Happy New Year! We can build a snowman now!

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Good ol’ Mother Nature decided we needed more snow so she threw down 12 inches the past few days J.   The guides have the bombardiers out in full force getting guests to the fish houses, moving houses and chasing down the best bite.  We aren’t slowing down…..just another day in the north land. Come see us!

The latest bite
What a great start to the year!  14lb walleye, a few 50”+ sturgeons, 19.67 lb. eelpout and many other nice fish caught.

We are seeing many nice pails of walleyes and saugers and a few nice 25”+ walleyes this week.  Jigging pink, gold or red glow 1/8-3/8 oz. jigs tipped with a minnow head or full minnow has worked well.  Some anglers are finding the smaller jig and minnow head is working best to entice the fish and set the hook with better success.  The bite is on the move deeper, 18’-29’now.  Check out some of the pictures.

winter-2016-2017-collage

Ice Conditions
Current ice conditions are 17-20 inches in the areas we travel and fish.  We run a private groomed trail. If you looking to venture out on your own, check out Adrian’s Road report below.

Adrian’s Road Four Mile Bay near Wheeler’s Point Access
As of January 1, ½ ton trucks pulling up to 17’ wheel houses and smaller vehicles pulling up to 21’ wheel houses are allowed out. ¾ ton and 1 ton trucks can drive out but cannot pull a wheel house.

Trail Report
Lake trails are marked from Baudette on the Rainy River all the way around Wheeler’s Point to Lake of the Woods  and 40 miles north across the lake to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge. The trails are also marked from Wheeler’s Point to Warroad. The crew is dragging the trails now and as soon as we get a few more inches of ice they will start grooming. This new snow has really improved trail conditions.  The land trails are being groomed often.  For more information about the land trails check out the Lake of the Woods Drifters Snowmobile Club.

Lake Sturgeon
Anglers have been reeling in a few lake sturgeons lately.  Most sturgeon have been caught on a jig and minnow while targeting walleyes however this has raised several questions I thought I would take the time to address.  Can I target sturgeon now? Can I use the same large hook, sinker and worm method as I do in the spring? Does Sportsman’s have fish houses available that target sturgeon?  Yes, you can target sturgeon anytime July 1-May 15. The season to keep one is April 24-May 7 and July 1 – Sept 30. The rest of the season is open to catch and release.   The only time you cannot target sturgeon is when the season is closed May 16-June 30.  Yes, you can use the same method to catch sturgeon in the winter as you do in the summer using a large 4/0 or 5/0 hook, no roll sinker and a gob of minnows however worms can be hard to come by this time of year so many people use shiners.  Sportsman’s  does not have houses that we use to primarily target sturgeon but as we know the sturgeons are out in our fishing areas and it is not that uncommon to sIf you are looking for a soft water trip to target these prehistoric dinosaurs, our guides would love to take you out. Click here for more information.

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Ice fishing is here! Book your trip today!
Lodging & fishing packages starting at only $191 per person. Click here to learn more.
*plus tax and based on double occupancy

Sportsman’s Lodge Fishing, Trail & Ice Report 12-23-2016

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12/23/2016

Fishing continues to be great! Lots of action!
A mix of good eaters and 24”+ walleyes has been caught this week. An early morning and late afternoon bite in 17’-23’ has been best using 3/8 oz. gold jig with a white tip, chubby darters, red frosty spoons and glow buckshot rattle spoons tipped with a minnow or minnow head jigging 6-8 inches off bottom. The ride is just 20 minutes to our fish houses!

29 inch walleye caught and released by Ryan Winter

29 inch walleye caught and released by Ryan Winter

Ice Conditions
12-16 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel with a 3-5 inch snow cover.

Trail Report
The trail from Four Mile Bay (Wheeler’s Point) to Oak Island and from Four Mile Bay to Warroad are both now marked. The trails have 11-14 inches of ice and 3-5 inch snow cover. The trails are marked with black stakes.Trails will start to be maintained using a drag next week and the groomer as soon as we get 24 inches of ice.

Our ice report is for the areas we travel and fish. Our houses are on a private groomed trail. If you are venturing out on your own, we encourage you to check with the outfitter or resort that maintains the road for the most up to date conditions and stay on the road as conditions differ in different areas of the lake.

Public Ice Road
Adrian’s public ice road at the Four Mile Bay access near Wheeler’s Point is currently reporting 13 inches of ice on Four Mile Bay and 10-14 inches on the lake. They are allowing mid-size SUV’s, mini vans and cars. Four wheelers and UTV’s are allowed to pull wheel houses out up to 17’ long. No ½ ton trucks. The road is marked 1.5 miles past Pine Island.

Johnson group making memories

Johnson group making memories

Look what this young angler reeled in!

Look what this young angler reeled in!

New Year’s Eve Party
Join us for our annual New Year’s Eve Party! Entertainment, food and drink specials, champagne toast, party favors and a whole lot of fun! Make your dinner reservations now 800-862-8602.

forecast-12-23-2016

Sportsman’s is now on SnapChat!
Add us: sportmanslodge

Sportsman's Lodges Snapchat

Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River Fishing Report – 12/19/2016

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Here we go!
The season has started out great! We have a good ice base and active fishing, what more can a person ask for? We currently have 10-13 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish and making more by the minute.

Several groups enjoyed great fishing over the weekend and with the warmer weather moving in we expect it to get even better this week. Anglers are seeing more walleyes than saugers of varying sizes. An early morning and late afternoon bite in 16’-23’ has been best using small gold or pink jigs and glow buckshot rattle spoons tipped with a minnow or minnow head jigging 6-8 inches off bottom. Dead sticking produced good results as well. The guides suggest to try one rod jigging and one rod dead sticking and see what works best for you. The ride is just 20 minutes to the fish house!

Our ice report is for the areas we travel and fish. Our houses are on a private groomed trail. If you are venturing out on your own, we encourage you to check with the outfitter or resort that maintains the road for the most up to date conditions and stay on the road as conditions differ in different areas of the lake.

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Adrian’s public ice road Four Mile Bay access near Wheeler’s Point
Currently they are reporting 13 inches of ice on Four Mile Bay and 10-14 inches on the lake. They are allowing mid-size SUV’s, mini vans and cars. Four wheelers and UTV’s are allowed to pull wheel houses out up to 17’ long. No ½ ton trucks. The road is marked 1.5 miles past Pine Island.

 

Trail from Wheeler’s Point to Oak Island
The crew plans on checking ice and marking this trail later in the week.

 

25% off Ice Fishing this week Dec 21-23*!
The fishing is great! Click here to contact us now or call 800-862-8602.
*Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location day houses

 

New Year’s Eve Party
Join us for our annual New Year’s Eve Party! Entertainment, food and drink specials, champagne toast, party favors and a whole lot of fun! Make your dinner reservations now 800-862-8602.

 

Sportsman’s is now on SnapChat!
Add us: sportmanslodge
Sportsman's Lodges Snapchat

We had a great weekend of ice making!

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The guides were out today checking ice. We found 4″-7″ of ice on Four Mile Bay, the bay by Wheeler’s Point that we use to access the lake and 5″-6″ on the lake. Now keep in mind this is where we travel and fish. The entire lake is not treated equally. Conditions are different in different areas. Safety first! We think this is a great start and we will continue to check daily but safety is our #1. As for an exact start date, we can’t make that decision yet but it we can tell you it looks like it will be soon! More to come tomorrow!