Category Archives: Weekly Oak Island Fishing Report

Weekly Oak Island Fishing Report

Oak Island Fishing Report 5/22/13

by

The Islands are opening up!

This last week of warm weather helped to break some of the ice up in the islands! The lodge is busy getting docks and boats ready for the start of the summer season, and the fish are waiting for anglers to arrive back to the area. Due to late spring conditions we have not had a chance to fish the islands, but judging from the good start on the river the islands should be good! Plenty of walleyes, northerns, and bass line the shorelines of Oak island at this time of year and action can be fast with many differnt species being caught. We will have a report on the fishing action as soon as we are in the water.

Fishing Report from Sportsman’s Lodges

by

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

5/9/2013

Walleye Opener is in 2 days!
It is time to start reeling in the walleyes! Over 75 miles of open water is right out our front door. Are you ready for some action?

Spring_Walleye_2012_LakeStateFishing.com_1.jpg

Current water temperature has climbed to 45 degrees at our docks, water level is low, and water clarity has improved over the past week with the run off now gone and no precipitation. The current is slow –moderate in speed. The DNR reports the spawn has not occurred yet. We are looking forward to some good fishing this weekend! Guided Outfitter and Charter Trips are still available. We can accommodate groups of 1 or more. Give us a call 800-862-8602 or log on to our website.

The summer walleye limit is now in effect on Lake of the Woods is 4 or sauger/walleye combination of 6 no more than 4 walleyes. One walleye over 28 inches may be kept per angler. All walleyes between 19.5 inches and 28 inches must be released.

Gap_5-8-2013.jpg 5-8-2013_Satellite_Image.jpg
 Four Mile Bay & Rainy River are wide open. This is a Picture of the Lighthouse Gap 5-8-2013  Satellite Image of Lake of the Woods 5-8-2013

Morris_Point_5-8-2013.jpg Morris Point Gap 5-8-2013

Still catching some nice sturgeon Sturgeon “keep one” season is now closed but catch and release season still continues for another week through May 15. Some huge monsters over 70 inches have been reported this past week.  A 5/0 octopus or circle hook tipped with night crawlers is working well in the deep holes of the river bottom.  Guided Outfitter trips are available 800-862-8602.

The pike bite has been good the past week. This season is continuous on Lake of the Woods and never closes. Zippel Bay, Four Mile Bay and bays up river have been good.

Sportsman’s is your summer fun headquarters. Lodging, Camping, Indoor Pool, Entertainment, Restaurant, Bar, Charter Guide Service, Lake Tours, Conference Center and more! Catch the summer excitement! www.sportsmanslodges.com

Lake of the Woods NW Angle & Oak Island Fishing Report

5/9/2013

Greetings from Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge! Unfortunately we will not be able to open for walleye opener this year due to the ice conditions.  We are starting to see some open pockets of water around points, bays and between the docks, but not enough water yet to navigate on a boat. We are hoping for some warmer weather and rain to move in this week and move out the ice soon!  At this point we are looking at opening next weekend, May 17 but will know more next week.  For sure we believe opening Memorial Weekend will not be a problem.  Give us a call to make your summer plans! 800-772-8411.

may_2013_001.jpg may_2013_002.jpg
5-8-2013 Docks 5-8-2013 Docks

Ice Conditions Update 11-26-2012

by

11/26/2012

Good Morning Ice Fishing Fans!
We have the first signs of ice on the lake! Last night we dipped down to -4 with a wind chill of -15.  The week ahead is calling for lows in the single digits and highs in the teens and twenties. We are making ice!  At this point based on what we know we could be out fishing with 12 inches of safe ice by as early as Dec 8. Stay tuned for our next update at the end of the week!  If you are planning on venturing out on your own, we are in no way advising anyone to go out yet. This is our first signs of some decent ice, which is probably merely an inch or less.  This time of year the conditions can change quickly. No sense it rushing it, it will be here before we know it! Stay safe and start polishing off your fishing rods ice time is soon here!

Fire
In the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day some of our vehicles and trailer we use for early ice were lost in a fire. The cause is yet to be determined at this point.  This of course was very disheartening to us but we were thankful no one was hurt. We want all of our guests to know that this WILL NOT delay our ice fishing season. Our phenomenal staff, friends and neighbors have pulled together and we plan to start the year as planned as soon as we have safe ice.

Check out some of the pictures of the start of the ice formations taken this morning. We hope to get a satellite picture this afternoon of the lake. So be sure to log on to our Facebook page or website later today.

Front of Lodge Four Mile Bay (place where we
access the lake early in the year)
Four Mile Bay (place where we
access the lake early in the year)		 Graceton Beach
A south shore view of Lake of the Woods

11/26/2012

Good Morning from Oak Island!
We dipped down to zero last night and the bay in front of the lodge closed up and we have a layer of ice as far as we can see. The weather forecast looks cool in the week ahead. We are looking forward to some good ice making weather! We usually start about a week later than the Sportsman’s Lodge location, so around the 15th is in our sights at this point. Stay tuned for more updates to come!

Lake of the Woods Oak Island Fishing Report Lake of the Woods 5-25-2011

by

5/25/2011

A good start to the season
Anglers have been finding some nice stringers of walleyes this week. The weather has been fair for this time of year with temperatures in the lower 60’s. The water temperature has increased a few degrees this week.  Some of the best bites continue to be around shallow shorelines 10′-20′ in depth. A brightly colored jig or hammered gold spinner tipped with a minnow has worked well.  A few anglers have also been out in search of the bass and are finding a few.  Casting with a shad rap in the weedy bays have been the best locations just 3-5 miles away from the lodge and around the Oak Island area.

Summer 2011 Outlook
According to the MN DNR we have a strong and moderate year class of walleyes reaching the size of 13-17 inches this year.  We also have the same amount of trophy sized walleyes swimming like the past few. The past few years have been exceptional for both good eating and trophy walleye fishing.  Many guides say the past few years has been some of the best fishing they have seen in years!  Lake of the Woods also has one of the largest northern pike populations in Minnesota.  We are also a hot spot for incredible muskie fishing in the late summer and fall.  We are looking forward to another excellent fishing season. Come fish with us and explore Lake of the Woods this summer.

2011 Fishing Seasons & Notable Dates
Minnesota
Walleyes –  May 14, 2011-April 15, 2012
Northern Pike  – Continuous
Muskie – June 18-Nov 30
Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass – Continuous
Lake Sturgeon – July 1-Sept 30, Oct 1-April 23, 2012
Crappie – Continuous

Ontario
Walleyes –May 21-Dec 31
Northern Pike – Continuous
Muskie – June 18-Dec 15
Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass – Continuous
Lake Sturgeon – Closed
Crappie-Continuous

May 30 – Memorial Day
June 10-12  – MN DNR Take a Kid Fishing Weekend – MN residents 16 and older fish free with children younger than 16.
June 19 – Father’s Day
July 4 – Independence Day
Sept 5 – Labor Day

Lake of the Woods Oak Island & NW Angle Walleye Opener May 16, 2011

by

5/16/2011

It’s Fishin’ Time

We are starting the year out with a bang! Lots of good walleye fishing was had by guests at Sports

 

5-14-2011
Walleye 
Bill Winter
Pipestone, MN

man’s Oak Island Lodge and Eagle Ridge this weekend. The afternoon and evening bite was best just off the shorelines around Oak Island and Flag Island. Some did well in 12′-15′ and we had others that did better a little deeper in the 20′ depth.  The best presentation to lure the walleyes in was a gold jigs tipped with a minnow.  It was a windy weekend but that didn’t hold back the walleyes from biting. Anglers were able to find plenty of sheltered areas that produced plenty of action.  Ontario walleye opener starts Saturday, May 21 opening up thousands more fishing opportunities. Summer is here! Grab your fishing buddies and come on up.

NW Angle & Lake of the Woods Report

by

12/13/2010

It won’t be long now!
The guides and staff are opening up camp this week.  We have 8+ inches of ice around the area and making more ice by the minute.  We plan to have food and drinks available by the weekend and a few fish houses. Give ChiChi a call to book some early season fishing. More information to come in a few days.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge 800-772-8411

www.oakislandlodge.com

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge 10/20/2010

by

Lake of the Woods Northwest Angle & Islands Fishing & Outdoor Report

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Oak Island, MN

www.oakislandlodge.com

800-772-8411

10/19/2010

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge is now closed until mid December. Thanks for a great season and we look forward to seeing you this winter! 

Time to book your winter trip!

Before we know it their will be a blanket of snow and ice on the lake. Sportsman’s Oak Island and Eagle Ridge are taking reservations for our winter season starting mid December. Give us a call and get in on some excellent early season walleye fishing.  We are open December thru March for ice fishing, snowmobiling, relaxing and fun.