Water Levels

[magnum mike]

How are the water levels on URL? Everything 50 miles south of there is crazy low. There are several lakes that probably won't be accessible by anything other than small flat bottom boats.

[kelly-p]

No Spring runoff at all. Last summer from May until Sept. we had 21 1/2 inches of precipitation. From Sept. until now....1 1/2 inches.

[gunner55]

We're about hour south of URL,Winnie area,& after putting our dock/lift in yesterday I'd say the water level here is down 2 1/2 ft.We had to use an extra 10' of dock to get deep enough for the lift.

[Red Lake Remote]

Getting lots of emails and phone calls about depth.

Yes, boats can get out from the local resorts and the river. All of the resorts have done everything they can to make sure of that. The state did some dredging work at the river but, I feel it is not was not enough to get past the lowest points so be very careful on the river.

I guess I should say normal sized boats can get out. Guys sporting 300hp+ outboards, boats that fair well on Superior or 22 footer plus deep v cruisers, you are not going to get on the lake.

Take is slow and steady (the fish are not going to get out of the lake if you are late, stay calm, take your time, it will be ok), think about how your boat is loaded to keep the load even, keep an eye on the winds and remember a strong east wind can draw the lake down a foot or more in a matter of hours on the eastern shore, you can get out but not back in. Same as tides on the ocean, you need to plan a little. Make sure to have a push pole or good paddle to unstick yourself from the sandbars and maybe toss in a good tall pair of rubber boots if you do high center. Shut down the outboard push, pull or drag to get the boat back floating as quickly as you can, the longer it sits on the sand the more suction/settling happens. Try to time you pushes with wake or waves coming in to help give a little lift.

Biggest warning I can put out to those visiting Upper Red Lake this year is we do get wind and we do get waves, long slow rolling waves. During low water years a four-foot high wave will push across a foot of water with only INCHES OF WATER BETWEEN THE WAVES, this is how most boats get in trouble on Red. Bow goes up, outboard sticks in the sand and it is arse over tea kettle into the surf. Yes, you may have the biggest baddest wave boat made in America, but it does not do you one bit of good when the outboard or stern is working as peg in the sand. Seldom do we see small boats in trouble, often it is the big ones that ran out of water.

Stay off the sandbars in the winds and for the love of god people do not anchor in the boat canals or river mouths forcing vessels in transit through a marked canal onto the sandbars...really?

[kelly-p]

The mouth of the Tamarac River was cleaned early this Spring an it sounds like 3 1/2 feet of water all the way out.

[Peterevvv]

Yes, it was cleaned to 3.5ft but they just dumped the sand next to the channel and waves brought some of it back in. But it was definitely passable for all boats. It averaged 2.5ft but there was one sand hump 2/3 of the way out that was 1.5 ft. I saw one 225hp go through without the motor trimmed up and he drug it through the sand at that spot but made it. Otherwise we made it through with our deep-v and 90hp with it just trimmed up and never hit even in moderate wave action of 2-3ft. Saw a 40hp boat go through the channel at full speed. Saw another 90hp go through outside the channel on the south side and came to an abrupt halt.

[kelly-p]

Yes, it was cleaned to 3.5ft but they just dumped the sand next to the channel and waves brought some of it back in.

All of the sand removed from the channel was completely removed from the lake.

[SCONASOTAN]

any report out of Mort's access on the south side? bigger boats getting out there?

[SCONASOTAN]

TTT.   Looking for more recent water level info.  I assume you guys got a lot of water up there over since opener.  Did Red come up much or did most get sucked up in the bog?  

[kelly-p]

Depended on where a person was we received from 5 1/2 to 7 inches of rain in 7 days. From drought to almost flooding seemingly overnight. Most  ditches and creeks are flowing out of their bank or close to it. The lake level has to be coming up fairly fast.

[Red Lake Remote]

From my observations and rough markings I say the lake has come up about 9 inches since opener.