Red lake report

checked things out with others up there, there was no trouble catching eyes within an hour or 2 – to limit out, gators are still active witn one at 41″ reported–the wind was dog gone bad this weekend

its been a bit on the windy side the last couple weekends for any reports–its deepest spot is around 16ft -were only allowed to fish 1/4 of the lake (Upper only) and thats 9 miles out from the north end -east side- within 5 minutes that lake can have 4ft rollers

stopped in at Upper Red to get an afternoon of fishing in- wrong call, it rained all day and tried to snow, in a couple spots in the ditch by Kelliher that had snow in them from a previous snow- the lake was empty of boats or reports

the lastest report concerning the issue of Incresing limits on Upper Red this winter.
the meeting was held in Kelliher by the fish and game department- they decided to keep the limit to-just 2 this winter yet and if the quota (total tons allowed to be taken in a years time) isnt made they might increase the limit to 4,-July 1 of 07

this report is a little old but gives a DNR insite of how the spring went— DNR pleased with Red Lake walleye harvest (2006-06-07)
Anglers harvested an estimated 32,500 pounds of walleye and released more than five times that amount in the first three weeks of fishing on Upper Red Lake, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today.

The lake, which was closed to anglers in 1999 due to low walleye numbers, was reopened this spring under special regulations that allow anglers to keep two walleye. All walleye from 17 to 26 inches must be returned to the water.

“Fishing is very good and the regulations the community helped design are protecting the fishery,” said Henry Drewes, northeast regional fisheries manager. “We are very pleased with angling quality, regulation compliance and the pace of the harvest.”

According to DNR data, there were 81,000 hours of angling from the May 13 fishing opener to May 31, with an overall catch rate of 1.8 fish per hour. An estimated 120,000 walleye have been caught and released on Upper Red Lake. Included in the harvest of 32,500 pounds are an estimated 1,100 pounds of walleye that died after release. The Red Lake Band harvest totaled an estimated 12,000 pounds.

Drewes said it’s too soon to predict if anglers will reach the open water harvest cap of 108,000 pounds. “What we do know is that the Red Lake regulations were designed to provide maximum fishing opportunity with only a small probability that fishing would have to be closed due to a harvest that surpassed the cap.”

“We anticipate catch rates and fishing pressure will drop off somewhat in the coming weeks as water temperatures rise and fish begin to move off shoreline structure,” Gary Barnard, Bemidji area fisheries manager said. “Fishing pressure, catch rates and release mortality will determine how total harvest accumulates in the coming weeks.”

As water temperatures rise, anglers are encouraged to exercise restraint in the number of fish they boat in order to minimize release mortality. The DNR will continue updating harvest estimates every other week throughout the summer.

gps cords for boundry—When fishing near the Red Lake reservation boundary, using a GPS unit will ensure compliance.

Those portions of Red Lake located within the Red Lake Indian Reservation are closed to non-band members except by special authorization of the tribal council.

State anglers: The actual boundary is not a true north-south line. To simplify, it is recommended that State anglers stay east of the longitudinal coordinate of 94° 43′ 12.0″ W to ensure they are on State waters.

Everyone fishing near the boundary is responsible for knowing his/her location!

thanks for the updates..
Jack.

I sure would like to give everyone an update–but deer hunting has taken control the last week or so–only 1 more week to go
Judy (1) Russ– uhm!!! –let them go by, no excuses but kinda small

there reporting 5″ of ice on Red and a couple have ventured out to 7′ of water watching where they step and came back with a 7lb gator and eyes- be carefull everyone some of the ice chunks are not healed together yet

Red is now all open water except a tiny corner on the North corner which is very shakey- just enjoy your turkey this week