Although he’s been busy jumping around from ice shows, guide Brian “Bro” Brosdahl has been on the ice between Grand Rapids, Red Lake, and the Bemidji for over a week.
“As of December 1, there was already 7 inches of ice by shore on Upper Red Lake and five inches farther out. There’s even more now. And it’s been good ice without a lot of wind, shifting, or snow, so things are looking promising,” reports Bro.
“And a lot of the shallower lakes around here [northern MN around the Bemidji area] have a good four to five inches. The small lakes are locked up pretty tight, but there are some spots where there are only two to three inches and vent holes, so anglers should be aware of these circular formations on the ice and stay away. It did take awhile for the water to cool.”
“So, again, for the most part, a lot of little lakes are locked up but many of the deeper lakes are still wide open, like Walker Bay on Leech Lake is wide open and parts of Cass Lake are open, but a lot of the bays have frozen.”
Bro says what they’re seeing is a little bit more of ice formation night after night with continued temperatures below zero in his region. It hasn’t been super cold, but it has been below freezing, which is good.
“Then, during the day we’re reaching temps right around freezing or just a little bit above so the ice formation isn’t getting damaged.”
Bemidji-area lakes like Irvine, Floyd, parts of Lake Bemidji, and Turtle River all have ice, but Bro says he wouldn’t venture too far out quite yet.
Right Now! Red Lake Conditions & Walleye Size Being Caught
“The place to be right now,” says Bro, “and it has been for many days—is Upper Red. It’s getting a lot of attention because the walleyes are biting and the ease of access is much better than most other lakes up here.”
Bro says the whole half circle is being accessed.
“Resorts on the east, south, and north sides are all letting people walk on, and we’re really not far from four-wheeler traffic being allowed through Red’s resorts. We just need one little cold snap. For the most part, it’s safe to say, that Red has enough ice already that even with this minor projected warming trend we’re going to be okay.”
“A lot of the walleyes being caught on Red right now are in that 15” class, with some smaller ones thrown in just for consistent action and a little bit of fun. But there are quite a few fish between 18” and 22” being caught as well. Just today I got a picture of one of my buddies with a 22-incher, so they’re biting too. Last week I caught plenty of eater-class fish but ended up with several 18s, three 21s, and a 22-incher,” offers Bro.
“Yeah, so there’s a sizeable population of good sized fish in Red, too. You’re allowed one over 17” and three under 17”, so it’s not too hard to put together a nice meal, especially if you’re fishing with family or friends.”
Safety First
Whether it’s a trip to Upper Red or any other lakes in Northern Minnesota anxious ice anglers, Bro urges all anxious ice anglers to bring a chisel and spud out step-after-step to measure for safe ice.
“Don’t just guess. That can be a big mistake. Bring a throw ball, rope, and fish with a buddy. And make sure to wear cleats on your ice fishing boots. And ice picks around your neck on a flotation suit are a must-have.”
Bro says there’s no real reason to venture out that far on most lakes anyway. According to him, walleyes are still close to shorelines and congregating on shoreline-connected points and subtle breaks. Sounds like a good time. Time to get on it—and soon!
