Sportsman’s Ice Conditions Update – 11/28/2018

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Sportsman’s Lodge
11/28/2018

8-11 inches of ice! The houses are out! Let’s go fishing!

I think this is the earliest date we have ever started our season. It has been a bitter cold November. We
currently have 8-11 inches of ice as of today on the bay and lake in the areas we fish and travel. Other
than a little bit of rough shore ice the ice is looking pretty smooth this year. Our first day of ice fishing is
just a couple days away Friday, November 30! We have day houses out now. No sleepers yet. The
forecast continues to look ideal for ice making! We don’t have much snow yet so be sure to bring your
ice cleats. Let the fun begin! Openings houses and lodging available give us a call 800-862-8602 and be
sure to ask about our hot deals Nov 30-Dec 5!

Fishing Tips
Gold and pink 3/8 oz. jigs, buckshots, stop signs, charmers and flash bangs are always good go to tackle
to start the year with in shallow under 20’ of water. No equipment? No problem! Our day houses are
equipped with jig sticks, jigs and we clean your fish for you too. We even supply the transportation to
and from the house and can bring you a lunch too!

Plowed Roads
Adrian’s Road out of Four Mile Bay and Morris Point’s road just a few miles away from the lodge are
now open for ATV’s, Snowmobiles and Side by Sides. Keep safe, please stay on marked trails and keep
speed slow. No travel is advised on the Rainy River.

25% off Ice Fishing and $99 Lodge Rooms Nov 30-Dec 5! One of the best deals of the year!
Contact us now 800-862-8602.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
11/28/2018

We are making ice by minute!
Currently in the islands where we fish and travel we have anywhere from 5”-12” of ice right now. Rumor
has it the mail man is making his first trek to us by snowmobile today. We are checking ice daily and working on getting the equipment ready. Check back for update, we plan to get our season kicked off
soon! For winter reservations contact us by calling 800-772-8411 or clicking here.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Ice Update 11/24/2018

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We are building ice!
We are finding 5-8” in most areas we fish and travel but still waiting on a few areas to heal up. We have a great start and the forecast looks favorable. Check back soon for updates!

For reservations contact us at 800-772-8411 or click here. 

Our sister resort, Sportsman’s Lodge on the south shore will begin their season Friday, Nov 30.
For their ice report, click here.

 

Sportsman’s Ice Fishing Season Starts Friday!

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Ice Report 11-24-2018

Ice Fishing starts at Sportsman’s Friday, Nov 30!
It’s time! The cool fall has been great for ice making. The guides checked ice today and said based on what they found and the forecast ahead, Nov 30 will be our first day of the season for our day houses.  Sleepers and Sportsman’s Oak Island will be another week or so after. They found 5”-7” of ice on the bay and 7-10” on the lake and nearly no snow cover in the areas we fish and travel. We should have no problems building a few more inches and starting with a safe 8-12” by Friday, especially with no snow cover. With no snow on the ice yet, which is great for ice making, it is slick so be sure to bring your cleats. As always, if you decide to venture out on your own, be sure to check with local resorts or outfitters before venturing out. Light jeeps, UTV’s, ATV’s only for awhile and keep the speed slow. The entire lake never freezes equally and the river is usually not ready for a few more weeks due to current. We only check and monitor the areas we fish and travel.

Public Ice Roads
We use a private access and do not maintain a public road. For ice road information, we suggest checking with Morris Point or Adrian’s.

Openings available!
Give us a call to make your reservations! 800-862-8602 or click here.

 

Sportsman’s Ice Conditions Update – 11/19/18

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Sportsman’s Lodge
11-19-2018

It’s Freezing Season!

We have made progress this weekend. Many areas of the lake and river that opened up last week now have a sheet of fresh ice on it. A cool weekend with light winds made for perfect ice making weather.  Woohoo! Bring on the cold temps!
It is not safe yet! This is just the first thin layer and open water pockets still remain but if weather like this keeps up, we will be building good ice in no time. We are hoping Mother Nature will hand us some light winds and cold temps this week to continue to build a good base.  Stay tuned for more updates.  An early December start date could very well be in our sights. We start our season once we have 8-12 inches of safe ice in the areas we fish and travel. Do you have you winter reservations in yet? 
December Weekend Deal!
Up to over $100 in savings per person!
Dec 20-23, 2018
25% off ice fishing and a $25 food and beverage gift card (per person)
when you stay at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River on a 2 nights lodging, 1 day ice fishing package
or better and join our loyalty program. Our loyalty program is free to sign up and a great
way to hear about hot deals and earn free stays! Click here to sign up and book your
reservation today 800-862-8602!
*Excludes sleeper rentals.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
11-19-2018
 
More ice!
We now have a frozen sheet of ice on the bay in front of the lodge and ice on the most of the lake, bays and channels.  A few open water pockets here and there but looking good!
We are crossing our fingers the wind stays light and temperatures cold so we can begin the ice building!
Ice fishing season is just around the corner!  Stay tuned here for more updates.

Check out our winter packages and come have some fun this winter.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Sportsman’s Ice Conditions Update – 11/13/18

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We made a thin layer of ice on the lake as far as we can see from the shore and in front of the lodge last night on the river. Still some pockets of open water but we made some ice. Will it stay? Looks like the wind is going to kick up tomorrow and a few days of highs in the 30’s but then the weatherman is saying back to cold and low winds after that again. Stay tuned! Winter is rolling in.

Sportsman’s Ice Conditions Update – 11/12/18

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Ice In The Bays

The weather has been a cold this week here in the north land. Several mornings we have woken up to the single digits. Many of the small bays are iced over and some of the larger ones have formed some decent shore ice already along the south shore of Lake of the Woods and up at the Northwest Angle by Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge. If this keeps up, ice fishing season will start early this year! We still have water on the river and main lake at this point. It is pretty windy today so we don’t anticipate too much happening until that calms down but it is does looking promising! The water temp is hovering just above freezing right now so once the wind calms down and if the temperatures stay cold we should start making some decent ice! Stay tuned here for more updates coming soon!

HOT Loyalty Club 25/25 Holiday Deal
Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River
**Available Limited Time*** Up to over $100 in savings per person!
25% off ice fishing and a $25 food and beverage gift card (per person) when you stay on a 2 nights lodging, 1 day of ice fishing or better package at our Sportsman’s Lodge location, December 20-23! Not a loyalty club member? It is free and quick to sign up. Click here to sign up and contact us to make your reservation 800-862-8602. Don’t delay this offer won’t last long!

Not valid with any other offers. Excludes sleeper rentals.

Sportsman’s Ice Conditions Update – 11/8/18

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Rainy River

Ice is starting to form!

Here are pics of Four Mile Bay and Bostic Bay this morning.

Oak Island

Ice formed around the cattails in the Bay last night. First sign of ice for the year.

Sportsman’s Lodge & Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge – 11/7/2018

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Ice Fishing season is just around the corner
It is beginning to look like winter around here. We woke up to a blanket of snow this morning and the forecast is looking cooooold with highs only in the 20’s for the week ahead! We are getting excited!!! This is perfect weather to set the stage for the BIG Freeze.

Water temperature is hovering in the upper thirties right now and is sure to make a big dip after this week. Historically speaking we usually start ice fishing with 8-12 inches of safe ice in early December. Who is ready for some fun? Do you have your reservations in? (http://sportsmanslodges.com/rainyriver/fishing/)

The Bite
A few anglers are still out and about in boats. Anchored in 12′-22′ using a jig and shiner continues to bring in some nice walleyes in the bays and river.

HOT Loyalty Club 25/25 Holiday Deal
Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River
**Available Limited Time***Up to over $100 in savings per person!
25% off ice fishing and a $25 food and beverage gift card (per person) when you stay on a 2 nights lodging, 1 day of ice fishing or better package December 20-23! Not a loyalty club member? It is free and quick to sign up. Click here (http://sportsmanslodges.com/contact/loyalty-program/) to sign up and contact us (http://sportsmanslodges.com/rainyriver/facility/lodging-request/) to make your reservation 800-862-8602. Don’t delay this offer won’t last long!
Not valid with any other offers. Excludes sleeper rentals.

Sportsman’s Lodge Fishing Report – 10/30/18

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Reeling in nice Walleyes
Soft water season is winding down but anglers still having great luck bringing in nice 16”-30” walleyes. Water temp is hovering in the upper 30’s and clarity is improving by the day.  If you are up for one last dash in the boat, come for a visit.  We have lodging and dock slips available.  Fishing this time of year is pretty darn good; just don’t forget to bundle up!

The best technique is to anchor and vertical jig a shiner minnow in areas with a little current. Water depth between 12’-20’ has been a sweet spot lately.  The Rainy River, Lighthouse Gap or just outside the Gap are excellent spots to wet a line.

Check out these pics!

We had lots of fun at the Halloween Party this year. Thanks to everyone who joined us! Join us for our next party, on New Year’s Eve.

Lodging available through Freezing Season
Thanks to everyone who visited us and tuned into our reports this season.  The bar, dining rooms, lodge rooms and pool are closed until December, but we have lodging available in our cabins and villas.   If you are looking for a hunting headquarters or just a place to enjoy some peace and quiet, contact us.  We have great rates starting at only $79* per night! (*plus tax)

Ice fishing season starts in just a little over a month
Sportsman’s has something for everyone. Check it out.
Sportsman’s Lodge ~ Sportsman’s Sleepers ~ Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge ~ Sportsman’s Eagle Ridge

Sportsman’s Lodge Fishing Report – 10/26/2018

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Walleye, it’s what’s for dinner!
Many anglers are finding a great walleye bite. Check out these pictures! Good old Lake of the Wood’s gold, glow and pink/white combo have been hot jig colors.

What’s working
Not too many changes in the approach this week. Anchored and vertical jigging a 3/8 oz.-1/2 oz. jig tipped with a shiner has been working well in 12’-20’ of water. Some of the best fishing spots have been areas where bait is schooled up like deep holes and creek mouths.  We have a few charter trip openings now through Saturday, Oct 27 and some guided outfitter trips in our 20’ boat available for another week or so after. The water temperature continues to fall. We are hovering between 38-40 degrees. It won’t be long and it will be prime time freezing time. We start our ice fishing season when we have 8-12 inches of safe ice usually within the first couple of weeks of December.

It’s Winter Trip Planning Time
Give us a call to make your winter plans! Book and pay in full for your winter trip by Nov 1 and receive DOUBLE Sportsman’s Rewards Points. Rewards certificates can be used for free trips, food, beverages and gift shop items. Not a member yet? Click here to sign up.

Our villas make great hunting and fishing headquarters in November.
Relax and enjoy spacious kitchen and living rooms, multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, cozy fireplaces great views of the Rainy River.  Check us out for a place to go this November. Some resort amenities are not available.

Nightly Rates
Cabins
1 bedroom $79
2 bedroom $150
3 bedroom $225

Villas

1 bedroom $115
2 bedroom $225
3 bedroom $300
4 bedroom $375
5 bedroom $425

Click here to learn more about our villas.  Book your stay by calling us at 800-862-8602 or click here.