Upper Red Lake walleye fishing can be fantastic for early ice because it freezes so early. It’s divided into an upper and lower portion, and only about half of the upper portion is accessible to most anglers. The other two thirds is part of a Reservation. It gets a large amount of fishing pressure, and 30+ fish days are possible. The daily possession limit is 3 walleyes, and only one fish may be over 17″.
An abnormally mild winter meant that the ice was only between 5-9″ thick in most spots here in late December. Other prime destinations like Mille Lacs and Lake of the Woods still had open water in spots. Some access points allowed ATVs, while others allowed only foot traffic; however, that’s likely to change shortly with a string of colder weather.