upper red lake Upper Red Lake Fishing Reports by Cookie

[Hazzard]

Congrats on the crappies! I was able to enjoy the boom for a number of years and am guilty of taking home plenty to eat.

No offense meant to those posting here about people taking limits home or moving in on your spots, but what did you think would happen when you put your reports online? People follow hot bites, including meat hogs. I've seen online fishing reports ruin more than a few bites/lakes. I'm not saying don't post, but don't be surprised when you get company after you do. It's not hard to figure out where Cookie is fishing if you pay attention...particularly when very few other houses are on the lake. Your reports and others like it, and TV shows like IDO, are what draw people to the lake that wouldn't otherwise come. Just sayin.

This is true. Then you add the cellphone and gps and a lake will get fished out. The only one that can fix it is the DNR by lowering limits. No one needs more than 5 crappie for a meal unless your on a lake that has been fished out and all you are catching are 5-7" fish. I agree with JacobG if you make the drive because of cookies report you should compensate him for this. The season is short and he works his butt off trying to keep his clients on fish.

[JacobG]

401TE....... Thats exactly what pirates do. Nothing better then having the girls put those big slabs back down the hole right in front of em. The jealousy of fisherman is humorous at times. Heres the thing, and people react different but a pirate has no skill, they read the hot bite and run up the flags raised and parrot in hand and fish between the houses or drill holes off my bumper, whatever. A true fisherman reads a report and GOES FISHING! I gladly left that area friday morning because i knew it would become a zoo,the old "we got em here last weekend" would take effect and it did. The fish were still there, just not right there. You had to go fishing to find them! Some luck is involved of course but guys like buddy hillman, cookie, petrowske, borch, myself along with many more have more than a few nights on the ice. Experience to fall back on is priceless.

So like i said before, all those guys just chasing the hot bites,( pirates who have little skill set in the first place, guys that need someone else to figure it out because lets be honest, they simply cant) those guys make me a better fisherman. They make me think. "I cant fish this spot anymore, so where do i go"? And i find a new spot and fish the fish that havent had 20 wheelhouses drilling over top of them, and i find presentations the fish maybe havent seen 100 times. Joel and i drilled all of 50 holes for a night of fishing and it worked out. Had it not.......?...... We wouldve drilled another 50 to try and find them. Why? Because we are fisherman

[401TE]

Congrats on becoming a better fisherman and beating the pirates. My point is the pirates wouldn't come if you didn't boast about the treasure. lol.

I really don't care as I don't plan on chasing the elusive yet still catchable red lake crappie any time soon, just think it's odd when someone complains about company after they post a report like the past two or three pages contain.

[JacobG]

Thats the reason i didnt post anything til the weekend was over. I figured between my wife, my son and myself we caught 60-75 fish, joel and nicole caught around 100 in 2 days, we caught bout 15 in 20 mins friday night alone. So theres the report! Its lights out fishing! Awesome fishing! Now there are no houses out there, so will people go? Few, very few. Only those thst know enough to feel confident.

Which is why im excited to see how borch does! Seasoned angler and a true fisherman

[Walleyehooker]

Its a big lake so there will probably always be a few crappies around but to make it worth while in the future the DNR should and needs to put a 5-6 fish limit on them. And maybe even a slot to sustain it. That will cut down on some of the meat hunters and give other people an opportunity to catch a few nice crappies. Word is always going to leak out. Heck even my neighbor heard about it and ran up and had someone drill a hole 6 feet from his wheel house. I was up there many times back in the hay days and even though we threw lots of them back they still ended up in someone elses bucket. Crappies are vulnerable and tend to school up so when they start to feed you can catch almost every one of them. Ive seen other lakes get pounded in one spring and still havnt recovered.

[cookie129]

Well I need to chime in. I can totally see Jacobs view. I have never and will never have a problem with fishermen fishing out by me and using any road I plowed as its not my lake and its not my road, all it is as a road I plowed to get to and from my houses. It is not my road as I do not own the lake its a public lake.. The area we were at two weeks ago did get over whelmed and I would say there were a 100 fishermen out there. No one really crowded the houses as they were on new spots in a fishy area and the plan was to use the houses as base camps and fish outside. The areas that Jake augered out to fish in the evening got overwhelmed with wheel houses and portables with some fishermen fishing in the holes that were pre augered for the evening. It was just like the old days and my houses ended up in the middle of the madness. Jake then moved to a new area to auger holes for Saturday night and again the area got filled in with wheel houses and portables Saturday, so again he had to move to the outside of the madness and pre drill another 50 holes. We had 10 guys with portables looking for them Friday and Saturday. Only a few elusive upper red lake crappies were caught in the houses that weekend and that's what I expected to happen when I drove out and saw what had developed. It was no big deal to me other then I had hoped the guys would catch them in the houses in the evening after they were done fishing outside. Jake did get a little upset that most stayed in the houses and did not join us in the hunt as everyone was welcome to fish with us. We did fish with a couple guys that had also posted or made some kind of statement on the fishing forums. That's how we met Joel and Nicole /fins and feathers . We also met another fishermen that had posted. Jake did have a problem when Casey and his dad were fishing 30 feet apart and some guys augered in between them? There is who knows how many square miles for them to be hiding in .It bothered him that most were camped in the area rather then spreading out more.. I on the other hand look at all them fishermen as potential customers. The one thing I noticed that really impressed me was driving around after it cleared out Monday. I found one mountain dew can as the fishermen out there we sportsmen and left no garbage. Very impressive. This past week end the fishermen that showed up really spread out compared to the week before. Jake did have a couple guys come fish the same holes that Jenny and Nicole were catching fish out of. They were set up Saturday morning just to the north of Joel about 50 yards or so . We moved Florida over by Joel and Nicole so they could all fish together and walk from house to house Saturday evening and also fish outside and hole hop around the area. Going north was not a option as the guys were set up a little to close. He also could not go east as there were fishermen 50 yards in that direction. West was a option as well as south. West was towards Buddy Hillmens houses but there was some room to auger holes and not interfear with Buddy's houses. It all worked out in the end as florida landed on the mother load Saturday night and sunday morning. Jake and I directed Joel to the area he set up at Thursday nite. Jake was also a little upset that a few other fishermen landed on the mother loads and kept fifty for five guys and 30 for 3 guys. If one wheel house throws me a little tip to point them in the right direction they should not be calling all there buddies and giving them directions. As he said its like paying for a 3 day guided trip for a few dollars.

[JacobG]

I agree with cookie, a 3 day guided trip for 10-12 guys.......$30-50. What a deal! And if like to clarify. I had openly invited guys, on this site to come and fish with us. Meet me. Meet us! Shake my hand and introduce yourself. Put a face to the name online. 1 man did. Brian/pigtoastguy was the only one! Turned out to be a pretty good guy and I enjoyed his company and talking with him. Everyone else did not. They did the exact opposite like cookie said. They simply just set up right on us. Pirates. Just read the post, don't post themselves and just showed up and squated without any decency or respect for anyone else. Pirates. Hazard, and fins n feathers sent me messages. Met me shook my hand. I shared what was going on and appreciated my thoughts on where or how to fish. Cookie set up hazard I believe and he can speak for himself as to how he did. Fins already posted how he did, lights out! Pigroastguy last weekend did the same and he did very well also.

So I guess the it pays to take the time and meet the people who are in "the know". Cookie is a great guy. A father figure to me. He is a part of my family and I love the man dearly. He works his tail off to make a living doing the job he loves. And nothing makes him happier than clients who leave the lake with great stories and smiles

Just upsets me when people take advantage of the work another man has done.

Would you guys not agree with that?

[Hazzard]

It was great to meet you. I was lucky no one crowded me. I have never had a bad trip when cookie has said they are biting . He is a straight shooter and has never steered me in wrong direction. And yes we caught plenty of fish!!!!!!

[Walleyehooker]

You guys get way to stressed out up there. Must be the Bog water. It isn't any different on any other lake and it isn't going to change anytime soon.

[cookie129]

[cookie129]

just a few pics the first is the hammer with two last week in old minnesota. The second is we with my big one Monday morning . The third is a pic of blue ice in north Carolina last week

[cookie129]

Good morning the story continues. Jacob my grandson caught his first upper red lake crappie as well as my daughter missy. Old Minnesota was on a new spot but never turned on like I had hoped. Jakes move over by Joel paid off big time and they all caught the elusive yet catchable upper red lake crappies into the evening until they went to bed. Jake had his magical moment at 5 30 am when he started catching them as fast as he could get his minnow down. I think he said he caught 17 in a row, since he was releasing them all it well could of been the same fish over and over? Sunday afternoon I moved old Minnesota one more time so Marty,Kellie and I could spend the night out there for the final night. We had a great toco dinner, caught just a couple elusive upper red lake crappies and had a couple of drinks as we reminisced about such a great season on such a grand lake. We stayed up way to late waiting for the mother load and Marty headed over to florida around 3 am. Marty started catching fish as soon as he walked into the house and never went to bed. I set up my bobber line and my dangler with the line going through a can it would fall into the hole and wake me up. I woke up at 5 am 2 hours later and both cans were floating in the holes. I grabbed the cans re lized my bobber was gone and started reeling it in and had a fish on. I bounced the fish off the bottom of the ice and snagged the lure a small rattle flyer on the bottom of the ice. I set that rod down and reeled in the other line with no minnow. I put on a minnow dropped it down and a fish came charging up. Yes it was a elusive upper red lake crappie. As I was removing the hook there was another big red line down there. I re baited and sent it down and Bam here came another. 2 in a row and another red line on the vex at the bottom. Now I was excited and ran my minnow down and wham again another as that fish was clearing the hole another would fill in the void. I said honey wake up and caught another, and another and another, I was not even counting as it was one after the other as fast as I could get the line down . Then I lost a fish with my blue phelps jig. The vex was still showing fish down there so I grabbed the hammers rod and reel with a blood line demon put on a minnow and ran it down and wham another fish. The next one was my big one and when I landed it I said honey wake up dangling my trophy in front of her. She set up, rubbed her eyes and turned on her vex and said where's my rod there's one down there. I handed her rod all baited up and she dropped it down, now I had no rod and reel set up. I started to try and un hook my flyer with my back to her when she said Crappie. I grabbed the fish threw it in the cooler as we wanted to take a couple home for dinner Tuesday night. I re baited her line and thought oh the rattle wheel it has waxies on it . I rolled it up, peeled off the waxies and put on a minnow as I ran the line down the hammer again said crappie. I dropped the line went to land her fish and the rattle wheel just kept ringing as a crappie hit it on the way down. I landed that crappie threw it in the cooler. By then the hammer had re baited and had another fish on. I grabbed her fish re baited the rattle wheel and ran it down while my sweetheart caught another and another. I landed another one on the rattle wheel as she kept catching fish . Then just like that they were gone. She caught atleast 7 in a row and I have no idea how many I caught. All I can say is Wow what a treat, Truly amazing ,all that hard work looking for the mother load for the houses and it happens the last morning old Minnesota and Florida would be on the lake.. It was bitter sweet as we packed up as I had to go do chores at the farm. Marty stayed out on the lake and cleaned up florida for the move home then went and fished in old Minnesota where he landed 5 more elusive upper red lake crappie's during the day while I was gone. We ended up keeping 11 fish for a fish fry last night for Ole, Marty, the hammer and I. I cooked up 6 fish 12 fillets ,kept my trophy and Marty is taking two home and I have 3 fish in the freezer for another dinner for Kellie and I

[JacobG]

when i read that, feels like i was right there with you.

[cookie129]

I'll be posting more pictures the next few days now that I know how to move them from my phone to fishing Minnesota. Buddy Hillmens road is in great shape and heres his cell #if you want to get any info on the access as its still open at this time 763 486 6031

[fins_n'_feathers]

Good to hear that you, your wife and family were able to catch some of those beautiful slabs! What a perfect weekend it was! Thank you again and can't wait to see some of your pics.

[ozzie]

Great way to end the house season for you Cookie!! Keep up the good fight

[cookie129]

Heres a pic looking in old Minnesota the last night on the lake

[cookie129]

Sorry about he double pic This is the crack that spread under Montana and broke the welds off the runner and tore the 16 foot runner off the house

[cookie129]

jeff with shell chicks big one

[cookie129]

Ole with his limit of ten 2 weeks ago. He was the only one on the lake in a wind storm fishing in montana

[cookie129]

My wife Kellie the Hammer with a keeper and her fancy fishing hat

[cookie129]

One of many many sunsets this year

[cookie129]

Our biggest walleye this year a 28 that they had to keep as it was bleeding pretty bad. It was beautiful that day and was around jan 23rd. They were friends with andy who was renting Montana and they had there wheel house about 30 yards away

[Boar]

A tru 16 for cookie

[Boar]

the picture is posted for cookie, thats not cookie. Not sure who it is but he's got a nice house.

[JacobG]

I wasnt looking at the house boar, little distracted by the giant slab

[cookie129]

well I hope everyone is enjoying some of the pictures of such a magical season on as Dave said" A GRAND LAKE! A GRAND LAKE! THAT OWES HIM NOTHING! NOTHING" It was full of emotion as he set there in in old Minnesota that evening jigging not being able to see as he had lost his vision from a stroke. He had a small resort on the other side of the river and use to have Viking players up from the Bud Grant days as he was a security guard for the team and tried to keep them out of trouble as he traveled with the team.

Ole, Marty and I spent Wednesday and part of Thursday fishing lake of the woods for pike out of warrod. We did see a 42 caught but we did not do well at all. We could of fished a lot harder but it was more about spending time together in the outdoors with good friends. Ole has a 20 pounder on his wall from low and a 25 pounder from red lake. He is now looking for a 30 pounder and knows that may never happen. He did have some bad news while we were fishing. Someone broke into his building in Alaska and stold his custom boat that he built that took him 3 summers. It had two Honda motors on it and was over 20 feet long. They also stold another Honda motor. They had some other stuff but it looked like they may of planned on coming back for it. They had to have a big truck and had to move a car, a wheeler and a 3 wheeler plus brake open two giant sliding doors. He hopes they find it as its a known boat in the area. He has such a great attitude. He is up set but is very thankful for his health and all the adventures he has lived and all the trophy's he has taken fishing and hunting. He loves the big woods of northen Minnesota and will be back next fall to spend some time chasing his favorite critter the white tail deer.

Now for the fishing report here on the shore of upper red lake. Buddy hillmen was not letting wheel house off his access this weekend. The access is open but no wheel houses. marty and I escorted Ole out to the fish eye where we punch 4 holes for ole to fish. He fished out of his truck and threw in the towel at 7 30 or so with no elusive upper red lake crappies. Lon and his two boys stayed here on shore in the comfort of our 1 bedroom cabin. I gave them direction to the honey hole and they managed five elusive upper red lake crappies Thursday evening. From talking to him yesterday it sounded like they needed to go west just a bit. They enjoyed a late dinner Thursday night in the cabin, showered up and rested before heading out yesterday around 4 pm. Lon followed direction very well and took my advice and went a little further west where they landed on the mother load at dusk. It reminded Lon of the hey days as you could not run two lines at a time. They ended up pulling the plug at 8 30 pm with there limit of 30 fish to take home. The cabin is wide open if any fishermen want to make a last trip up. We were making ice last night as its 7 degrees this morning. The shore line should be in excellent condition. You can travel almost anywhere on the north shoe as long as you stay away from the pressure ridges. The mother load is out there and I have no problem at all pointing fishermen in the right direction. It would be nice if you play more catch and release but its not the end of the world if you take a few fish home as there are more then enough to share in my eyes. Kellie the hammer and I talked last night about taking old Minnesota back out for one more night? I'm thinking about it but its such a nice feeling having the houses just out from our property waiting for some warmer weather to melt all the snow so I can get them to shore. Plus I need to check the weather as the last thing I need is to be 8 miles out and deal with a march snow storm. We have caught enough fish for one season and had that magical moment less then a week ago. Next year, same time, same location the fish will be a little bit bigger and a little bit more educated.

Marty and I spent a better part of yesterday repairing the runner on florida as the welds failed and I lost a runner when I made the final turn towards our property. My welds lasted 10 years. When we built Florida and Montana we tried to build them to last at least 20 years. I expect they will last 30 with a little adjustments on the runners as my welding skills were not that good when I made the frames 10 years ago. We also have the materials ordered for our new addition next season North Dakota. Jake will be up mid April to start building it. Life is good and I thank god every day for such a wonderful wife and friends

[Walleyehooker]

Were you able to drive out on LOW. Did you use the public access or Springsteel? Just asking as I am headed up there on Monday. Thanks

[cookie129]

yes we drove out from the river. There was a pressure ridge that we did not cross but sleds and wheelers were. It looks like all the resort may of pulled there houses off from what I could see but I sure could be wrong. We went out of springsteel the next day and again were handcuffed do to pressure ridges so we just fished right out in front of there resort

[cookie129]

3 nice keepers