what started out as a slow week has becoam very hectic. Bob and his gal Terry are fishing minnesota auntil tomorrow as well as Matt in montana. Tony and leah had 7 in there bucket and a couple of perch, Bob abd Terry were planning on having fresh fish for dinner last night. Bob called out of the blue wednesday and came up from Iowa yesterday.red lake was on his bucket list ,While checking them in yesterday he said he was here in 1950 with his dad. I will be busy today as I check in Darrel and his crew and get california moved before the jay and his crew arrive. Then tomorrow I would like to move montana and minnesota before lee’s crew arrive. I also plan on moving florida today. Busy busy

Thats right the fishing was good in the 4 shacks I had rented this weekend. California went home with there 4 a piece. Andy his dad and david went home with 8 .Carrie and his family had five the last time I had seen them and Tracy and her girlfriends went home with a couple. Now I will have to decide if I want to reset the houses or leave them and see what happens next weekend. Florida needs to be moved over into the area and california needs to be moved as it has been fished hard.

Today was my older sister birthday.
Andy and his dad arrived and had a perch with in 5 minutes of dropping a line. They had three in the bucket around 8pm and caught a few over 17s

Yes the 4 to 5 inches of snow had created quite the work load. Phil had been here for 10 days fixing blue thunder,red baron and the silver bullit our dodge. I was hoping we could get the tranny to shift out of low but no such luck and it will need to go to the tranny shop. The red baron got a new front axel and bearing and turned into quite the job. It then got a good work out as I tried to open up 4 miles of road. It looked good until the winds yesterday filled in it. I need to find some time to check a different route to the shacks.
We have also been doing some scoutting and have found much better fishing a little closer to the north shore.Its so easy to get crappie on the brain but to much time and money is wasted with poor walleye fishing while trying to catch a elusive crappie. Arizona,California,Montana have been moved and after Jim and peggy leave today Florida will follow to a better fishey area. I plan on fishing minnesota tomorrow night”Stupid craapies” in a new location and then will be moving it saturday to a completly different area. Jim and peg have had some action and said they loved the house and will be back and recommend me to there friends, She works at the spam museum in austin and gave me a couple of spam burgers yeasterday.
Arizona will sit emptey this weekend as of now. Tony rolls in for california,Carrie and his family for florida,Andy for montana. and Tracy is here saturday for minnesota. I aquired a new print for montana and should look nice on the wall. Phil fished california last night and I fished it yesterday morning. They were getting some good action last night and I was happy with the fishing yesterday morning

Well it was nice to see the fishing picked up saturday eve,. Scott caught his trophy crappie a very fat thick elusive uppper red lake crappie. Dalton had a nice run at 10pm and landed 5 keepers. Jeff and his crew did much better after I moved california. Kevin and his crew ate like kings ,played cards and had a good time but the fishing was not the best but they were not fishing as hard as they could of. I did manage to get a keeper in minnnesota saturday while prepping for dave and sarhas arrival. They did not roll in tell 9pm saturday night . I will be moving them today if they did not have a good night.
I spent yesterday moving florida,montana and arizona before the snow starts drifting around the houses. They are banked, cleaned and ready to have the holes augered out friday morning.Peg and Jim arrive tomorrow for florida. Phil we be wetting a line in one of the houses tonight just not sure which one at this time. California has only been fished one night so i will leave it there for the up and coming weekend.
We will be spending the next couple of days moving some snow as I think we got around 6 inches.

Scott with is trophy and there catch for the weekend.[url=http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/file/userpics/2012/01/full-1934-16710-399623_345787558774058_168677789818370_1325528_2093872709_n.jpg][img]http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/file/userpics/2012/01/full-1934-16710-399623_345787558774058_168677789818370_1325528_2093872709_n.jpg[/img][/url]

[url=http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/file/userpics/2012/01/full-1934-16711-405968_345788285440652_168677789818370_1325533_24552161_n.jpg][img]http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/file/userpics/2012/01/full-1934-16711-405968_345788285440652_168677789818370_1325533_24552161_n.jpg[/img][/url]
All the prep work before moving montana

[url=http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/file/userpics/2012/01/full-1934-16712-403311_345789608773853_168677789818370_1325536_1237348546_n.jpg][img]http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/file/userpics/2012/01/full-1934-16712-403311_345789608773853_168677789818370_1325536_1237348546_n.jpg[/img][/url]

Well another weekend has come and gone. It was a interesting weekend to say the least. Jake was up again to do some scouting and enjoy the beauty of upper red lake. After spanking them two weeks ago he was served a slice of humble pie. Jake fishes out of his van with tip ups set up for walleyes. He never found a fishy area all weekend. Saturday afternoon as he headed over to help me move Minnesota his van stopped running. We think his alternator went out and he had been running with his battery Friday and Saturday morning. Before he made it to me the van dies again. Being I run two batteries in blue thunder we switched up batteries and he was off to shore to see if he could get the alternator off. No such luck though.
I sent him home with two batteries and he ended having to buy one more to make it home.
Now for the rest of the fishing.California did the best Saturday with 8 keeper walleye and 2 elusive but still catchable upper red lake slabs.
I was off by 5 days as I predicted one of my house would have a crappie by the 10th.
Florida had Tom,Mike and Leonard they barely caught enough fish for a fish fry. I left Florida where it was because it had some good night time action the previous two fishermen. The plan was to move it Saturday depending how they did. Tom and Mike fished outside a good part of the day Saturday and did not fair well at all. I offered to move the house but Tom decided they would stay put. Hindsight I wish I would of moved it last week befor they arrived. I still think it a good spot but the bite was just off.
Montana had my old boss from Chomonix golf course in Anoka. They also had poor fishing and they were om a fresh spot. It was nice seeing Ben and Greg as it has been at least 5 years. Jason wants to come up hunt a bear this fall.
Arizona had a few guys from Mpls Darnell,Jon,Mike George and Derrick. They were not avid fishermen. They have gotten a few fish but only 3 keepers since last night. I checked there set up last night and Jon’s bait was 3 feet under the ice. I adjusted his bobber stop and before I had left he had his first upper red lake walleye a fat healthy 16 and 3/4.
Minnesota had Pat, Todd and Ryan. They have been coming for 7 years. Todd flies in from San Fransisco. Ryan spanked me in two games of cribbage and playing a dime a point I ended up owing him 8 dollars and 40 cents.
They did well after the move and Pat served me up some killer chili he made.They did go home with 12 upper red lake walleyes.
All in all the bite was not that good again on a weekend. Minnesota needs to be moved today as Matt and his crew roll in tomorrow.

Jon’s first upper red lake walleye

Leonard with one too big

An elusive yet still catchable Upper Red Lake crappie

I only had two fishermen out there the last two nights. Anthony and Nick. The first night they said the rattle wheels went off 7 or 8 times and they got one keeper and missed the rest. I was like dudes you needed to get out of bed and Jig. Nick SDI they were to tired so lets hope if they had a run last night they got after it a bit.
I was able to move Arizona and Montana yesterday. I was hoping to leave Florida on the same spot but may have to move it today since it has been fished three night by two different groups.
Minnesota will have Pat for 3 days so I will have them fish it the first day where it is and then we may move it Saturday or Sunday. California will be used as a day house Friday, Saturday, Sunday and no one has spent the night in it where it is so it will stay where it is for now.
The fishing sure had been better then last year and lets hope that continues. Its nice to see fish coming out of the houses. I’m surprised I have not heard from Jill and her crew as they have been coming up for quite a few years

The year sure has started off well compared to last year. No one has been skunked and the weather has been unreal. That’s about to change though and she will be a little tougher working out there today.
Nick and Anthony are fishing Florida as they arrived yesterday afternoon. Spent some time visiting them last night. They have fished a couple of other outfits up here in the past. And said i was the first one that ever checked on them . I guess I was surprised about that as I assumed that all the outfits check on the customers. I have never rented a fish house so I base what I do on what I would want. we have another full house this weekend then it tapers off a bit during the week.
The last weekend of Jan.all the houses are open? I guess there no reason to panic but we sure hate to have empty houses on the weekends. Lee and Tucker were here Sunday Monday and did ok .Lee had me out for fish Monday night in old Minnesota and the meal was excellent. They headed home yesterday with 4 real nice keepers. Lee did find one very fishy area and I need to decide if I want to slide a house over there.
I sure like where Florida is and plan on bringing Montana over by it today. Minnesota may go where Lee scouted and California has not been slept in where it’s at so I may just leave it there for the weekend. The sun is coming up better get to work

Said goodbye to all my fishermen yesterday morning. The college kids said they will be back next year. I then got busy finishing Arizona for Ryan and his crew. Wes rolled in 8 am sharp and I got them settled in and continued to work in Arizona. Just as I buttoned that one up Tim and his buddy arrived for one day in Minnesota as as well as the guys in Arizona. Once I had everyone settled in I moved Florida and prepped her out and then took California out deeper. Tony did not show for California so I did not auger the holes and headed off the lake. Ted and his buddy rolled in just after dark. As I met them at Hillman’s it had snowed a dusting and the wind was howling. I knew before we hit the lake that finding Florida in the dark was going to be a challenge and sure enough as soon as I hit the lake the landscape had changed do to the blowing wind. It took a few extra minutes to find the house but I managed to find it and get them settled in. Then it was off to do the rounds for the eve. Tim landed a 38 inch pike while Greg was in town and did not have a camera. Montana and Arizona both had slow bites all day with each house only having 3 keepers. Greg landed a fat 23 while I was in old minnesota and a small scuffit plus Tim missed two bites. Back to Florida and the guys were all settled in and hoping for a good bite.