Upper Red Lake — Wind Won the Week, Five to Nine Feet if You Sneak Out

Upper Red is shallow and wide open, and when the wind gets going out there, it feels like trying to fish a washing machine. That’s how most of this past week went. Not many boats went out, and the column says the wind is the main reason.

If you get a window

• Walleyes: jig and minnow at 5 to 9 feet.
• Where: the north and south shorelines seem to be holding most of the fish. That’s the resort’s read.
• Bonus fish: a few bigger pike and crappies have been mixed in.

That’s it. Short report. Watch the forecast, pick a calm stretch, and keep the boat near shore where the fish are supposed to be anyway.

How it lines up with the last card

Our Oct. 1 card had cranks at 4 to 7 feet along shore. This week it’s a jig and minnow, and a touch deeper.

Fine print

This is one weekly newspaper column, with the Upper Red part coming from a local resort. It’s based on a quiet week with few anglers, and it gives no fish counts or sizes. We didn’t add any. Don’t head out in a small boat when Red is rolling.

Sources

• Weekly Fishing Report: Good weather this week for fishing, Dick Beardsley, Bemidji Pioneer, Oct. 21, 2026 (Upper Red Lake area resource: West Wind Resort)
• Prior card: Upper Red Lake, slow shoreline cranks