping on the ice? You were still in high school. Now they describe you as an older guy with a stoogie! I wonder what they say about me behind my back? Maybe I'll see you out there this weekend.

[island guy]

Nice pic! That's why i'm going with Jonny and Kelly P next week. I don't like crowds.