Which would you people in the know consider as the better choice for a weekend crappie ice fishing trip, lake of the woods or red lake?

There is only one answer. Red Lake for sure, but not till a little later in the year. I would wait another month at least. LOW doesn't have any really good crappie fishing, on the American side at least. Red lake is a great choice. Check out the forums page on fishingminnesota.com for more info. thats my opinion.