Category Archives: Weekly South Shore Fishing Report

Four landings are open and we expect two more in a few days

March 24, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

It’s spring fishing time!
As of today Pelland, Birchdale, Frontier and Vidas landings are all open to all boats. Open water is to Baudette and we expect Timbermill landing and Wheeler’s Point to be open within a few days. Click here for a boat access map.

100+ Fish!

The walleye bite has been hot on the river. Lots of anglers boasting 50-100+ fish a day. Drifting and jigging a gold, green and yellow ¾ oz. jigs tipped with a rainbow, sucker and shiner minnows have been working well in 14’-21’. The water clarity is 3’-8’ and water temperature between 35-38 degrees. Current speed is between .5 to .7 mph. Looks like a beautiful weekend ahead, 50’s and sunny/light wind. Walleye season is open through April 14 on Lake of the Woods. We have lodging specials and guides available now and as soon as we get water at our dock, we will have boat rentals and dock slips. Give us a call 800-862-8602.

Spring Fishing Seasons

Walleye season open now through April 14, reopening May 13.
Northern Pike season open all year.
Sturgeon catch and release now through April 23. Keep one season April 24-May 7. Catch & release May 8-15.

Sportsman’s Specials

March 24, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

$99 Lodge Rooms & 20% off Cabins & Villas

Now through March 31

Lodging starting at only $42 per person per night

April 1- May 24

Up to 20% off Summer lodging & charter fishing packages

May 12-24

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

May 12-25

Lodging starting at only $60 per person per night

& 10% off packages

*All specials valid in 2017. Rates are plus tax and based on double occupancy.

Rainy River update!

March 23, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

Rainy River Update!

3/23/2017
Frontier and Vidas landings now open to all boats! The Rainy River is open within 5 miles east of Baudette and open water spots within 3 miles of Baudette. Vidas, Frontier, Birchdale and Pelland landings are all open to all boats. Timbermill should open up in a day or so and Wheeler’s Point next. River has opened up 15 miles since Sunday. 16 miles left until it hits our docks! Won’t be long!

Lots of good fishing reports coming in! Jigging with gold jigs, rainbows or shiners. Tag us in your photos. We would love to share them!

Click here for an access map http://sportsmanslodges.com/…/7…/Rainy_River_Access_Map1.pdf

$99 Lodge rooms and 20% off cabins/villas this weekend. 20th Annual Mardi Gras Party is Saturday! Join us! 800-862-8602

For more information and reports like us on Facebook!

Vidas Landing on the Rainy River 3-22-2017

Frontier Landing Rainy River 3-23-2017

The Rainy River is opening up quick!

March 22, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

The Rainy River is opening up quick!

The river opened up to 1/2 mile west of Clementson (6 miles east of Baudette) now. Frontier landing has 25 feet of shore ice and Vidas (2 miles east of Clementson) has about 50 feet shore ice.
Birchdale and Pelland landings are wide open.

Birchdale Landing 3-20-17

Frontier Landing 3-21-2017

$99 lodge room special and 20% off villas and cabins. Guided trips available! It’s spring fishing time!
Our 20th Annual Mardi Gras Party Saturday! 800-862-8602 www.sportsmanslodges.com

From one season to the next! The river bite is on!!

March 21, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

Spring is in the air. Our ice fishing season closed Sunday on the lake and the river bite started with a bang on Monday. The Pelland and Birchdale landings are now open and the Frontier and Vidas landing are not far behind. There is open water 4-5 miles west of Frontier landing. Frontier landing has 25-30 feet of shore ice and rumor has it may be open tomorrow. Vidas landing should be open by the weekend and possibly even Timbermill (east side of Baudette) by the weekend at this rate. The bite has been hot! A few of our guides were out and landed and released a pile of walleyes yesterday, over 50% in the slot. Drift jigging gold/pink and gold ¾ oz. jigs tipped with a rainbow was the hot ticket. Clarity was 6-8’ and current speed was .7-1mph. Best time was in the late afternoon in depths of 13’-18’. Lodging specials and guided trips available now! Boat rentals and dock slips will be available soon! Time to book your spring trip! 800-862-8602

Click here to view the Rainy River Access Map

Pelland Landing 3-20-2017

Birchdale Landing 3-20-17

The spring river bite is on! Over 50 walleyes & over 50% of them slot size.

Open Season
Walleye season is open through April 14 on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. Pike season never closes and sturgeon catch and release is open now through April 23. Sturgeon keep one is April 24-May 7 and catch and release again April 8-15 before closing for a short 6 weeks.

Spring Specials
$99 Lodge Rooms & 20% off Cabins and Villas now through March 31. Lodging starting at $42 per person April 1-May 24 and up to 20% off lodging/charter packages May 12-May 24. Don’t miss out on these hot specials! *rates plus tax and based on double occupancy

Sportsman’s 20th Annual Mardi Gras Party is this Saturday, March 25!
Free Hurricanes 8pm-9pm, $100 cash for best costume, $100 cash for best lip sync, $2 beer specials,
entertainment and a whole lot more! You won’t want to miss it! Book your lodging now.

Ice Fishing Update

March 18, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

3/18/2017

Tomorrow will be the last day that we will have fish houses out. Thank you for another great ice fishing season! Some ice roads will remain open in the area for awhile longer. Check with local outfitters for current conditions.

We are excited to start the spring season. The evening Riverside Dining room’s last day until summer will be tomorrow but the Sandbar and the Dockside Dining Room will remain open through spring. Spring lodging specials start tomorrow and we will start posting river updates on Monday! Walleye season is open until April 14, pike season never closes and sturgeon season catch and release is now through April 23. Sturgeon season is open April 24-May 7 and catch and release again May 8-15. Lots of good fishing going on this spring!

Last week of ice fishing

March 15, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

Fish house rentals available for 6 more days! Give us a call! Relax in a warm fish house and get in on the late season bite. March 21 will be the last day we will have houses out for the winter season.

What’s hot
Walleye and sauger bite has been good jigging gold and pink jigs, plain hooks and spoons tipped with a chub or shiner in 25’-33’ outside of Pine Island. An early morning and late afternoon bite has been best.

Ice Conditions
Currently we have 27-30 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel. For conditions in other areas check with local resorts and outfitters as conditions may be different.

Trail Conditions
We have minimal snow on land and the lake. Grooming is done for the year.

Ice Fishing beyond March 21
Will there be good ice after March 21 this year? Chances are their will be some good ice on the lake for another week or so. If you interested in venturing out on your own, we have lodging available and some great specials too! $99 Lodge Rooms and 20% off Cabins and Villas March 22-31. Conditions change often this time of year so be sure to check with the ice road maintainer before venturing out. Adrian’s Resort and Morris Point Resort both have ice roads nearby. Check with them for the latest conditions.

Rainy River Spring Fishing start soon
From fish houses to boats. It is that crazy time of year when the lake can still maintain 30 inches of ice and the river starts to open up to our east. When temperatures start to increase the river opens up from the east and will continue to open up moving west. The spring bite is an aggressive sought after bite by many anglers looking to reel some nice walleye, pike and lake sturgeon. Walleye season is open until April 14, pike season is open year round and sturgeon season is catch and release through April 23, open season April 24-May 7 and catch and release again May 8-15. Derik checked river conditions yesterday and found it pretty locked up with ice for the most part still but with not much snow and warm temps coming up later in the week we expect it to change soon. Chances are we will see a few boat splashing around the Manitou(38 miles east of Baudette)/Birchdale (26 miles east of Baudette) area sometime within the next week. Open water spots were spotted 23 miles east of Baudette (35 miles east of the lodge) and Manitou area is wide open except for but 20 feet of shore ice on either side located 38 miles east of Baudette (50 miles east of the lodge). The Pelland Kuttes boat landing 57 miles east of is open. Click here for more information about spring fishing and a boat access map. Watch for inbox and our Facebook page for updates!

Sportsman’s Lodge South Shore Lake of the Woods Fishing, Trail & Ice Report 3/9/2017

March 9, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

The latest from Sportsman’s Lodge……
I saw a Facebook post today that said Mother Nature has gone bipolar. I believe that is correct! It has been quite the week. A few days of warm weather, a few days of gusts of wind up to 48 mph and now back to winter weather, below zero temps. What a week! The good news is we still have 27-30 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel and there is some good ice fishing going on. The guides check ice daily and we plan to keep fishing in our day houses until Mother Nature decides she is ready to warm up. Our sleepers last day will be Monday, March 13.. The ice has minimal snow cover right now so we suggest bringing ice cleats or traction shoes with you when you visit.

Ice Conditions
We have 27-30 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish. We do not maintain a public road. If you are looking to venture out on your own we strongly encourage you to check with local resorts or outfitters for current conditions and information on what they are allowing out on their road before going out. We suggest, Adrian’s Resort 218-634-1985 who maintains a road that goes out on Four Mile Bay. Always stay on marked roads or trails. The entire lake never freezes equally even in the coldest of winters. Stay safe and call ahead!

The Bite
The best bite has been found in 27’-33’ 6-10 miles out of Pine Island. Chubs and shiner minnows on a glow pink or gold jig or plain hook with a few split shots has been working well. We supply the chubs with our fish house rentals; local bait shops have shiners if you are interested in trying a few. Lots of suspended walleyes in varying depths showing up so electronics really help. Saugers are hugging closer to bottom. Try jigging and dead sticking for the best results to see what works for you. A few eelpouts, perch and pike have also been biting. 36 Days of walleye season left on Lake of the Woods!

Trail Report
Minimal snow cover on the ice right now.

25% off Ice Fishing March 19-31
Hook a hot deal! 25% off ice fishing at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location.
Book your trip today 800-862-8602

Spring River fishing is just around the corner!
Walleye season continues on Lake of the Woods until April 14, reopening May 13 and lake sturgeon and northern pike fishing heats up in April and May. Guided trips available, lodging starting at $42 per person per night and up to 20% off summer lodging and charter fishing trips available. Get your reservations in now. Click here for more information and make plans to reel in some monster fish!

28 Days of Ice Fishing & 42 days of Walleye Season left!

March 3, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

We have 26-30 inches of ice and since Lake of the Woods is a border water we have extended walleye season that runs until April 14. Don’t miss out on the late season bite! We have openings available.

The bite has been good this week. We are seeing a lot of suspended walleyes 5, 10 even 20 feet off bottom and saugers hugging the bottom. Electronics are really helpful to bring along or rent so you can get an idea where the fish are at. Jigging shiny spoons and gold jigs tipped with a minnow have been working well. Some anglers are swearing by frozen shiners. We supply the chubs with your fish house but if you would like frozen shiners local bait shops have some on hand. Best bite has been 28’-32’. The ride out to the fish houses is about 30 minutes.

Hook it up

Time to check the hooks. As move towards the tail of the season, now is a good time to check through your favorite hooks you have been using over the winter to be sure they haven’t dulled. Another good tip is to do a little hook bending to increase your hooking power. Bending the hook out to give it an offset and up to increase the hook gap. This will increase your hooking power and help you to miss fewer fish.

Ice Conditions
We currently have 26-30 inches of ice and making ice daily with minimal snow cover on the lake and single digit temps at night. Ice fish with us until the end of March!

Trail Report
Lake groomers are out today. Lake trails are in good shape. For more information about the trails click here for the Baudette area or here for the NW Angle & Islands. The NW Angle club will be hosting their annual Snowmobile Rally March 4 in the NW Angle area. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

25% off Ice Fishing trips March 19-31
Hook a hot deal! 25% off ice fishing at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location.
Book your trip today 800-862-8602

Bring on the cold!

February 21, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

It looks like the brief winter warm up is finally going to end after today and boy are we excited! Enough of the warm weather, what was Mother Nature thinking we still have a month of ice fishing left! LOL!

Currently we have 23-27 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish. We have made some changes to where we are accessing the lake and have been playing in some sloppy conditions the past few days but other than that we are still fishing, checking ice often keeping safety #1 and looking at the forecast we plan to keep fishing until late March.

If you are looking to venture out on your own we can’t stress enough to please work through resorts and outfitters. Check conditions before going out and stay on the trail. The conditions are not the same over the entire lake and now with very little snow left on the lake many people may think they can go anywhere. That is not the case. That is not the case even in the coldest of winters and the winters when we have 4’ of ice. On a good note once we start to cool down we should build ice quicker without the snow. So stay safe and come join us for some great late season fishing!

Fishing Action
Gold and pink spoons jigging or dead sticking with a plain hook tipped with a minnow has been working the best in 26-32’. Overall some anglers doing better than others depending on the day, hour, weather, depth, approach and mother nature. Electronics users seem to do better than those without. Still seeing some suspended fish in various depths from a foot off bottom to 15 feet. Bite has been mainly made up of walleyes and saugers for the pan or throwback with an occasional slot walleye (19.5”-28”) or larger. Best tip is to try some different techniques and talk with your guide for the best approach for the day. March usually considered an active month for fishing. Come visit us!

Check out what some of the guests have been reeling in this week!

Trail Report
Due to the warm weather we recently been having most of our snow has melted. Trails are marked and groomers will fire back up as soon we get another shot of snow!