About Battle River Rentals on Upper Red Lake

When Old Man Winter settles in for a stay in Northern Minnesota, you know it's time to get out the ice augers, fish houses and start fishing! It's also time to think of the world-class fishing opportunities that abound through the ice on Upper Red Lake!

There is no other lake in northern Minnesota that has a reputation like Upper Red Lake. Through the years it has become known as "the" lake to fish for Monster Northern Pike and lots of Walleyes. It also offers excellent walleye fishing, northern fishing and crappie fishing. With more than 48,000 acres fishable water, URL literally offers miles of angling opportunities matched by few other fisheries in the state.

We at Battle River pride ourselves in customer service - you will be fishing in a clean, heated fish house when you arrive.

My name is Matt Smischney and along with my dad -Jerry Smischney, own and operate Battle River Rentals. My mother's family (Wolden) have been living, working and fishing in and around Upper Red Lake for five generations (I'm the 5th!) John Wolden (great-grandpa) was hauling fish for the fishery in Redby during WW I and it continued into the depression era with my Grandpa Slim.

My grandfather (Slim) sold bait and tackle out of the Saum Store (Wolden's Store, Inc) when my mom was a young girl. He was also one of the founding members of the Upper Red Lake Area Association which was formed to promote tourism in the surrounding area of the lake.

I served in the United States Marine Corps right after graduating from Kelliher High School in 1999 and was honorably discharged in the fall of 2003 and I started outfitting the winter of 2004.

Directions to Lake