Red Lake report for 02-26 through 02-28

[Dahitman44]

We made it up there on Monday evening at about 4 p.m. and were fishing by 4:30. The fishouse was a decent one and the guide said they were catching a few out of there. A few what? forgot to ask him that.

We caught about 12 eyes that night and they were all nice sized. Some in the 19-inch area others in the 15-16 inch area.

The next morning I caught the first two crappies of the trip. First one on a red angle eye and the second was just 20 seconds after the first on the bobber and glow red jig.

We caught some more eyes throughout the day.

The next morning I caught the other crappie on the red angle eye. the other guys missed a couple at the same time both days.

We finished with about 30 'eyes, 3 crappies and one perch. The biggest eye was 23.5 inches and the biggest crappie was 14.25 inches. We also had a lot of beer, told a lot of stories, laughed a lot and ate some GREAT meals. We plan to not catch meals and if we can eat fish -- BONUS!

Don't get me wrong we fish HARD, we just don;t travel 3 hours and expect to eat fish -- a guy can get pretty hungry.

Yep, it was a fun trip and great to get away -- I just wish the crappies would have been hungry.

Foster did a good job for us and tried to get us on fish. He allowed us to use another house the next day and that was a really nice house. He has a good sense of humor and helped us the best that he could.

Just not the best days for us.

Anyone else do better when we were there?

[kelly-p]

Other then the crappies Jon found when stuck yesterday I have only seen 7 crappies since Sunday. It seems that with this snow cover they have stopped biting for a while. Any ideas why? My idea is that it suddenly got a lot darker under the ice.

Jon tried to bribe us all yesterday when he found them. Called and told us that if we came and pulled him out he'ld tell us where some crappies were. Fooled him. We just drove around until we saw where his truck was stuck.

[Dahitman44]

Kelly -- yep I believe that 100 percent. The snow did not help us. I have heard that they looked for shade under the fishouse in big groups and by the pressure ridge -- makes sense to me.

Still had fun and I hope to make it back in late March. Maybe we'll find some more???

[deerwoody]

We hammered em after the snow last weekend.If you find a good sized school you will get em,just like Jon did after the snow.I think the schools tightned up alot due to the weather,so they are easier to overlook.It is hard to tell me the bite has slowed after getting a limit in an hour and a half.

[kelly-p]

We moved a house to where Jon found the crappies. Dropped it on his hole. 0, nothing, like the Dead Sea. The crappies won again.

[hanson]

Quote:

---

We moved a house to where Jon found the crappies. Dropped it on his hole. 0, nothing, like the Dead Sea. The crappies won again.

---

Here today... Gone tomorrow. Its unreal how they don't like to stay in one place very long.

[Slabby]

It's got to do with evolution. Schools of crappies that move regularly don't get 'caught out' and live to see another day. Fish that didn't learn to move regularly are in somebodies belly.

[Dahitman44]

very good point. I think the snow got them moving more.

[DancesWithWaves]

That is natural selection, Darwins driving force behind evolution.

[Random guy]

Crappies on red are nomadic, this is why we catch them in the first place. They are following the food just as lions follow the herds across the plains. The one constant is these fish are heading to one place in the end, the love nest. So you have a movement across the lake in waves that are heading in a basic direction but will follow the chow and prime feeding opportunities along the way.

[Pikester]

In your humble opinion Jon, do you think that the lower part of the lake is filled with crappies or not? reasons? I doubt we will ever know for sure but it seems with the deeper holes that there should be a number of fish over there. Or do you think they are spread out pretty evenly? Just curious...

[Random guy]

My thought is Reservation Red has 80% more fish ( reservation has 80% of the water).

OK enough screwing around. Yes I feel the lower lake and Western Upper is home for most of the crappies. Cooler deeper water that crappies prefer. The habitat "rules" say these fish should be sitting on each side of the narrows during the summer months. This I will never know for shure but I feel the majority of the crappies and eelpout summer in reservation waters.

I do not know the depths or contours of the reservation waters although if you look at the topo maps and the "lay of the land" around the lake and the how the currents should have cut the bottom I would say much deeper water on reservation side for crappies to hold up in the summer period.

[woodman]

I know some of the guys at work say they fish 30 ft on the lower lake. Next weekend when we bring our students out we will have a tent in shallow for the eye's and a tent in the deep for the perch and crappies. We will be fishing by the Blackduck river with students and families for a day of fishing.

We will have co's, cops, parents, teachers, assistants and other volunteers helping out. I will let you know how we do!

[hugonian1]

30' of water? CO's fishing for walleyes next week? I must be missing somthing here.

[kelly-p]

Hint: Lower

[hanson]

Yep.

Woodman teaches in the Red Lake school system. I think they do an annual fishing trip on Red for the students.

Have a good time guys!

[Borch]

I always look forward to the newspaper story regarding the annual school ice fishing and spring fishing trips. Good stuff.

Good Luck!

[hugonian1]

Gottcha- It must be the snow blindness.

[Random guy]

Ya know Woodman I am not the smartest guy around and could use a little more school, maybe just a day or two?

[Pikester]

Yeah, really! Hey Woodman, if you are looking for volunteers to keep the kids in line, let me know.