First walleye caught was a 30 inch 12.86 lb. walleye

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What a catch! Most anglers fish a lifetime and never hook a 30 incher. That was not the case for Nate Nygard guided by Captain Baihly Hontvet this past week.

Nate had never caught a walleye before and boy was he surprised when the first one that grabbed his bait was a 30 INCHER!! What a catch! It even got better; the next day he also caught a 24 inch walleye! Needless to say he is hooked and can’t wait to come back. We have seen some really great fishing so far this summer we can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store. Check out Nate and his catch!

Nate Nygard 30 inch 12.86lb walley. Guide, Baihly Hontvet

Nate Nygard 30 inch 12.86lb walley. Guide, Baihly Hontvet

 The Scoop
Best fishing has been in 14’-28’ this week on the northern reefs and outside of Pine Island and Zippel Bay. Drifting using 3/8 oz. gold or pink/silver jigs tipped with a minnow or gold, orange or red/white/silver spinners, 2-3 ounce sinker and a leech or night crawler. The current water temperature is 67 degrees.
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Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s!
Don’t forget about dad! We have gift cards and lodging/fishing packages available starting at just $247 per person all month long. Click here to order your gift card or here to book your reservation. Sportsman’s Lodge 800-862-8602 Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge 800-772-8411.

4th of July Celebration
Join us and the Lake of the Woods area for another fun Independence Day Celebration. Vendors, parade, games, entertainment, fishing, relaxing, boating and much more! Click here.

Lodging, camping, charter fishing, boat rental and docking available.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Fishing Report June 8, 2016

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We are known for walleyes, muskies, crappies and pike but check out what the Thillman Frasco Group and Guide Eric Grundahl reeled in!   They headed out on a ninety minute cruise, enjoyed beautiful scenery and excellent trout fishing.

Walleyes are hot!
Depths of 16-22 feet of water during the day and in shallow 8-12 feet in the evening have been hot spots along rocky points and mud jigging with shiny jigs and a minnow. Pulling plugs in the evening along shorelines has also been good.  Guide tip: Work the points and shorelines. If you aren’t finding them try a different depth.

Trophy Pike
Lots of huge pike swim in the waters of Lake of the Woods.  Rocky points in 2-10 feet of water and weedy shallow bays are great spots to find these fish this time of year.  Spinners, spoons and plugs are working well.  The smaller the tackle the better is the best approach.

Smallmouth Bass
Rock points and shallow weedy bays in 2’-20’ are the best spots to find bass.  Spinners, spoons and plugs are the best approach. A sweet spot is a rock pile in front of a weedy area. If you can cast over the rock pile and get into those weeds you should find some good action.

Muskie season opens June 18.
The spawn is almost over and the season opens up soon!

It looks like summer!  Current water temperature is 61 degrees.

68oaks

 

Summer Trips Available
Lodging and guided trips available through October.

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report June 8, 2016

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GOOOOOOOOOOOD Fishing!

Check out this slideshow of all the great pictures from the past few days.

Walleyes are hungry and anglers are finding lots of nice fish.  Depths between 16’-28’ drifting along Pine Island, Zippel Bay or the northern reefs have been good spots. Gold or shiny jig tipped with a minnow or spinner and 2-3 ounce sinker tipped with a leech or a worm are working best. Water temperature climbed a few degrees this week to 63.

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Father’s Day is June 19
Don’t forget about dad! We have gift cards and lodging/fishing packages available starting at just $247 per person all month long. Click here to order your gift card or here to book your reservation. Sportsman’s Lodge 800-862-8602 Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge 800-772-8411.

4th of July Celebration
Sportsman’s Lodge and the Baudette area are great places to celebrate Independence Day. Check out all of the events and fun planned.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Fishing Report June 1, 2016

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Jigging for walleyes
Anglers continue to fish in close to Oak Island and the surrounding islands mainly on the Minnesota side. Jigging with an orange or green ¼ ounce jig tipped with a chub minnow in 20’-25’ of water seems to be bringing in the best results. Water temperature is hovering around 60 degrees.  The catch has been mainly 13”-17” walleyes and a few saugers in the mix.

The muskies are getting frisky!
A couple of anglers were out casting for northern pike this past week and a few muskies took a nibble. Muskie season opens June 18, and it sounds like they are hungry! Give us a call and we will set you up with a professional guide that knows all of the best bait, tricks, tips and places to go.

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schoolsout

 

School is out! Fishing time!

Book your Summer Trip
Lodging and guided trips available through October.

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report June 1, 2016

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Summer is here!
Summer fishing has kicked off and the guides are hot on the walleye trail. Soft water guided trips are available through October. Walleyes are hugging rock edges in 15’-26’ right now. Anglers are having the best luck anchored or slow drifting using a 3/8 oz. jig and a minnow or 2-3 ounce sinker and spinner tipped with a crawler or leech.  Gold is always a go to color on Lake of the Woods. Other colors that are working well are pink and orange.  The current water temperature is 61 today. Water temperature spiked to 66 a few days ago but has been averaging around 62 the past week.

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Look at this Walleye! Jason Parker 27 inch released. Guided by Captain Dave McDougall

Look at this Walleye! Jason Parker 27 inch released. Guided by Captain Dave McDougall

Its a double Denny

It’s a double! Denny & Mike 28.25 and 28.5 inch walleyes. Guided by Captain Mike Marquardt

 Its a double Mike

 

 

Berry Picking, Golfing, Live Entertainment, Beaches, Lake Tours and Much more!
Check out all of the things to do in the Lake of the Woods area.

Father’s Day just around the corner!
Don’t forget about dad! We have gift cards and lodging/fishing packages available starting at just $247 per person all month long. Click here to order your gift card or here to book your reservation. Prefer to call? Sportsman’s Lodge 800-862-8602 Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge 800-772-8411.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Fishing Report May 26, 2016

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Great walleye bite!
Some nice 14”-16” walleyes are being found around points and shorelines in 14’-24’ of water.  Water temperature is 60 degrees.  Jigging with gold or orange jigs tipped with a minnow has been the most successful. Summer is here! Time to get out fishing, the guides are ready!  Anglers have found a few bass and pike as well. Pitching dead ciscos with a bobber on a quick strike rig on bottom or just 6 inches off bottom is working well to lure in these fish in shallow weedy bays.

Right off the dock! 5 year old Stellie with Grandpa Jerry at Sportsman's Oak Island Lodge!

Right off the dock! 5 year old Stellie with Grandpa Jerry at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge!

 

Book your summer trip!
Lodging, boat rental and guides available! Escape to the lake!!

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report 5-26-2016

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The Bite is on!
We have been enjoying great walleye fishing this past week.  Check out these pictures! Shorelines 12’-28’ have been producing well using a brightly colored jig and minnow.  Some anglers have been anchored and others drifting.  The water temperature is warming up. We have warmed up 7 degrees this week, currently sitting at 62 degrees.  The guides are hot on the walleye trail.

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100% Walleye Guarantee
Charter boats are the best way to navigate the south shore waters of Lake of the Woods and with our 100% walleye guarantee, no equipment or experience is required, how can you go wrong? Click here to learn more.

It's a double! Maria and Rod reel in nice walleyes at the same time. Guided by Captain Dave McDougall

It’s a double! Maria and Rod reel in nice walleyes at the same time. Guided by Captain Dave McDougall

25 inch walleye Dave from Dubuque IA 25 inch walleye released guided by Captain Mike

25 inch walleye Dave from Dubuque IA 25 inch walleye released guided by Captain Mike

Celebrate Father’s Day all month long
Packages and gift cards available.

Did you see what was caught at our Sturgeon Tournament this year?

Joe Anderson 70.5 inch, 28 inch girth lake sturgeon caught on the Rainy River Lake of the Woods, MN at Sportsman's Lodge 5-6-2016

Joe Anderson 70.5 inch, 28 inch girth lake sturgeon caught on the Rainy River Lake of the Woods, MN at Sportsman’s Lodge 5-6-2016