Greater MN Rentals on Upper Red closed for the season

Not a good sign. I’ve never gone out of there but know where it is.
Greater Mn Rental Announcement

Wow, I’ve heard conditions were rough on Red but shutting her down entirely is a little surprising. Bummer for all involved.

That’s a bummer. I’m sure they wouldn’t make that decision unless it was in their best interest with regards to economics and safety.

With the thousands of wheelhouses pounding lakes with pressure 24-7, mother nature will still win once in a while.

What are other resorts saying? I don’t follow the happenings on Red real close but as of 7-10 days ago it sounded like the cold temps were healing up the slush problem. Kind sucks if a guy paid for a season long pass and got, what 4 maybe 5 weeks out of it.

Heading back to LOW on tuesday.

I know on Friday morning we were the only people at West winds. They were closed to wheelhouses and others doing the same. IT was a ghost town there. When we headed home Sunday didn’t even have traffic to get out of town. It’s a mess on the lake. I’m sure a place or two are getting out but most are just trying to deal with the mess up there right now.

Stopped by Winnie for lunch on the way home and the restaurant we ate at said it’s real bad there and most the places on the lake are closed down to traffic. Group came in to eat said they had a hard time fishing 6 plus hours just trying to get around Winnie sleds kept getting stuck with all the slush pockets they cut out early of fishing.

The bite on Red was good, jigging was the ticket. Dead sticks a lot slower then normal only few caught.

jld wrote:

What are other resorts saying? I don’t follow the happenings on Red real close but as of 7-10 days ago it sounded like the cold temps were healing up the slush problem. Kind sucks if a guy paid for a season long pass and got, what 4 maybe 5 weeks out of it.

It’s really no different than owning a snowmobile or other item that is solely dependent on getting the right conditions. Quite honestly, this could be the new normal too. Really cold weather with thick, safe ice may not be available every winter like it once was.

Seems other resorts like Rogers and Mort’s have been pretty quiet on the Face Book postings. Jr’s seems to be the exception and they pretty much seem like business as usual. Of course they have the Red Fest coming up this weekend so they are going to be reluctant on discouraging people from coming up.

As always call the resort before you go and get the low down and then cheat on the side of safety from what the resorts tell you. I think Greater Minnesota Rental is a small operation compared to the others and may not have access to some equipment other resorts do or don’t have the man power to deal with it.

Constant truck and plow repairs can get financially burdensome. All this is cyclic it seems to me. We had a stretch of 4 or 5 years where snowmobiles sat in the garage because of lack of snow. Now it’s cycled the other direction.

Another way to look at it is it’s reducing fishing pressure during the ice season. Not a bad thing now and again.

These destination lakes could use a break now and then. I’d expect a noticable increase in size and numbers next ice season on URL. Mille Lacs is no different with the fall closure and slow start to the ice season. I bet this spring is going to produce a monster bite. On the contrary, LOW is getting absolutely pounded on the south basin because it’s one of few places with safe ice. Wouldn’t be surprised to see progression in the opposite direction up there.

I’m really hoping this recent three-year trend of high winter precipitation will cycle back in the other direction. I preferred it when the snowmobiles with collecting dust and mouse turds, personally.

I agree Bass Thumb. I want to go ice fishing as bad as anyone but also understand that these types of winters can ease a bit of pressure off these lakes. Ice fishing popularity has soared in the last ten years and so has the pressure on these lakes.

And yes LOTW has been getting hammered and will continue to do so the rest of the season especially if Red continues to deteriorate as far as conditions. Sounds like in the 30’s up there by Wednesday.

Red Lake Remote is the one I’d never expect to shut down since they don’t plow roads, only using a plow to set houses. And even they are saying they may be shutting down early.

Their saying 26inches of snow on top of 18inches of ice.

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