Tag Archives: Lake of the Woods Fishing Report

Sportsman’s Ice Fishing Update – 2/21/20

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Sportsman’s Lodge
2/21/2020

Days are getting longer! Ice fish with us through March.
It is a beautiful sunny day today, a nice time to be out on the lake. Unlike many lakes in Minnesota, Lake of the Woods is considered a US/Canada border water lake so our walleye season extends through April 14 and our houses can be out longer. We ice fish through March 31.

This week we have found the best fishing to be in 29’-34’ of water. Anglers have been catching a mix of walleyes and saugers along with a few jumbo perch. We have over 3’ of ice right now where we fish and travel. White, pink and gold jigs have been hot tipped with a minnow using the deadsticking and jigging techniques. Electronics help too!

Trail Report
Trails are groomed and staked. For more information check out these links.
South Shore Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods

Weekend Ice Fishing Trips available in March
We also have midweek trips available now through March. Come have some fun!

 

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
2/21/2020

A what? A muskie!
You just never know what might nibble at your line. One of our guests was fishing for walleye when a 53” muskie took a chomp on his bait! What a surprise that was! In the winter, muskie season is closed and we do not target them but sometimes the fish don’t realize that. This guy got hungry. This huge fish was released and another great fishing story was made.

The best walleye/sauger bite has been in 20’-25’ right now in the current using Buckshots, Glo Shot spoons, purple,  gold and pink jigs tipped with a minnow. A mix of vertical jigging and dead sticking has been the best approach. We have 30”-32” of ice now in the areas we fish and travel. We should be good to go through March 22 here in the islands for some goooood ice fishing.

Hosting the Northwest Angle Edge Riders Snowmobile Rally next weekend!
We are excited to be hosting the annual snowmobile rally Feb 29. Click here for all the info and make plans to head out on the trails or take a cruise on the ice road to join in the fun. The trails are in great shape. Click the links for the latest reports.

South Shore Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods

Sportsman’s Ice Fishing Update – 2/11/20

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

 2/11/2020

The latest on the Bite
It has been a sporadic bite this week. Runs here and there and some days better than others. Check out our pictures of the week!

We have had the best luck in 27’-32 in various areas anywhere from a 35-55 minute cruise across the pond in one of our giant snowmobiles past Pine Island. Anglers have been reeling in a mix of walleyes and saugers, the saugers more so, which is typical for this time of year. On cloudy days, glo pink, green and chartreuse jigs, and small lures have been popular. On sunny days, gold has been best all tipped with a minnow or minnow head. Some of the lunker walleyes this week have been caught on a plain hook, Royal Gold Digger lure (2 – 27” by the same guy!) and Oklahoma Dill Pickle lure, pink eye glow and minnow.

A mix of dead sticking and jigging have been the best approach.  Electronics help catch rates and zeroing in on the suspended fish. We see suspended fish on a regular basis. We have 30-32 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel right now. The temp has fallen this week. We won’t complain about that. Cold temps are making ice for March!

Unlike many lakes in the state, we are a border lake so we can have fish houses out through March 31 Mother Nature willing and in most years, she allows. So if you haven’t had a chance to get out this year or want to get out a few more times, you still have time! Give us a jingle and let’s go fishing!

Valentines Day Dinner Specials & Entertainment this Weekend
Bring your sweetie or great friends. Click here for all the details.
Dinner reservations suggested.

Snowmobile Trails
The Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders take care of the trails in our area. Click the links for the most up to date information.

Fishing Packages available through March ~ Spend Spring Break at the Lake
We have openings midweek now through March and weekends available in March.
Kids ages 5-17 stay free with 2 adults in lodge rooms and fish for only $50 per person per day. Come for a few days.

 

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
2/11/2020

Fishing will keep the Doctor Away
At least we think so! 🙂 There is something about getting out, enjoying the awesome scenery, fresh cool air and good conversation with friends in the fish house that always seems to help the body. Pure and simple relaxation, good for the soul.

The best bite for a mix of walleyes and saugers this week has been in 24’-30’ feet on the edge of reefs and on top of the sand.  Jigging a Buckshot lure, gold or pink jig or one of those “noisy” lures have been bringing in some nice fish. Vexilars help too! Deadstick with one rod and jig with another. Be sure that the rod you dead stick with you leave it alone and watch the bobber for the best success.

Ice Conditions
The average depth is 28-32 inches in the areas we fish and travel.

Trail Conditions
The Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders take care of the trails in our area. Click the links for the most up to date information.

Ice Road from Young’s Bay to Oak Island
The road is in good shape, follow the signs and come on out.

It is the sweetest week of them all
If you are in the area, come out for dinner. Or surprise your sweetie by planning a trip for a getaway this winter or upcoming summer.

Winter Openings
We still have some openings for this winter. Give us a call 800-772-8411 or connect with us online.

Sportsman’s Ice Fishing Update – 2/5/20

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Sportsman’s Lodge

2/5/2020

The latest bite
Fishing has picked up! 1/4 oz green and orange jigs and spoons have been hot in 26’-32’ of water. As well as glow in the dark and good old gold. A mix of walleye and sauger have been the average catch. Plenty of good eaters, throwbacks and a few lunkers, 20”-30” mixed in. We have 2-3 feet of ice and 6-15 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel right now.

Our houses are scattered anywhere from a 15-45 minute bombardier ride out. The guides are working hard to get you on the best bite.

Snowmobile Trail Report
The Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders take care of the trails in our area. Click the links for the most up to date information.

Lake of the Woods has an extended season.
Walleye season continues through April 14 here unlike most of the state.
Ice fishing trips are available through late March and Rainy River soft water fishing kicks off in early April.

Treat your sweetie to a midweek February trip to Sportsman’s.
2 nights lodging and 2 days ice fishing packages available starting at only $309* per person! Contact us today to plan your trip 800-862-8602.
*plus tax

 

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

2/5/2020

Island Time
Island life is good! We are loving the longer days.  A mix of walleye, saugers, and some jumbo perch are being reeled in. Red, pink, glow and gold jigs or spoons have been working tipped with a minnow head or full minnow in 26’-30’off the edges of the reefs. The best technique can vary day by day so try some light vertical jigging, hard jigging, and dead sticking and make sure your hooks are sharp.

Ice Conditions
We have over 2’ of ice in the areas we fish and travel.

Snowmobile Trail Report
The Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders take care of the trails in our area. Click the links for the most up to date information.

Ice Road from Young’s Bay to Oak Island
The road is in good shape. Follow the signs and take a ride. It is about 10 miles out.

Spring is just around the corner.
It is never too early to start planning your spring trip! Come visit the islands this spring and get into some hot soft water action. Spring lodging specials May 8-25. Contact us today.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge opens up Thursday, December 26!

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Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge opens up Thursday, December 26!
The fish houses are ready! Tim and Josh fished for a few hours yesterday afternoon and kept some nice fish for supper and caught a northern too. Gold, red and orange are hot colored jigs right now. Right now we have 10-16 inches of ice in the areas we travel. Apps, pizzas, and cocktails will be available starting at 11 am Thursday and the full dinner menu starting at 5 pm. We will start serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily starting Friday. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Road from Young’s Bay to the Resort
The main ice road from Young’s Bay to the island is not quite ready yet so we will be using an alternative route for now. Guests, please give us a call ahead of time to be led out.

Trail from Four Mile Bay/Sportsman’s Lodge
The lake trails are marked with black stakes from Four Mile Bay near Sportsman’s Baudette location to Oak Island and Young’s Bay at the angle to the lodge. We don’t have much snow, 0”-6” right now, so if you head out, be sure to watch for bare spots and ice chunks. The
Lake of the Woods passengers Service will be running from Sportsman’s Lodge to Oak Island starting December 26.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Sportsman’s Family to yours!

Lake of the Woods Fishing Report

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Lake of the Woods South Shore & Rainy River Fishing Report

6/4/2019

It’s Heating Up!
Fishing has been crazy this past week! As the air and water temperature warms up, the walleyes have started moving out to 26-28 feet water. Water temps are ranging from 56 to 62 degrees and the forecast looks great this week! Our guides have been successful in the rocks, mud, and sand using 3/8 oz. jigs. The walleyes have been biting on gold jigs tipped with a shiner. Many guests are catching fish that are 17” to 19” along with many walleyes 27” or bigger! Pro tip of the week – make sure you are setting your hook, practice makes perfect! Guided trips available, come have some fun this summer.

Celebrate Dad in June!
Lodging & Guided Charter Packages starting at only $233*per person, gift cards available too! Purchase yours online or call 800-862-8602.
*Plus tax and based on double occupancy

Lake of the Woods Oak Island & the Northwest Angle Fishing Report
Great Walleye Bite
Depths 18’-20’ in the mud jigging a jig and minnow has been hot. Gold and orange have been good jig colors. Captain Steve and his crew boated over 100 fish along with some nice slot fish this week. Lots of sun in the forecast. Water temp currently 57 degrees.
Nice Pike
Casting out flashy spoons and shad raps have been the hot ticket 6’-20’.Smallmouth Bass
Anglers are having the most success finding the bass casting using mallet spinners and shad raps deep 20’-30’.Muskie season opens June 15.

Experience the Northwest Angle and Islands. Join us this summer!
Openings available late June and throughout the summer. Check out our summer packages and make plans today. 

NW Angle/Oak Island Fishing Report Lake of the Woods January 17, 2019

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NW Angle/Oak Island Fishing Report Lake of the Woods January 17, 2019
The Ice Road to the Island is open. Guides cleaned some nice fish yesterday.
The plowed road to us at the island is now open from Young’s Bay. It takes a little bit of a different path than previous years between Flag Island and Oak Island but other than that, the same. We have our signs posted. Follow the signs out and come see us. The bar and dining room are open daily.

The walleyes have been on the move this week, moving off rocks and into the deeper mud and sand in 25’-30’. Gold, red, glow spoons and jigs and plain hooks have been good, especially gold. Gold is always a good go-to Lake of the Wood’s walleye color. The bite has changed up to rather than more of a morning and late afternoon run, to more all day. A mix of jigging and dead sticking is the best approach to reel in some walleyes and saugers. We have ice fishing openings now through late March. Our winter walleye season on Lake of the Woods runs until April 14. Come have some fun!

Ice Conditions
We currently have 14”-21” of ice in the areas we fish and travel. If you are venturing out on your own always be sure for your safety to stay on marked trails and roads. We have lots of areas with safe ice, but the entire lake never freezes equally and some spots are never fit for travel.

Trail Conditions
We have a nice base of snow and the trails are freshly groomed. Regular grooming is in progress. The trails from the south shore to Oak Island and NW Angle, south shore to Warroad and Warroad to Oak Island/NW Angle are all marked with black stakes. For more information about the trails and latest on the land trails, check out Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders Facebook pages.

Midweek lodging and ice fishing trips available through late March starting at $310 per person.
Click here to learn more about our ice fishing packages.
*Plus tax and based on double occupancy groups of 4+.

 

Lake of the Woods Fishing Report from Sportsman’s Lodge January 17, 2019

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1/17/2019

Mix of Walleyes, Saugers and Sizes
Lots of different size fish coming up through the holes. Depths between 22’-30’ have been good. A mix of dead sticking and jigging with a minnow and using vexilars is a good approach. Gold, glow and red tackle colors have been popular. Jigs, buckshots, forage minnows and chubby darters have been working good this week as well as a plain hook, a few split shots, and a bobber. Check out the pictures of the week.

Ice Conditions
We have 20-24 inches of ice right now in the areas we fish and travel. We have been experiencing a cool down this week. We are making ice! Did you know? Unlike many lakes in Minnesota, our ice fishing is extended until March 31 and our winter walleye season runs until April 14. Also due to our far north location, we typically have great ice right through March and many years into April.Trail Conditions
Trails are freshly groomed and regularly scheduled grooming is in progress. We have a good base of snow anywhere from 5”-14”, more in drifts. Black stakes mark the trails from the south shore of Lake of the Woods to Oak Island and NW Angle, south shore to Warroad and Warroad to Oak Island/NW Angle are all marked. For more information about the trails and latest on the land trails, check out Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders Facebook pages.

Plowed Roads
We do not maintain a plowed road ourselves as we supply the transportation for all of our trips to our houses via a groomed trail, but if you are interested in venturing out on your own, there are several roads in the area you can venture out on nearby the lodge. Adrian’s Road out of Four Mile Bay and Morris Point’s road out of Morris point are a few. Last report, this week roads are in good condition. For your safety, be sure to always check with the outfitter for current conditions before heading out and always be sure to stay on marked trails.Football & Fishing
Join us for a good time Feb 3 & 4. Fishing and lodging packages 2 nights/1 day $229-$267 per person or 2 nights/2 days $299-$337 per person. We will be having our annual Big Game Party Feb 3, during the Super Bowl featuring some great food and drink specials including our ½ price apps 3pm-6pm and door prizes. Come watch the game on our 12 TV’s. Lodging and fishing available, give us a call to reserve 800-862-8602.
(plus tax and based on double occupancy)

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Ice Update 11/24/2018

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We are building ice!
We are finding 5-8” in most areas we fish and travel but still waiting on a few areas to heal up. We have a great start and the forecast looks favorable. Check back soon for updates!

For reservations contact us at 800-772-8411 or click here. 

Our sister resort, Sportsman’s Lodge on the south shore will begin their season Friday, Nov 30.
For their ice report, click here.

 

The sturgeon are biting!

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River
5/2/2018

The sturgeon are biting! Check out what the Johnson Group reeled in with Captain Wes yesterday!
Bill reeled in a 60” and 52” and Vance,  a 50”. All fish were released.


We are warming up!
Slow but sure, the ice is melting. The Rainy River is completely open and there is open water just past the gap right now on the lake. We received a little shot of rain early this week but could use a good rain to soften more ice up, nonetheless there are over 40 miles of fishable river and bays right now and more warm weather in the forecast.  Current river temp is 47 degrees, the water level is low, not much debris but it is dirty, clearing more by the day. It should be cleared up nicely by walleye opener. Luckily, the sturgeon feed by smell in the dirty water so it doesn’t have much of effect on the sturgeon fishing going on now.  The current is average speed. For more information about the river or if you like to keep tabs on it, click here for water data. This data is measured right off our dock.


The Best Sturgeon bite has been in the deep river bottom holes. Two to four ounce no roll sinker, 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook tipped with a gob of night crawlers and a few shiners works well. Spring is prime time catching time.  Come enjoy the weather and reel in some monsters!

Did you know? Lake Sturgeon can live to be more than 100 years old and exceed more than 150 pounds!

Pike
Bays and creeks and the river are hot spots. Smelt lying on the bottom works well. Make sure to hook all the way through the body of the bait to keep it nice and secure.  Long shaft jigs work the best.

Walleye Opener is next weekend, May 12.
It has been a slow warm up this spring.  Predictions are the river and bays will be full of walleyes on opener.

Seasons
Sturgeon – Keep one within size limits going on now,  April 24-May 7 and July 1 – Sept 30, catch and release Oct 1-April 23 and May 8-15
Northern Pike open year round
Walleye currently closed, reopening May 12

Our 12th Annual Sturgeon Tournament is this weekend
Stay tuned to our Facebook page Friday & Saturday for some great action. We will be posting leaderboard results and pictures. The tournament is currently full for this year, but there are still lots of fun that can be had watching the action.  The tournament runs 8:30am-4pm Friday and 8:30-3pm Saturday wrapping up with a banquet Saturday night.  All of the fishing takes place in front of the lodge. So, grab a chair and watch the excitement right from the bar and dock.  Join us!  Happy hour and dinner served in the Sandbar.

Come have some fun this spring. Spring Specials!
Lodging starting at only $43* per person per night now through May 23. Guided Sturgeon and pike trips going on now  and up to 20% off summer lodging and charter fishing packages May 11-23. Click here to start planning your trip.
*plus tax and based on double occupancy

We have open water in front of the lodge and Wheeler’s Point landing is open!

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River
April 23, 2018

What a difference a few nice days make! All of the public boat landings are open on the river now. The current water temperature at our docks is 40 degrees. The water level is low. Birchdale will be closed April 24 for the day only. Wheeler’s, Timbermill, Vidas, Frontier and Birchdale are the landings near us. For a map, click here.

Sturgeon and pike fishing is going on now and walleye season opens back up May 12. Come get into some goooooood fishing and don’t forget to share or tag your pictures with us. We love to see and hear your fishing stories! You might even show up on our next fishing report.

Logan and Corey reeled in some nice sturgeon!

The bite should only heat up this week with many more fishing holes opening up. The weather forecast looks pretty great too!

Sturgeon are moving around in deep holes of the river bottom. Anchor up and rig your line with a few ounces of no roll sinkers, 4/0 or 5/0 hook tipped with a gob of minnows and shiner. Once one of these dinosaurs take a nibble, get ready for a heck of battle. The big sturgeon are known to wrestle for an hour or two.

Northern pike are another fun fish to target in the spring on Lake of the Woods. Lake of the Woods has an abundant trophy pike population. Whether you enjoy catch and release or keeping a few to bake or pickle, Lake of the Woods won’t disappoint. Shallow bays off the river and lake are great spots. Casting orange, red and flashy spinner baits with a slow retrieval works well in the spring along with a jigging presentation bouncing off the bottom with a spinner tipped with a shiner. Come have some fun! Guided trips available.

Fishing Seasons
Sturgeon catch and release now Oct 1-April 23 and May 8-15
Keep one within size limits April 24-May 7 and July 1 – Sept 30
Northern Pike open year round
Walleye currently closed, reopening May 12

Spring Specials!
Lodging starting at only $43* per person per night now through April 23 and up to 20% off Charter Fishing packages May 12-23.

Book your trip today. Click here or call 800-862-8602.

*Plus tax and based on double occupancy.