Is Red Lake really the only game in town?

Is Red Lake really the only game in town? Sitting around my buddies place in GR trying to come up with a game plan. All the lakes we were brainstorming came up with “no interest”. Is Red Lake that only lake with an active bite and quality fishery? I grew up here and I now that I think back we never wasted time on most of the 5,000 lakes around GR. is the “northern MN” hype just that? Or is it that I am older and not interested in wasting time on a so-so bite or scouting other lakes on the ice.

I think you are in a rut. I go through the same thing. The only way out of it is to put one foot in front of the other. I just tried a small metro lake this morning I havent fishing in many years and brought home 19 gills. Hitting the Croix tonight for crappies though I dont expect much. Just a buddy and I having fun. I know it must be overwhelming up there with so many options but you need to get out and put some time in. Maybe get some leads from some local bait shops? What about Winni or Round perch? Bowstring crappies? I like to chase gills so its easier for me to find satisfactory fishing. If I only fished eyes I would not get fish too often.

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Or is it that I am older and not interested in wasting time on a so-so bite or scouting other lakes on the ice.

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This would be my guess.

The one time I fished poke I did really well. Evening hours only, though.

Yeah, all these lakes with perch, gills and small crappies just makes it hard to get excited.

I always figured ice fishing up that way would be good. So many lakes and less people I think it would be easier to find a hot bite. So many lakes in the Metro get pounded year round there’s just not much for good ice fishing. Don’t hold your breath waiting for IDO to make a metro ice fishing show, you might turn blue.

I always though so to. But every time I try to get adventerous, it does not pan out.

I would think Winni has fish, as does Leech and many more. So no, Red isn’t the only game in town. However, it is the only lake near you that the state resurrected.

Wade there are quite a few lakes in the GR area with real quality panfish.

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I would think Winni has fish, as does Leech and many more. So no, Red isn’t the only game in town. However, it is the only lake near you that the state resurrected.

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The ice bite on Winnie and Leech for walleye has always been trash. Not worth the effort.

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Wade there are quite a few lakes in the GR area with real quality panfish.

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I know you love them panfish Trav. Unless we are talking slab crappie they just don’t do it for me.

Really? Live in an area where you have to drive 60-90 miles to fish and you will realize how fortunate you are. I am driving 6 1/2 hrs to your neck of the woods to ice fish in February. 1/2 full or 1/2 empty????????

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Really? Live in an area where you have to drive 60-90 miles to fish and you will realize how fortunate you are. I am driving 6 1/2 hrs to your neck of the woods to ice fish in February. 1/2 full or 1/2 empty????????

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. We have talked about how we take it for granted here.

Wade my biggest Crappies have come from Grand Rapids to Bemidji.

PM sent Wade, with a hint.

We sat through a presentation today about Red Lake. Speaking of walleyes, it’s HUGE. One of the +’s for lake management. I’m guessing we’ll have the graphs and such in a couple weeks.

Leech Lake was said to be at the top end of it’s biomass. It can’t handle any more fish per acre.

Yeah, Leach has been good for a while now. I would nominate Lake of the Woods as another game in town.

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Yeah, Leach has been good for a while now. I would nominate Lake of the Woods as another game in town.

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Good to hear. For so many years Leech ice fishing was bad. Winnie is the same. Not sure if the walleye go dormant in the winter on those lakes or what.

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Good to hear. For so many years Leech ice fishing was bad. Winnie is the same. Not sure if the walleye go dormant in the winter on those lakes or what.

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Everyone knows they lose their teeth in the winter!

I just meant the overall health of leech is good as far as Walleyes coming back in great numbers from where it was when it hit rock bottom.

I have no knowledge of it being any better ice fishing but I would imagine it’s a little bit better ice fishing out there these days.

Sounds like you just want to catch fish and forget the part about actually fishing. Lakes become trash by being over fished… I would rather venture on my own, catch some fish and know not everybody can do what I did Red lake is just the hot lake that was dead a couple decades ago… until the DNR created the monster it is today… better get there while it’s hot

You can come visit me in Central WI where I drill 50 holes in an area, scouting for fish and in an hour there are four new groups using my holes.

Funny thing is, I didn’t catch any fish, and neither did they.

Have had many good days walleye fishing on Winnie. Conditions sound less than ideal this winter, but the fish do bite. Some days the bite didn’t start until the sun was at the top of the trees. Others they hit all day.