Another Red Lake Option

[Chill62]

I'm pretty excited I leave tonight to head up there and we meet at 7:30 tomorrow morning!  -6 was what my weather was saying for a high so I hope the fish are active and the heaters work good!!!!

[Chill62]

Went out Friday morning.  Got out later then the first group due to miscommunication at the casino on what we needed for proof of purchase.  Got to the lake and it was -8 and wind wasn't blowing yet!  We got bundled up tight and the guide unloaded the truck and started setting up the fist house.  I asked how other group was doing and htey had 4 fish on the ice.  I started hoping around with my graph as they set up and the guide asked if we were willing to hole hop because we'll do better.  I told him I was game but wanted the house as a warm up shack later.  He took us to the other side of the lake and started fishing in 4 feet of water!  I thought ok what are we getting into.  Three holes drilled together in a triangle and I started jigging my tungesten jig with soft plastic on it and within five minutes I had a trout.  We caught them quick and they came in schools.  The other group came and fished next to us and had poor attitudes and fishing huge jigging spoons 1/4-1/2 ounce spoons, I was using 1/32 oz jig.  They caught maybe one or two and took off after getting cold.  They wanted the guide to kiss their feet and stay in a house.  We started packing up to head back and the guide fired up the heater and house was ready when we got over to it.  Guides were helpful if willing to listen and if you followed their suggestions you were on the fish!  Since the other group wasn't catching stuff they asked for us to keep stuff for them.  I personally caught 17 that hit the top of the ice.  I also through back 6-8 small brooke trout and I lost easily 6-10 at the top of the hole.  My buddies were using heaving gear then I was and only caught 4-6 total.  All in all it was a blast!  I wish the trout would have been bigger but they were perfect eating fish.  We did catch a mix bag of Brooke and Rainbows when we were up shallow but when we went to the house it was strictly rainbows.  The deeper spot did have bigger fish.  I was using my crappie gear so UL Noodle Rod or a ML jigging rod spooled with 4# Flourocarbon line tipped with a 1/16 or 1/32 oz tungesten jig.  Guides provided night crawlers but I tipped my jigs with an Impulse 1.5" mini shad in the pink and white or a pink Clam soft plastic.  When it slowed down in the fish house I tried a VMC Tumbler Spoon and had a ton of chasers with it but didn't get anything to bite sadly.  For the price it was a great trip!  I'd suggest it to anyone looking for fun!

[Chris Haley]

Awesome Chill!!  You should have shared your info with the rest of your party before you left.  Or bring enough set-ups for everybody else like I did so you could have been the hero! 

[Chill62]

I rigged up one of the guys in our group.  Froze my hands tying up the lure quickly.  He hopped over to his hole and as I was putting on new plastic onto my rod I hear him making noise and he had a trout on the ice.  The other partner of our group "knew what he was doing" and wouldn't take suggestions.  The other group that wasn't catching anything I told and showed my lure to them and they told me that wouldn't work.  You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink it.  The other group that was using the huge spoon, the only fish I saw them catch was actually snagged.  We figured by sending home fish with everyone that we were the hero anyways lol.  I'm thinking next year of going back up for a trip or two earlier in the year over Christmas I bet the Nephews would be in heaven.

[leech river]

Hey Chill62,

What does an outing like that cost per person?  It sounds like a fun adventure.

Thanks

[Chris Haley]

Justin Jourdain of "Jourdain's Guide Service" charges $40 a head.  Kids 13 and under free.  You also need a $10 a day reservation permit.  His phone number is in my first post.  Give him a call you won't be disappointed.

[leech river]

Thanks, Chris.   What is the daily limit?

[Chris Haley]

5 each.

 

They can only guide trout in the winter minus Lake Trout.  In the summer however they can guide for panfish, walleye(not on lower red) Lake trout, and Bass.  I already told him we are going to book him for "Huge Crappie" trip.  As well as the other species of trout.

[leech river]

Thanks, again.

I will watch for your post about the outing.

Jim

[Chill62]

We went through Red Lake Outfitters.  You can check 7 Clans Casino and click outdoors.  They have different deals on Groupon which is a ton cheaper then normally priced packages.  It cost 96$ for up to three adults that includes your license fee ($10/person) and bagged lunch which included a cooler for you to keep.  So 66$/3 guys came to 22$/Person which is a heck of a deal in all honesty and as stated you could keep 5 trout/person.  We brought our own rods and gear but you didn't need to bring them.  He picked us up at the front door of the Casino and away we went.  Total blast

[White-tips]

A group of 9 of us went through the 7 Clans/Red Lake Outfitters guide service last Sunday the 21st. There were a few other groups that went out Sunday as well so it took a little longer than we'd hoped at the casino but overall it was just fine. Followed the guides to the lake and they started opening holes right away. We had to walk out but the lake was relatively small anyway. Fishing was tough for us on Sunday. We only fished half a day. Kept 7 small rainbows and 1 brookie for 8 guys. The guides were awesome. Super nice guys that we shared some great conversation with. It was neat to talk to them about Lower Red as well. Learned a ton of things I never knew before. Several in our group went face down in the holes and watched the fish. Lots of fish swimming by with no interest with the steadily rising  barometer :-(. Only thing disappointing was the size of the fish. I would rather go again and not keep any fish for the chance to get on of the other lakes that I know have 20-23" rainbows, not just 10-13"ers. Good time overall though and will definitely be doing it again. The groupon price they offered made it a must do.

[Chill62]

White-Tips I know what you mean about the time at the casino and size of the fish.  That's why they call it fishing and not catching.  I know I was getting some people mad at me for catching so many but as the guides sad keep them so everyone can bring stuff home.  I wish they were bigger because I get some 24" trout during the summer and would have a blast catching that size through the ice.

[SpearPike]

I would be careful with some of the guides out of the casino.  I drove all the way up there to duck hunt and the guides were a no show.  Then tried again for lake trout  and the guides were late and there motors didnt run and there trolling motor battery was dead.  Big waste of money for me.

[White-tips]

Sorry to hear about the bad experiences SpearPike. We had six guides out working their tails off to find fish. Super nice guys across the board and will to drill as many holes as you'd ever need.

Here's a short episode I put together from out trip. Short because of few fish catches and the fact that I basically had pneumonia the entire week leading into the trip.

 

[Chill62]

That spot looks very familiar! lol  I think that's wehre we were fished

[Chill62]

White-Tips-I finally was able to watch the whole viideo when I went home for the day.  I'm 99% sure we were on the same lake, access steep as heck on the NNW side of the lake right next to the gravel road and that house?  We were using Flurocarbon line 4# test and using 1/16 and 1/32 oz tungesten jigs tipped with soft plastic, Northland had a 1" smelt in pink/white and chartrouse that was killer for us.  I saw that light bite but for us they smoked it like a northern.  

[Chill62]

Any clue why the casino isn't doing the guiding any more?