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?

What are the closest cities to 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. Walleye, the primary species sought by anglers, is managed under a cooperative plan with the Red Lake Band that establishes target harvest levels that vary according the mature female population. As a result, fishing regulations are frequently adjusted to achieve harvest levels within these targets.

The 2023 Walleye gill net catch rate was 48.9 per gill net. The population is now dominated by young fish, mostly notably the 2019 and 2022 year classes. These young fish are ages 2 to 5 and range from 8 to 17 inches. The "one over 17 inches" size regulation will again be in place for the 2024 open water season and there will be plenty of fish right around that size (so measure carefully!). The bag limit will be three fish from Fishing Opener through June 14 and four fish starting June 15th. Walleye harvest last winter (the first half of our harvest year) was record high which necessitated the lower bag limit to start the open-water season to ensure we finish the harvest year below the harvest cap. Upper Red Lake has one of the highest Walleye catch rates in the state, particularly in May and June, though early ice-out may slow the fish down a bit. Getting away from the river mouths will help you get away from the crowds and that may be even more important this year if the fish are further post-spawn on Opener.

Northern Pike density in Upper Red Lake is low, which is actually a desirable condition for lakes that are being managed for trophy pike. Recent ice-out trap net assessments have captured Northern Pike up to 44 inches in length with tremendous numbers of fish over 36 inches in length. The 30- to 40-inch protected slot limit (only one fish allowed over 40 inches) provides a balance of harvest opportunity for eater-sized fish as well as the chance to put a trophy on the wall. MNDNR has been tagging Northern Pike during the past three years. Anglers should be on the lookout for these yellow tags that are inserted at the base of the dorsal fin on the left side of the fish. Anglers who catch a tagged fish should note the tag number and are encouraged to report the catch on the DNR website. Simply do a search for "MNDNR fish tag reporting" and follow the links. Note: these tags are sometimes coated with algae that makes seeing the numbers difficult but this can be easily rubbed off to reveal the six-digit number.

Yellow Perch gill net catch rate in 2023 was 29.7 fish/net, the highest in two decades. Many fish caught while Walleye fishing will be big enough to keep and there are good numbers of 10- to 11-inch fish in the population. Growth rates of Yellow Perch in Upper Red Lake are excellent; 46% of the 2023 Yellow Perch gill net catch was greater than 9 inches in length. This has resulted in some anglers putting together decent catches of nice-sized fish.

Black Crappie are showing up in angler catches in greater numbers than they have in several years. These fish are nearly all from the 2018 year class and average around 12 inches. However, there are a few fish from some older year classes still out there that provide an opportunity to catch an impressive 14 or 15 incher that may invoke memories of the "crappie boom" that occurred in the early 2000s. However, the current bump in crappie fishing success should not be misinterpreted as a new crappie boom, but rather increased opportunity for a few bonus fish as the 2018 year class is not nearly as large as the historic 1995 year class. Anglers targeting Black Crappie will be most successful in late May and early June looking for fish in and adjacent to likely spawning areas.

What is the average air temp for Upper Red Lae?

Are there any state parks near Upper Red Lae?