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Jeff Sundin December 30, 2020 'Upper Red; The Remoter The Better'

As of December 30, 2020, resorts and rental operators are allowing ALL BUT THE LARGEST vehicles access to the lake on their plowed roads. Take Mort's Dock for example, they request that you leave your big diesel truck on shore, otherwise you can drive anything you want.

That means that the crowds are large, and the rental operators are hustling to keep their units in fresh territory. If you were to poll 100 anglers about the fishing action on Red Lake right now, 30 of them would say that the action is great. Another 30 would report that the fishing completely stinks and the remaining 40 would shrug their shoulders and say that it is 'so-so'. This is fairly typical of Red Lake, once the hot rush of early ice passes, catching fish consistently requires creativity.

Winter angling on Upper Red Lake averaged 1.6 million angler hours with a harvest of 130,000 pounds annually over this period. The new regulations, which become effective Sunday, Nov. 1, lower the possession limit from the four-walleye limits in place during the 2020 open water season and the 2019-2020 winter season. Minnesota fishing regulations. Then choose a section to explore that topic. Topic Questions? Call 651-296-6157 or 888-MINNDNR (646-6367) Email us.

Most anglers fishing the lake advise getting out and away from the crowds for best fishing action. That advice is easy to give out, but if your travel is limited by the constraints of large wheelhouses and big pickup trucks, not so easy to follow. Most folks who depend on finding a parking spot for their wheelhouse are also hip to the idea that there's a tradeoff between fishing in comfort and fishing 'away from the crowd'.

From my perspective, you could have both, if you want to. The ultimate ice fishing trip on large lakes like Upper Red, I think, is to use a sleeper house as headquarters and snowmobile back and forth to the better, more remote fishing areas. Except for those who have the cash to shell out for a Sno Bear, there is no way to be more efficient than using snowmobile and pull behind ice shelter. This is as close as you can get to duplicating the efficiency of fishing from a boat.

A few years back, we filmed some video on Red Lake using the system and it was great. Having the rental sleeper that was put in place by a seasoned pro, meant that we could fish that crucial, first light bite before venturing out. As soon as the action faded, we jumped on the snow machines and fished subtle structures out and away from the crowds.

With access to Canadian waters still closed, this might be a good winter for all of us snowmobilers to take a second look at Upper Red. The fish, in my opinion, run nicer in size than they do in a lot of other places, so even a moderately good fishing day results in catching enough fish for a good feast.

If you’re thinking about Red for this weekend, the better reports are coming from anglers targeting water depths of 10 to 11 feet. Fishing with jigging spoons on one rod and dead sticking with blade baits or plain red hooks on a 2nd rod helps trigger a few extra fish when they’re in a neutral mood. Pink, red and gold are always good colors on Red Lake. Lately, I’ve enjoyed the Pink Glow Spoons a lot, but the old reliable Red-Glow Rattl’n’ Flyer Spoon is always a good choice on Red too.

If you can still find some, Foo Flyers will trigger those neutral fish really well too. A super effective lure, the Foo Flyer was under-rated by the masses and eventually discontinued. I hung on to as many as I could find and still use them when I see fish on my graph that won’t strike many of the more aggressive jigging lures.

I do my best to stay on top of reports from Upper Red, but resorters and rental operators up there are extremely busy, and it can be tough to contact them on short notice. I know that a lot of folks believe that facebook posts get to everybody, but many of them don’t.

What I’m saying is that I can use all the help I can get. If you’ve been fishing on Upper Red Lake, or any other lake for that matter, your reports are always welcome.

You do not need to share your secrets and you don’t have to write a book either. Be as protective as you like, sometimes all it takes is a few words about ice conditions, fishing trends or lures that worked well for you. Help your fellow anglers and they will eventually help you, so drop us a line and share a few words. — Jeff Sundin 218-245-9858 or EMAIL

Upper Red Lake, MN

At 288,800 acres, Red Lake is the largest of all inland lakes in Minnesota. It’s also at the center of one of the most tragic fisheries failures, and at the same time, the subject of perhaps the most successful joint recovery effort in fishing history.

The lake is split into upper and lower basins, with all of Lower Red Lake and about 60% of Upper Red Lake under the jurisdiction of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. The remaining waters fall under state authority. Historically, the lake was a virtual walleye factory, but in the late 1990s overharvest led to a total collapse of the fishery.

An unprecedented cooperative effort between the Band and the state, which included stocking 90,000,000 walleye fry over six years, a seven-year moratorium on walleye fishing, and later on, more restrictive sport and commercial fishing regulations, has led to what all agree is a lake that’s loaded with walleyes.

About 48,000 acres of Upper Red Lake is open to non-tribal sportfishing, and typically carries a slot limit to protect the fishery, so check fishing regulations before you hit the water.

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Duane Peterson, Team Northland member and company co-founder, has fished Red Lake through its decline and resurrection and is on the citizen’s committee that helped steer recovery efforts, and current management plan.

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“The beauty of Red Lake is that it’s easy to fish,” he says. “It’s basically a bowl with a sand/silt/mud bottom, a 15-foot maximum depth and very little structure. A person doesn’t need sophisticated sonar skills to be successful.”

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Open-water fishing begins in mid-May, and through mid-June fish tend to congregate on the first breakline, which is typically from 3½ to 7 feet deep. “The No. 1 open-water presentation is a jig-and-minnow. Lots of jigs do the job—round balls, stand-ups—but for the past 15 years a 1/16- to 1/8-ounce Fire-Ball® Jig tipped with a shiner has been the most popular and productive.

“Walleyes on Red are generally willing biters, but if they’re moody, many anglers fish a small jig-and-leech or ‘crawler under a float.”

After mid-June many fish disperse into the basin, and while many anglers catch plenty of fish from anchored positions, others do better by covering water. Peterson recommends a 3/8- to ½-ounce Rock-Runner® Slip-Bouncer in front of a single-hook spinner, such as a Baitfish Spinner Rig baited with a small minnow.

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“I am partial to the Baitfish-Image series, however, plain metallic blades are hard to beat,” he says. “You don’t need a lot of speed—normally about .75 mph. The key is to watch the line and make sure it’s at a 45-degree angle to the water. That will keep the bait in the strike zone.”.