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3-01-10
It was an enjoyable ice fishing season this year at JR's Corner Access. I
really don't know where the winter went. It seems like it was just yesterday when we were
pulling ice houses onto the lake, and now they're all back
on shore again. The season passed like a blur. I finally
have a moment to take a deep breath, reflect back, and
reminisce about all the fun we had during this ice fishing
season. It was definitely our best year yet.
I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who ventured "North" and shared their
company with us. Redfest, Weekends, and Weekdays; it was all good. The access
will only be only for limited hours from now until ice out. The crappies are still biting north of Center Bar,
but the action was a little slower this week. Most groups
are still catching crappies, but the average was only 2-3
crappies per group. The best crappie baits continue to be
smaller jigs tipped with crappie minnows. The best depth is
16 feet of water. For those still thinking of venturing
"North" to Red Lake this year, give us a call. I'd be happy
to give you any current reports & tips I can. The roads are
currently open, but we've discontinued plowing for the
remainder of the ice season. The bar & restaurant are also
closed for the season. Thanks again! Stay tuned this
summer for more updates about the new things happening for
the 2010/2011 ice fishing season!!!
JR
& Family
2-23-10
The walleye action was a little more on the hit and miss
side of things this week. The best bite has been in the
shallow water, 8 to 10 feet, after dark. Several houses reported catching 12 to 15 walleyes each night
this week. The pike action was fair during the day, but the
walleyes decided to take some of the days off. The crappies are still biting north of Center Bar in 16 feet of water
this week. There were
several groups that caught 5 to 7 nice crappies on the
evenings they decided to target the big "slabs". The best crappie baits have been smaller jigs tipped with crappie minnows. It's
been a great year at the access. We want to take this opportunity to thank all the folks that stopped in and shared some fun throughout the 2009/2010
ice fishing season. It's been a fun year. We're already looking forward to the next season. Stay tuned, there'll be more updates in the next few days.
Thanks again, JR
2-15-10
The walleye fishing has improved slightly this week. Most of the houses have
been reporting catching 15 to 25 walleyes a day. The best locations have been in 15 feet of
water. Plain red, or gold, hooks have been accounting for the majority of these walleyes. We currently have a road plowed from the south shore all the way to the
north shore. The road has started producing crappies just north of Center Bar in 16 feet of water. The best location has been over the mud flats. The crappies
have been finicky. They seem to prefer smaller jigs tipped with crappie minnows. Several groups have been catching 4 to 5 crappies each evening just around sunset.
The night bite has been better than the day bite this last week.
But don't be afraid to go shallow during the day for pike. We've seen some nice pike again this week.
The best pike action has been coming out of 9 feet of water in the late mornings.
2-10-10
The walleye fishing was a little slower this week. The houses are still able to catch enough for a fish fry, but
that's been about it. The good news has been the northern pike. We've seen some real nice pike this last week. Each
day has produced several nice pike in the 39 to 42 inch range. Dead baits suspended 2 to 3 feet off the bottom have been
producing the best results. We're hoping the stable weather will cause the walleyes to go on the feed. We'll keep you posted.
2-03-10
We want to thank all the "fishermen" that showed up to JR's Second Annual RedFest
Tournament.
Wow, what a crowd. We're going to have to have a tent next
year if the crowds keep growing. We had over hundred anglers
"fishing" during the course of our INDOOR fishing contest. I
hope everyone had a good time. We're already making plans to
expand the contest for next year. But now it's time to talk
fishing. The roads look good at the present moment. We
currently have over twelve miles plowed and the roads extend
all the way out to Center Bar and then West to the Border.
The walleye action has been consistent with the night bite
slowly switching to the day. Buckshot jigs have been
catching a few more fish this last week. The key is to jig
until you see the fish on the depth finder and then just
hold it still. The fish just don't want an active bait at
the present time. The good news has been the big northern
pike. The tip-ups have produced some nice "gators" this
week. We've seen many fish in the high 30's to low 40's: The best baits have been 4-6 inch
baits suspended 2 to 3 feet off the bottom.
1-26-10
JR's Second Annual RedFest Tournament is coming this
Saturday, January30th. The contest starts at 1:00 pm at JR
Corner's Bar &Grill. This Red Lake's only "indoor" ice
fishing tournament on the lake. Come catch the action.
The contest includes; prizes, drink, food, song, and fun. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser once again.
Now here's the fishing report: The big pike are on the cruise. We've see many 36 to 42 inch pike coming
out of the holes this last week. The best baits have been 4-6 inch chubs suspended 2 to 3 feet off the bottom on tip-ups. The walleye action was
also good this week with the
best action happening during the middle of the week. You can sure tell the difference when there's less traffic on the lake. There were several houses that did
real nice double
digit catches during the mid-week. The best walleye depth remains in 13 to 15 feet of water. The fish still prefer smaller minnows on plain hooks. The roads are plowed and extend all the way
out to center bar.
1-19-10
It's almost time for JR's Annual INDOOR Ice Fishing
Tournament. The second annual RedFest will be held this year
on Saturday, January 30th . The "fishing" officially starts
at 1:00 pm. sharp. Make sure you arrive early before all the
best holes are taken. We sure had a great time last year.
This year is sure to be a repeat. Now let's talk fishing..
There's been a few big pike starting to show up on the south
end of the lake. We saw a 40" and 44" come out of the holes
this week. The walleye action has been good to fair. The
best action is still coming off the rattle reels in 13 to 15
feet of water. The recent warm up has made for great driving
conditions. Trucks can get to just about anyplace they want
to at the current time. The best walleye reports are coming
from the anglers that have been getting away from the crowds
and staying away from the high traffic areas.
1-12-10
The weekend was a busy place at the Access this last
weekend. The bite was consistent. The majority of the
walleyes are still coming out of 13 to 15 feet of water.
We're seeing a good mixture of fish sizes. The majority are
still in the 14 to 17 inch range, but we're also seeing a
good number in the 10 to 12 inch range as well. Those
smaller "throw back" fish help ensure good action for years
to come. There have been a few nice pike showing up over the
last few days. Most of these have been accidental fish
caught while walleye fishing.
The best method of fishing continues to be the set lines
rigged with plain hooks, red or white,
and tipped with a minnow. Most houses are catching walleyes in the good double digits
for a 24 hour period at the
present time. There have been very few crappies caught so
far this year.
1-08-10
The daytime bite has improved over the last few days. The
best water depth has been 13 to 15 feet. Plain hooks, red or white,
tipped with a minnow continue to be the best method for
catching walleyes at this time. The grill is now finished
and it's been a great addition to the bar. Fish baskets,
fries, and other appetizers are now available at JR's.
1-04-10
The bite has been strong over the last few days. The key was
moving the ice houses out to deeper water. The best bite has
been coming out of 13 to 15 feet of water. The best
locations have been 4 to 4 1/2 miles straight north of our
access, south of Center Bar. We have good plowed roads to the area with plenty of spurs to get away from the crowds. Plain hooks, red or white,
tipped with a minnow have been out producing all other lures at the current time. The minnow's height off the bottom has been critical. The best height has been 1 to 4 inches. Use a depth sinker when setting your slip bobber. You want the
bobber to be floating just under the surface when the weight pulls the rig to the bottom. There
have been very few walleyes being seen of the Vexilars.
Most fish are swimming in low to the bottom and then grabbing the first set line they see.
Most houses are catching in the good double digits at the
present time.
12-30-09
The recent snow fall, coupled with yesterday's cold front,
slowed the walleye bite on Red Lake during the first part of
the week. The good news is the outside temperatures have
already warmed considerably since Monday's low of -15
F and there's warmer weather predicted for the rest of the
week. Most houses reported 10 to15 walleyes per day
during the cold front conditions. The most consistent action
occurred from 3 to 6 in the evenings. The morning and night
bites were sporadic and varied from house to house. The best
baits were plain hooks (red or glow) tipped with smaller
minnows. Typical for post frontal conditions, set lines
outperformed other jigging methods. The best news is the
forecasted weather. The walleyes should adjust to the darker
water conditions caused by the Lake's new blanket of snow
and, if the stable weather holds, quickly return to a good
bite pattern just in time for the weekend.
12-25-09
We have a marked road established all
the way out to Center Bar.(6 1/2 miles) and the fishing was
good there this evening. Not only did we catch good numbers,
but we also caught a wide selection of sizes. We had fish
over the slot (The biggest was 21 inches), a bunch of
eaters, and even a few under 12 inches. (Good seed for years
to come) The ice was 13 to 14 inches in the middle and the
driving conditions were great. With the exception of one
small rough area near the south shore, the trucks fish
houses can go anywhere they please at the current moment.
12-20-09
We have 12 to 13 inches of ice on the lake and we are
currently driving trucks on the ice. There is also very
little snow. This makes lake travel prefect at the present
time. The vehicles can drive anywhere they want to on the
lake. If that news wasn't good enough, the better news is
the walleye bite is improving daily. The best bite has moved
a little shallower with the best action coming out of 9 to
11 feet of water. My son was out the other evening and
caught 19 walleyes in under three hours. That's good fishing
by anyone's standards. The evening bite continues to be the
best bite happening, but the morning bite hasn't been too
bad either. The duration of the evening bite has growing
longer over the last few days. We had several houses report
a good bite that started around 1pm and lasted until 6:30/7
pm. It seems the bite just keeps getting better as the days
past on.
12-16-09
The colder weather has improved the ice conditions on Red
Lake. There was 9 inches of good ice as of today. The colder
temps should add an additional 2 to 3 inches of ice by this
weekend. Right now we're still using ATV's to travel, but
that should change soon. The walleye bite has steadily
improved over the last few days. I don't know what the
reason is, but it always seems to take a few days for the
water to settle down after first ice before the walleyes
start biting. And when they do, it seems like they haven't
eaten for days.
We're still moving houses daily to
dial in the bite. We currently have houses in water depths from
11 to 13 feet. The bite seems to be just a little better in
11 feet, but not much. The best bite has been happening in the
evenings from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm. This is typical for this
time of year. But we expect the bite to extend later into
the evening as the season wears on.
There's been a
great deal of things happening at the access this year. One
of the new things we've been working on this week has be a
LP refilling station. You asked for it, we provided. This
year we'll provide LP refills at the access. We should have
everything up and running for the LP refilling station by
this weekend.
The other projects at the lodge have been coming along too.
The burger grill is going to provide a ton of fun at the bar
this year. Burger
baskets, appetizers, set-ups; life's going to be good at the
access this year.
Weekends are booking fast. (and so
are many of the weekdays) Give us all call and you'll see
why there's always a good time found at JR's.
Stay tuned! I'll
update the report in the next few days . |