Canadian Red River SUMO PIGGY WALLEYE!

[Guest]

Word is action on the Canadian section of the Red River is very good.

I expect a few pic's and reports to share soon from Andy.

Go PIGGY!!

------------------
Backwater Eddy...><,,>

Backwater Guiding Service
"ED ON THE RED"
1-701-671-3079

[Scoot]

Does anyone know more about the ice conditions up there? Is the ice still as crappy as it was earlier or has all of this cold weather taken care of the very hazardous ice conditions?
I want to go up there, but the same as the Red here in Fargo, I'm not going for a swim no matter how sumo the piggy is (to steal a line from BWE).
Scoot

[Guest]

The ice is 12-14" in most areas but the ice is rough so sledding can be slow and bumpy.

------------------
Backwater Eddy...><,,>

Backwater Guiding Service
"ED ON THE RED"
1-701-671-3079

[Scoot]

I assume that the "in most areas" of your last reply suggests that they aren't driving vehicles out. I heard earlier that there would likely be no vehicles on the ice up there all year. Is this true or just BS?
Scoot

[Guest]

I would consult local guide's for that info, I don't recomend driveing on any river, ever.

------------------
Backwater Eddy...><,,>

Backwater Guiding Service
"ED ON THE RED"
1-701-671-3079

[Guest]

Walleye action on the Red River from Selkirk to the big Lake Winnipeg is very good!

Ice conditions are good as in thickness but the surface of the river is filled with ice heaves and very rough, a bit of a maze. ATV's best transportation mode.

This weeks fishing has been incredible as reported my some very reliable source's from Winnipeg MB.

Walleye in the 32" range not uncommon with lot's of 5 lb. class greenbacks to fill a pan.

Very possibly the best concentration of large walleye in 10 years or more in the Red river system right now?

Reports of several over 16 lb's so far, them be piggy's ya-betch-ya!

Weather is to warm this week so the time may be right if a trip North is a option.

------------------
Backwater Eddy...><,,>

Backwater Guiding Service
"ED ON THE RED"
1-701-671-3079

[Guest]

I have received new report's to the bite on the lower Red, and they are not nearly as optimistic as the first I received.

So, if the bite is somewhere in the middle then it is still very interesting.

I have had my share of feast to famine trips on the upper Red so I tend to take the bite as a "I will see" type deal no matter how good my pre trip reports are sounding.

Again a less then great report came from a top river angler who lives closer to MB then I, so I do respect his word!

What to do, what to do?

I do know there are piggy's there so I get excitable too!

...?????......><,,>

------------------
Backwater Eddy...><,,>

Backwater Guiding Service
"ED ON THE RED"
1-701-671-3079

[Guest]

The headwaters section of the Red has seen heavy angler pressure this winter. I run the river a few days back an counted 42 house's in a 1/4 mile stretch near the 3 rivers confluence. That is serious pressure!

Most reports are leaning to a slow bite with night angling being the most productive. The majority of the river seeing the pressure is run's 3-4' with 6' being a significant hole.

This area is quick to be harvested out as ice thickens as the O2 levels drop the fish in the Boise De Sioux are forced back to the confluence to seek a livable environment. With 42 houses this won't take long.

Over 95% of the river system is never touched through the ice and community hole's such as this get beat to death fast.

The smart ethical angler would seek out new holding area's and be eager to practice selective harvest. River area's can be over harvested just as lakes can. Conservation is a year round process not just a open water theory.

------------------
Backwater Eddy...><,,>

Backwater Guiding Service
"ED ON THE RED"
1-701-671-3079

[Guest]

I have fished on the Red for many years growing up near Lockport. When the fish are there they are there and even in slow periods all of a sudden you can have heavy action for a day. It has been kind of slow for the last couple of weeks I heard it was hot earlier this year. Ice conditions are a little scary. Ice isn't making a lot of cracking sounds which I hear isnt a good thing. Red River Rick and I drilled a couple of holes close to the steam plant last week, the water came up higher than the hole and got very slushy so we left immediately. I have drilled holes between Netley and Lockport and found the ice to be apx 2 feet thick with apx 1 foot of snow on top. The ice is choppier than I have ever seen limiting access to different sections of the red. I read an article in the local paper last week saying that there is lees than half the ice shacks out then there was last year at this time. I have also heard that night fishing has been very good (something I haven't tried) I heard from a friend of a friend that he catches his walleye from 3 A.M. to 6 A.M. and has been doing well on the Red.

Thanks for all your valuable info Backwater Eddy.

Lockport Lance.