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THE RED
This little river has rock gardens, ledges, two portages, flat water, and good fishing...all in a one day's paddle. I usually put in below the dam that forms Lower Red Lake near Gresham. Lower Red Lake, by the way, is one of my favorite fishing lakes. It is full of bluegills, northerns, muskys and some hawg bass. It is the type of weedy impoundment best fished from a canoe. A short paddle down from the dam you will find a short drop that is easily run. A big bronzeback usually sits in the quiet water below this drop. A little few miles downstream you will find the first of two possible portages at the Alexian Brother's novitiate. This drop can be run by kayaks and shorter canoes, but a full size boat can't make the turn at the top. In high water you definitely want to portage if you are in an open boat. The pool below the novitiate rapids is an excellent fishing spot. I have taken walleyes, smallmouth, and redhorse suckers out of this pool.
A few miles downstream you will come to Zeimer's falls. You can run the first pitch easily enough, but take out on the left bank and scout the rest. At the bottom the river divides. The left channel looks doable, but there is a sharp rock in it that can put a hole in your boat. One of my buddies did just that, so be careful. I always portage this one.
A few more miles and two tricky drops later, you will get to the town of Red River. You may take out here or continue
downstream to the Wolf. This stretch is mostly flatwater or rocky riffles, and can be a pain in low water. Once at the Wolf, you can paddle a
hundred yards or so upriver to a bridge for the takeout. |
