Category Archives: Weekly South Shore Fishing Report

Sportsman’s Lodge Day 2 9th Annual Sturgeon Tournament Results

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9th Annual Sturgeon Tournament

Results for Day 2

The 9th Annual Sportsman’s Lodge two day catch and release sturgeon tournament has come to a close! What a year! Over 200 fish caught and released in the 1.2 mile allowed area.  Fifty boats and 150 anglers fished for over $6,500 cash and prizes.  The weather was incredible in the 70’s and light wind, warmest tournament we have ever hosted. The tournament rounds out with a prime rib awards banquet and entertainment.  Thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations to the winners. We are looking forward to the 10th Annual May 6 & 7, 2016.
Check out the pictures of the day one winners and many more pictures of all of the fun on our
Facebook page.

Day Two 1st Place Winner

Derek Ferestad

64 inch length, 20 inch 
Day Two 2nd Place Winner

Ethan Rogers

53 inch length, 18 inch girth
Day Two 3rd Place Winner

Duane Bode

50 3/4 length, 17.5 inch girth


Do you want to hook into a sturgeon?   You still have time!
Sturgeon keep one season runs until May 7.  Catch & release season runs May 8-15.  Guided Trips, Lodging and Dock Slips available.  Book your trip today!

 

The Walleye Opener is May 9th!

Lodging and guided fishing trips still available. Lodging as low as $45* per person per night. Lodging and charter fishing packages starting at $201* per person.

*plus tax and based on double occupancy through May 20

Call us at 866-998-7280 or book now for your trip to Sportsman’s for the Walleye Opener!

9th Annual Sportsman’s Sturgeon Tournament Day 1 Results

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9th Annual Sturgeon Tournament
Sturgeon classic 9

Results for Day 1

The 9th Annual Sportsman’s Lodge two day catch and release sturgeon tournament is underway!  The fishing and the weather was excellent! The weather was a beautiful 68 degrees, sunny and a light breeze.  Over 100 sturgeon in varying sizes were caught and released in the 1.2 mile allowed tournament area right out front of the lodge. Tournament anglers caught many between the 50″-60″ range and under 30″.

One hundred and fifty anglers attended and 50 boats making this for the 7th year in a row a full tournament.  This year was highest cash and prize payout boasting over $6,500. First place each day receives $2,140, second place $915 and third place a custom rod.  Many other prizes are awarded for the largest eelpout, sucker, and bullhead over the two days along with youth and door prizes.

Day one started at 8:30am running until 4:00pm and rounds out with lots of good stories and entertainment in the bar.  Day two starts at 8:30am on Saturday, May 2 running an hour shorter than day one, ending at 3pm.  Day two also includes an awards banquet and musical entertainment. Check out the pictures of the day one winners and many more pictures of all of the fun on our Facebook page here.

Day One 1st Place Winner
Dustin Lunske
61 3/4 inch length, 24 inch girth

 
Day One 2nd Place Winner
Dusty Nielson
60 inch length, 20 1/4 inch girth


Day One 3rd Place Winner
Jason Albertson
55 1/2 inch length, 21 inch girth


Do you want to hook into a sturgeon?   You still have time!
Sturgeon keep one season runs until May 7.  Catch & release season runs May 8-15.  Guided Trips, Lodging and Dock Slips available.  Book your trip today!

 

The Walleye Opener is May 9th!

Lodging and guided fishing trips still available. Lodging as low as $45* per person per night. Lodging and charter fishing packages starting at $201* per person.

*plus tax and based on double occupancy through May 20

Call us at 866-998-7280 or book online now for your trip to Sportsman’s for the Walleye Opener!

Open Water & Fishing Report

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04/29/2015

Sturgeon season is in full swing!
Some nice sturgeon continue to be found this week and how about this weather! Excellent days to be out on the water.  4/0 and 5/0 circle hooks, 1-3 ounce no roll sinker and night crawlers work best. Anchor up along the incline of a deep hole in the river bottom and get ready for the action. Areas in front of the lodge, Four Mile Bay, Wheeler’s Point and Clementson have all produced some nice sturgeon.  Keep one season, fish must be 45”-50” inclusive or over 75” last until May 7. Catch and release season runs May 8-15. Guided Trips available.

april281 april285
Brett Heinlein
65 inch sturgeon guided by JP
What a catch!		 Cindy Hunter
60 inch sturgeon guided by JP
Nice catch Cindy!

Check out this forecast!


9th Annual Sportsman’s Sturgeon Tournament is this weekend
The tournament is full but we do still have lodging available.  Get into the sturgeon action! Lodging starting at only $45 per person per night. *plus tax and based on double occupancy.

Pike Season
Pike season never closes on Lake of the Woods and we have a very large population of nice trophy pike right now. Some of the best luck has been found in Zippel Bay, Four Mile Bay and shallow creeks. Casting dare devils or any shiny spoon has been working well.

Walleye Opener is only a few weeks away
May 9 walleye season will be back open! Lodging and guided trips are filling up fast.

The ice continues to break up!
This week we expect to see lots of changes due to the warm weather. Check out the latest pictures.

april282 april283
Morris Point Gap
4-28-2015		 Pine Island and Light House Gap
4-28-2015
april284 Satellite 4-28-2015
View from Rocky Point looking East
4-28-2015

Open Water & Fishing Report

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04/22/2015 

Sturgeon & Northern Pike are in the spotlight!
With walleye season closed until May 9, sturgeon and pike are taking center stage! The sturgeon bite this week has been consistent. Not as many monsters, but still good action. Lots of 25-40 inchers were caught and released. The best approach has been anchoring up in the Rainy River in deep holes or mid channel. Mornings favored the afternoons this weekend, but that can usually change with the day. Areas 3 miles west of Baudette, in front of the lodge and near Wheeler’s Point have all been good spots. A 2 oz. weight, 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook and gob of night crawlers bring them in. We still have openings this weekend! Book your stay 800-862-8602!

40 inch sturgeon 51 inch sturgeon Kyle Hanson
40 inch sturgeon caught by Devin
Guided by Dave Winters		 51 inch sturgeon
Kyle Hanson
 
57 inch sturgeon Harleigh Beth
57 inch sturgeon
Joshua LaFerriere & Harleigh Beth O’Dier
Guided by Evan Smith		 April 11 – Nice sturgeon
caught by Harleigh Beth O’Dier 
Guided by Evan Smith

The pike bite has been best in the winter road river area and any creeks along the river that are open. A decent bullhead bite has also been reported when targeting pike. Flashy spoons or dead ciscos floated with a bobber are great approaches. Some have been just using a jig and a minnow too.

Stats
Water temperature currently 51 degrees. Water is churned up from the wind but not too bad. Water level is lower than normal and run off is minimal if any.  Forecast this week is:

Ice Out
Slow but sure, we are making progress.

ice out 1 ice out 2
April 18, 2015 April 11, 2015


Guided Trips Available!
We have 18’-20’ boats available with a guide, poles, tackle and fish cleaning all provided. Take the work out of fishing and let one of our knowledgeable guides do the work so you can sit back, relax and reel in the fish! The boats hold up to 4 passengers plus the guide. $450 for the day.  Book your trip today.

Spring Lodging Special
$40 per person per night midweek, $45 weekends lodge rooms or cabins. $59 in our new villas. Based on double occupancy plus tax now through May 20.  Food and Drinks available too. Click here for our current hours and make your spring trip reservation today 800-862-8602.

Open Water & Fishing Report

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04/15/2015

FISH ON!
What a week! Lots of great fishing has been enjoyed. The walleye bite has been steady. Lots of nice fish were found and most released. Rattle, glow or whistler jigs and lures worked well tipped with a frozen shiner or chub. Today is the last day of the season until May 9. We are looking forward to May!

26″ walleye released by
our very own Christi Pierce
 Mike Toay
28 inch walleye

Walleye season may be closing but that DOES NOT mean there are not lots of other species to fish for! The sturgeon bite is really heating up! Anglers have been very successful this week. Four Mile Bay and right out in front of the lodge have been hot spots. A group that was fishing yesterday even had good luck after dark! Lake of the Woods isn’t usually known for after dark fishing.  The water level is very low, run off and the current is minimal. Current water temperature is 40 degrees in the Rainy River near the lodge and Wheeler’s Point. It is slightly warmer hovering around 47 degrees up river near Birchdale.

Heath Rosenau, 55 inch sturgeon
took over an hour to land		 Dan Bruun
nice sturgeon

Catch and release sturgeon season lasts until April 23. Keep one season within size limits runs April 24-May 7 and catch and release again May 8-15 before the season closes for a short time May 16-June 30.  The best approach is using a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook tipped with a gob of night crawlers and this year you only need 1-2 ounces of weight. A no roll weight is best. Stop in our gift shop for your tackle needs.  Anchoring just up the slant of a deep hole of the river bottom works well. Set up your rod, sit back and relax. It can sometimes be boring to start out but when you get a bite, HOLD ON! They will give you a fight!!! It is worth the wait!

Northern Pike
Spring season on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods is not only known for walleye and sturgeon, but the elusive pike as well!  Zippel Bay, Bostic Creek, Four Mile Bay and most any creek up river that has opened up are great spots. Flashy spoons or dead ciscos floated on with a bobber are great approaches. You will find them in real shallow shorelines this time of year.
View of Four Mile Bay and the lake
4-13-2015

Ice Out
Open water is found outside of Pine Island now up to 20’. Forecast is calling for highs in the 50’s and 60’s this week. We should start to see some big changes by the end of the week.

Ice is starting to deteriorate!
Satellite Pic 4-14-2015

Guided Trips Available!
We have 18’-20’ boats available with a guide, poles, tackle and fish cleaning all provided. Take the work out of fishing and let one of our knowledgeable guides do the work so you can sit back, relax and reel in the fish! The boats hold up to 4 passengers plus the guide. $450 for the day.  Book your trip today.

Spring Lodging Special
$40 per person per night midweek, $45 weekends lodge rooms or cabins. $59 in our new villas. Based on double occupancy plus tax now through May 20.  Food and Drinks available too. Click here for our current hours and make your spring trip reservation today 800-862-8602.

Last day of Walleye

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Last day of walleye fishing is tomorrow, April 14. The season will then close for almost a month, reopening May 9. This past weekend the action really heated up! We are looking forward to May 9! Check out our Facebook page for some pictures of the latest action! www.facebook.com/sportsmanslodges

Moving on to Lake Sturgeon and Northern Pike!
Just because walleye season is ending doesn’t mean their is nothing else worth fishing for at the Walleye Capital of the World, Lake of the Woods. The prehistoric monster lake sturgeons are active. This past weekend was excellent. Lots of 30-65 inch were caught and released. Catch and release season goes until April 23. Take one season (within size limits) is April 24-May 7. We have another catch and release season May 8-15 before the season closes altogether for a month and a half May 16-June 30.  Spring is also an excellent time to catch some nice pike. This season never closes and Lake of the Woods is one of the top 5 lakes in all of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes to catch a trophy!

Hook a deal with our spring lodging rates as low as $40* per person per night through May 20!
*plus tax and based on double occupancy
www.sportsmanslodges.com 800-862-8602

Wheeler’s Point Landing is Open!

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Wheeler’s Point landing is open!
Birchdale, Frontier, Vidas and Timbermill Park as well. Our lodging is full for 4/10 & 4/11 but we have openings the rest of the month.

  Sportsman's Lodge's photo.

Lots of fishing opportunities available!
Walleye season is open until April 14, re-opening May 9.  Sturgeon catch and release season is open now through April 23. Keep one within size limits April 24-May 7 and catch and release again May 8-15 before the season closes for a short time May 16-June 30. Northern Pike season will be heating up very soon. Spring is a great time to catch some of these monsters and did you know Lake of the Woods is one of the top 5 best places in the state to catch a trophy pike! Northern pike season is open year round.

Spring Lodging Special
Lodging as low as $40 per person per night! (plus tax based on double occupancy) Now through May 20. Guided trips and boat docking available too. Book your trip today! 800-862-8602 or online by clicking here.