Lake Of the Woods or Red????

[firfyter]

I am planning on going to either Red Lake or Lake of the Woods in Febuary. Given that time of year which would be a better place to go? We are going to be doing a 4 day trip.

[anyfishwilldo]

No contest. LOW definately. Leave a little early, and hit Red on the way home, seeing as how you drive right past to get to LOW.

[Sutty]

I was going to say I usually do both. I do the opposite I like to stay at red and hit LOTW for a day. I like fishing at night and there is not a night bite on LOTW but a good one on Red.

[anyfishwilldo]

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there is not a night bite on LOTW .

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I beg to differ. We hammered the hogs on the shallow rocks at LOW. We were fishing between 5-10fow. We usually set up the big house in the shallows, and go out deep with the portys. One trip up there last year, we actually caught a fair number of walleyes suspended 5 ft below the ice after dark. That was nice, NO POUT.

[Sutty]

I don't doubt that fish can be caught but night fishing on Red is certainly more productive on average, If you read the boards for LOTW most people will come off the lake at or right after sunset because it becomes pretty tough. Most guys in sleepers will report maybe an odd fish or two but mainly pout.

Red has an awesome night bite with the potential for walleye or crappie. Don't get me wrong If you look at it the other way You can pound the fish during the day and you don't need to fish at night. Lake of the woods also has a better bag limit for walleye and Sauger that you can't catch on Red (sauger). It just depends what is more important to each individual. Not knocking the lake, I love fishing the woods. I usually fish both on my trip since they are close enough together. I usually stay in a house on the lake and at night that is more productive on Red.

[GRAND DAD]

I do both I will put the wheeled house on Red and fish and sleep there at night and bring the portable to LOW for day fishing I can't wait!!!

[chris63]

I agree!!!!!!!!!!Shallow after dark on Low for Eyes.Everyone says"theres no bite on Low after dark"let em keep thinking that...hehehehehehc63If you dont fish after dark,you wont catch any!cyac

[kwiggy]

Okay, dumb question here... If you are fishing to feed the family what do you do with the fish from LOTW when you are staying on Red. I am assuming the bite is so good that it is easy to limit on Red in a day. I guess I could ask the same question if you are staying on the lake for a few days. Let's say you plan on fishing for 4 days, what happens if you limit on the first day? What do you do with the fish? .....I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

[blueroof]

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...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

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You can gift them to somebody or eat them if you need to catch and keep more the next day. You could also catch and release if you so choose as long as you don't have your limit already when doing so. You could have your limit and be fishing for another species too. I've heard stories of different color dye that is visible under UV light in each of those fisheries to tell Red Lake fish from LOW fish, never read anything concrete on that. I was with some ironworkers who swore it was true, they had the DNR stop the on Red and look at their fish with special lights. Good story anyhow.

LB

[Dan Brelje]

I'd hit both, spend a day on red and a few on LOW. you never know, you could end up at red for the whole weekend.

[hanson]

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Let's say you plan on fishing for 4 days, what happens if you limit on the first day? What do you do with the fish? .....I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

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You'll have to eat them, or stop fishing. Pretty simple. Once you reach your possession limit (same as daily), thats it.

Westwinds Resort on URL will cook up your fillets for you.

[Shack]

When I had seen Hanson had replied to this thread, I figured/bet he would of said Red (having a shack up there)!

The more time spent on one body of water, the more the advice should be taken!

Now, the Lake of The Woods! This a body of water that is a right of passage! I figure one has to at least fish once, before he can even try Red!

At least that is how I sit!

Good Luck!

[Kyle Sandberg]

To get a larger meal, with the declining population of crappies on Red, and depending on what time of the year you venture out, LOW has soem nice perchies.

[Ebiz]

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You can gift them to somebody or eat them if you need to catch and keep more the next day.

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Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you can just "give them away" and start over on your limit.

[blueroof]

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Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you can just "give them away" and start over on your limit.

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Not positive, but Page 4 of the regulations under Daily and possession limits (bags) sez: Daily limit is the number of fish an angler can take in one calendar day. Eating those fish or gifting them away on the same day does not allow an angler to possess additional fish taken in the same calendar day.

I kinda presumed that meant if you gave them away, the next day you can bag another limit - as usual I could be wrong. I looked and couldn't find any other specific info on gifting fish in the manual.

LB

[Ebiz]

You're right, that's exactly what it says. I could swear it used to state that any gifted fish count towards your possession limit but now that I think about it that wouldn't make much sense since you would have no way of knowing whether or not the giftee had eaten the fish or not.

Not to knock the DNR but I'm constantly amazed at how many of the hunting and fishing regs are seemingly open to multiple interpretations.

[Chad Halvorson]

LOW gets my vote,, but RED would get a visit to a certain gps'd spot on the way back, for sure!

[The Donk]

Red Lake for sure, the fish are easier to find and LOW fish are generally smaller

[chris63]

I've heard stories of different color dye that is visible under UV light in each of those fisheries to tell Red Lake fish from LOW fish, never read anything concrete on that. I was with some ironworkers who swore it was true, they had the DNR stop the on Red and look at their fish with special lights. Good story anyhow.

LB

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I'm not sure but I've never heard of Dye stocking of any fish programs in Mn.DNR or otherwise. If this is true, I sure would like to hear more about it. Both lakes can be fished at night. If you don't fish at night you won't catch any Walleyes at night! Cya C63

[germanshorthairs]

Go to Red Lake, may be the last good year again. Natives are re-opening fish processing plant in Redby. LOW will always be good.

[white80a]

THINKING ON GOING TO RED WITH A BUCH OF GUYS IN EARLY DEC. WHERE SHOULD WE STAY? WE WOULD LIKE TO STAY IN SLEEPERS

[Scott K]

Early Dec I dont think there will be sleepers on the ice yet? If there is its usualy a last minute thing.

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

Red gets my vote and I'm sure Trouble 28's as well. LOTW can be so hit and miss where RED is a sure bet. I don't suppose anyone on here could get you some GPS way points to LOTW.

[Xplorer]

I'd say sleepers on average dont get out on Red til the week between Xmas and New years.

Early Dec i think you are talking portables on either place, tho that will depend on Ma Nature either place.

Red has eye's, early season big pike, and crappies if you can find them along with some hit/miss perch.

LOTW has eye's, saug's, nice perch and a more liberal limit than Red for eye's. I'd say it just depends, maybe try a couple days at each since I dont think your gonna be staying on the ice at either place in early Dec.

As far as the dye thing, I dont know about LOTW, but I believe that the DNR successfuly prosecuted its first case of an overlimit of Red eye's last winter based on the dye. It was on the DNR HSOforum, i believe that the eye's that were stocked into Red after the collapse were exposed to a trace element that can be identified by DNR officers.

Good luck with your decision, cant go wrong with either.