More Lunkers!

This week Carrie and Nick Mateja both caught 27" Walleye, creating a logjam on the leaderboard for biggest walleye of the year. We now have four anglers with 27" fish. Ryan Rote added a nice 25" Walleye out of Parker. Carrie's fish is pictured below.



Kari Marquardt also took the lead on the Muskie board with a nice 37" fish. See below. She also caught the first smallmouth bass of the year although we don't expect to see too many more.



The past two weeks have been dry and temperatures are gradually increasing with highs now in the upper 70s. The lake levels are finally dropping back down, but there is some rain in the forecast for the coming week.

Big Fish Record Extended

The big fish records have been extended for the 2011 season. John Milkint edged out Bill Ray's 42.5" Northern (pictured above) with his own 42.75" Northern. Both fish were caught on Parker. Mary-Jane Owen and Neal Sympson are tied for the lead with 27" Walleye both caught on Red Lake.

We dried out last week and have a few rain showers passing through today, but then expect another dry week. That should help water levels average out again. Talk to everyone soon!

Camp Update

Hey everyone!

A recent picture of Cosmo hard at work, good grief. At least he keeps himself entertained.




Our second week just wrapped up and it was great! We had a full camp and several kids that had a blast getting out on the water and catching fish. The weather cooperated for the most part and I managed to get out on the water and get a nice sunburn on my face. Travis' family was up this past week and they had fun exploring and did lots of portages onto some of the smaller lakes.

Yesterday afternoon I portaged into Coin Lake with Travis' dad and sister and we tried our hand at catching a big Muskie. No luck there, but nice eater sized walleye and a big perch. Looks like it will be warm this weekend, and the last few days the water temperature has been steadily rising on Red Lake. Guys have been marking it in the upper 50's out on Red Lake. The water level is high right now as well, with all the rain we got in the last 10 days. We have another big group headed in tomorrow morning, so I guess I better get my town supply run wrapped up and head back out to camp.

In other news: We had a surprise visitor in camp last weekend. A black bear wandered into camp! We didn't see any last season, and haven't seen this one since he came by last Thursday. Since Cosmo has turned into a lazy old man, he missed the whole thing because he was in bed. Never a dull moment out here. We can't wait to see you during your visit and are having a blast so far during the 2011 season!

June Hailstorm

We welcomed the month of June with a tremendous thunderstorm that produced pea-sized hail. Two heavy storms have slowed the fishing some, but we expect a quick rebound as the weather outlook looks good for the next week.



My brother Carson landed a 23" walleye off a point near the lodge on Parker Lake shortly before the hail started. Visibility was poor, but he was able to make it back to the dock safely.



As a reminder, please be sure each person has a life jacket in the boat at all times. This is not only a law, but a very good idea. Seat cushions do not substitute for life jackets. We highly encourage you to wear your life jacket when underway, especially through any rough water. Knowing how to swim won't help if you are left unconscious in a boating accident. We have many life jackets available at camp if you don't already have a favorite or are trying to save some packing space.

First week fishing update

Hello from Red Lake! Our first guests this week are already catching several nice Walleye in the 22-26" range on both Red Lake and Parker Lake. Also five Northern Pike between 35-42" were caught yesterday alone. Both species are biting shallow in 5-8' of water. We weathered a large storm last night and the lakes were very muddy today from all the runoff.



We know many of you traveling north like to stop at the Village Corner in Vermilion Bay right before turning north to Red Lake. Unfortunately the entire strip of businesses suffered a fire last fall so you'll need to find an alternate stop. Try filling up before crossing the border or stopping in Dryden where there are several restaurants and gas stations. You can also still get gas at Bobby's or eat at Buster's BBQ in Vermilion Bay both of which are located a short distance west of the turn to Highway 105.

Until next time...tight lines!

Ice Out!

The ice went out on May 10th and we are busily preparing for the season. The camp wintered fairly well for the most part. There are some repairs to be made still, but we plan to be ready for the first guests next weekend. Thanks to fast shipping from Cabela's, out new boat seats arrived today and we will be working on installing them. Walleye opens tomorrow so we plan to give the waters a test to see how hungry the fish are. We'll provide some fishing updates soon!

Big Fish 2010

The excitement is building as the 2011 fishing season approaches. We're less than a month away and patiently waiting on the ice to melt in the Great White North. This year isn't going to be a repeat of the record setting ice out we experienced a year ago. Hugh Carlson from Viking Outpost measured only 15" of ice remaining in front of his place on April 21st. We're expecting the ice out to occur in mid-May this year.

We're making preparations for our departure in a few days and thought this would be a great time to review the BIG fish caught & released during the 2010 season.



Lake Trout
36.5" David Wein (pictured above)
24" Kari Marquardt

We didn't have too many people fish for lake trout in 2010 although many big lunkers still reside in the lake. You can still fish for them with single barbless hooks and no live bait and they remain catch & release only.




Walleye
29.5" Dennis Meyer
28.5" Mary-Jane Owen (pictured above)
28" Jeff Zwieg
27.5" Dave Mertes
27.5" Micke Juillerat
27" Grant Peterson
27" Grant Peterson
27" Dave Swan
27" George Matykowski
27" Travis Mack

Numbers of fish were great once again although 2010 was a little down for what I would consider really really BIG fish. Considering the number of total fish caught especially in the 20" - 26" range really has me looking forward to what this summer will bring.




Smallmouth Bass
18" Jared Oehrke (pictured above)

You won't find smallmouth bass listed as a species in the Red Lake system in any of the guides. But here's all the proof you need. Albeit this one was the only one caught.




Northern Pike
47"* Hays Griswold
45" Larry Andris
44" Jeff Zwieg
43.5" Randy Modra (pictured above)
42.5" Carson Mack
42" Bob Gouge
42" Andy Zwieg
42" Grant Peterson
41.75" Larry Andris
41" Kevin Smith
41" Jack Hughes

Alright...time to explain the asterisk. While Hays did catch & release a 47" Northern it wasn't by rod and reel. He happened upon a fish struggling on the surface near the boat. No evidence of disease or propeller marks was visible, but considering they were able to boat and measure the fish with ease I'm guessing this fish either ate an extra large meal and was having some digestion trouble or was close to succumbing of old age. Neat to see fish this big in the system though.

Rock Bass
9" Luke Nelson

Congrats to Luke for the biggest rock bass of the year! These little guys are capable of a great fight and I love hooking into them.

I'm hope you are as excited about the 2011 season as we are. See you soon!

New Exploration Site

This summer check out the West Red Lake Mining Museum. We found out about the site last fall from our friends Dan & Brenda at Bow Narrows Camp. It's definitely worth a visit if you find yourself fishing the west end of Red Lake.

Directly after traveling west through the West Narrows, hang a left and you'll see the museum with its own dock. The musuem is actually a cabin from the 1920s gold rush that was a part of Bow Narrows Camp at one time. Volunteers took it apart, moved the pieces, and reassembled the cabin at its present location. It is free to visit and features some very interesting pieces about the gold rush on the west end of Red Lake. There is also a huge glacial erratic behind the cabin.



The Heritage Center is also an interesting stop in the town of Red Lake, but it doesn't focus much on the history of the west end of the lake. Hundreds of people once inhabited the west end of Red Lake at the height of the gold rush. The cabin that now serves as the museum was even the home of the postmaster for the western population. The west end of the lake is one of the rare areas that once was bustling with activity and now has been largely reclaimed by nature. The scenery is gorgeous and it's well worth the trip!

Some people may wonder why I'm always popping up in the photos on the blog and you don't see too many of Carrie. She may be somewhat camera shy, but she is excellent as a photographer and certainly beats me trying to do self-portraits.

How to Fish Lindy Rigs

Now that you've built your lindy rigs, you're ready for tactics on the water this season. On Red Lake early in the season, you'll find many walleye in 6-12 feet of water in the bays along weedlines, points, rock piles, breaks, or other structure. Depth finders are very handy to have for all of the fishing you will do and even an inexpensive one can lead to a much more successful fishing trip. There are several areas on Parker Lake that will hold fish in the 6-12 feet depth range all summer. For this time of the year I would select a 1/4 oz. or 3/8 oz. sinker for your rig. Later in the season on Red Lake you may need to add some weight to get your bait down to the bottom since you will be fishing deeper water. Now you're ready to select your bait.

Now what to use - night crawler, minnow, or leech? All have proven successful and it's really a matter of your preference. Most of the time I back troll or drift lindy rigs. For this type of fishing I insert the 1st hook on a night crawler through the "collar" and the 2nd hook where it rests on the crawler. If your bait is spinning in the water, adjust one of the hooks to take some of the slack out of the crawler to achieve a more natural presentation. I would also encourage you to try inflating crawlers with a Lindy Worm Blower. This will float your bait above your sinker helping to reduce snags and make the crawler more lively. Hook minnows just behind both lips from below so the hook point is on top. This keeps the minnow alive and improves your presentation to the fish. Hook leeches through the sucker. For minnows and leeches, I either use one hook rigs or allow the 2nd hook to dangle behind.



A slow presentation is key to lindy rigging. Once you have selected an area to try fishing, start by back trolling your boat at an idle speed. Let out enough line until you can feel the sinker bouncing along the bottom. At that point reel in just enough line so you can see slack line or feel your sinker start bouncing again if you point your rod tip down toward your bait. I usually start trolling into the wind to slow the boat down even more. If the wind is strong enough, I'll let the boat drift back across a stretch of water that was producing bites and then back troll across into the wind again. Don't forget to vary your speed by shifting into neutral occasionally. Another trick is to raise your rod a couple feet and gradually let the line ease back into the water.

Inevitably you'll find walleye using this technique. When you feel a tap on the line or see the rod tip twitch, feed line back to the fish and slowly count to 5. This allows the fish to grab the bait and prevents you from pulling it out of its mouth. For this reason I usually keep my bail open with my finger on the spool to hold the line in place while trolling. It makes it easier to quickly feed line back to the fish. After your 5 count, give a good hook set and get ready to battle your fish.

Lindy rigging is a very effective way to catch walleye and many other species of fish for that matter. I mainly use lindy rigging as a technique for locating fish and then I enjoy switching to jigs when I've found a nice school. Many guests find lindy rigging so successful they will primarily fish lindy rigs during their entire stay. Whatever method you choose you're bound to have a great week of fishing. See you this summer!

Tie Your Own Lindy Rigs

Lindy rigging is an excellent technique for catching walleye. You don't have to buy those pre-packaged rigs selling for $2-$3 either. By purchasing a few "ingredients" and following these simple steps you can customize your own rigs for much less.

Here's what you'll need to get started:



Sharp size 6 octopus hooks - you will need (2) hooks per rig (I prefer Gamakatsu)

Monofilament or fluorocarbon line - 3' per rig (I've had success with Berkeley Vanish 8-10 lb. test)

Beads of choice - figure (8) small 5mm size beads or (6) medium 6mm size beads per rig (my favorite colors are yellow, chartreuse, white, & red)

Medium size Quick Change Clevices w/ keeper - (1) per rig (colors are usually limited - white clevice in picture)

Barrell swivels size 7 or 8 - (1) per rig

Duolock snaps size 2 - (1) per rig (these snaps are tied to the line on your rod and will connect your finished lindy rig)

Spinning blades size 3 or 4 - (1) per rig (I use Indiana or Colorado shaped blades)

Sinkers 3/8 oz. - (1) per rig (I like tear drop or egg sinkers)

You can usually find some of these items at your local sporting goods store, but selection greatly increases when you start looking online or in the lure building sections at Cabela's or Bass Pro. If you can't find a particular size or color, don't worry about it. Go with the next best option and you'll be fine.

When trying to plan for the number of rigs to tie, it helps to determine what kind of fisherman you are. Some people only use lindy rigs sparingly and some use them the entire week. As a guest, I usually tied about 15-20 of them for my week. That's a good number to get you started with good selection and a few backups. Once you get the hang of tying them, it's easy to pack the supplies in your tackle box and spend a few minutes tying a couple extra rigs of the hot color that your fishing partner was using all day.

Step 1
Cut a length of line approximately 3' long.

Step 2
Tie one of your hooks on the end of the line - start by standing the hook upright. Insert the line "down" through the eye and pinch along the straight part of the hook shaft.



Wrap the line 7-8 times around the hook shaft over the pinched line. Now run the free end of the line "up" through the eye of the hook again. Moisten the line carefully (don't give yourself any unwanted lip piercings), cinch the knot, & trim excess line below knot.



To recap - the line went down through the eye of the hook, wrapped around the line, and then the free end of the line went back up through the eye (with the hook standing upright).

Step 3
Tie the 2nd hook on the line about 2" above the first hook or nearly the length of your pinkie finger. Run the line "up" through the eye of the 2nd hook until the hook is in position.



Now pinching the line against the hook again, wrap the line 7-8 times around the hook, and run the free end of the line "up" through the eye again. Moisten & cinch.

To recap - the line went up through the eye of the hook both times while tying the 2nd hook.

Step 4

Now it's time to choose your bead colors. Put yourself in the scales of a walleye and picture what color food you'd like to eat. I end up with a pretty steady assortment of white, yellows, & reds, but of course my sister will always catch a monster with some hideous combination of pink, purple, & glow-in-the-dark blue so don't get bogged down here. This is part of the fun - finding your own variation that will outfish everyone else.



Step 5

Add your clevice. Make sure you have the correct side up where the spoon or spinner will snap in.

Step 6

Tie a swivel on the other end of the line using your favorite fishing knot.

Step 7

Congratulations! Your rig is ready for action. For your final preparation you will tie a duolock snap on the line on your rod. You attach the swivel to this as well as a sinker. I carry sinker sizes between 1/4 ounce - 1/2 ounce, but most often use a 3/8 ounce tear drop or egg sinker. Snap your spinning blade onto the clevice. Make sure the curve of the blade bends in toward the rig. Select your favorite live bait or try Berkley Gulp and thread onto the hooks and you're ready to fish! Note...if you prefer fishing minnows or shorter baits then you will want to reduce the distance between the two hooks or even try a single hook.



In a few days, I'll follow up with another post detailing how to fish lindy rigs. In the meantime, post your comments or questions below. There are several variations for tying these rigs so if you have a method that works well please share!