Early ice red.

Well for the 10th or 12th year straight we have our plans set in the book. Guys week on red, Thanksgiving through the following Wednesday. We used to camp in our portables but the last 2 years we rent a shore shack from west winds. We booked our shore shack and i told my son he can haul his own weight now so this is the year he is finally invited. We head up afterwards Thanksgiving dinner and go home the following Wednesday night. Can’t wait. Always seems to be a great trip. Will be even better now that my son is coming.
Any one else going up over Thanksgiving?

I just brought this up this weekend. Since I’ve got the shack up for sale, it might be gone by then. Told the boys maybe we should have one rented around that time. Youngest has baseball in the mix we got to get the schedule for in a week or two. Just waiting for that…..

My son’s birthday is November 26th and I try every year to convince him that he wants to do this for his birthday. I am hoping one day he will come around and I will be able to join you.

I’m looking to do a trip the first weekend in Dec. I’m still ironing out plans.

We usually plan the weekend after, I’m sure somewhere around that time we will get a huge crack and have people stranded again.

I bet the boy is pumped to go with the guys!

Man I need to get up there and fish that before we cant. Good luck!

We do a day trip every year, usually black Friday or that Saturday. May do a one night camp this year.

I’m opting out of our annual Red trip this year. We’re leaving for Barbados in a week (for a week) and I’ll be chasing my own tail when I get back to makeup for lost time with work and prepping for winter.

For those that go hit Red the first few weeks, have a blast and share your reports here.

ill be camping in my pop up but wont be until a little later. probably 2nd weekend of December. Would like to do earlier but my sons birthday is Nov 30th and my other son has a basketball tournament December 2nd

I am jealous. My trip is always early January and I miss out on the early bite.

Hard Water Fan wrote:

I am jealous. My trip is always early January and I miss out on the early bite.

Last year a group that I fish with went up at the very end of the season and had lights out crappie and walleye fishing on Red. I’m not sure if it was an anomaly or what, but they said it beat the rush of “first ice” by far.

Usually get there the week before Xmas- enough ice to get out pulling the pull overs with the snowmobiles and away from the crowd. Some years better than others, but have never had what I’d consider a bad trip.

Baitwaster wrote:

Usually get there the week before Xmas- enough ice to get out pulling the pull overs with the snowmobiles and away from the crowd. Some years better than others, but have never had what I’d consider a bad trip.

We bring the snow machine and wheeler every year. Only 1 year we had to hike. Last year we fished away from every one else on a wheeler and made our trip awesome. Some say they were stranded on a crack but we haul up materials to build a bridge. Been 12 years of this sh!! Show and still one of the funner trips of the year. No wives no girls just 4 of us guys and now a 5th with my kid coming.

Where’s the usual access points that early ice time guys ?? JRs ? We’ve never made the trip but this year will be the first. Sister In Law lives in Grand Rapids so not that bad of a drive. Thanks for any help !!

glenn-d wrote:

Where’s the usual access points that early ice time guys ?? JRs ? We’ve never made the trip but this year will be the first. Sister In Law lives in Grand Rapids so not that bad of a drive. Thanks for any help !!

I would check daily reports from the usual suspects like Rogers or west wind on their bookface. couple old timers that know the lake better than most are on the north end. you could give cookie or Hillmans a ring for up to the minute reports. beacon harbor is also a good one. seems like most of the cracks early on occur on the East side. I have known Buddy Hillman for 20 plus years and he knows that lake inside and out just doesn’t do any advertising.

It is a super easy lake to fish. PM me if you want any tips. that lake spoiled me for life!

Exactly what eye guy said. Hillman, beacons, west winds, Rodgers, Jr’s, they all seem to be on the same page. Or very close. We stay at west winds and cut the lake to hillman typically. Used to camp out of hillmans but we try not to stay there now.

eyeguy507 wrote:

I have known Buddy Hillman for 20 plus years and he knows that lake inside and out just doesn’t do any advertising.

When you have put a couple trucks on the bottom you get to know it pretty well.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Used to camp out of hillmans but we try not to stay there now.

Care to share why BC? I usually stay at Cookies.

Care to share why BC? I usually stay at Cookies.
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Cookie is cool. But that’s a separate entity then buddy. I’ll leave it at that. After many years of going to Hillmans and camping there, we now don’t pay them for anything.

Bearcat89 wrote:

But that’s a separate entity then buddy. I’ll leave it at that.

I’ve never met him, but heard some stories. Only bought a road pass a couple times from them.

That reminds me I need to take some time off for early ice.

Got into some nice crappie last year. Walleye was slow for us being seeing big red lake crappies was pretty darn fun. Might go up again first or second week of Dec.

We go most years but it is typically last minute planning. We either stay on shore and go out on machines or pull the hard shack out on the ice with the wheeler when they start letting them on. I’ve done the sleeping in portable thing but I am getting soft in my old age and those days are likely behind me.

Should be a good ice year. I was up for walleye regular opener this year and the lake seems loaded with fish.

Used to run up Black Friday when we’d do Turkey Day at the cabin. Couple years was able to drive a pickup out to the center bar, and usually had our limit in a couple hours, but that was also when anything over 20″ was very rare. It doesn’t get much better than early ice on Red!

For a first time visit how crazy is it to get on and off the ice if you plan a trip during first couple of weeks for December? We would be walking or if ice is sufficient driving full size truck. Be too long of a drive to bring the wheeler I think. \

lrott2003 wrote:

For a first time visit how crazy is it to get on and off the ice if you plan a trip during first couple of weeks for December? We would be walking or if ice is sufficient driving full size truck. Be too long of a drive to bring the wheeler I think. \

Red is about as easy as it gets as far as just walk out and drill some holes. There is almost no structure on what we can fish. Some people walk or wheeler farther away to get away from others which will make the fishing better usually. Others including myself at times will just walk out to 8-10 ft deep and fish. Cookie told me years ago that all the guys going out far are passing fish the whole drive or walk out. Like I said it will be better to get away from people, but it is Red and sometimes you just really don’t have to.

Its super easy, just get away from the people and yup find a good 10′ – 12′.

I will be up the Monday thanksgiving if anybody wants to meet up.

The key to having a great day on Red is finding the shiners with Live Scope. Normal day is maybe 5-8 fish. I have had 60 fish days when I see a pod of shiners cruising around my house.

bigcrappie wrote:

The key to having a great day on Red is finding the shiners with Live Scope. Normal day is maybe 5-8 fish. I have had 60 fish days when I see a pod of shiners cruising around my house.

Do you have any screenshots of what that looks like? Can you see the walleyes in the school of shiners?

Something like this

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