upper red lake Upper Red Lake Fishing Reports by Cookie

[cookie129]

Busy Busy Busy! It took two days  but all the houses are now on the lake. The few mishaps were to be expected but I guess it is like riding a bike. Dropped the front wheel of the red baron into the ice in 6 inches of water.  The thing about it was I all ready had my route. But I  wanted to see if  it froze where I had cleared some of the snow that had drifted there?  Had to have the hammer come down with Blue thunder and drive while I pulled her /him out. After I got Florida out there and checked one lite bulb had vibrated loose and was shattered on the carpet. North Dakota could of maybe came out a little easier but it was sitting in a small depression. Blue thunder never revved over 3500 rpm so no big deal there, Some times you have to give its a little power.
I had a taker on looking for a helper. He is showed up yesterday morning. I Real nice Kid. His name is Jim but he might end up with a nick name if he stays around to long. I put him on probation and told him we would be in training all day. Things went well and we came off the lake just at sunset.." A Tid Bit" He pounded on the fish the night before.
I did have a cancelation for one of our houses. Jan 6th ,7th for old Minnesota 2 double beds.
Today we have Cody and his buddies fishing in north Dakota for 2 nights and Jess and his crew in florida. A good friend Pat may also show up to do a little fishing and give me a helping hand if need be. Nice to have good friends. I will be pre fishing old Minnesota. Its something I do not do to often but Wayne is coming  and he does not care. I don't like fishing In a house before the customers arrive. Some time it does happen but I go out of my way to not let it happen. Funny
I'll be touching base with Buddy Hillmen and get the scoop on vehicle traffic  this morning. Gotta go  its time to auger 9 holes and do a final prep before the guys arrive. Itching to get out there  on a grand day on a "Grand lake that owes me nothing"

Well sorry that its been a couple days since I have been able to blog. Still spending to much time when I get on facebook. Getting distracted I guess, plus trying to dial it in. It says I'm not getting any hits on our web page Cookiesonupperredlake.com so trying to figure that out. Plus allot of plusses here .
Every thing went pretty smooth Wednesday as I prepped for Jess and his buddie, They just stayed in florida one night. Not so good though as they only landed two fish. They did cook them up so at least they got to have a fresh fish dinner.  Cody and his crew arrived right on time and I escorted them out to north Dakota .After getting them taken care of is was off to old Minnesota to prep for the hammer as we were going fishing. As I was coming off the lake just at sunset I drove through a slush pocket on hillmen"s  highway. I turned around to check it out and drove through another one off the road? Very weird as there was no snow drift, or rough ice? I decided to clean the slush off the road and that turned into a can of worms as the snow slush was so wet it just turned into a big rolling ball of wet snow .I spent 20 minutes cleaning it up so it would freeze down . It work perfect as it was froze down the next morning. The ice  had a brownish look to it?
The hammer and I had a great first night fishing and having  dinner in old Minnesota. Just as I set down  to eat the rattle wheel went off. I'm now one up on her as I did land the only fish of the evening. We called her quits and I checked on the guys  as we headed in. Both houses were slow but every body was comfortable. I never heard from pat so I assumed he was a no show. When we pulled in he was sitting in the driveway napping. He had called the house but did not know it was not my cell. He had a rear wheel come off on the way up and he said it went sailing / rolling  off the road through the ditch across a frozen field and stopped in the woods in a bunch of thick brush.  I got him out to motana and got back home well after 11 when I planned on being in bed by 10.
Jess and Zax headed home early, they said they enjoyed the house and may try and make it back again . North Dakota was also slow so I told them we would be moving the house at 1. Pat had better fishing and landed 4 or 5 with a 34 inch pike  around 10 am on  a rattle wheel. He said last night that made the trip. He also helped me move north Dakota for a nice discount which was great as it goes soo much quicker with help. I guess I'm  out of practice a bit though as when I came out of the hole I lost my momentum and spun the tires. When hat happens it digs a hole in the ice and your done. After unhooking and moving over a foot  we were off again.  Stopping in last night and they were up to 6 so the move paid off. Another busy day today as Wayne will be up to hold down the fort in old minnesota while the hammer and I go down to the cities to see the kids for Christmas. I also took a few minutes to go see my old customer / friend Kirk. He jumped ship years ago and got hooked up with steve and tyler from bear paw. I always go track him down when he is here to say hi and shake his hand I always know when he is here because he reports on lake state fishings forum. He loves upper red lake and plans on spending a lot more time here when he retires in 16 months on such a grand lake.  Its a busy day again here as I need to get a better lay of the lake as if we get this snow they are predicting all the rough ice will be hiding out there.  Buddy Hillmen is allowing 3/4 trucks but no diesels. Please drive slow on the lake and do not go beyond the orange cones, there there for a reason  Every one have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and do a no snow dance for upper red lake

[cookie129]

Very quick report today as we will be gone for Christmas for 1 day. If you coming up tomorrow Christmas day you should try and check with the resort your going out of as the hub bub is some may be closing there roads if it get to bad. One of the worst thing for the roads is when traffic drive on them when the snow and wind are blowing. Every track made fills in with snow. Then the next track same thing. Every little disturbance of solid obstacle makes a drift. Then that's gets disturb and it all keeps snow balling/ Please call before you make the drive. I have done no snow dance 1/2 dozen times. Hillmens store number is 218 647 8504 Every one have a Merry Christmas

 

 

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[cookie129]

Well it been a few crazy days. We had a great time down for Christmas but coming home sunday was a little longer trip due to the roads and weather. Our good friend Wayne held down the fort out on the lake in old minnesota doing a few chores for me and meeting some customers that were going to arrive sunday afternoon. They had to cancel as Buddy Hillmen closed his ice road do the the impending weather. My no snow dance must of worked as we did not get anywhere close to the snow they predicted , but wow with the wind. Having all the houses pretty much ready to go worked out well other then the snow drifts had to be broken up and moved. I had augured 4 holes in montana for rick and heather. There was quite a bit of snow around it with the typical flooding I felt. About the third pass with the red baron and I thought I saw a hole in the ice .Sure as sh a crack had went by the house and water was bubbling out of it due to all the snow drifted in front of it. Once I got the blunt of the snow moved away she quit bubbling.. Glen and Joe would be spending one night in there. I then wanted to put old Minnesota on fresh ice for Wayne's last night as he had been fishing in the same spot since Friday evening. That went well and we had it moved a ready to fish in no time. He had averaged about 5 fish a day. So not so good. The wind just kept getting worse through out the day creating white out conditions off and on. I had my helper Jimbo meet me to help move north Dakota as Tammy and Scott has spent friday night in there with little action. Scott was new to ice fishing and was his first time while Tammy had a little bit of experience. The hammer and I then met wayne out in old Minnesota for some surf and turf and a little card playing. 530 on the dot and I landed a very nice walleye on the green genze worm tipped with a minnow. While I was landing that on the rattle wheel the hammer landed a 21 incher. Just a tad bigger then the 20 incher I landed. We missed a couple more fish and then they just shut down. With over 20 holes to auger tuesday morning we called it a night around 9pm. Arriving out to montana Tuesday morning and Glen and Joe had tremendous fishing and Glen said the rattle wheels were just nuts. Mean while 150 feet away Wayne had 3 or 4 bites but was able to get his 3 to take home. After auguring all the holes it was time to start helping build Buddy Hillmens highway. We had 1.5 miles of road to clear off. There is a crack at 1.5 that crossed the road and buddy decided to cone it off for now and maybe it would heal up with out having to put a bridge out. By 2 pm I had all our customers checked in for the day and spent the rest of daylight cleaning up all the snow that had blown in front of the access. I did have my first casualty with the red baron and lost all of the exhaust from the y pipe back. She louds now but that 454 can let out some of them spent gasses a little better. I had pool league Tuesday night so everyone was on there own. Yesterday morning making the rounds and Montana has landed 10 , North Dakota had 6 and they lost one while I was checking in on them. Old minnesota only had 2, while Ken and the girls in florida never landed a walleye. I'm hoping they did much better last night so we will see. Today we will be saying good bye to Frank and his crew Shwagg ,Breck, Gordy, Bradly and Danny and ken and the girls while Pat, Ryan and the two boys are here one more night. Big plans today as I attempt to put 3 of the 4 house on fresh ice before every one arrives. Jake and his crew in the cabin found some fish in there portables but did not pound on them. Still falling behind on my fishing reports but hopefully I have it dialed in now? Still spending to much time on the facebook page Cookie's on Upper Red Lake. I posted a pic from last night and all I could say was wozer. Check it out and feel free to leave a comment as I keep farting around with that page. And as Dave the old timer said to me "ITS A GRAND LAKE AND IT OWES ME NOTHING, NOTHiNG"

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[cookie129]

Thanks Fawkinnae I need two extra large shirts or one hoodie and one shirt plus new cards can you hook me up?
Yesterday went pretty well considering?
Got a call at 7am Gordie's keys got locked in his truck so I was off and running for the day. Putting out fires per say comes with the job. After getting into the truck we said our good byes as they hit the road. I would guess the two house old Minnesota and Montana got 20 fish. We did play a game of texas hold um Wednesday at prime time 5 pm. Out of 6 players I made it to third. Darn the luck. Ken and the girls did not fair very well in florida. Ken will be back up in a couple weeks to give it that old collage try. Pat, Ryan and the boys are here one more night in North Dakota. There new favorite house. And they loved Old Minnesota. They have went to westwind the premier resort for fish fry's two days in a row. Why does it always taste better when someone else makes it? I met my helper Jimbo back onshore for more training and off we went to clean, move , and set up 3 of the 5 of our fleet. With the winds howling out of the nw. Jimbo is picking it up nicely , In another week we will be working on the same page like a well oiled machine. Mother nature was being cruel out there all day. Trying to cut any trail was fruitless as it basically drifts as fast as you plow. Every wheel house, truck, and skid house now have 4 foot drifts around them. Should make it real interesting when they all start pulling out the next few days. There also will be a lot of flooding in all those spots I imagine As our grandma Olga would say in that Swedish accent and what we named our boat "EWWW IMAGINE THAT" After getting old Minnesota and Montana set up I had to find my way to shore and meet Rick, Mike and Matt. They have also been coming for years and always request old Minnesota. I did not mention north Dakota as I expect they to will jump ship just like Pat, if they spend the night in there. My good friend Jake built one hell of a house. Hindsight it could of been even bigger as the runners stick out on both ends and make it tough to plow the snow away from the house. On the way back out I also met Pang as they were out there in portables. Pang brought a rookie all the way from Germany and I will have to work on his name. I then got a hold of Mathai? and his family as they were going into Florida and I explained that I would not be able to move it due to the conditions. That was fine with them so back to shore I went to escort them out to Florida. Taking them to Florida in a blizzard /white out. Once I got them taken care of I was heading home for a little break as it was one heck of a day and to think I'm going to do it all over again today? Glad I love the work or I would be in big trouble. Just a few more things. Totally sick of accu weather so if any one has a better weather site chime in. We have a big blow coming at noon today with 3 to 6 inches of snow and the temps plummeting into next week . Batten down the hatches here we go. I knew coming into this winter she/mother nature was going to rear her ugly side this year. I just did the no snow, snow dance so will see if that works. Its going to be a absolute mess out there after new years. Making the rounds last night and all 4 houses had at least a couple fish so will see how they did over night. Another big day, not sure if my helper Jimbo can help me today. I would like to move north Dakota, Florida and north Carolina. Might be a little tough on my own but we will give it a shot because that's what I do on as the old timer Dave told me" ITS A GRAND LAKE AND IT OWES ME NOTHING,NOTHING" Wow I forgot to mention The elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie.

[Stick in Mud]

hey cookie,

 

i just wanted to say hello.  i was fishing with kirk last week, a ways out on the lake straight out of your driveway.   it was nice meeting you, and i hope your season goes as smoothly as possible.  i know kirk will be back up there in early january.

 

 

stick

[tfin]

Hi Cookie,  I also dislike accuweather,  I use https://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=wakish%2C+mn,  I've been using it for 2 years or so and can't complain.

 

[cookie129]

 stick in the mud ,  I was good too se Kirk,I 'll try and go see him when he  is here agaiinn

 

 I'll check that otfin The were a big swing and a miss yesterday

 

 

 

 

 

[cookie129]

Wow ! Just crazy,
This is going to be another long post. Pang, Terry and Pasel were in florida they had a interesting trip. The co stopped and pang had cleaned 2 of there 4 fish for lunch. The law says the only fish you can clean you must be in the process of cooking. he was nice enough to give him a warning but did confiscate his fillets and made him keep the carcasses as part of there limit. The highlight was 530pm that night when Terry landed a very chunky elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie. My helper Jimbo could not help me friday so I recruited kellie the hammer to help me. She cleaned the houses while I attempted to move 3 houses in one day. North Dakota went pretty smooth, North Carolina was a quick move is it was just sitting out there on the lake. The hammer cleaned florida while I was moving north Dakota, when I arrived at north Dakotas new spot and unhooked the house I walked around the door side and the door had swung open. I closed the door and continued blocking and banking it as Jake and Justin would be arriving for one night. I then fire up the augur and the door will not open? Locked? about that time they call as they have arrived. I explained the situation and came to shore to get key for door. We get bac k out there and the door will not unlock? Wow  We boosted Justin through the window and had him remove the door handle where I took the ice chisel and busted out the innards . I got the holes augured out and headed over to block and bank north carolina and Mark and collete called they were at hillmens waiting for north Carolina. I banged out the prep work and again back to shore to escort them out. By then I was spent and florida would have to wait . making the rounds later that night and Justin and jake had 2, Rick, Mike and Matt had decent fishing and ate fish for the second night in a row. Mark and Collet also had a couple in the bucket. 
Saturday morning Jimbo was able to come over and help me  move florida  before Ben and his family arrived. Ben proposed to Shawna years ago in old Minnesota and now they have 2 kids Willa and Louie. We also punched out the holes in montana and north dakota. Then just like that and all customers started rolling in. Cory and his family arrived for north Dakota. Tim and Amanda for montana and lee and larry for north Carolina. making the rounds later that night and lee and larry had left with there 6, Minnesota had some action. florida was slow as well as north Dakota. Tim and amada looked like they were sleeping as the lights were off .  Wow sunday I spent the day checking on everyone. I made a quick ice rink for Louie ,visited with everyone and plowed on buddy hillmens road prepping for the next snow storm? I did the no snow dance again as it has worked twice ..I sure do not expect it to work a third time? Crazy last night was quiet at all the houses when  I checked in with Tim and Amanda. No sooner then I left and Tim landed a 25 inch walleye. The families all had the lights low so I did not bother them. They sure enjoyed the lake out there yesterday with Cory and the kids chasing flags,  Ben and his family skating and also tending flags and just running around outside. Quite the site as the weather was just  beautiful. Wayne, the hammer and I did dinner in old Minnesota where we landed two fish, played cards and had a fabulous dinner, beef kabobs and shrimp.

[cookie129]

Mother nature is kicking my butttt. Plan A turns in to plan B, Plan B turns into Plan 3 and from there its abort abort. Trying to find a groove to get in my morning updates has been a struggle for sure. The fishing over the new years weekend could of been better. I would say counting all the kids 33 fishermen 61 fish or so. Cory Abby and the kids did not fair that well but there friends right behind them got 12 and the group of wheel houses just behind them did fairly good. Missed it by 100 yards .  Monday morning and we were up to 8 inches of powdery snow and Hillmens highway was pretty much gone. I would say it looked like the moon out there. With the wind howling everything on the lake was drifted in. The big plans were to get all the houses moved. Wayne was staying in old Minnesota until Wednesday . He was fine staying where the house was after Rick and his brothers Mike and Matt left sunday. Each day got worse , it never seems to get better.  He went home with his three but there was not much action. Dan, Rich and Tony? checked into montana and nded up getting 5 the first night.  Dan in north Carolina did about the same but did land a pike on the rattle wheel. He did get some line burns on his hands as he decided to put fire line on one of the rattle wheels. We did get north Dakota moved but the snowy condition got so bad with white outs that we had to throw in the towel. Tuesday and again all the plans went out the window. Buddy Hillmen's road needed to be cleared so we basically plowed most of the day. The wind was again howling with snow drifting as fast as you moved it, very frustrating  as you can not beat mother nature. The side road I had plowed was gone. I spent close to 3 hours cleaning all the snow that had accumulated at the end of hillmens highway road. Dan and Megan also showed up for one day so I had to check them in.  They spent 1 night and got 3. Dan had a side by side with tracks and they went all the way to center bar where they got skunked.  Yesterday I cut a new trail to the houses said goodbye to the guys,  We moved florida and prepped as Bob  and his crew would be arriving around dusk. Buddy hillmen decided to cross the crack at the cones and open the road out to the next pressure ridge, I also checked Tom and his crew into north Dakota for a day of fishing. Monday we took  the hammers trail blazer in for tires and the ac pumped locked up when I arrived at the tire shop so when the tires were done I had to have a flat bed come pick it up and take it too a repair shop brand new tires and we had to tow it. I got the summer beater going . I come back off the lake last night and hit the key and nothing Starter? plus while we were clearing buddy's highway the red baron quit and we towed it to shore where the mechanic Tom is going to track down the problem today. We think its a broken ignition wire. So our daily driver  is our lake truck blue thunder. Zoiks!!! is all I can say. Just another day as the old timer up here said to me years ago "ITS A GRAND LAKE AND IT OWES ME NOTHING NOTHING"

[bturck]

Cookie, starting to sound like rerun of last year.  Hope the bugs are worked out the time we come up in Feb.  have a good day on the ice. 

[cookie129]

Hey stick in the mud have Kirk call me

LOL bill a repeat of very year.

[cookie129]

Another weeks has arrived and some how I survived. I headed out just after sunrise to check on Ron and his cousins Ted and Eric "THE JERSEY BOYS" They had 5 in the bucket and Eric  had landed a 40 inch pike in the middle of the night. Ron also said the heater in North Carolina quit. I knew right away the propane had liquefied due to the cold so I boiled up some water to poor on it to get the pressure back. Well I learned a valuable lesson and got lucky. As I was walking over to the tank the water sloshed out right on my hand. I had a cloth glove on and could not get it off quick enough. It got the inside of my hand pretty good and stung the rest of the day but never blistered  Note always where a leather glove when walking with a pot of boiling water.  I got the heat going then did some prep work with the red baron and headed home to get blue thunder. I headed back out, the first thing to do was grab Tony's old house California and get that set up. As soon as I took off in tow  old blue thunder all of a sudden had a clunk. OH OH this did not sound good. I was committed to have it set up so I slowly continued while getting a hold of my mechanic Tom to get out here and see what kind of a problem I had.  I was able to get California set up  and then head over to north Dakota and start digging it out. Luckily I had broken up some of the banking with the red baron when I was on the lake earlier that morning as when tom arrived it was not good news. The front drive shot was on the verge of falling out as all three u joints are shot. being pressed for time I decided I would give it one shot pulling north Dakota out of its perch with only 2 wheel drive. 1 attempt was made and it was not happing I got her moving but after  moving less then a foot she spun the tires and it was done moving. Looking back The one mistake I made is I was dealing with a phone call at the same time and should of had all my attention on the initial pull . Seems I'm always learning from my own mistakes. Now just like all most every day plan A had been changed to plan B. Back home a third time, transfer all the gear back into  the red baron as she now was going to do blue thunders work. Once I arrived back out there and again the phone rings Tanner and his crew of 12 were here. They were willing to help so I gave them directions  to come on out  and I continued. using the v-plow to bank a house is tough and quite a bit of shoveling had to be done to bank the houses.. The guys arrived and were like what can we do. perfect augur the holes. Ten minutes later and they came over there augur would not start and would need mine. We got the hole augured  and them checked in and I was off to move old Minnesota.  I was running out of time, but luck was on my side as Hunter and his crew were not arriving un tell 8 pm. A lot of hand digging was in order as the v-plow can not move the snow away from the houses.  The move went pretty well other then the time and labor it takes to hand bank a house. just as I buttoned it up and Ring were here. Wow what a day.12 straight hours of humping and all the customers were checked in.
Saturday morning making the rounds and darn with all the houses on fresh ice the fishing was not that good, Florida had a few more fish, old Minnesota had one fish , montana none and north Dakota one. A few fish were missed and lost but pretty darn slow. I made a few phone calls and from what I gathered it was pretty slow all over the lake. Stupid fish . Chuck and his wife in there wheel house had got 3. a couple outfitters also had poor fishing. Goose was down south and had tremendous fishing Thursday but it had slowed way down. Tanner and his crew were playing dice every time I checked in while the guys in montana had borrowed my augur to run and gun. They did find a few perch and another of the very elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie. A nice 14 1/2 incher. Tanner invited me out to watch the oakland game. I arrived just after kick off and again they were all playing dice . 20 minutes later and bang a fish was missed while another was caught. Then bang another fish caught another missed. Just like that the dice were thrown in the corner and every one was fishing. That was nice to see. I headed home for dinner. Making the rounds later and florida was up to 14 fish caught they would be leaving early sunday morning. I hung out and visited with Ted,Eric and Ron where not a fish bit while I was there. Stupid fish. I called it a night after a quick stop to old Minnesota with hunter and his group. They only had 3 in the bucket. I told them I would plan on moving them the next morning as they were here for 3 nights. Sunday morning and Tanner and his crew of 12 were packing up, they all took off Saturday evening to hit the casino, so there was no fishing in montana or north Dakota from 8 pm un tell they arrived back a some time in the middle of the night. We said our good buys and I headed over to old Minnesota where I bumped the guys into north Dakota for there last night. I then headed to shore where I helped Buddy Hillmen get all the bridge out of the woods as if were going to go further west there will be a couple cracks and pressure ridges to cross.  Jimbo met me at the house around 2pm where we went out and prepped houses and moved montana before it got dark. Last night Hunter and his crew had caught a 32 inch pike rite after I had left earlier plus they had another walleye in the bucket.. The hammer and here friend Nancy arrived in old Minnesota where Nancy lost a big fish. They also landed 1 keeper walleye. The hammer was marking fish but they refused to bite. Stupid fish. We called it a night and headed home. Chuck and his wife did manage to get there 6 in there wheel house, Kim and Tim had got 5 in there wheel house and I headed home tired and worn out. All in all it was a grind on a Grand Lake that as the old timer Dave told me ITS A GRAND LAKE AND IT  OWES ME NOTHING !NOTHING!!!!
 

[cookie129]

wow yesterday was a grind? We attempted to plow a road around the pressure ridge at 3 miles. 3 v plows running full tilt from 11 am to 11pm. The red baron went through her paces and I sweated that I would not burn up the tranny. Trying to push all the snow to the south east. As we piled up the snow it got to the point where we had to blast through it to make areas for the snow to go. I jerked both Buddy hillmen and Kelly the mechanic out of snow piles a couple times. Around 4pm I checked the houses as I came in for gas. I also had Jimbo try and retrieve the front driveshaft off of blue thunder 1. 3 bolts on the rear would not come loose so we oiled them down and will attempt today or tomorrow. Jimbo has other engagements so I'm on my own as I move North Dakota on to a new spot for John v and his crew. I'll be doing the no snow, snow dance when I step out the door but it worked twice at the beginning of the year and I may of used them up. Those were two big snows we did not need on the early ice so it worked out. Hunter and his crew did horrible in old Minnesota so I bumped them into north Dakota the last day. They did land a 32 inch pike but plowing all day yesterday not sure if they got any more walleyes. The hammer and her friend nancy fished for a couple hours sunday eve, in old Minnesota The hammer got a keeper and nancy had a big fish on when they first set up Plenty to do today and were hoping the hammers truck is done as we have no car to leave town. also any one out there want to drive a1990 chevy truck here from Colorado? We could barter for fishing if need be. So as The old Timer Dave told me "ITS A GRAND LAKE AND IT OWES ME NOTHING!!!! as I walk out the door to hit the ice

[theharvester]

Cookie whats your cell # the one on web site says no longer in service. I may be.able to help with the colorado plow truck.

[cookie129]

man oh man where does the days go. Tuesday morning I had my plan of attack. I would head out in the red baron to move and prep north Dakota for John and his crew Tony, Bernie and Ron.  Due to the high wind' s and snow Monday I figured a extra hour for moving the house by my self as jimbo my helper had other engagements.  Looking out the window here at home it looked like a nice day. When I hit the lake I was greeted with high winds and white out conditions. My side road going northwest off the main road should be fine I thought. To my surprise she was blown in pretty good. As I worked my way up it I stopped every 30 yards to place a marker out so I could see the road coming back. Digging out north dakota went well. I drove over to the new area to break a trail and that's where it got interesting to say the least. It was blowing so hard I made a circle came back over to north Dakota made a second round and you could hardly see where I passed through as it was basically filling in as fast as I plowed it. The worse thing you can do is put a berm on both sides and that exactly what the red baron does.  Coming around the third time and I had to get out and mark where I wanted the house with blocks to even see. A few more psses and I had the spot cleared but she was filling in fast. Never planned on spending a hour just clearing a spot. Mother nature was at it again. Things just got crazier as I plugged along. I get the house all blocked and banked on the side and decide I will go get blue thunder to bank the ends, Here's where I made another mistake because here at cookies as my good buddy Wayne  says. "We do it right cause we do it twice" Man do we laugh. I head down the road picking up a little speed as the plan is to make 3 quick passes and clear out the road. As I get towards the end I slow down to get my bearings and come across buddy's road. Its white out conditions and the main road is gone? As I creep along looking for a marker the red baron comes to a stop? I plow right across the road and drove the red baron right in to the berm where there's 2 feet of water and slush under the berm. I'm now stuck. I grab my phone and its dead. I do a little digging but there is no way its coming out with out a pull. Mean while the pass I made down the secondary road is filling in errrrr!  I decide to just stay put hoping some one will come by,10 minutes or so and here comes a diesel. A quick pull and I head back to north Dakota to hand bank it,The road is completely full of snow. I grab the generator and it will not start errrr. I head back to shore to get tit running and john and his crew arrive, I take care of the generator get back out there with them. Go to auger the holes and the brand new blades are dull as I had borrowed  it to the guys last weekend when there would not run errrr! just crazy. I then get a call from Jimbo and he is buried as he drove into a drift. I head over to him as the winds are finally dying down and the sun is setting. We get him out and he has a flat tire?  I tow him to shore and come home toget the jack and a breaker bar to help him out. wow what a day.

Yesterday I take the hammer to work and the red baron is running like crapola. The rear tire is flat. I air up the tire and let the red baron warm up and it starts to run a little better. I go out to  check on the guys in north dakota  they had 6. I come home get the tire off of red baron and we head to blackduck to get the hammers vechicle plus repair my tire and Jimbos.  We get home and I head out to rescue Jimbos plow truck which is been stuck with a broken plow  since last Friday. We take care of that and  head out where we got Minnesota and florida moved and prepped before dark just like a well oiled machine. I  talked to the guys they had 5 more and a couple line snappers. Bushed I headed home to regroup and now today its time to hit the ice. From the looks of it 30 mile per hour winds it should be a interesting day on such a grand lake

[bturck]

Cookie, starting to sound like rerun of last year.  Hope the bugs are worked out the time we come up in Feb.  have a good day on the ice. 

[cookie129]

hey Bill rerun of last year. How abut every year LOL

[Early Riser]

Love reading your detailed reports from the lake Cookie, and I haven't been up there since the "Shooks Shake" was in vogue, and the Crappie Highway was paved in silver! 

[cookie129]

21 days into another season here on the shores of upper red lake have been  a number of things.

Fun! Fun! Fun! Having my good friend Wayne come up is such a hoot. man do we laugh from all the shenanigans . One of our new sayings is "Here at cookies", "We do it right cause we do it twice" , its so funny how much it happens. Just a example put the shovel in the truck and take it out less then a minute later.

Playing Texas hold um or poker with the hammer! Not only can she fish but she can also put the hammer down playing poker. 

Brutal is a word I can use all most everyday as mother nature rears her ugly side at least once a week if not more. Two snow falls this week with brutal winds crearting white out conditions.

- 33 yesterday morning when I fired up the red baron. She has a small miss, I also noticed it does not run well if its cold? Going to call my good friend Tommy Short today. He owns Autocraft Specialty's.  He works on street rods, auto restoration with wiring one of his specialty's. He should be able to point me in the right direction as he is one of the best mechanics I know .

Blue thunder is down and is getting a new front u joint on the drive shaft. We were able to salvage  the old drive shaft from blue thunder 1 as number 2s was shot and almost beyond repair. It is also getting a right front u joint as that was also destroyed. Its just kills me when you junk out a car there like oh will give you 100 bucks that's all its worth in scrape. Then they have the gall to sell you one part for 300 bucks. If  I had the space I would own a junk yard in a hart beat.

A grind! Yes working on the lake is a grind, having a helper every year is huge. Even though my new guy Jimbo has other commitments some times. Its huge when he can help. He's a sharp kid, hard worker and seems to love working out on the lake.

A challenge! Keeping every thing running smoothly, helping fishermen! Anything from broken door handles, dead batteries, flat tires, stuck in snow banks, heaters not working, augurs not running, the list goes on and on.

One of the big ones," Finding fish" stupid fish!

That's about it for the day as that old timer Dave  told me. "ITS A Grand Lake and It owes me Nothing, Nothing" I have to agree 100%

[cookie129]

Here goes another long winded report.
John and his crew were in North Dakota 4 nights, They landed 22 walleye's, 2 pike, 5 perch and had a couple fish break there lines. Friday there 4rth night I offered to move them for the last night once I got all my new customers checked in? They decided they were good which was a relief as you will see.
Glen arrived thrusday morning in white out conditions for one night in old Minnesota. ZOIKS!! As I escorted him out there going up the old road was not a option as it was gone. I decided the best plan would be not to plow but cross country the mile off the main road with the v-plow up. That did not work out and I buried the red baron 50 yards off the main road. Glen backed up to me and a quick jerk and I was able to back out and switch to plan b. Cut a new trail which would fill in before I came back out. We arrived  at old Minnesota with no other adventures. I had not punched out the holes so that was in order before Glen could start fishing. The hammer had taken the generator to Bemidji so he would be fishing with the gas lights un tell she got back..
Due to the white out conditions florida and montana would have to wait un tell Friday morning to move to there new spots. We had pulled them out of there nests Wednesday eve, so they only needed to be moved a couple hundred yards ,blocked, banked and augured Friday morning.
The wind laid down around 4 pm to a slight breeze of lets say 15 after blowing around 40 all day. With 4 foot drifts around the house moving snow would also come into the equation Friday.
I arrived back to old Minnesota well after dark with the generator in tow. 40 dollars later and they said the problem was I over filled the oil? Glen had two in the bucket and said he should of had five but he could not see down the hole.
A big day was coming up again as Jimbo my helper was gone.
Friday morning and I was greeted with 33 below. I thought please red baron do not let me down as I hit the key. vroom she fired up. She still had that miss but runs a little better once its warmed up. I would get ahold of Tommy 250 miles away and have him figure out what I could do to correct the problem. Very irritating to say the least. Plan A was to baby her as much as possible as blue thunder was still at Toms getting u joint work done.
Arriving to the houses I felt I had plenty of time to grind it out. Glen was all ready gone with his 3 fish.  A quick call, he had great action and pulled up the rattle wheels at some point. At 24 below and a slight breeze a face mask was in order. I dug out montana ,moved her to her new spot and before I could  get the holes augured  Berry and his crew called. "I need to make a adjustment as my web sight says check in is at 2pm" I'm some what flexible with check ins but I can not predict what mother nature throws at me. I finished up ,got them checked in and headed over to florida to do it all over again.
Prepping a area for florida  and the phone rings. Its Ken and Middison there at hillmens. I get them in old Minnesota after punching out three more holes. About   the time I started to move florida the phone rings again and its Steve and his crew, there at Hillmen's. Err there also early. They to would have to wait a bit. I bang out florida and go to greet them and its 1:38pm. If every one showed up after 2pm all would of been ready. Oh well maybe next time.
 I then take a break to scout out a area as I have to move california and block and bank for Tony's friend Bob and Brenett. The timing works out perfect as Buddy hillmen calls and want 's me to clean off the bridge at 1.5 mile. I knock that out and head back where the phone rings . Its the general and Doug from mno .
 I escort them out to area I scouted earlier and plow them a trail so they can get set up with there wheel houses where boar would be arriving later.  I finish California around 4 pm and head to shore. I get gas and supply's pull in the driveway to take a break. Around 5:30pm and bob calls 1 1/2 hour late. I go meet them escort them to California and its time to have some dinner.
After dinner I make the rounds and call it a night.
 Saturday morning I make the rounds where Florida got 5, Montana got 5 old Minnesota had 3 with 8 misses. Boar and his  crew did not do well, with boars house having the most action. They decided they were going to move further out as that's part of the adventure of fishing such a grand lake.
  I prepped north Carolina for Sparky and Trent and headed home to address the red barons miss as I had talked to Tommy and he gave me a few things to take a look at. The tips Tommy gave me help tremendously. 
Saturday eve making the rounds and it was a little slow for every body. "Stupid fish"
  Sunday morning and the guys in north Dakota were packing up and had two more over night. We said our good byes as Jimbo came out to help me prep and move north Dakota for Scott and his crew.
 Ken and Maddison were gone so not sure how they finished.
 Steve and his crew were gone to LOW for the day.
  Barry and his crew had slower fishing and I told them I would move them if they were game.
 Scott and his crew had terrible fishing in north Dakota
 Boar and his crew from mno did not fair well in there new location, all though all of boars rattle wheels were spun out and he sent me a pic of the rats nest it had created."TO FUNNY"
Sparky and Trent had there 6  from north Carolina.
We said our goodbyes and got a few pics.
 I then moved Montana for Berry and his crew. They helped and we had them set up on new ice in no time. I also checked in Jason and Reed in north Carolina to see if we could have good fishing in there again. I will move them to day depending on how they did. The plan is also to move north Dakota again as last night it was still dead on that new spot. Berry and his crew had 3 more when I checked in with them last night
 

[aczr2k]

Its never a dull moment with you Cookie..Always enjoy your posts!

[cookie129]

Another sunrise and another sunset made my day yesterday as I  enjoyed a day on such a grand lake. I spent part of the morning in old Minnesota making some phone calls, planning my day and even wetting a line.
 Berry and his crew Ted, Mike  and Scott had left early do to the weather conditions in southern Minnesota. They only managed 3 more fish after the move. "Stupid fish".
 I hung out in old minnesota until the generator ran out of gas so I could figure out how long it ran on a tank. !0 1/2 hours as she quit running at 8:30 am. Sure would be nice to have that burg system? Oh that's right its in the snow bank . "Stupid thing" not sure why it fails.
 After fueling up the generator I made the morning rounds to be a little disappointed with the fishing report "Stupid fish" Oh well as Wayne always says if we caught them all there would not be any to catch.
 I then went over to clean and prep Montana for Brian and Stacy as they were coming up for there 25th anniversary.
  I also gave Reid and Jason a couple tips as they were off to find the very elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie. They only caught one walleye in North Carolina so I told them when they came back it would be in a new spot.
 I then said goodbye to Steve from Michigan  and his crew in Florida. They did horrible on low and did not fair much better in florida the third night. They did have some action on tip ups though just outside the house.
 Then over to north Dakota where again no fish "stupid fish" what a horrible spot that turned out to be. We talked and I told them I would be back at 10:30 to move the house. Arriving back at 10:38  we were on the move. I told them if all went well they would be wetting a line again by noon. I also said if they wanted they could ride in north Dakota. Scott ask if I had any more shovels and I said sure do I have 3  so they all pitched in to dig her out. The move went well and just like I promised they were wetting a line  by noon. Cory said the ride was way smoother then he expected.
 The phone rings and its Stacy and Brian 2 hours early, perfect as the house is ready to go. At the same time Buddy Hillmen calls and says he is over the pressure ridge and were going to open another mile of road. OH! Oh! plan A is now switched to plan B. I get them checked in and I'm off to help with the new road.
 It did not take long to burn up a 1/2 tank of gas. I checked in with Buddy Hillmen and headed home to  gas up, check the fluids and get back out to the houses as I still had more work there. Moving north Carolina went well other then a few issues with the extension cords. As my very good pal Wayne says. "Here at Cookies we do it right cause we do it Twice"
 Once North Carolina was all set I was back out to Hillmen's highway where we would keep plugging away on the new mile of road. 2 hours later and I was heading home for a quick bite before making the evening rounds.
Stacy and Brian were the first stop where Stacy had lost 5 fish at the hole. I gave her a tip on landing them so we will see if that pans out.
 Reid and Jason found north Carolina and had a blast fishing outside all day. They landed a few walleyes but no" elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie". I guess that's why I call them elusive.
 Last stop was at North Dakota ! I had played a round of Texas Hold um with them the night before and wanted another shot. 
  Scott did not play, he sure deserves to catch a few fish as he was always holding his fishing rod and jigging  when I stopped in. One fish was all they caught on the new spot "stupid fish".
 I lost a second time in hold um and headed home where I ran into a local Dave him and his son had set up just to the north east of us where they landed 3 nice fish.
 Well back to the grind again today. we have mike coming for north Dakota and Kieth and his kids coming for florida. I told both them that check in was at 2pm.
 

[cookie129]

You sure can get a lot done when your not battling mother nature. Buddy Hillmen and I punched out another mile of highway Tuesday so that was two miles in two days. Wow talk about a lot of snow to move.

Wednesday morning making the rounds to say good bye to Brian and Stacy and check in on the Mike and his crew in North Dakota.

Brian and Stacy were able to land a few fish after my tip and were packing up when I arrived. They plan on coming next year around the last weekend of walleye.

Mike and his crew went to westwind around 8pm where they brought there guitars and played music tell closing. They said they had a hoot. I had billiards tuesday night or I sure would of joined them.

They only landed a few walleyes but one of the guys landed a 26 1/2 inch walleye at 630 am. My plans were to  start the big migration out further and I explained what they had to do for the big move. I told them my plans and I would be back at noon .

I then cleaned up old Minnesota as Darrel, Bobby Joe  and Ron  had called Tuesday to see if I had a opening for one night.

Then I was off to meet Jimbo as he would be helping me. With two more miles of Buddy Hillmens highway done this has opened up a huge area of fishing for us. Finally getting blue thunder back on the ice was strange. With no clunks it feels like something is wrong? It did feel good to be taking both trucks back out onto the ice at the same time. We worked our butts off getting north Dakota and North Carolina prepped for the move. More training for Jimbo as he would be towing a house with the red baron.

Darrel ,Bobby Joe and Ron arrived just in time as I got them checked in before we pulled out. Every thing went well, but Darrel gave me the puppy eyes, wondering why all the house were going out deeper but them. 

 Arriving at the new area.  I made a new road going north  where we brought north Dakota to its new spot and prepped it for Mike and his crew. Then we were off to retrieve Montana and Florida, Old Minnesota would wait tell Thursday to be moved.

The next two houses were florida and montana. I was a little nervous letting Jimbo tow montana but it had to be done and he is a sharp kid. Plus he had one under his belt. Arriving to the new area and we towed florida down by north Dakota where I decided we would prep it for fishing and if Darrel and the crew were game they could move there gear and fish in florida  instead.  

Arriving back at old Minnesota to surprise Darrel about the move and they were kinda like. What should we do? perfect I love when a plan comes together. They decided to move.

As the sun was setting Jimbo and I headed home where we needed to get a flat tire off of Jimbo's daily driver so we could get it fixed on Thursday.

The hammer and I headed out around 8pm to check on everyone and visit with Bobby Joe and the crew. We arrive to Florida where Mike and 2 of his crew from north dakota are all partying with Darrel ,Bobby Jo and Ron. Bobby Jo was fishing hard and had caught a couple. Mike said the fishing was way better in north Dakota also. I love it when a plan comes together. I even caught a fish on Darrel's rattle wheel while we were there. I missed him, then Darrel missed him. I then got him on the third try.

Mike and his crew headed back to north dakata. Ron, Darrel and I joined them while they played and sang some original songs they had wrote. I even joined in with the harmonic for a tune. Its been a long times since I played . The hammer and I called it a night as she was working Thursday morning at the gas station/North country food and fuel.

Yesterday was another beautiful day out on such a grand  lake, as we worked in tee shirts as the temps hit 41 degrees. We got Montana on its new spot and also moved old Minnesota to its new location. We also squeezed in time to go get Jimbo a new used tire. I had him drive while I took a nap as I was worn out.

The red baron has been running rough and missing. While Jimbo did the tire I did some maintenance  trying to track down the miss that has been driving me crazy. I want the red baron to perform like a race car coming out of a corner. Hard on the gas and accelerating  un tell you let off for the next corner. I may of tracked down the problem as I just came back in the house after misting water on all the plug wires. It looked like the 4th of July with all the sparks. There Zipped tied for now and I'm going to have Wayne pick me up a high performance set on the way up today.

Speaking of Wayne, he is pumped coming up today. With the mild temps we are going to get all the picture windows washed inside and out . Nothing like enjoying the sunrises and sunsets and all the other shenanigans   looking out a perfectly  clean window.

He is also bringing his sister and husband for there first trip ever on upper red lake. He is so excited he probably did not sleep good last night.

Well that's about it for today. I have 20 holes to augur, more roads to clean up, greet the customers when they arrive, place the generators with there new boxes. Block, bank north Carolina, wash windows, get fuel, and the most important thing of all.

Have a grand day, on a grand lake that as Dave the old timer told me. It's  a Grand Lake and it owes me NOTHING! NOTHING

 

[cookie129]

Well well where to begin. This past Friday went a little smoother checking in our customers, all though I still had a few other issues?

You can never totally go with the plan and I'm constantly improvising something .This time it was the red baron.

Farting around with the spark plug wires I was confident I had my missing problem solved. I head up to North country food fuel gas, up and I'm still not happy with the red baron so I pop the hood and start messing with the wires again. I hit the lake and now its running worse then ever? Oh well new wires are coming so I forge my way out too finish prepping.

My timing is perfect all day long as I get every one checked in as they arrive.

Of course mother nature now does a flip flop and there's standing water around the houses with the warm temps. Oh Well the January thaw! its better then 40 below,

  Dan and Dave/Gravy" great nick name', checked into north Carolina, What a great couple of guys. Gravy was like having a helper out there as he was all over gassing up the generator and meeting the neighbors after I checked them in.

 Justin and Megan arrived for north Dakota with Ron and Caroline arriving later in the day. Ken ,Carl, Terry and Sarah arrived  for florida right on time. They have ben here before and know the routine . 

After taking care of them I was off to old Minnesota to prep for Wayne's arrival. Jarrod and Jeromy would not be arriving tell after 10 pm. for montana. After finishing up I headed to shore with the red baron running like crap.

 Arriving back on shore I decide to again look at the plug wires and discover number 2 plug wire is not even on? To funny I guess! As my good friend wayne says, here at Cookie's we do it right cause we do it twice and some times even Thrice.  Plugging the wire in and just like that after all the fooling around re routing the wires  she running 80 % better . Man am I looking forward to installing them new wires today.

Making the rounds later that evening and every one was having a grand time,

Saturday morning and all the house's had some fish and fish stories to tell. How sweet a feeling that is!

Saturday evening and again making the rounds we were starting to see a lot of standing water in the roads and around the houses. You can not beat mother nature out there no mater how hard you try.

  We fished with Wayne and his sister Kathy where again the hammer was up to here old tricks landing a elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie. I even got in on the action and landed a nice keeper walleye.

Sunday morning  making the rounds and saying good by,  Gravy Dave and as Carolina  said" Dan was biscuit were headed home with only 5? I'm not sure if they ate any.

Ken, Carl Sarah and Terry? in florida had a great time. They were going home with a few nice perch and 7 keepers walleyes plus a number of misses and a couple of pike released. A good fishy area in my book.

North dakoata was the hot house. They were going home with 12 and also ate 6 . Megan cooked them up with a honey crust, drizzled with honey. Sounded great and there going to send me the receipt.

Then as they were packing Justin landed a elusive yes elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie. Man that house seems to catch fish. Saturday night they were playing a drinking game .Man were they having fun.

Jarrod and Jeromy in montana also had some fish to take home so all in all every one had a grand time on a grand lake.

Hillmens Highway should be in great shape once the cold air comes back.  The road is 7 miles out and as always you could land a 747 on it. There is a bridge around 1.7 miles. out., There's  a curve about 3.5 to the left then right. There's cones around 6 miles for now to let the new mile of road firm up. That's about it today. Busy day ahead but looking forward to hiitting the lake with my good friend Marty as he arrived early this morning with a buddy.

 

[cookie129]

Little testy yesterday? yes its true. Another busy day for me yesterday. Marty and his buddy headed out to see Wayne while I wrote my fishing report.

Wayne text yesterday morning that we were having generator trouble? We worked on it through the phone and wayne was able to get it running better at half choke. We discovered that the foam air filter was breaking down and I think the jet/ needle and seat may be clogged. So this morning I'm headed out to the shop . Laundry room to remove and clean the carb.

Yesterday with Wayne's help, we putt he new plug wires on the red baron. Wow what a difference. Knock on wood she /he now runs like I want  it to.

After saying good by to wayne I was off to get North Dakota on a new spot and out of the standing water. Then I dug florida out of its spot and got that on dry ice? Dave Rohde arrives today so I will get north Dakota all blocked banked and ready fro there arrival. I also plan on moving old Minnesota to that area. Then florida needs to travel over by montana for the weekend.

All that nice weather  we had , and even though it was warm yesterday the wind had picked up a bit and it was a little chilly while I was working out there. II'll make sure I dress better for it this morning.

I did make the rounds last night around 8pm. I did not expect Marty and his buddy to have much action and I was right. 4th night on the same spot.

Keith and Tesa  had 3 nice fish yesterday morning and had missed a few. The lights were dim when I arrived out there so I will see how they did today. A wheel house parked right behind north dakata where I had it so I'm curious to see how they did. My friend Lee set up 100 yards to the west of old Minnesota so we will also see how he did.

Looking at the weather the winds are going to be out of the west for some time so all the houses will be facing east by the weekend.

Well time to get to work. Hillmen's highway should be in great shape by the weekend as the cold weather freezes up the standiing water

[bturck]

A little over two weeks and counting.......funny, we'll be in North Dakota but never leave Minnesota......gonna be a long day I can tell.  Time to put the brush to canvas and do a painting for a good friend and his son.....

[cookie129]

Mother nature rules again. So we have a beautiful weekend with temps in the 40s. All The houses have fairly good action. The warm weather caused a huge mess with melted snow making water puddles ever where. We easily lost half our snow cover.
The banking on the houses turned to rock hard snow. Not whining as its part of the job.
A lot of vehicles were pretty much driving any where they wanted as the snow was like mashed potato's driving through it. Now all those tracks hav...e collected water and froze so there's frozen ruts all over the place. Any where there still a foot of snow there 1 inch of wet snow that will not freeze because its insulated. V plowing into that makes giant snow balls that then freeze into ice chunks. As always its quite the challenge taking on good old mother nature.
Then there's the stupid fish. We moved old Minnesota on Tuesday as well as north Dakota for Dave ,Patty and Dave's dad Jim. Checking in on them yesterday morning and they did terrible "Stupid fish". I set it up to move them around 1pm to hopefully give them a better chance.
Marty and Shane were to the south of them and only managed three . They did kinda tie one on and may of missed a few rattle wheels?
My friend Lee was to the west of them about 300 yards and managed to land 5.
I got Dave and his family all reset around 2 :15 so it took a little over a hour to get them moved, not including the prep time for the new spot. Stooping in last night and they had way better action. Dave said they had a run where they missed five They did have two in the bucket so maybe this morning they had a good run or two last night.
Andy arrives today and I have montana all set up off by itself as he requested. They are bringing there own generator so I can have them off by them self . John rolls in for North Carolina so will be setting that up this morning also. Old Minnesota, North Dakota and North Carolina all need to be in there own little group.
A very busy day, and as always, mother nature has thrown a wrench in things. I will power through it. Even as Wayne says" Here at Cookie"s we do it right cause we do it twice and some times thrice".
The warm weather made Buddy Hillmen's highway a little rougher then he would like. I be leave as we travel on it with the plows it should smooth out a bit. Remember they would like the traffic to keep under 15 mph while on the Highway. It pushes out around 6 to 7 miles with a curve around 3 miles.
As always I'm about ready to head out and have a grand day on a grand lake. Who knows maybe Dave and his crew landed a elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie plus a couple limits of walleyes. "Stupid fish"

[bturck]

Good report Cookie.  Have a grand day

[cookie129]

Only 31 nights of the 2017 walleye/pike season left to go. As always I plan on grinding it out looking for the very elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie. We have the same crew coming up again this year as we search for these highly prized fish. My good buddy Jake who built our north Dakota house and owns it, is possessed with these fish. He  has not even planned to fish his house un tell we have our get together in march. I have never gave up on these fish as they are truly trophies. The hammer would rather eat them then walleyes? If we get a few, we will eat a couple and the rest will be released to educate all the others? Of course they will tell the others what the houses are like and they take pictures of you and then let you go?

Yesterday  went pretty smooth, I said goodbye to Dave, Jim and Patty. Patty loved the house. They only managed to take home five fish but Dave said they should of had more so the move paid off.

I started the day prepping montana for Andy. He has been coming for years and montana is his house of choice. He really digs the lights under the house. He had requested the house be off by it self  if he brings his own generators .He feels that is the key to have some of the epic fishing they have had over the years, plus it has been written for years that's the key to catching fish on upper red lake is being off by your self. His good buddy Sam arrives later today for florida and it is also off by itself just out of walking distance from montana. Sam landed a 27 1/2 walleye a couple years ago.

  After prepping montana I was off to retrieve north Carolina for John and his buddy. They would also be arriving at 2pm. Just as I was ready to fire up the augur they called to say they had arrived. About a hour early. I was polite as I told them I needed a little more time before the house was ready. I gave them directions to where I was and they were going to dilly dally on there way out. They have friends and relatives that are here for the big ice castle gathering out of Rodgers and wanted to know if they could get there form  the house. I said it would sure be nice if all the roads interlocked but more them likely they were better off going around then trying to cross country with out a second truck with them just in case.

Andy also arrived about the same time so I got all checked in and I was off to move old Minnesota . I have a great system and all went smooth as I got old Minnesota on its new spot for Rick, Mike and Matt.

This morning I'm off to augur both florida and old Minnesota, a little other prep time and if all goes well all three houses should be ready a round noon 2 hours before check in time.

When I came off the lake last night I was spent. The hammer had a nice home cooked meal cooking when I walked in. That was good because I was beat and did not feel like cooking. After dinner I laid down for a bit and I was done. I did not make it out to check on Andy and his buddies Andy and Blake. I'm sure they will all understand. Andy has been coming for so long he knows I'm only a phone call away. John and his buddy planned on hooking up with there relatives and it sounds like the house is more of a place to sleep as it was a last minute deal. no phone calls so all must be good. I did run into Cliff when I came off the lake .He was fishing 8 feet of water and only landed two.

Randy and Tammy also arrived while I was coming off the lake. I sent them to a new area to pre fish/ scout and if they did good I will move the whole fleet out there if need be.

My part time helper Jimbo was missing in action this week. He headed home for a few days so we will see if he is available this up and coming week.

I'm still trying to get the new/used truck from Colorado. Its a chevy so that's good,

Well its time to hit the lake, I'm hoping the good nights sleep gives me a second wind as I seem to hit a wall every night. Some times at 8pm, sometimes at 9 pm, some time not tell 11pm. I'm thinking I need to sneak in a nap in old Minnesota once in a while the rest of the season,with out the rattle wheels down.

Heading out in a bit on as we all know by now. Its a grand lake that owes us nothing.

 

[cookie129]

 

A rare occurrence as we saw the sun this weekend. Seems it was cloudy for at least 10 days so it was nice getting to see a classic upper red lake sunset.

Friday morning  heading out all rested, ready for another day on such a grand lake.  Just like always I had plenty to do but would not be battling mother nature. A quick check with Andy, Andy and Blake and they had some action and had 8 in there fish bag.

John and Mike in north Carolina did not fair as well and only had 3. They did find Johns cousin . Turns out they had rented from alpine and were not involved in the icog get together out of Rodgers.

I banged out florida as Sam would be arriving  around 10 am. Then off to north Dakota to prep.. I decided to leave it after only being fished less the 20 hours for Early and his crew Darrel ,Tom and Jason. Again the timing was perfect as they arrived just as I button it up. I explained that Dave and his wife and dad had some decent action and depending how they did we would move them Saturday if need be.

I  then went  over to old Minnesota on its new spot. I dilly dallied, cleaning, prepping and auguring for there arrival at 2. Again the phone rang just as I was finishing up. I gave Rick direction out to where we were as I button her up.  She looked great in all her glory. Old Minnesota is well over 35 years old. I'm still looking forward to the new carpet as I did not care for the indoor outdoor carpet that Dan installed a few years ago. I want real house hold carpet as there nothing better then landing fish in your slippers or socks. After checking them in it was off to say hi to Sam as he had arrived and andy had directed him out there. Sam was pumped as he said he was going to get a bigger walleye then his 27 1/2 a few years ago. I bit my lip as I really did not expect him to get a bigger fish, All though I thought maybe they would get lucky and land a elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie as the house was about 300 yards from where the hammer got one a couple weeks ago.

Tammy and Randy had set up after dark Thursday eve and they never marked a fish so Randy was on the move and heading to a area they had done well last year. I stopped to say hello and visit for a bit before I headed off the lake as the sun was setting on such a beautiful afternoon. They did invite the hammer and I out for some chili so that was the plan Friday eve when I would be making the rounds. The area Randy moved to had some good action before dark but after that they would come look and swim away. 

Rick and his crew texted to say they were hitting the sack early as they had driven most of the night to arrive. 

North Dakota was way slow and only had 1 perch and a walleye lost at the hole. I guess I new what I was doing Saturday morning.

Andy, Blake, Sam and Andy were having a hoot in florida and montana and darn if Sam did not catch a very elusive but still catchable upper red lake crappie. A beautiful 14 1/2 incher. Both house were also catching a few walleyes so that felt good to see. I now new where north Dakota would be moving too.

Saturday  morning I headed out and told the guys in North Dakota what had to be done for the move, I went to pick and prep a area and when I got back they had landed two keeper walleyes at 10 am? Stupid fish. The move went well and I had them fishing in less then a hour after pulling up there lines.

Saturday eve making the rounds and again the action was fair for all the houses. Every one had a few fish and were all having a great time.

The hammer and I headed over to Rodgers to go see Lonnie , Lisa and there new Ice castle out at the get together. Very beautiful house and huge. 

What a spectacle it was out there, with all the flashing lights, it looked like a airport from a distance. It would of been nice to cut over after making the rounds but we took the highway. We visited for a bit and checked out the tent with the live band. Heading home I again hit the wall and turned in for the night,

Sunday morning and Early called to say they had no power? I arrived out there to find the plug had just vibrated loose.  They were getting ready to pack it in. They only managed to catch a few more fish but said they missed a bunch,

Andy and Andy were also packing up with there fish, Sam and Blake were also heading out with there 6 keepers. Rick in old Minnesota had all ready left and only took home 7 . I also never got to see John and Mike but I know they had a few.

I then spent the rest of the day cleaning the houses and getting north Dakota ready for Tim, Pete and Danny's arrival for north Dakota. The same deal, the house had not been fished 24 hours so they were there for one night and we /I will move them to a fresh spot today if need be.

I also moved Old Minnesota out to that area and plan on getting north Dakota over there so I'm only maintaining one road off the main road as we have some snow and wind coming starting today.

After getting old Minnesota set up the hammer met me out there where we enjoyed a chicken dinner and I out fished the hammer for once,  as I landed 3  with a couple misses and the hammer could not get them to bite, I did use a vex so I was on even playing field with her.

I'm hoping they did good in north Dakota last night? I have a feeling we will be putting the house on fresh ice today as the second night hardly ever is better then the first.

Time to head out as Ole is bringing a couple friends up to fish montana and I need to get north carolina over with the fleet as I have officially ruined another area. I  also can abandon that road system before mother nature rears her ugly side today.