6/25/19
Sportsman’s Lodge South End Fishing Report

Changing Bait Is The Key!

Our guides are still having success jigging in the mud, about 30-34 feet of water. The key has been changing up the bait. Walleyes have been biting on orange/gold, purple, pink/white/gold rattle jigs tipped with either a leech or a frozen shiner. If one isn’t working, try the other. It can make a difference!  The water temp has warmed up to about 64 degrees and many slot fish are being caught. Pro tip of the week – Fish are staying tight to the bottom so raise your jig up about a foot.

Join us for the 4th of July
Lots of events, activies, great fishing, boating and relaxing awaits you!
$99 Lodge Rooms too, click here to learn more. 

6/25/2019
Oak Island Fishing Report

Moving Deeper
The fish have been on the move to deeper water this week. 24’-28’ has been best on the edge of the rock reefs. A 3/8 oz orange or gold jig tipped with a minnow or gold spinner, 1-2 ounce sinker and a crawler have been hot tickets for a walleye and sager bite. Water temperature is ticking up. Sitting around 64-66 degrees right now. Warm week ahead and 4th of July is just around the corner. We have openings, give us a call and come have some fun. 800-772-8411

Pike, Muskie, Bass
Pike and Bass have been found in shallow rocky bays in 7’-15’, crankbaits working well.  Muskies have been hitting on large plugs and buck tails in shallow bays. Come get into the multi-species action.

Cedar Cabin Special
July & August ~ Stay 7 nights for the price of 5.
Sleeps up to 11 people. Check it out.

6/19/19
Sportsman’s Lodge 
Lake of the Woods South End Fishing Report

Set The Hook!

Changing it up a bit has been the key to success this past week.  The water temp is hovering about 60 degrees and the guides have been switching between jigging with frozen shiners and drifting with spinners, using leaches or night crawlers as bait.  Hot colors have been hammered gold spinners and gold/orange jigs.  Many guests have reported catching slot fish in 26 – 33 feet of water.  Pro tip of the week – Make a good hook set!

Looking for a 4th of July Getaway?
Besides great fishing, relaxing and lake time the Baudette area has a ton of fun planned. Click here for all of the info. We still have some $99 Lodge Rooms available too.
*plus tax

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge 
Northwest Angle & Oak Island Fishing Report

Lots of nice fish
Crawlers and minnows have been working this week. An orange or gold 3/8 oz jig tipped with a minnow or a gold spinner with a crawler in 18′-22′ on sandbars and coarse rock bottoms is bringing in some nice walleyes and saugers. Weather for the week is looking good in the 70’s and mainly light wind. Water temp is slowly increasing. Sitting in the low 60’s right now. This week should really warm it up.

Muskie season has begun. Tom one of our cooks has already reeled in a some nice 39″+.  Check out the picture in video above.

Cedar Cabin Special
July & August  ~ Stay 7 nights for the price of 5.
Sleeps up to 11 people. Check it out.

Cool Last Weekend but Warmer Weather is here!
Another cool weekend over the Memorial holiday but it was hot fishing! Fish are moving out into the deeper water (25-26 feet was great) as the water temp has warmed up to 53 degrees. Most anglers found success using frozen shiners with a variety of jig colors, including pink/gold, orange/gold and even blue/white/pink. A variety of walleye sizes were caught this past week again with many fish between 15” to 17” and 25” to 28”. Pro tip of the week – when you are in the mud, make sure you find the bottom and raise your jig up about a foot. The weather forecast looks fantastic for this week – perfect for a day on the lake!

Lake of the Woods Oak Island & the Northwest Angle
Fishing Report

It was a cool weekend
It was a cool weekend but it looks like the forecast is finally looking warmer this week. The cool weather sure hasn’t kept the walleyes from biting. It has been an active bite and deeper than normal. 22′-26′ along rocky points and in the sand were good this week using a jig and a minnow. Water temp is 51 degrees. Anchored or a slow troll has been working the best. Lots of nice walleyes biting at the hooks. Pike and bass anglers have also had good luck. casting shad raps in shallow weed beds is the best approach.

Stay all week in a quiet cabin on Oak Island
Our three bedroom vacation homes nestled in a protected harbor with a dock ¼ mile away from the lodge is the perfect place to relax at this summer. Need gas, bait or want to go out for dinner? Just take a short 5-minute walk or boat ride to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge. Week-long rental start at $1,995 (plus tax). Check it out.

5/21/19
Sportsman’s Lodge South End Fishing Report

What a Weekend!

The weather was a bit cool and breezy this past weekend but the anglers sure enjoyed the great fishing!

Guides found that the fish were active in a large depth range, from 18’ to 28’ of water, fishing in rocks, mud and sand with success.  It proved to be no problem to catch a limit and the big walleyes were hungry too using a chartreuse/gold or pink/gold jig with a shiner or chub.  The average water temp is 49 degrees in the river and 46 degrees up north by Garden Island right now.  Moving your rod to get some nice jig action is the key to success.  Pro tip from one of our guests – make sure you get your jig and minnow in the water before you catch a bird!  (It does happen.)

Check out some of the pictures of the week!

Meyers Group enjoyed an incredible Sportsman’s Adventure!
What a trip!  5 Nights, 4 Days of Incredible Fishing and 2 Sportsman’s locations, made for an absolutely epic adventure!  The 4 person group reeled in and released well over 400 walleyes including over 50 19.5”-29” walleyes with Captain Baihly Hontvet this past week all while enjoying beautiful Lake of the Woods scenery and wildlife.   The weather and the walleye bite aligned making this an awesome adventure for this crew.  Of course not every experience is quite as epic like this, some nice limits, throwbacks and a few 19”+ is a pretty common and great experience,  fishing is fishing, but another reminder when you hit it just right, it can be absolutely amazing.  Lake of the Wood’s, one awesome fishery.

Meyers Group enjoyed an incredible Sportsman’s Adventure!

Summer Kicks off this Weekend ~ $99 Special
We still have a few left openings available at our 3 locations this weekend. Lodging, guided fishing, dock rental, dining, entertainment awaits you. Grab our hot summer deal $99 per night Lodge Rooms for up to 2 adults/4 kids all summer long at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River and lodging starting at only $59 per person per night at Oak Island. Give us a call and come have some fun.
Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River 800-862-8602
Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Sportsman’s Eagle Ridge 800-772-8411
*Plus tax and based on double occupancy.

5/21/2019
Oak Island Fishing Report

Weather and fishing is heating up!
The water is warming up and the bite is getting more active by the day.  A limit of walleyes and plenty of throw backs in a day has not been hard to come by.  18’-20’ along shorelines and points have been producing some good fishing using gold, pink or glow in the dark jig with a minnow. Current water temp is in the mid to upper 40’s.  The Minnesota and Ontario side are now both open for walleye season.  Pike, bass, crappie and perch season are also open and Muskie season opens mid-June. We have openings now through October for the summer season. Come have some fun!

More from the Meyers Group

Sportsman’s Lodge

Walleye Opener was a success!  
Saturday brought a nice high temperature of 67 degrees.  While it was a little breezy, that did not stop the fish from biting!  Patience was the key to the fish this weekend. Anglers did well in a range of depths between 15-23ft of water, favoring the deeper depths and mostly in the mud.  There were many fish caught between 21” – 30” with a good amount of eating fish that were 14” – 19”. The walleyes loved gold/white and pink/gold rattle jigs tipped with fatheads, rainbows and shiners.  Water temps still hanging around the mid 40’s.

Check out some of our pictures from this weekend and come have some fun!

Father’s Day is just around the corner
Celebrate Dad with a fishing trip to Sportsman’s in June.
Check out all of our great summer packages.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Opening Week Success!
Check out this double caught by Father and Son, Bill and Ryan Winter!

A jig and a minnow along shoreline and up to 22’ feet of water has been hot.  Gold, red and pink have been hot colors. More bays are now open for pike and bass fishing and the Ontario side of the lake opens for walleye season on Saturday.  Come wet a line, the walleyes are waiting! Ask about our May specials.

Looking for a private cabin to getaway for a week or more in July or August?
Check out our 3 bedrooms, 1 and a half bath, Cedar cabin at Eagle Ridge just a hop, skip and a jump from Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge.  Only $1,995 per week. (plus tax)

5/8/2019
Sportsman’s Lodge 

Walleye Opener is this Saturday!!!!
Who’s ready to get out and catch some walleyes??? I have been dreaming about the taste of fresh walleye this week. Yummmmm, looking forward to Saturday!  It shaping up to look like it is going to be a great weekend for fishing!   Lots of walleyes should still be in the river, bays and shallow shorelines of the lake due to the cool spring.  Current water temperature is hovering in the mid 40’s and there still is some ice on the lake floating around although it is dissipating more and more by the day.   A popular opener approach is going to be in 8’-18’ of water anchored, using a gold or brightly colored jig and chub or shiner minnow.  The current in the river is moving pretty good right now so be sure to bring a few jig sizes up to 1 ounce.

Sturgeon and Pike are options too
After you get your limit of walleyes or just want to try something different. Sturgeon catch and release season continues through May 15 and pike season never closes. This is a perfect time of year to reel in monster sturgeon and pike. Try the incline of deep river or bay hole using a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook, 3-5 ounce no roll sinker and a gob of worms.   Pike, fishing with dead bait in the bays has been hot.  Lots of great fishing opportunities abound.

Spring Specials
Get in on some great specials! Up to 20% off summer lodging and charter packages and lodging as low as $43 per person per night now through May 23.
*Plus tax and based on double occupancy.

Oak Island

It’s Prime Time Walleye Time!
We still have  some rooms available if you haven’t made plans yet. Lodging starting at only $49 per person per night including free docking. Give us a jingle! Minnesota Opener is this Saturday, May 11 and Ontario opens up Saturday, May 18.

Shoreline structure and points is going to be a great place to start using a jig and minnow this weekend.   The walleyes should be hungry after spawning.  Water temp is hovering around the mid 40’s right now. Several areas to fish between Oak and the Northwest Angle right now.  Still ice floating around especially south of Oak Island but it is pretty mushy and continues to disappear more by the day.

Rainy River Fishing Report
5-1-2019

Another great week of sturgeon and pike fishing!

Water temp continues to hover in the mid 40’s. Melting continues, more bays are open including Zippel Bay and the lake ice continues to deplete.  It has been a cloudy week so I couldn’t grab a recent satellite photo to share but stay tuned to our Facebook page. We will post one as soon as we can.  Sturgeon fishing continues to be good.   We will be hosting our 13^th Annual Sturgeon Tournament this weekend. For more information about the tournament click here and be sure to tune into our Facebook page all day Friday and Saturday for leaderboard updates.

What are they biting on?
Deep river bed holes and in bays where a little current is present using a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook, 4-5 ounce no roll sinker, 18” sturgeon rig tipped with a gob of crawlers and a shiner or two is a good go to sturgeon approach.  Pike fishing has been good too in bays using dead baits, spinnerbait, spoon or crankbaits.

Spring Happenings
-Main Lodge, Sportsman’s Rainy River is open. Our bar and kitchen will be closed briefly after breakfast, May 5 until 10:30am Friday, May 10 as we finish up our spring cleaning. Lodging will remain available during that time.
-Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Sportsman’s Eagle Ridge open May 10
-Sturgeon Season going on now through May 7 and catch and release May 8-15
-Pike season is open all year.
-Minnesota Walleye nearly a week away, Saturday, May 11
-Ontario Walleye Opener is Saturday, May 18
-Mother’s Day Brunch is May 12
-Spring Specials going on now.  Lodging starting as low as $43* per person per night through May 22.
-Summer Kick off Memorial Weekend is just around the corner too, May 24-27. Kids stay free in lodge rooms with 2 adults and Oak Island has some great getaway options too!
*plus tax and based on double occupancy

Oak Island Fishing Report
5-1-2019

More melting continues. More bays and channels continue to open by the day. Our bay still has mostly ice but we think that is going to change over the next few days. Stay tuned for updates! Walleye openers are just around the corner.  Give us a call to get in on the spring bite. We have some great spring deals starting at only $49 per person per night lodging including FREE docking 800-772-8411! Minnesota’s walleye opener is May 11 and Ontario’s opener is May 18.

*plus tax and based on double occupancy, 4 person minimum $49 and 2 person $59.

Rainy River Fishing Report
4-25-2019

Sturgeon Extravaganza
Check out these pics!

What a day! Tanner 47″, Kamin 69″ and Trevor 55″!!!  

Lots going on this Spring in our Neck of the Woods

-Main Lodge, Sportsman’s Rainy River is open throughout the spring for lodging, guided fishing, indoor pool, food and drinks.
-Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Sportsman’s Eagle Ridge open May 10
-Sturgeon Season going on now through May 7 and catch and release May 8-15
-Pike fishing heating up – More bays are opening up by the day
-Minnesota Walleye Opener is 2 weeks from Saturday, May 10
-Ontario Walleye Opener is May 18
-13th Annual Sportsman’s Sturgeon Tournament is next weekend, May 3 & 4
-Mother’s Day Brunch is May 12
-Spring Specials going on now.  Lodging starting as low as $43* per person per night through May 22.
-Summer Kick off Memorial Weekend is only a month away May 24-27. Kids stay free in lodge rooms with 2 adults.

The Bite
I think we finally have spring! Woohoo!  Water temp is 45 degrees today. Melting continues. The river, 4 mile bay, several small bays and a just outside of Pine Island on the lake side is open. More iced over areas continue to open up more and more by the day.  

Stay tuned to our Facebook page for a new satellite picture of the melting progress coming soon. The sturgeon bite has been good, lot of 45”+ being caught. Deep river bed holes and in bays where a little current is presents using a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook, 4-5 ounce no roll sinker, 18” sturgeon rig tipped with a gob of crawlers and a shiner or two.  We are gearing up for our sturgeon tournament May 3 & 4. Pike anglers are starting to have more open water opportunities. Four Mile Bay and several small bays are open. Zippel Bay should soon be open too. Dead baits, spinnerbait, spoon or crankbait are all working well.

Before and After a Day on the Lake, Stop in
Food and Drinks available daily.
Click here for our current specials, hours and more.

Catch a big fish? We love to see and share your fish and vacation photos!
Tag us, Text us 218-395-0042 or email [email protected]

*plus tax and based on double occupancy      

Oak Island Fishing Report
4-25-2019

Melting Continues
We hope to have an open water pic for you next week. Spring is in the air and we are gearing up for walleye opener! Give us a call to get in on the spring bite. Minnesota’s walleye opener is May 10 and Ontario’s opener is May 18. We have some great spring specials going on. Give ChiChi a call 800-772-8411.

Rainy River Fishing Report

4-18-2019

Get out the sturgeon & pike rods
It’s that time of year.  While the walleye season closes for a few weeks, it’s time to get into those river bed holes and bays and get on the hunt for the sturgeon and pike. More tributaries and bays have been opening up this week.  The lake has started to open up just outside of Pine Island and the river is open all the way to the lake. The river is pretty dirty right now due to the tributaries letting loose but the sturgeon are active. Sturgeon are bottom feeders and rely more on smell vs sight to feed so the water clarity doesn’t affect them as much as the walleye and saugers. What’s the best approach to reel in one of these prehistoric fish? Check out this video for some great tips and come join us this spring!

Mike Knoop reeled in a awesome 61 inch sturgeon while jigging for walleye last week. Nice catch Mike!

Pike
Four Mile Bay is open now and several other bays shortly behind. The warm weather forecasted for the week ahead should really help open more areas up. Dead baits, spinnerbaits, spoons or crankbaits are all going to be good options to start with.

We love to see and share your fish and vacation photos.
Tag us, Text us 218-395-0042 or email [email protected]

Oak Island Fishing Report
4-18-2019

Ice Melt
We are starting to see some open water around points and areas with current. The bay in front of the lodge is still all ice but it won’t be long with the warm temps in the forecast.  We are looking forward to the open water and spring fishing! If you haven’t made your spring, summer or fall reservations yet, give us a call 800-772-8411 and be sure to ask about our spring deals going on May 10 through May 25!