Upper Red Lake reports

check out my reports that are up to date on Upper Red under Minnesotas rivers and lakes forum-then down to Upper Red

they have been fishing for the past 2 plus weeks– there out 2 plus mile as of now on 7-8 inches

daily things keep changing on Upper Red so check it out –houses are moving out

small and full size trucks are test the ice on Red so check out the reports

keep checking these reports on ice fishing on Upper Red- its well worth it for you early birds on ice

Well worth what? I am not trying to bust your chops, but it is a long drive up from the Cities. What is happening up there? Crappies? Walleyes? Pike? what techniques? Where should we stop for bait? What should we get?

Cris,- you can only break 1 chop, the other hip was just replaced 6 months ago

all the info your looking for is listed under the Upper Red Lake site, i was hoping i was giving all the info i can muster to keep everone well informed daily if possible

well worth it– i would diffinetly give that lake an A+ for early ice, great walleye, notherns in the trophy size, some 1+ pound size crappies and a few nice perch starting to show up

all the info from the South end to the North end, tackle etc are listed and the gas is alot cheaper now; yes its 222 miles from Avon where we live to there and a 4 hour trip but its all well worth it when you step on the ice usually 3 weeks earlier than the Big Pond and the ice last’s usually 3 weeks later

if you ever need more info you can e-mail me at [email protected] or call 1-320-293-8905

there are certain rules i have to follow because of advertising, hope you understand

This used to be the 2lbs+ crappie lake? What happened to them?

one answer to where are the big crappies is;

they have a life of 10-13 years and some died off, another is they dont reproduce as fast as other fish,- if the water table is low that doesnt help, also the cold spring temps during spawning kept many crappies out in deeper water and would never come into spawn, they headed out to deeper water with the eggs still inside them;;

there was approximately 5000 to 8000 houses on the lake every weekend for years and the limit was 15 and there were hardly any walleyes

hope that helps you out,,- there are still 14 inchers in the lake, thats 1 1/2 pounds

Big crappies gone?! So what’s the big draw now? Are there still limits of crappies being caught? I’m not trying to knock the lake and you but I can catch crappies like that a lot closer to the cities? And the walleyes are still 2 for a limit aren’t they? How about the perch? Are they getting to Devils Lake size? I know the pike are big there. I’ve seen shows on it. But there are big pike in closer lakes, too?

Humm ? what would the draw be to go to Red?

do you like to fish all day and toss them back but still have your keeper limits of eyes?

are you on your way to or heading home from LOW and got kinda skunked?

do you want to try for some trophy gators on 4 pound test or like your tip up to spin?

would you be surprised while your fishing for gators, and eyes that a peach of 8 to 9 inches or plus comes up the the next one could be a 1 3/4 pound crappie or one of the whitefish, drummys’ pop up and maybe just maybe one of those 12-18 inch sturgen they transplanted there come up

and if the rule book states it as i read it– it says 3 under 17 with tail pinched till 09 opener then the slot size moves and the limit goes to 4–

check the info everyone has supplied under upper red site

No mention of bass, though. Very disappointing.

This is a bass, right? There are a LOT of these in Red.

Yes!! A spotted bass!!

looks like a sheaphead to me, theres lots of them in red during the spring

I agree, I think that is a sheephead. I know Red has a lot of those – couple of guys last year that I know would find schools of those and fish them for fun at times.

Guys… It was a joke.

Ahh, now I see the joker at the end of that sentence. Jokes on me…

i know guys that eat them but smoked only, they say there not bad but iv never tried it

See! It’s a bass!! ??? Bass

sheep heads smell super fishy, and they have a rubbery taste to them. honestly i think they are the worst fish to eat in MN. but fun to catch when no other fish are biting, they dont put up a good fight though, thats the bad part.

I am compelled to write something about my experiences at URL. Yes, it is a long drive, and yes there are fewer monster crappies in the lake as there once was. But the fact remains that Red is one of the best hardwater walleye fisheries in the state. The limit is only 3 per day, but there are regulations allowing you to actually cook and eat your fish on the lake, which is a plus. Another truth is that LOW typically shuts off at night. Upper Red produces fish all night long. There is nothing better than a rattle reel waking you up, and having the fight be on seconds after being in a deep sleep. Finally, even with lower numbers of crappies, they are still there, and limits are caught fairly frequently. A limit of 14 inch crappies at URL is not the same as a bunch of 14s caught in a metro lake. The cities of waskish and kelliher both have bait shops, with reliable advice. Almost all resorts you launch out of carry bait and provide daily reports for your convenience. With gas prices at a 4 year low, Upper Red Lake should be a destination every serious ice fisherperson ought to try this season. I cant guarantee you the world, but I will guarantee you, you will NOT be skunked at URL like many people are while fishing other large fisheries in this state. PM me if you want more information on where to go up there, and I will be more than happy to provide you with a wealth of information that will make your trip one you will want to make anually. Attached are just a few pics of your “standard” crappie on URL.

dang son those are some nice fish

I agree Deputy Crappie! I used to spend a lot of time on Red. My point was that I would love to see pictures attached to these reports of folks going out. It adds a ton to the updates! Plus you get up to the minute reports on what is hot from the people doing the catching. That is the kind of reporting we see here on the “Metro” lakes, River and Mille Lacs.
You are correct! It is a fantastic fishery!