Upper Red Lae

How big is Upper Red Lae?

How deep is Upper Red Lae?

What kind of fish can you catch in Upper Red Lae?

Are there places to eat and drink near Upper Red Lae?

What are the fishing regulations for Upper Red Lae?

There are specific fishing regulations Upper Red Lae that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

General Restrictions

• A person's statewide bag limit may not include more than current bag limit of Red Lake walleye
• State anglers: The actual boundary is not a true north-south line. To simplify, it's recommended that anglers stay east of the longitudinal coordinate of 94 deg. 43' 12.0" to ensure they are on State waters.
• The fish carcass retention requirements are still in effect - see page 32 of 2017 fishing synopsis.
• Those portions of Red Lake located within the Red Lake Indian Reservation are closed to non-band members except by special authorization of the tribal council.

What aquatic invasive species are found in Upper Red Lae?

Upper Red Lake is a 120,000 acre lake, 60% (72,000 acres) of which is under the jurisdiction of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians (Red Lake Band). The remaining 40% (48,000 acres) falls under the jurisdiction of the State of Minnesota. The collapse of the Red Lakes Walleye population in the mid 1990's has been well documented. Similarly, the cooperative recovery effort that included a total closure on Walleye harvest, a short-term Walleye fry stocking program, intensified population monitoring, and increased law enforcement efforts has been widely publicized. In 2006, the Red Lakes were re-opened to Walleye fishing under a conservative set of harvest regulations. Walleye harvest allocations, as outlined in the harvest management plan, are based on the proportion of surface water acreage within each jurisdiction. Specific fishing methods and regulations for managing harvest within the allocations are determined individually within each jurisdiction. From 2006 when the Walleye fishery was reopened though summer 2015, the Walleye population was managed with a protected slot limit. In December 2015, the size restriction for Walleye was modified to a "one over" regulation that allows the harvest of one fish over a designated size. This regulation is designed to allow harvest of fish over a broad size range and not focus the harvest on any particular size class of Walleye. The winter 2016-2017 Walleye fishing regulation was a three fish bag/possession limit with one fish allowed over 17 inches. The bag limit beginning on the May 13, 2017 Fishing Opener will be increased to four fish, with one fish allowed over 17 inches.

In addition to special Walleye regulations, a special harvest regulation for Northern Pike has been in place since the 2006 fishing opener. The regulation from 2006 through 2010 was a 26-40 inch PSL (only one fish over 40 inches allowed in possession) and beginning with the 2011 fishing season opener, this slot limit was widened to a 26-44 inch protected slot (only one fish over 44 inches allowed in possession) to increase protection for large pike.

Present Fish Population Status
The 2016 Walleye gill net catch-per-effort (CPE) was 29.0 per gill net. The incredibly strong 2009 and 2011 year classes continue to dominate the population with most of these fish measuring between 15 and 18 inches. This should mean that anglers should have no problem catching their "under" fish this summer and there is also a good number of fish from 17 to 20 inches in the population to provide that one fish over 17 inches for the frying pan. Although Upper Red Lake has one of the highest Walleye catch rates in the state, it is not known for producing large fish. However, fish in the low twenties are fairly common and provide a nice surprise when they cooperate.

Northern Pike density in Upper Red Lake is low, which is actually a desirable condition for lakes that are being managed for trophy pike. This low density population produces individuals that reach large sizes (> 40 inches) and recent ice-out trap net assessment have captured Northern Pike approaching 46 inches in length with good numbers of fish over 40 inches in length.

Yellow Perch CPE in 2016 was 13.0 fish/net and included good numbers of keeper-sized fish. Yellow Perch population abundance has nearly returned to pre-Walleye collapse levels after going through a period of low abundance during the 2000s. Growth rates of Yellow Perch in Upper Red Lake are good and 65% of the Yellow Perch catch was greater than 9 inches in length. This has resulted in increased angling success with some anglers putting together catches of nice-sized fish.

A few moderate year classes of Black Crappie have been documented in recent assessments and creel surveys and most of these fish are 10 to 13 inches. Although these fish represent the first recruitment beyond age 0 since the "crappie boom" in the late 1990s, they appear to be of modest strength and don't likely signal the next crappie boom. However, it is possible that anglers may pick up a few more "bonus" crappies while fishing Walleye than they have over the past few years.

What is the average air temp for Upper Red Lae?

Are there any state parks near Upper Red Lae?