Red L. Activity heats up.

[Lee Borgersen]

...  Activity heats up on Upper Red Lake

      Walleye population has fully recovered, and the bite is good.

Upper Red Lake hasn’t received as much angler attention as it has this winter since the epic crappie boom of the early 2000s.

Fishermen have been flocking to Upper Red and cashing in on the lake’s fully recovered walleye population.

One could argue that there hasn’t been a more consistent walleye bite anywhere in the state this season.

With ice conditions lagging in most areas of Minnesota to start the year, anglers at Upper Red were on the ice shortly after Thanksgiving. That was enough to spike angler interest right out of the gate.

Along with that good ice, reports spread rapidly that the walleyes were biting. With limited fishing options elsewhere, Upper Red Lake quickly became the place to be in December.

According to Gary Barnard, Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor in Bemidji, a good walleye bite on Upper Red during the first few weeks of the season is nothing new. But this winter has been exceptional for both angler participation and catch rates, alike.

“December is always pretty good on Red, but it was different this year because we had such good ice when nobody else did,” Barnard said. “They were fishing it a week earlier than normal so Red was really the only game in town for a while.”

Slot adjustments
A change in slot regulations for this winter likely drove a few more fishermen to the lake as well.

With annual harvest estimates falling below the target harvest range during the past two years, a wider slot was implemented for the current winter fishing season.

For the past four years, the protected walleye slot limit on Upper Red has been 17 to 26 inches from the walleye opener in May through mid-June when catch rates are high and spawning walleyes are most vulnerable.

Since 2009, there has been a mid-season slot adjustment to 20 to 26 inches from June 15 through Nov. 30. In September, the Red Lake Advisory Committee agreed that the summer regulation would remain intact during the winter, which meant larger walleyes could be kept.

“It was a significant change from previous winters when the protected slot would revert back to 17 to 26 inches on Dec. 1,” Barnard said. “It is intended to encourage additional harvest during the winter fishing season.”