New Trip Idea (help).

[ZapBranigan]

We have been taking a trip every Feb since I can remember. The last 5 yrs or so have been to Upper Red Lake with detours to LOW. But the guys (3 to 6 of them depending on home front situations)are getting to feel we need something new. So what are some great trips you guys have taken. Somewhere in the 3 to 5 day range. Anywhere in MN, west WI, North IA, Or East Dakotas. Catching fish is only part of it. We prefer to stay on the ice (sleepers). But anything is fair game. The vehicles don't usually have a ton of space so we haven't been hauling even protables but rather either buckets on the ice or stay in the base house usually a sleeper. Any good ideas are welcome. I'm sure I'm not the only one rethinking this process.

[DTro]

Devils Lake ND

[lovebigbluegills]

I was just going to say the same thing...Devils Lake

[BuschPilot]

Maybe you should check out the Thorne Bros. outing to Crow Lake in February for Lakers and crappies, sounds like its going to be a great time with lots of fish and fun! I know i can't wait.

[Sandmannd]

Devils Lake would be a blast.

[EyeGuide]

This year I'd go no further than Red Lake it's close and you'll catch a lot of fish. I went to Devils last year and it was a ghost town. Fishing was OK but you had to work hard for em. I didn't see another person fishing in three days. We covered a lot of water where was everyone?

[ZapBranigan]

Thanks guys this gives me a few ideas to throw out there and start the research on. Anyone tried the train to Devil's lake. I don't think anyone in our group would go for it. They can't exist without at least some form of transport. Even if only on buckets we still need to be able to move about.

[hanson]

If you go to Devil's Lake, hire a guide!

Devil's Lake is extremely overwhelming and not to mention over 70 miles from one end to the other, maybe more now. If you do it on your own, you'll be staring blankly at a map wondering "where do we start?" DL only has a few major resorts and I am unsure on how they plow roads. The few times I've been there, there hasn't been an extensive network of plowed roads like we're used to on large Minnesota lakes. Add to that the blowing snow and cold that ND is famous for and you might be wondering what were we thinking.

I did have a friend of mine take the Perch Express Train up there once and he said he'd never do it again. You have to remember the Empire Builder leaves St Paul around 11pm and you'll be arriving DL sometime in the early morning and the heading directly out fishing. They were so excited for their trip that they stayed up most of the night chatting and drinking and then had to fish the entire next day. He said it was miserable. I believe the train out there is slower than driving as well. You put 3 guys in a truck at today's fuel prices, you'll probably come out ahead financially as well.

[Doop]

I don't know about you guys but I enjoy being all alone on the ice. I go out of my way to stay away from the crowds. I like those ghost town lakes!

[RaininFeathers]

I like lake of the woods. Almost always steady walleye and sauger action. Steady fishing and you avoid the cost of buying an out of state liscenes.

[robert1965]

you should try the canadian side of L.O.W. you wont be disappointed.

[FrontenacPike]

My buddy and I are leaving for our first ever big 5. We will be gone for a week and hitting LOW, Upper Red, Winnie, Leech, Mille Lacs. We plan on just jumping from lake to lake and if we hit a lake that is producing staying. We plan on driving at night and fishing all day. We will be fishing out of a portable, so there may be a couple nights we will be sleeping in the truck on the ice at night. I think we might grab a hotel one night just to freshen up.

[robert1965]

to much work. save your money and time, just go to L.O.W. and hop around the lake, the lakes you mentioned in my opinion don't hold a candle to L.O.W. go there and explore.

[snoozebutton]

If you're making "side trips" to LOW, you probably haven't hit the NW Angle. If not, you might want to give that a try. We've almost always caught bigger ones up that way.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

YES - Scout around LOW........

Start around Baudette and work West and North to NW Angle or in reverse.

OR better yet - Fish all around NW Angle area the entire time...!

[minneman]

Canada wasn't on your list but everyone ought to hit lake Winnipeg or the Red at least once in their life.

[ZapBranigan]

NW angle and or Canada - two issues $80 for passports and time to get that done. I have mine but i need to convince them to get theirs. Then their is the whole licensing deal.

On NW angle I went out many years back (many) no roads only way out was on a tracked vehicle. We were stuck in a house and caught zip and marked zip for three days. Worse the guy who was in charge of food brought only deer venicine and bread. OMG 3 night / 4 days of nothing but deer and dry bread. Has this changed are there roads plowed now? Oh well I shouldn't judge a trip by that one maybe.

[WALLEYEDUDE2001]

I believe passports are not needed for ground travel until June 2009.