Sportsman’s Lodge
1/3/2019

Happy New Year Everyone!
From the Sportsman’s family to your family, we wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year! We hope you can visit us in 2019!

The Bite
The bite remains active. Guests have been reeling in a nice mix of walleye and saugers in a variety of sizes. Check out this week’s video of some of the fish caught this week.

The best depth has been found in 18’-28’.  Some note able tackle that has been working well is gold/pink or pink/white buckshots, gold and glow jigs, plain hooks with a few split shots and demon jigs. The guides are working hard at keeping you on the fish and making sure you have a good time. Come have some fun with us this winter! Ice fishing trips available through March 31.
 
Ice Conditions
We have 16-20 inches of ice and 3-5 inches of snow in the areas we fish and travel at this time.  Slow but sure, we are making more ice daily. We now have the bombardiers out to transport you to the fish houses. The ride out is about 20 minutes from the lodge right now.

Trail Conditions
The trails from the south shore to Oak Island and NW Angle, south shore to Warroad and Warroad to Oak Island/NW Angle are all marked.  Average snow is anywhere from 3”-12”on the lake. More on the north side than south side of the lake.  For more information about the trails and latest on the land trails, check out Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders Facebook pages.

Plowed Roads
We do not maintain a plowed road ourselves as we supply the transportation for all of our trips to our houses via a groomed trail, but if you are interested in venturing out on your own, there are several roads in the area.  Be sure to always check with the outfitter for current conditions before heading out as conditions can change and always be sure to stay on marked trails. Be sure to especially exercise caution in areas with current. The entire lake never freezes equally. No travel is advised on the Rainy River at this time.

Here is the latest from a few roads near the lodge.
Adrian’s Road out of Four Mile Bay/Wheeler’s Point
Allowing up to 1/2 ton trucks pulling up to 17 foot wheel houses and small/midsize vehicles (not ½ ton trucks or larger)  pulling up to 21 foot houses. The road currently goes out 3 ½+ miles past Pine Island.

Morris Point Road out of Morris Point
Ice Road is open to all vehicles and all size wheel houses. They report the road is in excellent shape. Be sure to stop by the lodge for a road pass.

Limits? Regulations? Questions? Possession of fillets on the lake?
Click here for this handy guide about ice fishing on the Minnesota side of Lake of the Woods.

New Year, New Vacation Plans
Check us out winter, spring, summer or fall. We have a vacation package just for you!

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
1/3/2019

Good fishing going on!
The New Year is starting off well! Good action! Guests are reeling in mostly walleyes with a mix of a few saugers, perch and pike this week. Gold, glow and pink jigs and spoons tipped with a minnow have been working the best in 23-26 feet. It hasn’t seemed to matter if you are on soft or hard bottom; the bite has been consistent in both areas.  We are seeing a mix of sizes along with some nice trophies.

Ice Conditions
We currently have 13”-20” of ice in the areas we fish and travel. We have a lot of safe ice and we are making more ice by the day but, the high water and current this year has posed a challenge in the areas with current so far this year so if you are venturing out on your own, be sure to check with resorts and outfitters before venturing out. Many current areas you may be used to traveling are not quite ready for travel yet so alternative routes are advised.

Trail Conditions
The trails from the south shore to Oak Island and NW Angle, south shore to Warroad and Warroad to Oak Island/NW Angle are all marked.  Average snow is anywhere from 3”-12”on the lake. More snow is currently on the north side of the lake compared to the south side.  For more information about the trails and latest on the land trails, check out Lake of the Wood’s Drifters and the Northwest Angle Edge Riders Facebook pages.    The lake trails are marked with black stakes. For your safety, please stay on the marked trail and exercise safety precautions.

Plowed Road
The regular plowed road from Young’s Bay at the Northwest Angle around Flag Island that normally follows along the east side of Oak Island is currently only plowed out to Flag and Brush Islands at this time due to ice conditions in the current areas on this route. We are plowing an alternative route today for our guests to use from Young’s Bay around the south side of Oak Island until we can gain more ice in the areas with current in the normal route. This temporary route will not be marked, so please give us a call prior to visiting so we can lead you out.

Come have some fun this winter!
Weekend trips are available February and March and midweek trips available now through March.
It’s ice fishing time! Click here to learn more about our ice fishing packages.

Sportsman’s Rainy River
12/27/18

Happy Holidays Everyone!
A good bite in 18’-28’ of water is bringing in a nice mix of walleyes and saugers along with an occasional sturgeon or pike.  Check out the video and watch for the huge 55 and 68 inch sturgeons caught this week!

We primarily target walleye and sauger but you just never know what might be swimming under your fish house!  A mix of jigging and dead sticking a plain hook with a few split shots, chartreuse glow jigs and spoons, orange rattle buckshot, Gem N Eyes and gold jigs tipped with a minnow or minnow head has been working. Vexilars and Fish Finders are popular among many anglers to help increase catch rates. Don’t have one? We have a few to rent, call ahead.

Ice Conditions
Currently we have 13-19 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish. As of noon today, we have received 4-6 inches of new snow so far since last night and forecasted to receive another 1-2 inches this afternoon. Prior to the snow starting we only had 0-6 inches.

Plowed Ice Roads
If you are fishing with us, we supply the transportation for all of our trips to our houses via groomed trails. If you are interested in venturing out on your own, there are several roads in the area.  Be sure to always check with the outfitter for current conditions before heading out as conditions vary. No travel is advised on the Rainy River at this time. Here is the latest from a few roads near the lodge.

Adrian’s Road out of Four Mile Bay/Wheeler’s Point
Allowing ½  ton trucks not pulling any houses. Smaller than ½ tons pulling up to 17’ houses. ATV’s and side by sides pulling up to 21’ houses. There is 14 ½ to 16 ½ inches of ice in the bay where are our road is.  Please follow our road out to Pine Island as there are reports of thinner ice in some places in the bay.

Morris Point Road out of Morris Point
Allowing up to ½ ton trucks or smaller pulling up to single axle 17’ houses. Please stop in lodge to pay for road pass and do not go more than a couple hundred yards from the road. There is a very clear end to our road, please do not go past this as we have not checked the ice past that point.  As of now we do not have any pressure ridges and we are averaging 16 inches of ice.

Trails
Lake trails from Four Mile Bay to Oak Island and Graceton Beach to Warroad are marked. The trail to Oak Island was packed down with one pass yesterday before the snow. More packing will be done later this week and grooming with the heavier equipment as soon as ice conditions allow.  Use caution around pressure ridges and for your safety, stay on the trail. Conditions vary.  Land trails have been closed up to this point due to lack of snow but now with the new snow groomers will be out!

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
12/27/2018

Happy Holidays Everyone!  We are open for the season!
We started fishing in the islands yesterday.  A mix of jigging and dead sticking produced some nice results with lines settled just a  few inches off bottom using a chartreuse or gold jig, buckshot rattle spoon or glow lure tipped with a minnow in 20’-24’.

Ice Conditions
We have 12-18 inches of ice where we fish and travel but still some areas with less.  For example, the area of Mergan’s Point the area we usually travel around to get to the island is not safe yet, so traveling to the island is different right now compared to previous years at this time.  We expect this to only be temporary until we can build more ice and get the road plowed out to us.   Due to Mergan’s Point area not being safe to travel yet and no ice road plowed out to us yet we are offering alternative options to get to the island for our lodging guests.   We have options of getting you across the lake from Baudette, the snowmobile trail is marked from Baudette to the island or we pick you up from Young’s Bay too.  Give us a call for more information.

Trails
Lake trails are marked from Four Mile Bay on the south end of the lake to Oak Island and to the Northwest Angle as well as from Warroad to the island and Northwest Angle. We are getting more snow today. Prior to today, we had just a few inches. Watch out for the pressure ridges. The fluctuation in temperatures makes them move. The trail from Four Mile Bay to Oak Island was packed down with one pass yesterday.  More packing will be done later this week and grooming will start once ice conditions allow. Grooming to start on the other trails soon.  Use caution and stay on the trail for your safety. The entire lake never freezes equally.  Stay safe and have fun!

Sportsman’s Lodge
12/18/2018

Here Fishy Fishy
It has been a good week of fishing. The week has been full of a lot of good fishing and as always a ton of fun! What a fun time of year, enjoying time on the lake with great friends in god’s country.

A few guest highlights of the week ……..
– Mike Baldwin reeling in two 28” walleyes within 4 hours of each other!
-5 year old Piper holding her first fish!
-Mike Baker reeling in a 36 inch pike!
-Two couples celebrating their anniversaries and reeling in over 100 fish!
Check out their pictures and more in the pictures of the week!

The Bite
A mix of jigging and dead sticking pink and white buck shot lures, a plain white jig, gold stop sign lures, pink, white and gold spoons and macho minnows tipped with a minnow or minnow head in 18’-26’ of water has been popular this week.  Overall a variety of walleye and sauger sizes coming up the holes including some nice 23” plus walleyes, a few pike and eelpout in the mix too.

Ice Conditions
We have 12-18 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel at this time. We have made some progress this week but not a whole lot due to the mild temperatures over the weekend.  Colder temps start Thursday.  With the lack of snow in the area and now the current slowing we should start building ice quicker now.

Trail Conditions
The trail from the south shore to Oak Island is now marked and open for snowmobile traffic at this time.  Most of the trail is covered with snow however, watch for the scattered bare spots.  Average snow cover is currently 0”-5” inches.  The forecast is calling for more snow to show up around Christmas time. The trail is marked with black stakes. For your safety, please stay on the marked trail, snowmobiles only and exercise safety precautions.  The land trails have minimal snow and are not open yet. The lake trail from Wheeler’s Point to Warroad is not staked or open yet. Crews plan to check conditions again this week.

Plowed Roads
We do not maintain a plowed road ourselves as we supply the transportation for all of our trips to our houses, but if you are interested in venturing out on your own, there are several roads in the area.  Be sure to always check with the outfitter for current conditions before heading out and stay on marked roads. The entire lake never freezes equally. No travel is advised on the Rainy River at this time. Here is the latest from a few roads near the lodge.

Adrian’s Road out of Four Mile Bay/Wheeler’s Point
Allowing small to mid-size vehicles not pulling anything and ATV’s, Side by Sides and Snowmobiles pulling up to 17’ wheel houses.

Morris Point Road out of Morris Point
Allowing ATV’s, Side by Sides and Snowmobiles.

Dec 26 Only Special!
Fish all day for only $69! Don’t miss out, must book by December 22.
*Plus tax and based on double occupancy.

Don’t forget to make your New Year’s Eve Dinner reservations 800-862-8602.
We will be featuring a special one night only menu and live entertainment starts at 9. Dress up for our theme, the Roaring 20’s!

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
12/18/2018

We received mild weather this week which didn’t help our ice building but we are excited to see the colder temps in the forecast this week!  We have a lot of great, nice clear ice up to 14” in many areas but also some areas measuring 5”-7”, just not ready for travel yet.  Crews are working on alternative routes and doing their cold temperature dance. We don’t have much snow, only up to 6 inches and areas with no snow, so once the temperature starts to dip we should be able to build ice fairly quickly. So start doing your cold weather dance with us and let’s build some ice!  At this point we plan on opening for the season Dec 26. Stay tuned for updates!

Trail Conditions
The trail from the south shore to Oak Island is now marked and open for snowmobile traffic only at this time.  Most of the trail is covered with snow however, watch for the scattered bare spots.  Average snow cover is currently 0”-5” inches. At this time the forecast is calling for more snow to show up around Christmas time. The trail is marked with black stakes. For your safety, please stay on the marked trail and exercise safety precautions.  The land trails have minimal snow at this time and are not open.

Ring in the New Year at Oak Island
Lodging and fishing available. Join us after a day on the lake for our New Year’s Prime Rib and Shrimp specials serving 5:30pm-9:30pm. For reservations contact us at 800-772-8411 or click here.

Sportsman’s Lodge 12/12/2018    

Fishing & Ice Conditions Update

Great fishing continues!
Anglers have been reeling in several large walleyes 25”+ (check out these pictures!) along with lots of saugers and a good mix of eater size walleyes too.

One of our guests, Dave reeled in a 26” and 29.5 inch walleye in the same day! 18’-24’ has been the optimal depth the past few days. Green glow, anything glow, gold jigs and plain hooks tipped with a minnow or minnow head have been working well. Vexilars/Fish finders always help! Vexilar rentals available, but be sure to call ahead they go fast. Lodging and fishing openings available! Come have some fun before the holidays.

Sleeper Shacks are out, first day tomorrow.
We have some openings available before Christmas. Click here to check out our packages starting at $199* per person. (*plus tax) For reservations call 218-634-1589 or email us.

Ice Conditions
We have 11-14 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish. We received a dusting of some new snow last night but still only a few inches on the ice and land right now, still several spots without snow on the lake and land right now.

If you are venturing out on your own be sure to stay on the trails and check with local resorts and outfitters before heading out. It has been an early start to the season but we still need to build more ice in several areas before heading to far out. We have lots of safe ice with plenty of good fishing in close right now on marked areas and trails. Stay safe and have fun!

Trails
Lake trail from the south shore to Oak Island is not marked yet. Crews will be checking ice again on Friday. Conditions across this area are not ready yet. The lake trail to Warroad and land trails are also not open yet.  The good news is we are building ice and checking often. Stay tuned for updates.

Plowed Roads

Adrian’s out of Four Mile Bay (near Wheeler’s Point)
11-13 inches of ice on the bay and a few more on the lake just outside of Pine Island.  Allowing small to mid-size vehicles not pulling anything and ATV’s/Side by Sides pulling up to 17’ wheel houses.

Morris Point out of Morris Point
Reporting 13 ½ inches of ice now, waiting on a few more inches of ice before changing what they allow out.  ATV’s, Snowmobiles and Side by Sides pulling portables can use their road now.

New Year’s Party!
Make your reservations now for dinner, lodging and fishing. Live Entertainment, specials, party favors, champagne toast and a whole lot of fun is planned! Lodging and fishing openings available Dec 31-Jan 3 at this time. Dinner reservations available from 5pm-10pm.
Click here to make reservations today.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge 12/12/2018

Change of Plans
We were hoping to open today but the lake current the past week has not been friendly to our ice making efforts. We are making progress but just not enough ice in our neck of the woods yet to be safe. The good news is the current has slowed down so that should help. We have 7-12+ inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel at this time. The ice road is plowed out to Brush Island now. We hope to build another 5 good inches real soon and start our season soon. Stay tuned!

Trails
Lake trail from the south shore to Oak Island is not marked yet. Crews will be checking ice again on Friday. Conditions across this area are not ready yet. The good news is we are building ice and checking often. We have just 2-4 inches of snow in the area at this time. Stay tuned for updates.

Openings available December – March.  Join us New Year’s Eve!  We will be kicking 2019 off island style. Dinner specials, drinks and holiday cheer. Click here to learn more about our winter packages and contact us today 800-772-8411.

Sportsman’s Lodge
12/4/2018

The season has started off well!! Check out these pictures!!!

It has been an active bite! Hot tackle has been white glow, green glow, pink and gold colored 3/8 oz. jigs and small spoons in 16’-23’ of water. A mix of jigging about 4-6 inches off bottom and dead sticking have been working well. A variety of good eater walleye and saugers, throwbacks and some nice 25”+ walleyes have been coming through the holes. No equipment, no problem! Our day trips include the ready to go warm fish house, transportation to and from the fish house, use of jig sticks, jigs, bait and fish cleaning. Openings available!

Ice Conditions
9”-13” of ice in the areas we fish and travel right now. We have a cold forecast ahead, making more ice by the minute!

We use light jeeps with heated enclosed trailers this time of year. Once we have more ice we will start using our heavier equipment such as our oversized enclosed snowmobiles, we call bombardiers.

Plowed Roads
Our trips all include transportation to and from the fish house. If you are looking to venture out on your own, we strongly encourage you to use a marked road or trail from an outfitter or resort and stay on the marked roads and trails. The entire lake never freezes equally. We do not maintain a public road, but there are several in the area. Adrian’s out of Four Mile Bay and Morris Point’s out of Morris Point are both good roads to use near the lodge. At this time they are allowing ATV’s, Snowmobiles and Side by Sides. Stay safe, and have fun!

Early Season Special!
25% off Ice Fishing and $99 Lodge Rooms now through Dec 12! Book your trip today 800-862-8602!
www.sportsmanslodges.com

*Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location, excludes sleepers.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
12/4/2018

We are making ice in the islands! We will be open for the season December 12!
Currently we have 6”-12” of ice and making more by the minute. We feel by December 12 we should
have a solid 12”+ in the areas we fish and travel. Let the season begin!

Season Opener Special
25% off Ice Fishing ~ Dec 12-23, 2018. Book your trip today 800-772-8411! www.oakislandlodge.com