Category Archives: Weekly Oak Island Fishing Report

Weekly Oak Island Fishing Report

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 1-18-2022

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

Young anglers have been reeling in some nice fish!

We enjoyed seeing lots of families visit over the holiday weekend. Check out the pictures of the week.

The best bite continues to go deep, 30’-32’ this week. Plain hook on the dead stick tipped with a minnow or minnow head and gold, glow, orange, and pink have been good tackle colors for the jigging rod. 3/8 oz jigs, spoons with some flash and noise to them have been working well tipped with a minnow. Afternoons have been the better bite lately. We had some mild temps over the weekend but starting tomorrow it looks like it is going to dip down again for a few weeks. If the bite dips, t might take a few days but usually comes back once we have a few days of consistent temperatures. The cold temps will be ideal to make more ice for great March fishing.

Ice Conditions
Currently, we have 24-27 inches of ice and about a foot to 18 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel. We are supposed to get up to a couple of inches of fresh snow today.

Snowmobile Trails

Black stakes mark the trails from the south shore of the lake to Oak Island and NW Angle and south shore to Warroad as well as Wheeler’s Point to Baudette. For more information about the trails and the latest on the land trails, check out Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders Facebook pages.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge

Gold & Green
Gold jigs tipped with a minnow on your jigging rod and green bare hook tipped with a half or full minnow for your deadsticking rod has been working well this week to entice the walleyes to bite. It has been a pretty good bite this week. The best depth has been in 24’-28’ of water and anglers have been reeling in a 75% walleye to 25% sauger mix on average.

We have 22-24 inches of ice and 9-12 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel. The ice road from Young’s Bay to the island is in good shape. For updates and current conditions on the ice road from Warroad to the islands click here.

Snowmobile Trails
The lake trails are all marked. For trail conditions, check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club  pages. Save the Date! The Northwest Angle Edge Riders Snowmobile Rally is on February 26. Raffle tickets for a 2022 Polaris Titan Snowmobile and many other great prizes are now being sold at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge and local businesses.

Other Ways to get to the Island
The Lake of the Woods Passenger Service has started making runs from Sportsman’s Lodge to the islands and Lake Country Air is also taking reservations now for flights throughout the winter too.

Don’t let winter pass you by! We have midweek February and March openings and some weekends open at our Cedar vacation home at Eagle Ridge just a hop, skip, and 5 minute ice road or snowmobile ride away. Give us a call to book your winter getaway! 800-772-8411 or request online www.oakislandlodge.com.

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 1-12-2022

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River Fishing Report

Fishing Away
Catching a mix of walleyes and saugers with an occasional eelpout, pike, and perch this week. The best bite continues to be in 25’-30’. The best approach is to jig one pole and dead stick with the other, see what works best for you and take it from there. The best jig colors have been glow, pink/gold, gold, orange/gold 1/8-1/4 oz., or just a plain hook on a dead stick. Stop signs, buck shots, flutter spoons, and Swedish pimples have also been working well. Whichever presentation you choose, tip it with a chub or shiner minnow or even just a half a minnow. Fish finders such as vexilars time and time again help catch rates, especially when targetting the suspended fish. When targetting a suspended fish, always start on the bottom and reel up to it when you see it on your electronics for best results.

The ride out right now is about a 15-20 minute ride. When you fish with us, we take care of the transportation to and from the fish house, bait, we have some jigs and jig sticks or rods/reels for you to use (be sure to pick up your rods at the front desk) as well as clean your fish for you. We will even bring you a hot lunch if you ordered one the day before.

Ice Conditions
Currently, we have 24-26 inches of ice and up to 30 inches in areas with shelf ice in the areas we fish and travel.

Trail Conditions
The lake trails are all marked. For trail conditions, check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club pages. Save the Date! The Northwest Angle Edge Riders Snowmobile Rally is on February 26. Raffle tickets for a 2022 Polaris Titan Snowmobile and many other great prizes are now being sold at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge and local businesses.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Jigging and Dead Sticking
Anglers are getting some nice eater-size walleyes and saugers as well as plenty of throwbacks this week. The best bite has been in 21-24 feet of water. Set up your jig or spoon just 3-5 inches off the bottom and do some jigging. With the other rod, set it up with a plain hook or smaller presentation and try some dead sticking to see what lures them in. Gold, pink and bright glow green have been good colors, and bait of choice is chubs and shiner minnows.

Ice Conditions
Currently, we have 18-20 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel.

Trail Conditions
The lake trails are all marked. For trail conditions, check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club pages. Save the Date! The Northwest Angle Edge Riders Snowmobile Rally is on February 26. Raffle tickets for a 2022 Polaris Titan Snowmobile and many other great prizes are now being sold. Stop into the lodge to purchase your tickets.

The plowed road from Young’s Bay to Oak Island
The road is ready for you. Take a ride out!

Other Ways to get to the Island
The Lake of the Woods Passenger Service has started making runs from Sportsman’s Lodge to the islands and Lake Country Air is also taking reservations now for flights throughout the winter too. The ice road from Warroad is back for a second year. The road is being worked on this week.  Check out this Facebook page for updates and fees.


Don’t let winter pass you by! We have midweek February and March openings and some weekends open at our Cedar vacation home at Eagle Ridge just a hop, skip, and 5 minute ice road or snowmobile ride away. Give us a call to book your winter getaway! 800-772-8411 or request online www.oakislandlodge.com

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 1-7-2022

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River Fishing Report

Happy New Year!
We hope everyone had a nice holiday. Lots of families and groups of friends joined us over the holiday. So many great memories were made and nice fish were caught. Check out some of the highlights in our video.

The best bite currently has been moving deeper this week, 25’-30’. Orange, gold, yellow, green, and glow in the dark have been good colors for tackle as well as a plain hook. Gumball jigs, macho minnows, stop signs, Rippin Raps, and small spoons have been popular tackle tipped with a minnow or minnow head. Fish Finders such as Vexilars really seem to help catch rates too. We have a few to rent if you are interested in trying one but be sure to call ahead. They go fast. Mostly walleyes and saugers are being caught with an occasional pike, perch, sturgeon, and eelpout. Variety of sizes, lots of small ones, good eaters, and a trophy once in a while.

Ice Conditions
We have 22-24 inches right now and up to 30 in areas with shelf ice. The shelf ice was created during freeze-up when the wind blew some thin sheets of ice around.

Trails
We received 4-5 inches of fresh snow this week. The lake trails are all marked. For trail conditions, 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. 

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Gaining ice and catching fish
We are up to 17-18 inches of ice now in the areas we fish and travel and about 12 inches of snow on the lake and 9 inches on land. Anglers have been catching about 70% walleye and 30% sauger mix. The best depth has been around the 21 to 22-foot mark. Chartreuse jigs tipped with a minnow have been working well. The bite overall has been good.

Transportation 
The Lake of the Woods Passenger Service has started making runs from Sportsman’s Lodge to the islands and Lake Country Air is also taking reservations now for flights throughout the winter too. The ice road from Young’s Bay at the Northwest Angle is plowed out to the lodge. Road passes can be purchased at Jerry’s Restaurant at Young’s Bay. NEW! It sounds like the ice road from Warroad to the Northwest Angle and Islands is coming back for a second year. Check out this Facebook page for updates and fees.

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 trails from Wheeler’s Point to Oak Island, south shore to Warroad, and Warroad to Oak Island are all staked. For updates on the trail conditions, check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club pages.


Cedar Cabin Openings!
We have some openings at our Cedar cabin at Eagle Ridge in January and throughout the winter. Great for groups of 4-10. Check out more about this cabin here and give us a call to book your trip at 800-772-8411.

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 12-28-2021

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

Catching Fish
We have had an active bite so far. Check out the pictures of the week!


The best bite has been in the mud this week, 18’-26’ using good old Lake of the Woods gold 3/8 oz jigs, glow and pink. Buckshots, Rippin Raps, and small spoons have also been working well tipped with a chub or shiner minnow. A wide variety of walleye and sauger sizes continue to be caught from throwbacks to trophies. You just never know what will be biting next. Fish finders such as vexilars always seem to help the catch rate and jigging one rod and dead sticking the other until you find your rhythm. If you are interested in trying out a Vexilar, give us a call to reserve one at 800-862-8602. The ice is coming along well, we have 12-18 inches in the areas we fish and travel. Sounds like the temperature is going to drop starting tomorrow for a stretch of days below the donut. This should help in the ice making. We received 5-7 inches of fresh snow yesterday. We didn’t have much more than an inch or so on the ice prior so this is a welcome amount to help pack the trails and fish houses. Still some bare spots here and there.

Trail Update
The trails from Wheeler’s Point to Oak Island, south shore to Warroad, and Warroad to Oak Island are all staked. 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 and check out our specials on our Facebook page.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Ice fishing at the island has begun. We started our season on Sunday. Guests have been catching some nice fish on the rocks and reefs in 19’-24’ so far. Acme Hyper Hammer purple and orange jigs, Slab Raps, and vertical jigs tipped with a chub or shiner have been good tackle. Be patient, watch your vexilar, and set the hook!

Where we fish we have 15-16 inches of ice, about 9 inches of snow on the lake, and 6 inches on land. We received a fresh 4 or so inches of snow yesterday.

Transportation The Lake of the Woods Passenger Service has started making runs from Sportsman’s Lodge to the islands and Lake Country Air is also taking reservations now for flights throughout the winter too. The ice road from Young’s Bay at the Northwest Angle is plowed out to the lodge. Resort stays are $35, daily passes $20 and season passes are $225. Road passes can be purchased at Jerry’s Restarurant at Young’s Bay.

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 trails from Wheeler’s Point to Oak Island, south shore to Warroad, and Warroad to Oak Island are all staked. 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! Check out our Facebook page for our specials and menus. Give us a call to make your reservation at 800-772-8411.

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 Lodges Ice Fishing Report – 12/13/21

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Sportsman’s Lodge

Catching fish!

We kicked off our fishing season this weekend and our guests caught some nice fish. A mix of walleyes, saugers, and a few pikes was the first fish up the hole to start the season.

We currently have 10-12 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel and just a skiff of snow on the lake. Jigging raps were one of the best techniques followed by gold jigs and a plain red hook on a dead stick tipped with a minnow in 18-21 feet of water. Grab your fishing buddy and come have some fun. We do it all. Our day houses include the fish house, transportation to and from the fish house, bait, rods/reels/jig sticks, and jigs to use and we will clean your fish too. Meal plans are available too.

Before Christmas Openings

Come get your fish on. We have day houses available now through December 23 and lodging and fishing available now through Dec 16 and 21-23. Give us a call to book your trip at 800-862-8602.

Sleeper Fish Houses

Sleepers start this weekend.  Give Sheri a call to book your trip at 218-634-1589.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge

Ice is coming along in the islands. 6-10 inches in the areas we are traveling now. The ice crew plans on doing ice checks later this week between the south shore and the island. If all goes well, the trail could be marked by this weekend for snowmobiles. We open up the lodge on December 26 for the season. 

Aerial Footage of our Ice Check Lake of the Woods 12-10-2021

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✈️ Check out the aerial footage of Lake of the Woods from the Rainy River, Pine Island to Garden Island during Friday, December 10th’s ice check flight we captured. 🧊 Looking pretty good overall. Please remember if you are venturing out on your own, the ice does not freeze evenly and some areas are never safe. Go out through a resort or reputable outfitter and always stay on the marked trails. Stay safe!

Sportsman’s Lodges Ice Report 12/10/2021

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Our season starts tomorrow!

The ice has been coming along over the last few weeks and we are ready to kick off another season! We start our season in our day houses at our Rainy River location followed by sleepers next as soon as we get a few more inches of ice (usually a week or so) and our Oak Island locations just after Christmas.

Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River Location

We currently have 10 inches of ice and a few inches or less of snow, in the areas we fish and travel. There are lots of areas on the ice with no snow right now.  Be sure to pack some ice cleats or boots with a good tread if you are heading up this week.  We start our season using light jeeps and passenger trailers. Our bombardiers will come out once we have more ice and snow. 

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 STRONGLY 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. 

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge

Making ice!

We are finding 6-9 inches in the areas we have been traveling so far in the islands up north. We haven’t ventured south of the island yet. Gregg took a plane ride today to check things out and he reports the lake looks like it froze pretty good overall considering the wind we battled within the early days of ice making. Rough ice here and there.  He didn’t see much snow on the lake at all which will help in the ice-making process. He and a crew plan to start venturing out further next week to start the ice checks for the trail that runs from the south shore to Oak Island.  Stay tuned for more information.  If all goes well, the trail could be marked in a week for snowmobiles.

Ice Update from Sportsman’s Lodge – 11/30/21

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

Ice Update
We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Cold weather last week produced more ice views in our area.

A few inches now lay on many bays and as far as the eye can see on the lake.

Ice as far as the eye can see from Morris Point.

No doubt there is open water and pockets here and there but definitely a good start! We will be heading out to do some ice check later today to see how things are coming along. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more information later today. Bring on the calm winds and cold temps and stay tuned for more reports to come. We look forward to seeing you soon! Give us a call to secure your spot this winter at 800-862-8602.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Hello, from Oak Island! Ice is progressing here. As far as we know there are a few inches of ice from the island all the way to Young Bay now. Nothing substantial to start venturing out all the way to the island yet, but it is coming along.

Few airboats are moving around. Stay tuned and give us a call to get your reservations booked at 800-772-8411.