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Posted

So the past years we have been going up to red it seems that we always get hosed over by the weather. Last year it was -40 with the windchill and had total whiteout conditions. We are coming up Saturday and the weather looks god but we get to meet a cold front Saturday night then It gets real cold. Not really complaining because its always interesting. So basically I'm asking for tips when fishing these conditions. Lat year we managed 11 fish for 4 guys. Help would be greatly apreciated.

Posted

Use very thin diameter line (4 lb. mono), down-size your jigs/minnows/jigging spoons, use one "noisy" bait (rattlin' spoon) amidst the rest of your dead stick set lines (plain hook and split shot) to call fish under your house.

Have the rest of your crew set up with set lines with a fairly lively medium to small sized minnow, under as light of a bobber that will float the rig. They are biting very, very light right now.

There's not much else you can do. The fish will almost certainly be pretty neutral. You'll get a number of lookers that will nose right up to the bait, then bolt if you even twitch the line.

The best thing you can do right now is to get away from other fishermen. Put some distance between you and the next house, and stay quiet!

Posted

Excellent advice that can be used on all area lakes!

Posted

set up a portable with a heater and nobody in it with a tip up plain hook and split shot with a minnow. This is weather permitting of course. You will need some type of fish alarm so you know when the tip up goes off. Set it up 50 feet from your house. You will be amazed how many fish you catch compared to the house. Make sure you have some type of alarm system. Wouldnt want to get unattended line. I have seen this on Mille Lacs a few times. I always have a tip up or two out when my group is up and it always catches more than anything else. Just have to be creative with the cold.

Posted

Not all the fish are biting light right now. In fact, it may be the opposite. Just spent Monday and Tuesday there and the fish we caught were very aggressive and we did get some on bobber rigs as well. Good luck!

Posted

set up a portable with a heater and nobody in it with a tip up plain hook and split shot with a minnow. This is weather permitting of course. You will need some type of fish alarm so you know when the tip up goes off. Set it up 50 feet from your house. You will be amazed how many fish you catch compared to the house. Make sure you have some type of alarm system. Wouldnt want to get unattended line. I have seen this on Mille Lacs a few times. I always have a tip up or two out when my group is up and it always catches more than anything else. Just have to be creative with the cold.

I've always thought about doing that with an empty shelter. I have a loud Frabill Arctic Siren (sounds like a car alarm going off) that would work perfectly for this. Now I just need an extra shelter....

Posted

I'm with lip ripper, we were on red lake the 26th and 27th and three of us were useing rippin raps, no bait added, it didn't take long to catch a limit. they really smacked it.

Posted

zero what size and color rippin's worked best for you? i have had trouble finding them at my local gander.

Posted

Was on the lake on dec 31 when it was about -35 out... caught fish using lindy darters, dead stick with a fat head and a rattle reel with a medium shiner...

all fish that were caught were aggressive... When I got mine on the dead stick i heard the bobber pop really loud when it hit... they were smackin the darter....

I could get fish to come in with a buckshot but no matter what I tried I couldnt get them to commit.

Posted

#5's are the size and the crawfish red or blue/silver works. I think there is a smaller #3 too. Good luck finding them in any store at this time of year. They are considered a summer bait so they won't restock until spring. Online will be your best bet. Don't bother fishing them with a locator because you won't see the fish coming when they do commit. I haven't caught many with them through the ice, but when I did, it sure was an eye opener.

Posted

Thanks for the help and suggestions it is greatly appreciated. I will report how we do when we get back. Leaving in the morning.

Posted

zero what size and color rippin's worked best for you? i have had trouble finding them at my local gander.
.

We used a silver #5 rippin rap a rattin rap will also work. Going to try to paint one with glow paint today. We didn't see half the fish that bit, they come in pretty hot.

Little tiny line and little tiny hooks have there place, but if your not getting bit you have to move or change what your doing . If its cold out i don't feel like moving so change and try to make the fish come to me.

Its pretty easy to give up on this type of jigging, but hang in there it's a blast when they hit it.

Good luck

Posted

No disrespect guys. I've had days on URL when the fish were flyin' in and smashing baits as well. But mid- and post- big cold front most fish tend to be on the sluggish side.

Last weekend I jumped to a few different depths, a few different spots, and tried a handful of proven baits. The fish were neutral. We still scratched out a nice limit of fish for three guys, and I even had a few aggressive fish hit a jigging spoon, but most fish bolted from a fast moving bait.

Can you be on active, aggressively feeding fish when most other folks are catching almost nothing? Of course. And on Upper Red Lake, currently filled with millions of nice sized walleyes, there's bound to be pods of feeding fish somewhere at any given time.

With the timing of this frontal system this weekend, I'd bet the farm on down-sizing and finesse fishing over hole-hopping and hunting for active fish, especially given the temps and wind chills in the forecast. Running and gunning is gonna be tough this weekend. I'd still try some aggressive techniques, but my money is gonna be on the deadsticks.

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