Tag Archives: oak island

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 3-18-2022

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Walleye caught at Sportsman's Lodge

Warmer Week
It looks like Mother Nature is loosening her grip on winter. We have had nice sunny days here this week which has been great but the long-range forecast tells us it is time to hang up our ice fishing rods for the year. We have decided our last day of ice fishing will be Sunday, March 20. It is time to put away the winter gear and start shining up the boats. Spring is in the air. It has been another great winter season. Thank you to all our loyal guests and followers. We enjoyed seeing you, chatting with you, and serving you.

The Bite
The current bite this week in 16’-25’ in the mud. Mainly walleyes and saugers are being caught, eater and throwback sizes. An occasional trophy walleye and a pike are also coming up the holes. Bright orange, gold, and pink have been hot colors, 3/8 oz or less for jigs and spoons tipped with a minnow. A mix of jigging and dead sticking is the way to go. A plain hook tipped with a partial minnow is a good tactic for the dead stick. We still have over 3’ of ice and snow. Melting is going on but we have a long way to go.

Spring Fishing
Up next, the river bite. River fishing on the Rainy River is a blast. The walleye season here runs through April 14. Sturgeon catch and release are going on now through April 23. April 24-May 7 you can harvest a sturgeon, (be sure to get a tag with your license) within size limits and then one more week of catch and release May 8-15 before the season closes until July. Walleye will close after April 14 and re-open on May 14 for the year. Pike season never closes and Lake of the Woods is home to thousands of trophies. A fun way to spend a few days. Right now the river is open 64 miles east of the lodge. If we continue to get warm temps and especially rain, it can get chewed up pretty quick. Stay tuned for updates starting next week.

Time to book your spring and summer trips
Dates are starting to fill. Check out all the options at www.sportsmanslodges.com Lodging starting at only $99 a night for two people April 1 – May 25. Guided trips are available through early May and charter trips start May 14.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho a Fishing we will go
For another weekend that is, before we take a brief spring pause. Our restaurant and bar will be open until 9 am Sunday. We have had a great winter and lots of fun seeing and serving you. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in May. If you haven’t made your reservations for summer yet, give us a call at 800-772-8411 or find us online at www.oakislanlodge.com. Our office will be open through the breakup season.


The last few days the sun has been melting some measurable snow. The fishing has been pretty good. A mix of walleyes and saugers, mostly walleye have been caught. Macho minnows, Rippin Raps, and 3/8 oz jigs have been hot tackle in colors of orange, yellow, gold, and glow in the dark. Minnows are the bait of choice. The trails are still open. Lots of snow. Midday gets a little soft. Good luck fishing!

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 12-22-2021

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Walleye Lake of the Woods

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 12-22-2021

12/22/2021

Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River Fishing Report

Merry Christmas from the Sportsman’s Crew!
We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you soon.

We are now 11 days into our ice fishing season. The season is kicking off well. Day houses started on the 11th and sleepers last weekend. We currently have 11-18 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel and guests have been catching nice fish. On the ice, we just have an inch or so of snow. As for hot tackle, gold, glow red, glow green, and bigger baits to get the fish worked off the bottom such as Rippin’ Raps are working the best. Bait of choice is chubs or shiner minnows. The best approach for a successful day of fishing is to jig with one rod and dead stick with the other until you find what works best for you. Anglers have been sorting small walleyes and saugers for keepers with a few big guns in the mix as well as an occasional sturgeon and pike. The best depth has been 18’-23’. We now have rods/reels available to use in our rental houses. Contact the front desk to check them out.

Trail Update

The trail from the south shore to Oak Island was marked last Friday. The trail from the south shore to Warroad is being marked today and the trail from Warroad to the island was marked last week. We have a light base of snow with some drifting, areas of bare ice. Could use more snow. For more information on the trails check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club pages.

Going out on your own? 

All of our rentals include transportation to and from the fish house. If you are looking to venture out on your own, there are several ice roads in the area you can choose from that other resorts and outfitters maintain and offer for a fee to use. We encourage you to check with them on their ice conditions before venturing out and stay on the marked areas only. The lake never freezes equally and they have the most up-to-date information on conditions in their area. 

Join us for our New Year’s Eve Party

Dec 31 Dinner and drink specials, party favors, live entertainment by the classic rock band, Cold Shot, and a champagne toast at midnight. Give us a call to make your dinner reservations at 800-862-8602.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

The houses are out and we are ready to open up for our winter season! The lodge opens at noon on the 26th.
We currently have 12 inches of ice, 3 inches of snow on the lake, and 5-6 inches on land in the areas we fish and travel. What to stock your tackle box with? Gold and glow-in-the-dark 3/8 oz jigs and small spoons are always popular early-season tipped with a chub or shiner minnow. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Transportation The Lake of the Woods Passenger Service will start making trips across the lake from Sportsman’s Lodge to the islands after Christmas and Lake Country Air is also taking reservations now for flights throughout the winter too. The ice road is plowed out a few miles fromYoung’s Bay now with plans to plow to the island soon. We should have another update on the ice road today. Check back on our website here for updates.

Driving to the Northwest Angle
Americans who are fully vaccinated and have a 72 hour negative covid test are welcome to come across the border now. Download and fill out the ArriveCAN app and fill out the information to cross. For more information click here.

Trail Update

The trail from the south shore to Oak Island was marked last Friday. The trail from the south shore to Warroad is being marked today and the trail from Warroad to the island was marked last week. We have a light base of snow with some drifting, areas of bare ice. Could use more snow. For more information on the trails check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club pages.

Join us for New Year’s Eve Dinner
We are planning food and drinks specials! Give us a call to make your reservation at 800-772-8411.

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!

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.

 

Sportsman’s Lodge Oak Island Fishing Report 5/3/2017

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Minnesota walleye opener is May 13.
We are gearing up to open up for the season next weekend. Do you have your reservations in?
Click here for more information about our spring packages.

Interested in working where you play? Or know someone looking for a summer job?
We are still looking for a few more people to join our team for the summer season or beyond.
Room & board included. This is a great job for someone who wants to save some money, not hassle with rent or a grocery bill, meet some great people, do some fishing and enjoy the island life!  Click here to learn more about the current available positions and apply today.

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A little snow and decent fishing

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We gained 3-4 inches of snow this week and below zero temps the past few days.  It looks like we are going to warm up tomorrow. Buck shots, flutter spoons, plain hooks and pink, gold and glow in the dark jigs have been good this week tipped with a minnow.  Vexilar users are almost doubling their catch rate. 23’-29’ of water around structure has been the best place to find some nice walleyes and saugers.

42 inch northern pike caught by Jim Kusilek on a medium action St Croix rod 8lb test and swedish pimple Sportsmans Oak Island Lodge

42 inch northern pike caught by Jim Kusilek on a medium action St Croix rod 8lb test and swedish pimple Sportsmans Oak Island Lodge

 

Nice 19 inch walleye caught by Chad Young Sportsman's Oak Island Lodge

Nice 19 inch walleye caught by Chad Young Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

 

13 inch perch caught by Chad Young Sportsman's Oak Island Lodge

13 inch perch caught by Chad Young Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

 

Ice Conditions
Currently we have 21-24 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel.

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Trail Report
The area lake and land trails are being groomed weekly. For more information on the NW Angle & Islands area click here. For the Baudette area click here. The NW Angle club will be hosting their annual Snowmobile Rally March 4 in the NW Angle area. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

Ice Road
The ice road is open. Take the 9 mile drive out from Young’s Bay to the lodge. Signs are posted.

NW Angle/Oak Island Lake of the Woods, MN Fishing, Trail & Ice Report 1-4-2017

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Jig & a Minnow
A 3/8 oz. gold or chartreuse jig and a minnow head have been working well in 17’-26’ of water this week. A mix of walleyes and saugers are coming up the ice holes.   Many anglers enjoy bringing along or renting a fish finder and find they have more success with it. If you would like to try one out, give us a call to reserve one.

More snow!
We received about 12 inches of snow Monday and in the early morning hours of Tuesday.  We now have plenty of snow for riding the trails and banking the fish houses J!  Trails are marked with black stakes from Baudette to our door step.  They are also marked around the Northwest Angle with wooden stakes.  The trails are now being maintained as best as possible and will be groomed as soon as we get a few more inches of ice.  Get out and take a ride today!

Ice Road
The ice road from Young’s Bay/Northwest Angle to our door step is open. Drive on out!

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Cold weather is headed in our direction! Woohoo!

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It looks like we should start to make some decent ice starting next week!  Bring it on!  A good week of cold temperatures and light wind is what we need! A lot can happen in a week.  Get your fishing buddies together and make your plans, ice fishing season is coming soon!

Ice fishing season runs longer on Lake of the Woods than most lakes in Minnesota.  It starts in December and we have to pull our houses off by March 31.  Openings available, give us a call Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River/Baudette 800-862-8602, Sportsman’s Sleepers 218-634-1589 and Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge/Eagle Ridge 800-772-8411 or email us by clicking here.


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Check out our winter musical entertainment schedule.

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Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Fishing Report June 1, 2016

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Jigging for walleyes
Anglers continue to fish in close to Oak Island and the surrounding islands mainly on the Minnesota side. Jigging with an orange or green ¼ ounce jig tipped with a chub minnow in 20’-25’ of water seems to be bringing in the best results. Water temperature is hovering around 60 degrees.  The catch has been mainly 13”-17” walleyes and a few saugers in the mix.

The muskies are getting frisky!
A couple of anglers were out casting for northern pike this past week and a few muskies took a nibble. Muskie season opens June 18, and it sounds like they are hungry! Give us a call and we will set you up with a professional guide that knows all of the best bait, tricks, tips and places to go.

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schoolsout

 

School is out! Fishing time!

Book your Summer Trip
Lodging and guided trips available through October.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Fishing Report May 26, 2016

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Great walleye bite!
Some nice 14”-16” walleyes are being found around points and shorelines in 14’-24’ of water.  Water temperature is 60 degrees.  Jigging with gold or orange jigs tipped with a minnow has been the most successful. Summer is here! Time to get out fishing, the guides are ready!  Anglers have found a few bass and pike as well. Pitching dead ciscos with a bobber on a quick strike rig on bottom or just 6 inches off bottom is working well to lure in these fish in shallow weedy bays.

Right off the dock! 5 year old Stellie with Grandpa Jerry at Sportsman's Oak Island Lodge!

Right off the dock! 5 year old Stellie with Grandpa Jerry at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge!

 

Book your summer trip!
Lodging, boat rental and guides available! Escape to the lake!!