Upper Red Lake Fishing Reports by Outdoors with JonnyP

[MNfan]

Bak2 where were you at we have been having way better luck then that on the south.

[Random guy]

Tonight was tough. Pretty slow fishing after the wind change and intensity increased. To be expected. Tyler from Bear Paw and I were texting back and forth about why and we have the same idea. I just ordered a cool little device to monitor the Red Lake water during wind changes, we will see if we are right. Going scientific on the walleye!

For the bite let’s see what the next few days of calmer weather bring.

[MuleShack]

I hear ya, kinda died after 3:00 today. was getting them pretty regular before that. Only 1in the slot today rest were all over.

[Portavilla]

Jonny,

We were kind of wondering the same thins last year. What device did ya get, maybe we should get the same thing and share the data?

[Random guy]

The bite has not slowed, it just stopped. Houses struggled to bring in dinner today. Lots of action on the Marcum cameras and flashers but little activity on the hooks. Tonight’s scouting did bring in some fish but only after a rhythmic pounding of the bottom with a pinched off shiner head on a 1/8 oz Red Rattle N’Flyer. If I marked the fish it was all over, couldn’t get the marks to hit. Although after a few pounds against the bottom the fish would SLAM the lure as soon as it came up off the bottom. No marks, no warning just a bent rod tip.

Few houses had some decent luck catching active oversized fish, some dandy perch, a few crappies showed up and even a fatty eelpout so those working the jigs did catch a few fish today but slow was the word across the board.

Of course this is never good

[meathunter]

jonny p where can i get that pressure reading graph or can you post another on monday thanks

[Random guy]

I just googled "current waskish barometric graph" and thats what came up.

[Random guy]

Things are still slow for the most part. Angler’s really working jigs, moving away from others while being very conscious of light and sound on the ice are bringing in limits. Hard earned limits but limits none the less. Most hard houses that insist on bright lights, heavy boots, generators and the radio cranked up are having a tough time catching fish. The Red Lake walleye can be a very sound conscious creature when they are in a neutral or negative mood.

Best advice is to find your own little five acres of ice, set up and stay quite while pounding Rattle N Flyers with a pinched off minnow head on the bottom should bring in a few fish.

Maybe tomorrow is the day the on switch is flipped, ya never know.

[Random guy]

It was nice to see the change of pace today, checking on houses all but one was cooking fish or had the oil warming up. Nothing crazy like the 50-100 fish days we seen not so long ago but anglers are putting fish in the pan once again. What was also fun to see was just about every house had multiple nice perch in the 8-11 inch range along with a few crappies mixed in. Big crappies, big smiles and big plates of walleyes, now that’s makes for a good day.

As far as how they are catching them I could not find a pattern. Some houses said nothing but bobbers, the next house down it was all on the jig, house after that was bottom pounding. No rhyme or reason to it but the fish started biting again.

Whew…I hate those slow spells.

(PS: Tyler,ya you where right )

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Heading up on thursday for a long weekend with my buddies new wheelhouse on its maiden voyage... Was up earlier this year, mid december, and had VERY good luck in 7-9 ft out of beacon harbor. Have you been noticing a more consistant bite in deeper water yet or is 7-9 still the ticket? Planning on heading out of Beacons again more then likely... maybe hillmans. Probably wont get up to the big pond till late afternoon and would like to have a game plan for setting up the wheelhouse quickly... supposed to be cooooolllllddddddd that day! Thanks for any help u can give, always enjoy reading your posts!

[Random guy]

Both Hillmans and Beacon Harbor are out to deeper water.

[Random guy]

Fishermen are catching limits of fish, card players and movie critics are not. The guys sitting down and jigging are doing it and the guys waiting for it to happen are still waiting. Good example is two neighboring houses. One house had eaten limits of walleye, placed almost 30 perch in the bucket and even a handful of crappies; they're jigging and watching flashers. Move over to the guys playing cards, watching DVDs, stomping around and blaming the bait, rattle reels and outfitter for the poor fishing have a couple perch. You have to be on the jig and actually fishing to catch fish right now.

That said the Lindy Rattle N’ Flyer in glow red still has been the number one producer. Pinched off minnow head with lots of bottom contact has been key for catching walleye and what is quickly becoming the latest trend on Upper Red lake, the “perch bite”. Anglers are bucketing 8-12 inch perch from the deeper mud lines, we can only imagine what these perch will be like in the late winter months. Just think, steady perch bite with a few king sized crappies mixed in. It could be a fun late season on Upper Red Lake.

[bturck]

Jonny, encouraging report for later in the season. Have a sleeper booked with you in Feb. Question regarding the perch bite at that time; is it a minnow bite, or would waxies or eurolarvae be another option. Looking forward to the trip. Thanks

[Xplorer]

Jonny/Kelly,

Was finally able to get a sunday night booked with Patsy yesterday for the end of the month (just decided to take the boy outta school for a monday, make sure he knows how priorities work ) so be ready to move that 2-man out to untested waters!

And tell Shaky and Doc to leave a few fish for us, LOL!! Dylan is fired up to get out on the lake and make up for our poor showing last year, in all that carp that was the mess you guys had to deal with all winter long. See you guys in a couple weeks!!!

[kelly-p]

Jon called in from the lake earlier and he had met one of our groups on the lake road and they were heading in for more bait. They had a few walleyes but they were heading in for more waxworms seeing as they had 8/10? crappies on waxworms over night.

[gooseby10ga]

Kelly and Jon,

We will be staying with you guys last weekend in Feb. and can't wait to see if the Crappies keep moving in. Do you know if Doc and Shaky will be up then, would really like to watch them chase around the holes trying to catch "The Thing" again. Just wondering also, if the "slick" jigs are doing any good for pounding the bottom like the spoons?

Jeremy

[traveler]

I can answer the last question...yes:)

[Random guy]

Doc and Shaky just told me they will be up for the last two weekends of season come heck or high water.

[shaky legs2]

Doc has some committments the next few weeks but we will be back up as Jonny said the last two weeks. Had a good trip. We ate two meals of fish, brought a limit of walleyes home, plus clened 16 nice perch to bring home. I took some neat pictures of the perch and walleyes but dropped my camera on the floor at home when I was uploading pictures to the computer and now the lens is stuck in the out position and can't get it to go back in and can't turn the camera off or upload any pictures.

[Random guy]

A very slow bite has been hanging over the lake for a few days, just like the ominous clouds that roll by with each frontal system; some hard working anglers are still picking up a few fish. The successful anglers are getting serious, doing just what is needed to bring home some Red Lake gold.

A few unusual methods are triggering strikes or at least detecting them. One tactic is the classic old school line watching. A forgotten method from that came over from Scandinavia and left with the first whirling green box, portable transducer and flashing lights. Line watching is the simple practice of …watching your line. High visibility line in neon greens, yellows and bright red are used as the strike indicator. Simple, small and very subtle presentations are used. Set ups as the Lindy Bug tipped with meal worms or waxies suspended a mere inch above the bottom has been getting gently picked up by finicky fish. Bottom hugging negative fish including walleye and crappie simply pick at the small presentation and carry it very slowly off to the side. No strike or any indication of a fish other then the line slowly moving across the hole. This visual indication is the trigger to blindly set the hook. Sometimes a fish is home and sometimes it’s a swing and a miss. The old tip down method has also been working rods perfectly balanced in the holders to tip up or down with the slightest movement or upset on the jig end of things. Once again, blind hook sets in hopes the fish is present has been putting fish in the bucket.

The traditional bottom pounding of pinched off minnow heads on the glow red Rattle N’ Flyer has also been producing nice perch with a few walleyes mixed. Either way the bite has been tough for the most part and requires some hard work with a gentle touch. As I look at the forecast it appears we have a few rough days ahead of us, but soon the weather patterns are forecasted to stabilize and hopefully put the lake switch back in the on position once again.

[larryz]

Jon thanks for all your help! You not only are not afraid to say the bite is slow but give ideas on what to try. I for one really appreciate that!!!

[shaky legs2]

You have been pretty quiet the last few days and I think I know why. You lucky dog!

[Whopper Stopper]

Is he on a Honeymoon?

WS

[Random guy]

Tonight’s scouting showed signs of improvement. Instead of every single fish snubbing the bait in front of the camera every so often a walleye would actually take a nip or pick at the bait. Never a strike and seldom much movement but attempts where made to actually put the bait in their mouths. Things are looking up.

As for tonight very subtle movements where just enough to bring strikes, anything more spooked off the walleye. Gentle lifts, minor twitches like that of a bluegill approach was all they wanted. I kept track tonight and we had a visual on 21 fish, 14 made subtle approaches to the bait only to snub it or spook off. 6 fish took multiple approaches before finally being enticed into a gentle, half hearted bite and one fish came flying out of nowhere and smashed the lure…of course that was the 8” long walleye.

All in all a few more fish being caught today verses the long tough weekend we just went through. Hopes on stable weather and light winds to get these fish back in the mood for killing.

[Hammertime0802]

Planning on heading up next weekend and just wondering if the bite and increased at all. I have fished rogers this year and done well. I was wondering if that area of the lake is still doing well or if I should venture to the north end

[Random guy]

I did real well last night and we are seeing things pick up a little but this weather needs to lift before we see any big changes I'm sure.

[Hammertime0802]

Good to hear!! Is there enough ice to pull a 20 foot ice castle out to the center bar?

[stealth3350]

if your heading out from rogers to center bar check at the resort for ice conditions. last wknd there was a 3 mile or so long crack that opened up along the the side of the road.. people were still traveling out there just be carefull and use common sense ..

[Random guy]

Good to hear!! Is there enough ice to pull a 20 foot ice castle out to the center bar?

Not sure. You will have to check with one of the resort on the south shore that go to Center Bar. Most if not all East/North roads do not go to Center bar. The southern guys work it and that is kind of their area or region. The east north guys are old school where respect of areas and roads runs deep and simply don't cross that line.

I do believe Rogers, JR's and maybe Mort’s go out to Center Bar. Give them a call and they should have a good idea for you.

[Random guy]

The big water is firing up again. Last three nights of scouting and clients in the house show a HUGE improvement over the last week. Tonight anglers where filling up buckets and cooking fish. Some houses where doing great and some were catching fish at a slower rate but putting fish in jail none the less.

The bite has been very erratic but retains a positive upswing. During periods when the winds dies to change directions fish go ultra aggressive chasing down and striking Lindy Slick jigs with a vengeance. Trick to the Slick jig is to have the minnow hooked down through the bottom lip back in the neck or between the gills and out the top directly centered behind the skull. With the minnow hooked straight and the knot centered on the eyelet the Slick jig will give you a horizontal dash before in flips around and returns back to center; an action the walleyes cannot resist right now. With a camera down you will be amazed how a lethargic fish turns into a hard charging killer once it sets its eyes on a horizontally swimming jig.

As the sun settles on the horizon switch up to a glowing Rattle N’ Flyer in red or rainbow. Tip this glowing charmer with just a minnow head. If you come through Waskish stop and North Country Food and Fuel and pick up a bag of the frozen shiners and use the heads from those. For whatever reason the frozen shiner heads out produced again tonight. It could be because they are salted or the walleyes just like the oils that come from the shiner family of fishes; it is what’s natural for them. A simple tap of the bottom, lift and hold 6” up was producing fish the last two evenings.

As for location 6-11 feet of water was working and that is a massive chunk of lake. Key was to stay spread out and find you own area to fish. Those that clumped up or set up the portables within earshot of each other had significantly less luck.