Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

It’s warming up!

Finally! A break in the weather. Looks like we are going to stay above the donut for awhile. You still have time to come wet a line. Remember we ice fish until late March on Lake of the Woods. This week the best depth has been in 25-32 feet of water. Pink, lime green, and gold have been good colors. Electronics help especially to lure in the suspended fish. 3/8 oz jigs and spoons are good choices tipped with a minnow or even part of a minnow.

We have about 30 inches of ice and about a foot of snow. The guides are ready to take you out and show you a good time.

Trail Report
Trails are groomed and staked. For more information check out these links.
South Shore Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods

Openings are available, give us a call at 800-862-8602 or click here to contact us online.

Looking for a place to park your RV for the summer?
Look no further than the new Bur Oak Campground just footsteps away from Sportsman’s Lodge.

Oak Island

Walleye, Sauger, Perch, Pike
You never know what might come up your hole next. The bite has mostly been walleye and sauger but perch and pike has been common too. Along with eater size and throwbacks being caught, we are seeing some big 19.5”+ walleyes roam the mud flats lately.  Deep mud, 28’-32’has been a good depth using small 1/16 oz jigs tipped with plastic that mimics bugs.  Do some vertical jigging and dead sticking for your best results. We currently have 20-24”+ of ice and a foot of snow where we fish and travel.

4 ways to get to us this winter!

Fly, let us pick you up (at Sportsman’s Lodge), Take the Ice Road from Warroad or Ride the snowmobile trails. Click here to learn more and on the links below for the latest trail report.

South Shore Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods

Sportsman’s Lodge

A little more ice, a little more snow, and good fishing going on

Check out the pictures of the week! Thank you to everyone who submitted their photos.

Jigging and dead sticking 3/8 – 1/4 ounce gold, wonderbread, glow and pink spoons and jigs tipped with a minnow have been the taster’s choice this week. Electronics help too.

27-32 feet has been the best depth. It is mid-season so the ride out to the best action is a little longer than the early season, about 30-60 minutes but worth it. We always like to keep the ride as short as possible but we want to give you the best experience too. We gained a few more inches of ice and snow. Currently we have over 2’ of ice (25”-30”) and 10-12 inches of snow where we fish and travel. More ice is always welcome this time of year to keep us fishing through late March.

Snowmobile Trails

Trails are marked and grooming is in progress. 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 Face book pages.

Openings available
Weekends – We just had some lodging and day fish houses open up for Feb 26/27 weekend and we have openings for March weekends too.

Midweeks  – We have openings now through late March for lodging and day houses.

Click here to pick out your favorite package and give us a call at 800-862-8602.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Fire Tigers still hot and Glow

Fire tiger rattle spoons and white glow spoons as well as jigs have been hot this week tipped with a minnow in the mud 28’-31’.  The catch of the week has been mostly walleyes and saugers but a few big pikes too.  We have 22 inches of ice and about 12 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel.  Try a mix of jigging and dead sticking for the best results. Electronics help too! To reserve a vexilar rental, always best to call ahead.

Come wet a line this winter, you still have time!

We currently have some openings Feb 21-24, 28-March 3, 7-10, and 12-20.

And at Eagle Ridge, Feb 7-11, 14-17, 26-March 3, and 7-20.

Click here for more information or give us a call at 800-772-8411.

Fly to our Doorstep
Lake of the Woods Flights Now Available by Lake Country Air

Baudette to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge or Eagle Ridge starting at only $199 per person. With a 2 person minimum.

For more information and to book your flight call 612-812-1223 or email [email protected] today.  www.beaverairtours.com

More ways to get to us this winter!

Snowmobile trails are staked and getting groomed on a regular basis in the islands and from Warroad and Baudette to us. For more information click here for the Northwest Angle area and here for the south shore.

Ice Road from Warroad to the Lodge is OPEN!

It is a fun adventure and one more way to get to us!
Load up the pickup or SUV and take the ice road. Road passes can be purchased by clicking here.  For more information about the road click here.

Need a ride?
Lake of the Woods Passenger Service is taking trips from Sportsman’s Lodge to the lodge.

Sportsman’s Lodge

Mid Season is here

Here we are already at the mid season point. Lots of good fishing has been had but we still have 2 months left! If you haven’t had the chance to get out, you still have time. Remember on Lake of the Woods since we are a border water we can have our fish houses out until the end of March unlike many lakes in the state.

The best bite continues to be in 27-31 feet with a mix of techniques, dead sticking and jigging. Plain hooks, gold and pink jigs and spoons are working the best, tipped with a minnow. Glow anything and wonderbread jigs have also been notable for walleyes and saugers. Many of the suspended fish caught have been big walleyes so keep an eye on the Vexilar. Fish the bottom and when you see action, reel up. The ride out is 30-60 minutes right now. We have houses in various areas to give you the best experience possible. We currently have 22-26 inches of ice and 7-10 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel.

New Shower House!

For sleeper guests and anyone who is spending some extra time on the lake. We have a new shower house available for use just down the road from the lodge at our new seasonal campground. Enjoy a hot shower before heading home. The showers are coin-operated.

Trails

Trails are marked and grooming is in progress. 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 Face book pages.

Midweek Openings available in February, weekends and midweeks in March

Give us a call at 800-862-8602 or click here to check availability now for dates of your choice.
Packages starting at only $250 per person for 2 nights and 1 day midweek and kids 17 and under always stay free in lodge rooms with 2 adults, fishing just $52 per kid per day. (plus tax and based on double occupancy)

Oak Island

Bring the tiger to get the walleye
Yes, you read it right. Fire tiger rattle spoons have been hot this week. Don’t forget to pack a few tigers in your box. 🙂 The catch this week has been 70% walleye and 30% sauger mix along with a few pike and jumbo perch. Best depth has been a little deeper than last week, 26’-30; just off the deep side of structure on the edge. Average walleye and sauger size has been 15”-17”. We now have 20-22 inches of ice and 12 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel.

Snowmobile trails are getting groomed on a regular basis. For more information click here for the Northwest Angle area and here for the south shore.

Ice Road from Warroad to the Lodge is OPEN!

It is a fun adventure and one more way to get to us!
Road passes can be purchased by clicking here.

For more information about the road click here.

Need a ride?
Lake of the Woods Passenger Service is taking trips from Sportsman’s Lodge to the lodge.

Have fun!

Sportsman’s Lodge Fishing Report

Cooler Temps, Gaining Ice and Moving Around

We have had a cold snap this week and it looks like more of it coming at us at least until early next week except for a warm up tomorrow. The best bite has been in 27’-31’ lately. Plain hooks continue to be good, gold and pink jigs and spoons for walleyes and saugers. Occasional suspended fish are being seen on electronics. The best way to catch these fish is to fish the bottom and reel up when you see some action.

For the best results, try a few different techniques both, jigging and dead sticking. Try some different tackle, and some aggressive jigging. Even a half minnow vs a whole minnow. The guides have been moving houses around quite a bit lately in various areas to give you the best experience. The ride out is between 30-60 minutes right now. We have gained ice to help take us through to the end of our season, March 31. We currently have 20-24 inches and few more inches of snow, 6-8 inches in the areas we fish and travel.

Trails

Trails are marked and grooming is in progress. 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 Face book pages.

Midweek Openings available in February, weekends and midweeks in March

Give us a call at 800-862-8602 or click here to check availability now for dates of your choice.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Fishing Report

The NEW Ice Road from Warroad is open!

Exciting news this week. One more way to get to us this winter. Road passes can be purchased by clicking here.

For more information about the road click here. Along with this road, the snowmobile trail from Baudette, Four Mile Bay, and Warroad to us is staked and groomed on a regular basis. Also, Lake of the Woods Passenger Service is taking trips from Sportsman’s Lodge.

Now back to the fishing 🙂

The morning and late afternoon run has been the best. Midday requires a little more work. A red and white flasher has been hot for the tackle as well as good old gold jigs and spoons. Anglers have been catching a 50/50 walleye and sauger mix, average size 16” for the most part along with an occasional pike, perch, and whitefish. The best bite has been in the sand in 23’-25’. We currently have 18-20 inches of ice and 12” of snow in the areas we fish and travel.

Snowmobile trails are getting groomed on a regular basis. For more information click here for the Northwest Angle area and here for the south shore.

Good luck fishing!

Sportsman’s Lodge

Moving Deeper

The best bite this week has been in 28-30 feet of water in the mud for walleyes and saugers. Plain hook or jigging tackle with a rattle like a buckshot rattle spoon have been getting some nice fish tipped with a minnow. Gold, pink, glow, and green colors. An occasional tullibee, pike, sturgeon, and eelpout have been reeled in too. Check out the 56-inch sturgeon in the slide show. We have 17-20 inches of ice and 1-5 inches of snow on average in areas we fish and travel right now.

Trails

Trails are marked and grooming is in progress. We could use more snow. The lake trails are in better condition compared to the land trails due to snow cover. 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.

Midweek Specials

January 17-March 31 Come have some fun! Packages starting at only $250 per person for 2 nights of lodging and 1-day ice fishing. Give us a call at 800-862-8602 or click here to contact us online.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Jig a bit

Vertical jigging has been helpful to catch the eye of the fish. Pink and gold 3/8 or 1/4 oz jigs have been working the best this week in 23-27 feet of water on a sand bottom. Mostly walleye are being caught along with some saugers and an occasional pike, perch, and burbot. Anglers are reeling in a variety of sizes but several walleyes 14-16 inches and 30+ inch pike. We currently have 18-20 inches of ice in the areas we fish and 8-12 inches of snow.

Snowmobile Trails

Trails are marked and continue to be groomed. We could use more snow. The lake trails are in much better condition than the land trails right now due to the snow cover.

For more information click here for the Northwest Angle area and here for the south shore.

Ice Road from Warroad/Springsteel to the Island.

Progress continues, the cold blast coming this week will really help! Click here for more information and updates.

Midweek openings available in February and March.
Our cedar cabin is open for weekend openings. Give us a call to book your trip at 800-772-8411.

Sportsman’s Rainy River

Fishing Away

Happy New Year! Ice continues to thicken and the fishing is cranking up here on Lake of the Woods. Check out some recent pictures from our guests.

Have you been fishing with us recently? We always love to see your photos. If you would like to be a part of a future fishing report, text your pics to 218-395-0042.

Currently, we have 13-16 inches of ice and 0-5 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel. We received a few inches of new snow last night. The farther north you go on the lake, the more snow you will find. The trail from Baudette to Oak Island is staked. Grooming from Baudette to Wheeler’s Point was done a few days ago. Four Mile Bay to Oak Island will be groomed tomorrow. For more information on local snowmobile trails click here for the south shore and here for the Northwest Angle and Islands.

Anglers have been getting their best bite in 23’-27’ in the mud. Lots of saugers around right now and some nice walleye. Sizes have been ranging 10”-17” and an occasional lunker walleye. A 3/8 or 1/4 oz jig and a minnow have been working well. Gold, glow, orange, and pink have been good colors. A few eelpouts continue to be caught and check out the 14” crappie Nathan caught in the slideshow. We don’t usually see too many crappies in the winter where we fish so this was a surprise. Gotta love Lake of the Woods! You just never know what might nibble at your line.

Heading out on your own?
We do not maintain public access but there are several in the area. Check out Adrian’s or Morris Point to name a few for access and current conditions. As always please remember, ice conditions vary throughout the lake and change daily.

Oak Island

The season has begun in the islands! Catching some nice fish.

We currently have 12-14 inches of ice and 9-12 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel around the island. Anglers have been finding the best bite in 20’-24’ in the sand lately. Gold, glow, pink and white jigs tipped with a minnow have been the sought-after feast of the walleyes. We have been catching mainly walleye along with a few saugers.

With the Canadian Border closed, how do you get to the island?
The Lake of the Woods Passenger service has started running for the year. Trips are available from Sportsman’s Lodge in Baudette to our doorstep via bombardier. The snowmobile trail is marked and grooming will begin tomorrow from Baudette to Oak Island. An ice road is planned to be plowed and open up from Warroad/Springsteel to the Island within the next few weeks. For more information on these services click here or give us a call at 800-772-8411.

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Thinking about a trip?
We have openings available January through March at our 3 locations. Contact us today 800-862-8602.

Merry Christmas!

First off, we hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday. It has certainly been a different and trying year for everyone as we all know but as we reflect, we here at Sportsman’s are grateful for all of the great employees, supportive guests, and fans that have stuck by us this year and continue to allow us to provide a place for guests to visit and enjoy the great outdoors. Thank you for your continued patronage! We really appreciate it and are looking forward to 2021.

An update from the lake at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

Our season started a little over a week ago. We now have 10-13 inches of ice and 1-5 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel.  The temperature gauge is dipping today. Sounds like it is going to be lows below zero for a while along with some fresh snow.

The best fishing depth has been in 23’-27’ in the mud. We have seen a strong run of saugers this week along with some walleye, and occasional sturgeon and eelpout. The best tackle has been a plain hook and a minnow or gold or pink jig tipped with a shiner. The average ride out to the houses is 15-25 minutes. Masks are required during the ride out so please remember to bring one. We have reduced load sizes, increased ventilation in the bombardiers, and doing everything we can to keep you safe.

Venturing out on your own?
Check out Adrian’s or Morris Point for public road access. As always please remember, ice conditions vary throughout the lake. Check with the road maintainer for the current conditions and stay safe.  As of 12/22, Adrian’s reported they have 10 1/2 to 13 inches of ice. Their access is closed today due to blizzard conditions but will open sometime on 12/24.  After Christmas, allowing small to mid-size vehicles not pulling anything. No half-ton trucks. Plan to let four wheelers and side by sides pulling out wheel houses up to 18′.

Trail Update:
We once again helped out the local snowmobile club and assisted in the marking of the snowmobile trail from Baudette to Oak Island this week. The trail is marked and ready for snowmobile travel. Grooming will begin as soon as ice conditions will allow the equipment to safely be on the ice. Snowmobile travel only is advised until we can gain some more ice. The trail had 7-15 inches as of yesterday. Ice conditions vary off the trail.  For your safety stay on the trail and follow the black stakes.

An update from the lake at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge and Sportsman’s Eagle Ridge on Oak Island

We open on December 26!

The ice is progressing nicely. We now have between 9-13 inches of ice and 4-5” of snow in the areas we fish and travel. Some snow and cold temperatures are blowing in today.
The weatherman says it is going to be pretty cold for a while.  We aren’t complaining. Bring on the ice! 

The staff has been busy getting everything ready. We are excited to kick off another season.

Options to get to the island this winter

Bombardier Transportation from Baudette
Will begin soon, the forecast is looking favorable. More ice checks will be done this weekend. Stay tuned for more information or contact Lake of the Woods Passenger service or us anytime at 800-772-8411.
Have a reservation arriving soon? Please give us a call if you have any questions, we have options for you at 800-772-8411.  

Snowmobile to Oak Island

Trail Updates:
Baudette to Oak Island
We once again helped out the local snowmobile club and assisted in the marking of the snowmobile trail from Baudette to Oak Island this week. The trail is marked and ready for snowmobile travel. Grooming will begin as soon as ice conditions will allow. Snowmobile travel only is advised until we can gain some more ice. The forecast is looking favorable. The trail had 7-15 inches as of yesterday. Ice conditions vary off the trail.  For your safety, stay on the trail and follow the black stakes.

Warroad to Oak Island and NW Angle Trails
Waiting on a few spots to gain more ice until the club can get it staked from Warroad to Oak Island. Hoping by sometime this weekend. For more information on the trails and updates click here.

New Ice Road from Warroad to the Northwest Angle

Set to open in January as another way to get to us. Click on the link for more information.