5/6/2013
Satellite picture from yesterday. Over 75 miles of open water in our area right now! The Rainy River, Four Mile Bay, Zippel Bay, Lighthouse Gap are wide open and more of the lake keeps on opening up more and more each day! Lots of fishable waters for opener! The forecast looks warm! We will post more pictures as the week goes on!
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5/4/2013
Day 2 Winners of the 7th Annual Sportsman’s Lodge Sturgeon Tournament are:
#1$ 1900 Cash – Hunter Deziel from Grand Forks, ND with a 58 1/2 inch length and 24 inch girth
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#2 $820 Cash – Tommy Riggs from Shevlin, MN with a 56 1/2 inch length and 21 3/4 inch girth
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#3 Custom Rod – Nick Simonson from Marshall, MN 56 inch length and 21 1/2 inch girth
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Thanks to all of the particpants! We look forward to seeing you again next year! May 2 & 3, 2014
5/3/2013
7th Annual Sportsman’s Sturgeon Tournament Day 1 Results
It was a cool, 45 degree clear and sunny day for day one of the 7th Annual Sportsman’s Lodge Tournament. It is a full tournament, 50 boats and over 100 people participating. The tournament is a two day catch and release tournament. The three longest sturgeon of each day receive prices. First two receive cash and the third a custom built rod. Despite the cool spring, the Rainy River in front of Sportsman’s Lodge where the tournament is held has plenty of open water. Live Entertainment, food and drinks will close out the day. Day 2 starts at 8:30 am and finishes at 3pm. 6pm is the prime rib dinner banquet where the prizes will be given. Fireline Live Band will then take the stage one more time Saturday night to close out the 7th Annual Sturgeon Tournament.
The sturgeon season is open through May 7 and May 8-15 is catch and release season before closing for about a 6 week period of time. Lots of nice sturgeon have been caught this spring and their is still plenty of time to get in on the action. Give us a call to make a quick trip and reel in one of these monsters! 800-862-8602
Official Day 1 Results Sportsman’s 7th Annual Sturgeon Tournament Prizes awarded to the 3 longest fish of each day.
Thanks to all participants we look forward to another exciting day tomorrow!
#1 $1900 Cash – Jim Benson 61 inch length, 23 inch girth approx 53 lbs
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#2 $820 Cash – Mark Capouch 60 1/4 inch length, 24 1/2 inch girth approx 56 lbs
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#3 Custom Made Rod – Mark Capouch 56 inch length, 21 inch girth approx 41 lbs
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5/1/2013
It’s PRIME TIME STURGEON TIME!
The sturgeon fishing has been incredible! Several nice sturgeon were boated the past few days especially monster size 50 inch plus! What a blast! Sturgeon “keep one” season lasts until May 7. You can keep one within 45”-50” inclusive or over 75”. Licenses and sturgeon tags are available at the lodge. May 8-15 get in on one more week of catch and release before the season closes May 16.
Anchoring and working deep holes of the river bottom has worked best. The best tackle to use is a 5/0 or 6/0 octopus or circle hook, a couple of ounces of weight and 2-4 crawlers.
Our 7th Annual Sturgeon tournament is this weekend!
The tournament is always a good time! Over $4500 in cash and prizes to be given away! Come on out and watch the boats from our docks, hear good fish stories and listen to the live entertainment. At this time, this year’s tournament is full but we are taking names for a waiting list in the event we receive last minute cancellations and we are now taking reservations for next year’s tournament, May 2 & 3 2014.
Don’t just take it from me, read what other recent guests are saying….
65″ 31.5 girth 115 lbs!! Great cabins great food and great people!!! You rock!!! Especially Jennifer!!! Thank you!!!! We will be back for sure, best fishing weekend of all time!
Don Gregerson
We had the best success employing a run and gun approach giving each spot a ½ hour before moving. The heads of deep holes seemed to be holding the most fish but keep eyes on the electronics as fish are easily spotted. Our rigs consisted of large Water Gremlin Dipsey Swivel sinkers with 12” leaders tied to 5/0 circle hooks. 4- 6 night crawlers sprayed with Berkley Gulp Minnow spray was our bait of choice. Freshen scent often. When fish hit simply point the rod at them, lift tip, and reel in. Please handle these prehistoric giants with care!
Water Gremlin Pro Staffer Garett Svir
Thanks for your support of Wounded Warrior Guide Service! Our stay was great! You guys are AWESOME! Here is Brandon and Darius with one of the fish from our two day trip! These guys had a great time!
Jake Flaa
As usual, we had a great stay at Sportman’s plus few nice fish! Can anyone think of a lake that gives you a better chance to catch an so many different kinds of trophies?
Bill & Jyothi
Had a great time fishing at Sportsmans Lodge sturgeon fishing at its finest! Great food, great accommodations, great people and of course GREAT fishing
Steven Wintemute
Hooked Magazine
Limits & Seasons
Sturgeon “keep one” season is open through May 7 within size limits of 45”-50” or over 75”. One sturgeon per angler per year. May 8-15 is catch and release season. May 16-June 30 is closed. July 1-Sept 30 is keep one sturgeon.
Pike season never closes. You can keep 3 only 1 over 40”. All pike between 30”-40” must be released.
Walleye season opens May 11. Limit of walleye is 4. Walleye/Sauger limit is 6, no more than 4 can be walleye. Only 1 walleye over 28” and all walleye between 19.5”-28” must be released.
Catch the spring action! Lodging as low as $39 midweek and $43 weekend per person plus tax. We have it all! Docking, Restaurant, Bar, Entertainment, Indoor Pool, Guided Trips and more!
Pike
The pike bite is heating up. Anglers have been finding some nice ones in Four Mile Bay the past few days.
Let us Guide you to the action!
Guided sturgeon and pike trips are now available. Walleye trips available starting May 11. Let our professional guides guide you to the action. No equipment or experience required. Click here for more information.
4/30/2013
Hello from Oak Island!
We are starting to thaw!
For summer reservations, contact us online or call 800-772-8411. We look forward to hearing from you.
4/22/2013
We have open water in front of our docks! A channel of open water opened up in front of the lodge yesterday! We expect it to be wide open by the end of today or tomorrow and Four Mile Bay to be open by the weekend. Bring on the sturgeon and pike fishing! It is prime time!
Sturgeon Bite Check out some of the recent action!
Steven Wintemute from Hooked Magazine reels
in a monster sturgeon!
Ryan Knutson from Hooked Magazine
reels in a nice sturgeon.
What a fish! Nikki Breuer reeled in a 57 inch beauty!
The sturgeon bite is heating up! Anglers reported reeling in good numbers of sturgeon this past weekend and they expect it to be a real good bite through the season. Several 30-40 inch sturgeons as well as some monster 50”plus were found. Areas near Baudette Bay, Baudette Airport and near Wabanica Bay were good. Once the river opens up completely in front of the lodge and Four Mile Bay we expect those areas to be hot as well. These dinosaurs are usually found in the deepest hole you can find. Use 2-3 oz sinkers, 5/0 or 6/0 circle or octopus hook and a gob of crawlers. Anchor above the hold and work it. Test the bottom, mid and upper rim of the hole. It may be quiet at first, but once you hook into one, get ready for a fight!
The water clarity continues to be good, water level low and current slow. Sturgeon season is catch and release through tomorrow, April 23. April 24-May 7 you can keep one with a sturgeon tag, within 45”-50” or over 75”. These fish are excellent smoked. Sturgeon tags are available for purchase at the lodge. May 8 you have another chance for catch and release before the spring season closes May 16. Sturgeon season then remains closed until July 1.
Our 7th Annual Sturgeon Tournament is May 3 & 4. Stay tuned for coverage next week on our Facebook page. To get into next year’s tournament call 800-862-8602 to reserve your space today.
Pike Bite
A few pike have been found in the river. Most of the larger pike are still staging just outside the tributaries. We expect to see them start moving into the bays, river and creek as soon as we see a few days of temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s. Possibly by the weekend! We suggest anchoring at the mouth of the river, creek or stream and use dead suckers or frozen ciscos. Lake of the Woods currently has a very healthy population of trophy size pike right now, so your odds are good! The limit is 3, only 1 over 40” and all pike between 30”-40” must be released.
Get on the bite!
Guided Outfitter trips available! Head out with one of our knowledgeable guides watching the fish patterns daily. Boat holds up to 4 passengers plus the guide. All day trips only $400 for the day. Poles, bait and tackle included. Call 800-862-8602 to schedule yours today.
Boat Ramps
The nearest boat ramp to us as of this morning is Timbermill Park Ramp just 1 mile east of Baudette off Hwy 11. We expect Wheeler’s Point Ramp to be open by the weekend. For a map of all river ramps, click here.
Walleye Opener is just around the corner!
Less than 19 days and walleye fishing will be here again! Get your reservations in! We expect with the late spring spawn the bite will be good!
Lodging, Restaurant, Bar, Specials, Camping, Indoor Pool ~ We have it all! Sportsman’s is your spring fishing headquarters.
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4/18/2013
Still cool but the Rainy River continues to open! The weather continues to be cool, but forecast says we getting closer to start a warming trend. Forecast says we could see 40’s by this weekend and 50 by next week. Not exactly 70, but we will take it! The Rainy River is wide open within 7 miles from us as of this morning and pockets of open water within 5 miles. We are expecting to see open water in front of our docks by late this weekend. At this time 4 boat ramps to are open. Franz Jevne, Nelson Park, Frontier, and Vidas. Timbermill still has some shore ice left as of this morning. Click here for a map of ramp locations.
Walleye The walleye season has now closed . Walleye will re-open May 11. Now is the time to make plans for walleye opener! Ask us about our lodging & fishing package spring specials 800-862-8602!
Sturgeon The dinosaurs are moving around! The excitement is building! The lake sturgeon is Minnesota’s biggest fish. It can weigh more than an adult human. The Lake sturgeon can generally range from 10 to 50 pounds and 20 to 70 inches long. But sturgeon may grow to more than 300 pounds and 8 feet long. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are descendants of a prehistoric fish, and look much the same as fossils from the Upper Cretaceous Period 100 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. They can live for 150 years or more. We usually see several in the 30-70 inch range caught every year many just a hop, skip and a jump from the lodge. Currently, the best sturgeon bite has been found near Clementson Rapids in the river. They are being found deepest area, anchor just above the hole. Dead sticking with a circle hook or octopus style hook size 5/0 or 6/0 works best with 2-3 ounces of weight and 2-3 crawlers for bait. The current is slow, water level is low and water clarity is good. Come on out and try your luck! Catch and release season is now through April 23. Keep one (within size limits) April 24-May 7 and then back to catch and release again May 8-15. Sturgeon season is closed May 16-June 30. Spring is hands down one of the best times of year to hook into one of these incredible fish.
Pike The large female pike have been found on the lake right now staging just outside the tributaries. Smaller males have been found in the river at this time. As soon as the creeks open up and we get a warm stretch we expect to see more females move to the river and shallow creeks. We could possibly start to see that transition next week if the forecast holds true. Dead or live suckers have been working well.
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Entertainment – Put on your dancing shoes!
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