Tag Archives: upper red lake

DNR to relax winter walleye slot limit on Upper Red Lake

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It’s not quite official yet, but it’s all but assured that anglers on Upper Red Lake will be able to keep larger walleyes this winter than they have during previous ice fishing seasons, according to an official from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Fishing guide Jonny Petrowske of Waskish, Minn., admires a walleye he caught in December 2011 on Upper Red Lake. The DNR has approved a proposal to relax the protected slot limit for walleyes this winter on Upper Red, and anglers will be able to keep walleyes up to 20 inches, with one longer than 26 inches, in their four-fish limit. Winter regulations previously included a 17- to 26-inch protected slot. (Brad Dokken photo)

Henry Drewes, regional fisheries supervisor for the DNR in Bemidji, confirmed this morning that Commissioner Tom Landwehr has approved a proposal to relax the protected slot limit this winter on Upper Red and allow anglers to keep larger walleyes.

The bag limit for the winter season will be four walleyes with a 20- to 26-inch protected slot — same as it is for the summer season after mid-June. Previously, the winter limit on Upper Red reverted to four walleyes, with a 17- to 26-inch protected slot, beginning Dec. 1.

Drewes said the DNR was able to implement the relaxed slot — which has been forwarded to the Minnesota attorney general’s office for final approval, a standard rulemaking procedure — because the annual walleye harvest the past two years has been lower than the target.

For the fishing year that starts Dec. 1, Drewes said the target walleye harvest is 84,000 to 168,000 pounds, and anglers this year kept about 70,000 pounds of walleyes.

Because fishing on Upper Red is so good from the May fishing opener to mid-June, when the walleye limit is four with a 17- to 26-inch protected slot, Drewes said loosening the restrictions in the spring wasn’t an option.

“We really can’t do much during the  spring, which is the first month (of season) because the bite can be so explosive that even changing length regulations a bit can have a huge effect,” Drewes said. “The winter season is when we have the greatest flexibility to adjust.”

Drewes said the change simplifies winter regulations, because limits won’t revert to the 17- to 26-inch protected slot Dec. 1. He said the DNR again will conduct a creel survey this winter on Upper Red to measure fishing pressure and harvest.

“We’re hoping it does stimulate some additional harvest and angler trips,” Drewes said of the relaxed regulation. “We think this should be appealing to anglers.”

 

On the road for a few days

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I’ll be out of the office and on the road for a few days next week testing the waters of a handful of lakes across northern Minnesota.

Brian "Bro" Brosdahl with a big walleye he caught this spring on the Rainy River.

Monday, I’m scheduled to join Northwoods fishing guide, promoter and all-round outdoors character Brian Brosdahl somewhere in the vicinity of Chippewa National Forest. I’m not sure where we’ll be fishing yet, but knowing “Bro” — as he’s known in the business — there’ll be fish to catch along with plenty of lively conversation. Pick up just about any fishing magazine these days, it seems, and you’ll likely see pictures of a burly guy with a reddish-colored beard holding a fish. That’s Bro.

Monday night, the road leads me to Waskish, Minn., where a couple of friends and I are scheduled to fish Tuesday with Tyler Brasel of Bear Paw Guides on Upper Red Lake. Right on schedule, there’s a cold front in the forecast, with highs Tuesday predicted to be in the low 60s. Cold fronts, in my experience, usually mean stiff winds from the northwest, which can be disastrous for anglers on the vast expanse of Upper Red because there’s nowhere to hide. We’ll see what happens.

This big walleye was caught (and released) recently on one of the small lakes in the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Wednesday morning, we’ll be heading to the Red Lake Indian Reservation to fish with Darwin Sumner of Seven Clans Casino in Red Lake. The casino this spring began offering guided fishing packages on more than 25 small lakes within the reservation boundaries. The lakes offer the opportunity to fish everything from panfish and bass to trout and walleyes. Just the other day, Sumner emailed me a photo of a monster walleye caught from one of the small reservation lakes. He didn’t weigh the fish before it was released, but says it was considerably larger than 10 pounds.

I fished two of the small reservation lakes in 2008 with Al Pemberton, director of the tribal Department of Natural Resources. We caught lake trout up to about 12 pounds and scads of pike up to 37 inches. The beauty of the lakes within the reservation, besides the variety of fishing options they offer, is they’re small enough to access in most kinds of weather. The portions of Upper and Lower Red lakes within reservation boundaries remain off-limits to nonband members, but the small lake packages now available stand to be a hit among visiting anglers.

The plan right now, Sumner says, is walleyes in the morning and trout in the afternoon. I’ll keep you posted.

NWS site offers updated wind-wave forecasts

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Few things can throw a wrench into a day on the water more than wind, especially on big lakes.

With fishing now in full swing across the region, the National Weather Service office in Grand Forks has resumed its “Lake Wind-Wave Forecast” website. The site offers wind and wave forecasts for Lake of the Woods, Devils Lake and Upper Red Lake. The forecasts are presented as a series of maps for each of the lakes in three-hour increments covering the next two days.

The maps show projected wind speeds, in knots, along with forecasted wave heights. For anglers and boaters, the wind-wave maps can be an invaluable tool for determining where and when to minimize the impact of wind and waves. Smart-phone users with Internet access even can call up the maps on the water.

The forecasts usually are updated four times a day.

To check out the wind-wave forecasts for each of the three lakes, click here: