Author Archives: Sportsman's Lodges

Oak Island Lodge NW Angle & Oak Island Fishing, Ice & Trail Report

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Fish On!
The season has started and the fishing has been good!  Jigging gold and pink jigs with a minnow have been successful at reeling in some nice 13”-18” walleyes and a few 12”-15” saugers. We have seen some nice northern pike too in the 25”-32” range caught while targeting walleyes. The best depths have been between 21’-28’. Mornings and late afternoons have been best. Depth finders help too! If you would like to give one a try, give us a call to reserve one to rent.

Ice Conditions
We currently have 8-11 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel.

Ice Road
The ice road from Young’s Bay to Oak Island is in the process of being plowed and marked but only out to Brush Island at this point. Hopefully with the cold snap in the forecast next week we will see the road come out to us soon.  To schedule a ride out to the island give us a call 800-772-8411.

Snowmobile Trail Conditions
The trail from Young’s Bay to the lodge has been marked.  Many other trails around the Northwest Angle and to Oak Island have been marked as well.  Click here for the most current information.  The trail across the lake from Pine Island to Oak Island is marked and was groomed Sunday, January 3. 7-12 inches of ice is reported. To get to Pine Island use the Adrian’s road out of Four Mile Bay and once you get to Pine Island follow the black stakes north.  Please stay on the trail. Conditions vary off the trail.  The crew is checking and hopefully marking the trail from Pine Island to Warroad this week. Stay tuned! For land trail information around the Baudette area click here

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall Sportsman’s has it all!
Book your next trip today! Call 800-772-8411 or click here to book online.

South Shore Lake of the Woods Fishing, Ice & Trail Report

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Greetings and Happy New Year from the Sportsman’s Lodge Family

WE ARE ICE FISHING!!  This winter has been one of the most unusual winters in recent history and we are proud of our ice guides who have put safety at #1.  The guides have spent hours checking ice thickness, flooding low spots, and packing trails to make sure our fisherman have the best experience possible on the big pond.

Fishing has been good-very good since we started fishing a little over a week ago.  Many reports of nice eater fish being caught in the 22’-28’ of water range.  The big fish are starting to show up with some reports of the higher end slot fish being hooked then released.  Jigging with a Buckshot Rattle Spoon or Forage Minnow Spoon in either red glow or gold, have enticed many saugers and walleyes this past week.  The most active fish seem to be chasing these jigs up to about a foot off the bottom of the lake.  Another presentation, the dead stick or bobber fishing technique has been taking the passive or non-aggressive fish with glow jigs tipped with minnows.  Set these lures within 8” of the bottom of the lake and make sure you recharge them to glow bright all the time.

It helps to have electronics with so the use of a depth finder comes in real handy when these schools of fish come through.  If you need to a depth finder, we have them available at the lodge to rent.

Ice Conditions
Currently we have anywhere from 10-12 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish.

Venturing out on your own?
We highly encourage you to please check with local resorts or bait shops before going out and stay on the marked trails.  The lake does not freeze equally. The Rainy River and high current areas are not safe. Safety first!  Adrian’s Road out of Four Mile Bay 12 miles north of Baudette off Hwy 172 and Morris Point road 16 miles north of Baudette have 8-11 inches of ice and are open to ATV’s and Snowmobiles only at this time. Hopefully the cold snap forecasted next week will make us some ice so larger vehicles can be used soon.

Snowmobile Trail Conditions
The trail across the lake from Pine Island to Oak Island is marked and was groomed Sunday, January 3. 7-12 inches of ice is reported. To get to Pine Island use the Adrian’s road out of Four Mile Bay and once you get to Pine Island follow the black stakes north.  Please stay on the trail. Conditions vary off the trail.  The crew is checking and hopefully marking the trail from Pine Island to Warroad this week. Stay tuned! Many trails at the Northwest Angle and to Oak Island have been marked. Click here for the most current information.  For land trail information around the Baudette area click here

Lodging & Ice Fishing Packages available starting at only $142 per person!
One night/One day packages available Jan 10, 14 & 20. Two plus night packages starting at $193 per person available late January through March 31. Book your trip today by calling 800-862-8602 or booking online here.

Itching to go fishing but short on time? Make it a quick trip!

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Itching to go fishing but short on time?
Make it a quick trip!

One night and one day fishing packages available Wed Jan 6, Sun Jan 10, Thurs Jan 14 and Wed Jan 20.

1 night lodging in a room or cabin and 1 day ice fishing including the fish house warm and ready for you just off a quiet groomed trail, transportation to and from the fish house, use of jig sticks, jigs, bait and tackle only $142* per person plus tax or include 3 meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner for only $190* per person. *based on double occupancy. Book your trip today! Click here http://sportsmanslodges.com/rainyriver/facility/lodging-request/ or call 800-862-8602. Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location.

One Night specials

Oak Island Ice, Fishing & Trails Report

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We are opening for the season Dec 31!
The bar, dining and lodging will be open Dec 31 and Jan 1 will be our first day of fishing. We have 8-9 inches of ice on the trail from Young’s Bay and in the areas we fish. We have 6 inches of snow. Continued flooding and packing of the trails will continue to be done to help build more ice quicker. We expect gold and pink jigs to be hot tipped with a minnow! Get ready for some fun!

New Year’s Eve Celebration
Join us for king crab legs & prime rib specials, our full menu, champagne and lots of fun. For reservations call 800-772-8411 or click here.

Trails
Young’s Bay/NW Angle to Oak Island trail has 8-9 inches of ice. At this time we are transporting guests via jeep rigs to the island until the ice road is ready hopefully within a week. The snowmobile club will be staking the trail soon. For directions or questions please give us a call 800-772-8411.

South Shore to Oak Island
The lake trail from Pine Island on the south shore to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge on Oak Island, 40 miles north will be marked today. 6-8 inches of ice is reported and 4-6 inches of snow. Snowmobile traffic allowed only at this time. To access the trail, take Adrian’s road 12 miles north of Baudette off Hwy 172 at Four Mile Bay and travel to Pine Island. From Pine Island follow the black stakes north. We hope to get the trail packed well over the next few days and build more ice for heavier equipment to use soon.

Ice Road from Young’s Bay to the lodge
The crew is busy checking ice daily. Hopefully within a week the road will be ready. Stay tuned!

Lake of the Woods South Shore Ice, Fishing and Trails Report

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Ice Report
We have started our season! Day houses started Dec 28, Sleeper houses start today and Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge will open tomorrow. Currently we have 8-11 inches of ice on the lake and 7-10 inches of ice on the bay where we travel and fish on the south shore.

If you decide to venture out on your own, please check with the resort that maintains the public trails and roads you are accessing before doing so and stay on the trails. The high current areas and Rainy River are not safe yet. We use a private road and do not travel these areas. Safety first! We are continually packing and flooding areas we travel and fish to build more ice.

Public Roads: Adrian’s is reporting their road at Four Mile Bay access is open to ATV’s and snowmobile at this time. Seven plus inches of ice is on the trail on the bay and more on the lake. There is still very thin ice in places in the bay so stay close to the trail if you go out. Morris Point road at Morris Point is open to ATV’s and snowmobiles at this time. 5-8 inches of ice is reported. Please stay on the trail, conditions varies.

It’s Fishing Time!
The first day of our season many anglers enjoyed an active walleye and sauger bite! Depths between 17’-25’ was best jigging using a gold jig, rattling stop sign lure or plain hook tipped with a minnow just a few inches off bottom. Walleyes and saugers varying from 10-25 inches were caught. Check out these pictures!

25 inch walleye caught & released
on a gold jig by Mark Britton 12-28-15		 Catching Fish!
Connor reeled in this nice eater
size walleye on a plain hook
and minnow 12-28-15. Nice fish Connor!		 20.5 inch walleye caught on a
gold jig by Bill Resch 12-29-2015

Trails
The lake trail from Pine Island on the south shore to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge on Oak Island, 40 miles north will be marked today. 5-8 inches of ice is reported and 4-6 inches of snow. Snowmobile traffic allowed only at this time. To access the trail, take Adrian’s road 12 miles north of Baudette off Hwy 172 at Four Mile Bay and travel to Pine Island. From Pine Island follow the black stakes north. We hope to get the trail packed well over the next few days and build more ice for heavier equipment to use soon.

Land trails
Click here for the latest updates.

Sleeper Fish Houses
Open for the season! Make your reservations today.

Fishing has begun and the lodge at our Rainy River location is open!

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Fishing has begun and the lodge at our Rainy River location is open! Click here for our rates and packages http://sportsmanslodges.com/…/winter/winter-fishing-packag…/

We hope to have the sleeper houses out in a few days and Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge open in a few days as well. Stay tuned for updates. Waiting on the ice.

Click here for daily dining and bar specials
www.mysportsmans.com
800-862-8602


Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Sportsmans Lodge


 Fish House Sportsman's Lodge

Sportsman’s South Shore Day Fish Houses are out!

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Sportsman’s South Shore Day Fish Houses are out!

Busy day on the lake today. The guides worked hard and were able to place all the day houses on the ice.

-Up to 8-10 inches in the areas we travel and fish we found today on the south side of the lake and 7-8 inches on the bay. Keep in mind this is in the areas we travel and fish.

If you decide to go out on your own please stay on marked trails and check with local resorts or bait shops before going out. We use a private road. Adrian’s Road and Morris Point’s public roads are open to ATV’s and snowmobiles only at this time. Please check with them for up to date conditions. It is a big lake and all areas DO NOT freeze the same! We are finding the Rainy River and other areas have a lot of current this year and will probably not be safe for quite some time. Stay safe and fish on!

We hope to have the sleeper houses out later this week. Since they are heavier we need a few more inches of ice to be safe.  Stay tuned for an Sportsman’s Oak Island Report and open date tomorrow.

Sportsman’s Lodges Ice Report 12-23-2015

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Sportsman’s Lodges Ice Report 12-23-2015

12/23/2015

Need some more time….
We received 3 inches of snow yesterday so temperatures were not cool enough to make any ice but the good news is cooler temperatures are in the forecast! We did not have any snow on the lake before so these few inches should not change the ice making process to much. Temperatures are forecasted to dip into the single digits and below zero for the week ahead. This should help significantly. We are going to be checking ice again on Saturday, Dec 26 and going from there. Safety is our number one concern. Mother nature willing, we should be able to start the ice fishing season shortly after Christmas. Stay tuned!

No trails or roads are open at this time
We only report on the areas we fish and travel. Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River stretch many, many miles and every area freezes differently. We strongly encourage anyone venturing out to check with local resorts and bait shops before doing so.

From the Sportsman’s family to your family, Merry Christmas! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Oak Island & NW Angle Ice Report Lake of the Woods

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Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Oak Island & NW Angle Area Ice Report
Lake of the Woods, MN 

12/21/2015

Up at Oak Island we are finding ice ranging anywhere from 2”-8” and we are planning on checking the ice again in a few days.  If the thinner spots build enough ice, we should be ready for ice fishing on the 28th.   The forecast looks great with lows in the single digits to below zero. Stay tuned! www.oakislandlodge.com