What a week!  Check out these pictures! Anglers are seeing more 18”-30” walleyes than normal mixed in with plenty of young walleyes and saugers.  A mix of dead sticking and jigging orange, gold and pink jigs, GLO shot spoons, buck shot spoons and plain hooks tipped with a minnow has been the best approach in 16’-28’ of water. Electronics always seem to help. Rentals available but always a good idea to call ahead to reserve, they go quick.  It has been a cold week, sounds like we are going to start warm up above zero by Saturday.

Ice Conditions
Currently we have 20-24 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish and more in some areas.  Our ice fishing trips all include transportation to and from the fish house; we do not maintain a plowed road.  If you venture out on your own, Adrian’s Resort and Morris Point Resort have public ice roads near us. Check with them for the latest conditions. Be sure to stay on marked roads and trails.  The lake froze pretty rough this year and the entire lake never freezes equally so as always use caution and check local conditions before going out.

Snowmobile Trail Conditions
Lake trails are all marked from Wheeler’s Point to Warroad, Warroad to Oak Island and the Northwest Angle, and Oak Island all the way to Baudette. The south shore currently has several spots of bare ice and anywhere from 0”-8” of snow.  We could use another shot of snow. The lake froze pretty rough this year so we strongly encourage riders to stay on the trails, go slow and use caution. Lots of ice chunks sticking up off the trails. Grooming is in progress.  The land trails are shaping up.  For more information about the trails click here or contact: Lake of the Woods Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders.

Lodging & Ice Fishing Packages available starting at only $215 per person!
If you are looking for a weekend getaway, as of this morning we have fishing and these lodging openings:
Two bedroom villa open up for this Fri, Jan 5,
A few lodge rooms & 4 Bedroom Villa for Fri, Jan 19
Few cabins Friday, Jan 26
Various accommodations open Sat/Sun Feb 3 & Feb 4
Fri/ Sat/Sun 9-11
Fri, Feb 16
Fri/Sat/Sun, Feb 23-25
March – all weekends
Midweek – openings most every week January, February & March
Remember we ice fish until the end of March!   Two plus night packages starting at $215 per person. Come get your fish on! Book your trip today by calling 800-862-8602 or booking online here.  *plus tax and based on double occupancy.

The first week of fishing has been great! Lots of fish coming up through the holes, big ones, little ones and plenty of good eaters.  Check out these pictures!!!!

What’s hot
Some anglers said it didn’t matter what they put down the hole, they had plenty to reel in. Some anglers swore by pink, gold, glow in the dark jigs, buckshots or spoons tipped with a minnow. Most anglers with electronics seem to do better than those without.  A mix of dead sticking and jigging is the best approach.  The best bite has been in 16’-26’ of water right now.

Ice Conditions
Currently we have 10-16 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel. It looks like we are in for a cold blast for the next few weeks which will be great to build us up some more!  This report is based on the areas we fish and travel. All of our fishing trips include transportation to and from the fish house.  We do not maintain a plowed road. If you are looking to go out on your own, please keep in mind, conditions vary and the entire lake, river and bays certainly don’t all freeze equally so please check current conditions before heading out. Adrian’s Resort and Morris Point both maintain ice roads near us. Contact them for the latest conditions.

Snowmobile Trails
The snowmobile trail across the lake from Four Mile Bay to Oak Island has been marked however, no grooming yet.   There are a lot of chunks of ice this year sticking up so crews are busy working on smoothing that out and making sure the trail is safe.  We also need a few more inches of ice and snow before it will be safe to groom. It shouldn’t be too long.  We have anywhere from a few inches of snow to 2-3’ drifts on the lake along with a few bare spots, land trails have 5-12 inches of snow.   If you do venture out, be sure to stay on the trails as ice conditions vary. Land trails are in decent shape and are being groomed.  For more information about the trails click here or contact: Lake of the Woods Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders.

Check out these pics of some of the anglers who enjoyed some good fishing so far.  Pink, gold and glow in the dark jigs and spoons tipped with a minnow have been hot tickets.  The water clarity is good and the walleyes are hungry. A great bite in shallow 12’-18’right now. The minnow man is happy, the minnows are going quickly! Always a sign of good fishing when you stop by a fish house and the say, the fishing is great, we need more minnows!  We still have openings before Christmas, come wet a line.  The sleeper fish houses are on the move.  Their first day is Thursday. Our Sportsman’s Oak Island lodge will be opening in a week or so.

The Stangland Group reeled in some nice fish!

Fish on! Vigeland Group reeled in some nice walleyes Sunday. They said the hot tackle was anything gold or pink.

Ice Conditions
Current ice conditions in the areas we fish and travel are 9-11 inches on the Four Mile Bay and 11-13 inches on the lake. We have gained a few inches the past few days. Weather forecast looks great. It looks like it is shaping up for a normal northern Minnesota winter. Please keep in mind our ice report is only for the areas we fish and travel.  Ice conditions vary, if you venture out on your own, be sure to check with local resorts and bait shops for current conditions. For public ice roads conditions, two roads nearby us we suggest are Adrian’s Resort or Morris Point Resort. Contact them for the latest conditions.

Ice Fishing Season is here!

Snow Report
We have anywhere from an inch of snow to 2’ drifts on the lake. The area snowmobile clubs are busy grooming trails on land and lake trail marking and grooming will begin soon. For more information about the trails click here or contact: Lake of the Woods Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders.

Make a trip before Christmas!
Openings available, click here to contact us or give us a call for a quote 800-862-8602.

Sportsman’s Gift Cards make great Christmas gifts!
Always the right color, size and price. Purchase yours online by Dec 18.

The guides went out and checked conditions today in the areas we fish and travel. They found 7-9 inches on Four Mile Bay and 8-11 inches on the lake where we fish.  However, they did find some areas with less than that on the lake especially to the west. We have anywhere from ½ to 4 inches of snow on the lake and 1-7 inches on the bays.  That being said we are going to wait for a few more days until we can build a few more inches before we start.  Our first day in our day houses will be Sunday, Dec 10.  Our sleepers are hoping to start the 14^th and Oak Island location in a few weeks.   If you are looking to go out on your own, we strongly encourage you to check with local resorts and bait shops who maintain public roads before heading out.   It is a huge lake and the ice never freezes equally.  No travel is advised on the Rainy River.  This report is only based on the areas we travel and fish.  For current conditions on public roads, we suggest checking with Adrian’s Resort and Morris Point Resort who both maintain roads in the area.  Stay safe and let’s have some fun!

What is the best approach for early season?
A good old ¼ oz. jig or spoon colored gold, glow in the dark or orange jig tipped with a minnow or shiner is a good one to start in shallow 12’-18’. Gold is always a Lake of the Wood’s favorite.  Early season usually starts out aggressive. Stay tuned for updates and be sure to send us or tag us in your pics!

Make a trip before Christmas!
Openings available, click here to contact us or give us a call for a quote 800-862-8602.

Sportsman’s Gift Cards make great Christmas gifts!
Always the right color, size and price. Purchase yours online by Dec 18.

It was a chilly one last night! -10 below when I checked the thermometer this morning. We have first signs of some decent ice starting to form on the lake today. Pockets of water still showing on the lake, bays and river in front of the lodge, but we are making ice! Calm winds and cold days is what we need to make some good headway. No safe ice yet, but it won’t be long if this keeps up. Stay safe and stay tuned!

Four Mile Bay near Wheelers Point 11-10-2017. We are making ice! Not safe yet but the ice is taking shape.

View from Wheeler’s Point Boat Landing and view up the Rainy River in front of the lodge. Some pockets of water yet but we are making ice!

View of the south shore Lake of the Woods Morris Point 11-10-2017. Ice is forming. Still some open water in the distance.