NDR No ice melting yet

[TimJ]

A week ago went up to northern MN for a couple more days of walleye fishing on Upper Red Lake. Not nearly as good as the fist time up there but still fun. It was nice it only got to -15 this time, no wind so it was quite nice.

Been playing with the panoramic mode...
Here is the house my brothers friend built. When you have to drive nearly a half hour on the ice to get to your spot there aren't crowds.

Here is the other side.

We did get enough to eat out there. Figured we could get more to bring home the next day... we figured wrong. Got very slow after we ate these.

My best walleye for the trip. A 19"er right before it went back down the hole. URL has a 17"-27" slot that has to be released.

My brother and I went out looking for fish one morning hopling to find a hot spot. I caught one walleye just too big too keep and a northern pike just under the slot so I could keep that. No hot bite any place to we didn't move the wheel house. WIth no wind my brothers pop up shack worked well even though it was barely above 0.

The ice had to be nearing 3 feet where we set up the house and I suppose it was close to 4 where they have kept the main road cleared off. Hope this works, a video of how they maintain access on the lake.

<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i261.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/tjsnipehunter/redlake2035.flv">

I hope I can make it up there again next year. Fun place to go and you always have a chance at a fish of a lifetime.

Tim

 

[Rhett Owens]

That's amazing to me.... we don't get ice thick enough to walk on but maybe 2-3 times a year for a couple of days and ya'll drive TRUCKS on the ice and its 3-4 FEET thick!

 

[Rick Kyte]

Thanks for the fishing report.

I used to go up there every year for crappies, before they made walleyes legal again. We'd catch more walleyes than crappies, but they were all small, and had to go back. It's good to see that the fishery has recovered.

Good looking shack you were in.

Rick

 

[TimJ]

Thanks for the fishing report.

I used to go up there every year for crappies, before they made walleyes legal again. We'd catch more walleyes than crappies, but they were all small, and had to go back. It's good to see that the fishery has recovered.

Good looking shack you were in.

Rick

The walleye fishing is very good at time now. Wasn't so great this trip but we still caught enough to have a good time. Sounds like the limit is going up to 4 and the slot will be 18-28. I hope it is still that next winter, they can cut it down if they need to in the fall.
The one sad thing is that the crappies seem to be a thing of the past for the most part. There are still reports of a few but we were up there on a 4 day and a 3 day trip and only caught one. I'm glad I got that one so I could see what they were like. I guess they just can't compete with the walleyes. There are almost no crappies less then 14 years old in there now. I have no idea how that can happen.

Tim

 

[Rick Kyte]

In a large shallow lake like that with virtually no structure, crappies and walleyes probably compete for all available habitat, rather than being able to select their preferred areas, like they do in many lakes. But I'm just guessing. I know that when the walleyes got fished out several years ago the crappie population exploded and it was the best crappie fishery in the state. I'll have to get back up there next year for the walleyes.

Rick