2/6/09
Quite a few "Big Pike" have been caught out of Danny Burkholders fish house this past week...
Quite a few "Big Pike" have been caught out of Danny Burkholders fish house this past week...
2/4/10
Thats Vinny from Duluth MN a on the left and Rod from Floodwood MN
They managed to find a few walleyes on the 4th...
My how time fly’s when you are having fun, it is hard to believe that another winter walleye season will come to an end in a little over three weeks.
Things are finally getting back to normal around here after last weeks big storm, all of our roads have been reopened and lots of new ones have been added and all of the snow plows have been put back together. Not too much slush left to deal with, most of it has frozen solid, just a few large snow drifts left to deal with.
The fishing is typical for January, kind of slow compared to December, we have seen some success in closer to shore but for the most part the same areas that held fish early on are still good. The center bar has been a better night bite but good places to park a fish house are getting hard to come by, this is a small area and it has been hit pretty hard by lots of different snow plows and different styles of snow plowing.
The big northern pike are starting to show up more frequently especially out at the center bar. We also have seen quite a few more crappies this past week, mostly just one or two here and there while a couple of lucky fishermen have done better.
2/2/10
Look at what Bob and Joe caught while Tom was gone....
Rob from Anoka, MN caught and released this northern pike in one of "Duffys Rental Houses"
February 1 2010Look at what Bob and Joe caught while Tom was gone....
Rob from Anoka, MN caught and released this northern pike in one of "Duffys Rental Houses"
Greetings fishermen! Here it is Monday the first day of February already.
The 2010 ice fishing season is moving right on, with only 28 days left till the season will officially close.
The weekend produced a good crowd of people here at ROGERS’, and we thank all of you for making the trip. The bite was spotty, with most catching some, but definitely had to work for what you got this weekend. Not sure if it’s the unstable weather or just what (??) I know many have been catching some big pike, and that would keep any smart walleye in hiding. There has been a hatch of minnows in the lake, so the walleye are not very aggressive at this time. Also caught this weekend were a couple of dandy crappie’s, that we were lucky enough to get pictures of, so that was another plus to a nice weekend. Have a great week.
joani@ROGERS
Fish house rental call ROGERS’ 218 647 8262.
p.s. The fact this being "Super Bowl weekend" there are quite a few empty rental houses available for this weekend, if you are looking for a deal give some of these guys a call.
1/31/10
Jade, Vanessa, Jacob and Regan from Jordan MN
Bill from Princeton MN
A couple of big pike that were caught and release over the weekend...
Greetings fishermen! It has been a hectic week here on Red Lake, with the rain, snow, and mostly the wind. Mother Nature threw it all at us in one week. At least it all started on Monday and not on the weekend, so that was the good part. Getting around on the big lake is still somewhat tough BUT it’s better than it was earlier in the week. Like Jerry said in an earlier posting the main roads are open or a new road has been made in some cases you may need to line up a plow to get into your house, if at all possible we appreciate a little notice.
As far as the fishing goes, it has still been spotty. We have been hearing of some tails of big pike, and that too will keep the walleye in hiding. All in all as today Thursday rolls to a close, it has a very adventurous week here on the big lake. It was a beautiful brisk day, with the new clean snow, and the frost stuck to the trees. Things are looking up as Jerry continues on with getting the mess on the lake cleaned up. Have a safe trip; we will be here awaiting your arrival.
joani@ ROGERS’
1/25/10
Courtney and Brad from Cambridge, MN and Jeremy and Tayah from Princeton, MN
Courtney and Brad from Cambridge, MN and Jeremy and Tayah from Princeton, MN
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
It has been a long day on the lake, the latest winter snow storm really made us a lot of work, about 75% of the roads have been reopened or moved and the rest should be finished by this time tomorrow. Off road travel is not impossible but it is a little more difficult than it has been, there now is some flooding on some of the old roads and around a few of the fish houses that have been in the same place for the past couple of weeks, unless you are on a really hot fishing spot I would recommend that they be moved as the snow banks around some are getting really heavy.
1/24/10It has been a long day on the lake, the latest winter snow storm really made us a lot of work, about 75% of the roads have been reopened or moved and the rest should be finished by this time tomorrow. Off road travel is not impossible but it is a little more difficult than it has been, there now is some flooding on some of the old roads and around a few of the fish houses that have been in the same place for the past couple of weeks, unless you are on a really hot fishing spot I would recommend that they be moved as the snow banks around some are getting really heavy.
Kayla (9), Kyle (6) and Kevin (3) from Zimmerman, MN
1/23/10
What a nice weekend this turned out to be, anyone who stayed home because of the weather forecast missed out on some pretty good fishing. Could have been the weather but I am pretty sure that it had quite a bit to do with the fishing pressure being down, we have to remember that we are fishing in 15 feet of water or less and these fish can be spooked out of an area by all of the noise above, that is why most of the resorts and fishing guides tell everyone to get away from the crowds if possible.
This past week we also saw a pretty good increase in 40 inch plus northern pike being caught and released.
Thursday January 21, 2010
Greetings fishermen! We’re sliding into another weekend with tomorrow being Friday. The fish bite here on the big lake has been on the spotty side. Some are doing really well with others working hard to catch a few. There just doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, seems to be more of a night bite, but some catch a few during the day. I guess as I look back through past January’s sometimes the bite in January can be n-o-t-h-i-n-g-! SO we should probably be glad with what we are getting. We are seeing some nice Northern, and some smaller walleyes, which is good for tomorrow’s fishing.
Keep in check with the weather this weekend, so far so good here. Have a great weekend.
joani
Paul from Iowa with a 15" upper Red Lake Slab Crappie...
The big and little...
John Olson and Jeremy Falls with their catchs of the day...
I think Johns is bigger...
Greetings fishermen,
Another weekend falls to a close here on Red Lake. For some the fishing was a successful adventure while others were - - just fishing. Weather you caught fish or not, this was about the most perfect weekend that could happen in January, here in northern Minnesota. The day was bright and sunny with many having a few fish flop on the ice, not to mention the awesome sunsets here on the big lake.
During the week, many of the outfitters have mid week specials on fish houses. IF you able to make the trip during the week, it is much quieter than a weekend, all the way around a good deal.
Have a great week!
joani @ ROGERS’
Thursday January 14, 2010
Greetings fishermen! Today is Thursday and the time is 1:30 p.m. believe it or not the sun just now came out. J That sun makes everybody feel so much better - especially me.
This weekend we have a few fish houses available if anyone is in need of one. The access road is in fine shape, the store has been loaded with bait, tackle, deli sandwiches, pizza, ice, and all the things we thought you may be in need of for this long weekend ahead of us.
You have a safe trip up here to Red Lake, and we will be here waiting for you…
Joani@ROGERS’
January 13, 2010
Greetings fishermen! What a beautiful day it is here in the north country on this Wednesday morning. Sun is shining and the wind is low - so that may make the day fishing a little better. Seems like dusk has produced the most fish, with many doing well on a small red jig, like a “Doodle bug” or a “Creep worm” or a green Forage Minnow all made by Northland Tackle, tipped with a minnow for the best action. In most cases jigging spooks the fish, either a rattle reel OR dead sticking has worked better.
Joani@ROGERS’
Reid from Big Lake, MN...
Kyle from Wyoming MN with a nice Upper Red Lake Slab crappie...
Kyle Boke from Zimmerman, MN...
Girls rule at the Ruiz camp...
Hunter, Luke Drew and Peyton It was Hunters 11th birthday
and he wanted to go fishing, looks like he made the right choice...
Walleye fishing the past couple of day has been spotty at best, with some fishermen catching their limits and others catching none or just a few. The better bite has come from deeper water near the center bar, dead sticking with a fat head minnow is working the best, jigging just seems to spook the fish. The crappie fishing is still
non- existent, just a couple of stay fish here and there.
The weather is finally going to give us a break, already this morning the temp is a balmy 12 degrees and forecast to reach the highs twenties for the next couple of days. All of our roads are in excellent condition, no bridges, cracks or pressure ridges.
Ken and Kim a with a dandy Upper Red Lake crappie caught around Christmas time...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Finally a day with temps above zero, it actually felt kind of warm today, how soon we adjust.
The walleye bite really slowed down during the cold weather which was evident by all of the fish house movement out there. There are signs that the bite has improved the past couple of days, still there has been a better evening, early morning and night bite than daylight. Glow red and glow blue have been out producing just about all of the other colors combined. Just a few crappies here and there, most of the crappies have been caught by accident just like the bigger northern pike.
We still have a good road out to the “center bar”, the sallow water there has been just a night bite but it has been a good one.
1/1/10Finally a day with temps above zero, it actually felt kind of warm today, how soon we adjust.
The walleye bite really slowed down during the cold weather which was evident by all of the fish house movement out there. There are signs that the bite has improved the past couple of days, still there has been a better evening, early morning and night bite than daylight. Glow red and glow blue have been out producing just about all of the other colors combined. Just a few crappies here and there, most of the crappies have been caught by accident just like the bigger northern pike.
We still have a good road out to the “center bar”, the sallow water there has been just a night bite but it has been a good one.
Adam from Monticello MN... Two good looking guys from St. Louis Park MN unfotunatly I lost their names...
Saturday, January 2, 2010
With all of this cold weather it has been a busy place around here, jump starting, towing, filling propane cylinders and just staying warm.
The walleye bite seems to have shown signs of slowing down, the weather may have played a part in this but mostly I think is was just time, at the pace the walleyes were biting it just could not continue.
As of today we have roads plowed all the way to the center bar and roads straight north 3+ miles, the snow conditions today are such that one can get off the main roads just about anywhere. There are still a few crappies left in the lake as one does show up now and then.
12/29/09With all of this cold weather it has been a busy place around here, jump starting, towing, filling propane cylinders and just staying warm.
The walleye bite seems to have shown signs of slowing down, the weather may have played a part in this but mostly I think is was just time, at the pace the walleyes were biting it just could not continue.
As of today we have roads plowed all the way to the center bar and roads straight north 3+ miles, the snow conditions today are such that one can get off the main roads just about anywhere. There are still a few crappies left in the lake as one does show up now and then.
Francis and Tyler from Champlin MN...
It has been a busy week here at ROGERS’, Joani and I have been putting in some long long hours both on and off the lake, the snow storm over the weekend did not do us any favors. At this time the ice conditions are in pretty good shape 16 plus inches of ice just about everywhere except under the snow banks, even with all of the snow on the lake we are experiencing very little flooding but that could change real fast. We are seeing quite a few cracks especially out near the center bar so be very careful when going off road.
The walleye bite has been great with just about everyone catching fish, the better bite has been in 13 to 15 feet of water but there still has been a good night bite in close. The real hot bite has been out at the “Center Bar” but that will most likely end as soon as the big crowds of fishermen pile into that area.
Just a crappie here and there with a few big northern pike tossed in for excitement.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas to all of my fishing friends, I surely hope everyone received everything they wanted for Christmas and had plenty of good eats.
Well we remained open everyday so far this season in spite of a pesky pressure ridge and now more snow than we needed. Almost daily for the past week I have had to rebuild the bridge over the ridge, we have been in good shape for truck traffic and wheel houses unfortunately we have not been able to safely take out the larger skid houses, maybe early next week things will firm up enough to hold both the large houses and all of the new snow the weatherman delivered. I have been on the lake the past couple of days checking out the snow situation, there are some mighty big snow drifts around the houses that were out there before the snow storm, a few of them were starting to gather a little water and may need to be moved or blocked up soon. I have not done any plowing on the main roads and I most likely will not plow until the winds lay down some, plowing now on just 16 inches of ice will just compound the problem, we will just have to wait and see what happens. Anyway the fishermen out there now are not having too much trouble getting around, if they can see where they are going.
The fishing seems to have slowed down some since the storm started but so have the fishermen, hopefully I can bring you some better news tomorrow.
Jerry@ROGERS'
12/20/09
Pete, Taryn and Hunter went home with a bag full of Upper Red Lake Walleyes...
Calvin from Prior Lake MN with
the 1st crappie of the season...
Pete, Taryn and Hunter went home with a bag full of Upper Red Lake Walleyes...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
We are making ice now, 12 inches plus is the least I could find today. During the weekend we did develop a couple of what I call warm weather cracks out about 3 miles other than that we are ready to go at it full bore by next weekend.
12/19/09We are making ice now, 12 inches plus is the least I could find today. During the weekend we did develop a couple of what I call warm weather cracks out about 3 miles other than that we are ready to go at it full bore by next weekend.
Markus, Amy and Jordan from Menahga MN...
Scott from Marcell MN
12/18/09Calvin from Prior Lake MN with
the 1st crappie of the season...
Friday, December 18, 2009
In spite of what some people are reporting the ice thickness is still a short 12 inches, yes you can find some ice over 12 inches but today I had no problem finding places that measured less than 10. Lets all play it safe and check the ice thickness for sure before crossing an area that no one has tested yet. At his time because of the lack of snow cover we are dealing with a lot of ice movement, luckily here a ROGERS' it is pushing up on shore and not out in the lake, as soon as we get some meaningfully snow cover the ice pack should stabilize.
The walleye bit has been on and off the past couple of days, when the walleyes do come through the action can be fast, today Joani saw her first crappie of the season pass through the lodge so they can’t be all gone.
I do have the road staked all the way to the center bar and have been running back and forth with a small plow and a drag, we should see a few houses moving out that way soon, the walleye fishing was pretty good there early in the season last year.
12/15/09In spite of what some people are reporting the ice thickness is still a short 12 inches, yes you can find some ice over 12 inches but today I had no problem finding places that measured less than 10. Lets all play it safe and check the ice thickness for sure before crossing an area that no one has tested yet. At his time because of the lack of snow cover we are dealing with a lot of ice movement, luckily here a ROGERS' it is pushing up on shore and not out in the lake, as soon as we get some meaningfully snow cover the ice pack should stabilize.
The walleye bit has been on and off the past couple of days, when the walleyes do come through the action can be fast, today Joani saw her first crappie of the season pass through the lodge so they can’t be all gone.
I do have the road staked all the way to the center bar and have been running back and forth with a small plow and a drag, we should see a few houses moving out that way soon, the walleye fishing was pretty good there early in the season last year.
Me and Mike with half a limit, could have caught more but did not have the time...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Another cold day on Upper Red Lake, I now have our “Ice Road” marked all the way out to the “Center Bar” maybe in the next week or two we will see a few fishermen testing the ice in this area, right now there is 10 to 12 inches of ice on most of the lake but there are still a few spots that just have 7 or 8 inches of ice on the way there.
The walleye bite is starting to pick up, a glow red frosty or red glow doodle bug tipped with a fathead minnow worked the best today, we found most of the active fish in 10 to 11 feet of water.
12/14/2009Another cold day on Upper Red Lake, I now have our “Ice Road” marked all the way out to the “Center Bar” maybe in the next week or two we will see a few fishermen testing the ice in this area, right now there is 10 to 12 inches of ice on most of the lake but there are still a few spots that just have 7 or 8 inches of ice on the way there.
The walleye bite is starting to pick up, a glow red frosty or red glow doodle bug tipped with a fathead minnow worked the best today, we found most of the active fish in 10 to 11 feet of water.
Monday, December 14, 2009
I spent most of today working on our access and ice road, what I found was very promising. I have the road marked four miles out, just 20 markers short of the center bar. The ice measured on average 9 to 12 inches but in places I found just 7 inches, it is hard to tell from this photo but this was just a bunch of frozen snow, it would hold up a Suzuki Samurai or a 4 wheeler just fine but I would not chance driving a truck over it just yet.
The fishing this weekend was OK , there where a couple of fishermen with their limits but most only found a few fish willing to take the bait, the bite should pike up some as the water clears up. The biggest mistake I see fishermen doing is heading out to deeper water, this time of year the majority of the walleyes will still be in shallow.
12/11/09I spent most of today working on our access and ice road, what I found was very promising. I have the road marked four miles out, just 20 markers short of the center bar. The ice measured on average 9 to 12 inches but in places I found just 7 inches, it is hard to tell from this photo but this was just a bunch of frozen snow, it would hold up a Suzuki Samurai or a 4 wheeler just fine but I would not chance driving a truck over it just yet.
The fishing this weekend was OK , there where a couple of fishermen with their limits but most only found a few fish willing to take the bait, the bite should pike up some as the water clears up. The biggest mistake I see fishermen doing is heading out to deeper water, this time of year the majority of the walleyes will still be in shallow.
Looks like the same photo I took last year 12/4/08
According to my calculations we are exactly one week behind last year, so that should save a few fish. Finally today I got to bring out a couple of the smaller fish houses, the ice today measured close to 8 inches, I still needed to tip toe my way around a few thin spots that measured just 6 inches. The water is still very murky, it should clear up some in the next few days, maybe that is the reason I did not catch any fish but I did get the photo that I was looking for.
Chris and Dallas from Portavilla unloading one of their new 10X20 fish houses...
The 15 to 20 below zero temperatures have really helped make ice, we now have anywhere from 6 to 8 inches of ice in most places, I still found one patch of ice that was just 4 inches. Because of the cold temperatures we have had very little fishing activity to report on, a couple of fishermen gave it a try yesterday and did pickup a few walleyes but most were over 17 inches. We are now open to ATV and snowmobile traffic, sometime tomorrow I will attempt to bring out a couple of the smaller houses that can be pulled with a snowmobile or ATV.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Things are looking good, I just came in off the lake and this is some of the nicest looking ice I have ever seen. Most of the ice measured close to 5 inches and in place it was over 6 inches but near shore in 4 to 5 feet of water it only measured 3 ½ to 4 inches. I have a trail marked out to 11 feet of water after that it drops off fairly fast, if the wind does not mess thing up this weekend should see the first wave of ATVs and portable fish house attack the big lake here on the south shore.
I have not been on the lake for a couple days but thing are looking good, maybe tomorrow I will venture out and check out just how thick the ice is here. If the wind does not mess thing up between now and Friday I would suspect that we will see a few ATVs on the lake and just maybe we will be having fresh fish for dinner.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
As far as I can tell there is no open water that one can see from the south shore, we did have a couple of fishermen attempt to go out this a.m. but they changed there minds after just a few yards onto the lake. Later I went out maybe 100 feet from shore where there was some clear ice, I chiseled a hole and the ice measured exactly 1 ½ inches, not enough for me to venture any further. Things are looking up, if a big wind does not break this ice up we should be walking out to test the ice thickness by Monday or Tuesday and maybe even wet at line or two.
You can still open water in few spots, if the winds stay down we should be walking out in a couple of days...