The island life is a good life…especially when fishing is this good!

June 13, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

Beautiful weather and great fishing have kicked off a late starting summer up at Oak Island. Anglers have reported a number of both trophy- and eating-sized walleye, as well as some MONSTER northerns.

Head out to depths between 15’ and 30’. Take your pick between jigs, spinners and cranks as they have all produced some great fish. We expect this trend to continue as the waters warm and fish continue to spread out across the lake.

Charter fishing available 7-days a week!
Jump on one of our professionally guided charter trips! No equipment or experience needed! Let us help you find some fish. Call us to book your day on the lake!

Sweet Summertime!
The sounds of the water, the beautiful scenery and the incredible walleye, pike, bass and muskie fishing awaits you. Book your summer trip todaywww.oakislandlodge.com 800-772-8411

Another week of fantastic summer fishing is in the books!

June 13, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

June is one of the best months of the year to fish, and this year is no exception. This week, we saw trophy sized walleye, lightning fast limits and excellent eaters. Anglers have reeled in fish in all of the corners and crevices of the lake.

Anchored jigging near Zippel Bay, Morris Point, the Lighthouse Gap and off the reefs of Knight Island and Bridges has produced some of the largest fish of the week. Pack your gold, pink, chartreuse or orange tackle and frozen shiners and motor over to 20’-26’. If you’re looking for something a little different, try drifting with spinners and crawlers in the shallower waters (6’-17’) near Long Point, Graceton, the Gap and Pine Island. The river has yielded some great fish as well. Because of a pretty strong current, try jigging with a heavy jig in 15’-18’ of water.

Tim Hermanson spent a day fishing with Captain Troy who helped him reel in this 30”, 11lb walleye!

Kaitlin Driscoll traveled all the way to Lake of the Woods from Miami, FL. The trip was certainly worth it when she reeled in this 28.5” walleye! (Guided by Captain Dave)

You may remember Cecile from the fishing report last week, but this week she is back with an even bigger fish! Cecile caught and released this 29.5” walleye with Captain Dave!

The week ahead looks a bit cooler than the last few, with highs reaching into the upper 60s and low 70s, and dipping into the 40s and 50s in the overnight hours. Click here for a full weather report.

After a day on the lake stop by for a cold one & great food.

Daily specials including TWO Happy Hours, new menu, new 3rd Street Craft Beer, Weekend Entertainment and more! www.mysportsmans.com

Charter fishing available 7-days a week! Jump on one of our professionally guided charter trips! No equipment or experience needed! Let us help you find some fish. Call us to book your day on the lake!

Learn about our specials, fishing tips and more on Facebook. Like us at www.facebook.com/sportsmanslodges

New Canadian Outfitter Trips

Well known guide, Josh Beckel is back and ready to take you on an awesome fishing trip.

Oak Island Lake of the Woods Fishing Report

June 5, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

The water is heating up, and so is the fishing! After a late ice out, the water on the northern end of the lake is warming up quickly. Some spots have already heated up to over 48 degrees! This warming has equated to some stellar fishing around the northern islands. Jigging using gold tackle and minnows has yielded both quality and quantity walleye, jumbo perch and northern pike. As far as depth and location, anglers have had just as much luck in shallow water (5’+) along the shorelines as they have in the deep bays.

The weather seems to have finally transitioned to what is normal for early June, pleasant days with highs in the 70s and lows dipping into the 50s. Click here for a complete 10-day forecast.

Charlie Hilligoss from Silva, IL reeled in this 30” walleye with a gold jig over the weekend. Charlie and his friends fished their way from the south shore of Lake of the Woods up to Oak Island with Captain Darryl.

Summer is here!

We still have openings. Give us a call to book your Oak Island adventure, 800-772-8411.

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

June 5, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

Fishing Report – 6/5/14

Sportsman’s Lodge

Dr. Suess must have been thinking about Lake of the Woods when he wrote, “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.” Because anglers have been reeling in and releasing that, and more, including; big fish, small fish, walleye, sauger, northern and even a few sturgeon this week.

The fish have been roaming the lake this week. Anglers and guides have reported productive fishing near Long Point and Zippel Bay, in 4-Mile Bay, near Morris Point and Lighthouse Gaps, in front of Pine Island and further north near Knight’s Island. Drop an anchor and jig in 6’ to 16’ of water with gold, pink or orange tackle tipped with frozen shiners.

Brad Keitel from Oxford, LA had a great trip with Captain Dave! He caught and released two trophy sized walleyes! This one measured in at 28”!

Brad’s second walleye was the winner of the weekend! It measured in at 29.5”!

A Miami, FL resident caught and released the biggest fish of the week! Paul Driscoll reeled in this 29.75” walleye with Captain Dave!

Cecile Ropas traveled all the way from Lubbock, TX to fish with Captain Dave! He helped her with her catch-of-a-lifetime, 27” walleye!

In between helping his guests catch and release monsters, Captain Dave managed to catch and release this 28.5” walleye!

Favorable weather is expected to continue throughout the next 10-days, with highs ranging from the mid-60s to high-70s. Overnight lows should continue to dip down into the 40s and 50s throughout the next few weeks. If you’re planning a trip, be sure to pack your rain gear, just in case. Click here for a look at the complete 10-Day Forecast.

No hassles, great fishing and no equipment required!

Schedule your charter fishing trip today. You will enjoy the relaxed fishing. We will do the work. You just need to show up and fish! Full Day trips available include an experienced guide, use of poles and tackle, bait and fish cleaning. Boat leaves at 8am and cruises back to the dock by 5pm. Groups of 1-6 per boat welcome. Check out our daily and package options here and book your trip today! The walleyes are waiting!

Dynasty DJ will be taking your requests in the Sandbar this Friday and Saturday night. For the full entertainment schedule, click here.

Oak Island Lake of the Woods Fishing Report

May 29, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

The ice is gone, and the fishing is great! The combination of great fishing, beautiful weather, and a long weekend set us up for the perfect kickoff to summer.

Anglers fishing the lake didn’t have to travel too far to find fish. Slot and trophy sized fish were found swimming in shallow water amongst the islands in the Northwest Angle. Anchored jigging with chartreuse, pink, white/pink combo and gold tackle tipped with a frozen shiner or live fathead produced some of the largest fish of the week. One party caught and released a trio of trophy-sized walleye ranging from 27” to 30”. However, walleye isn’t the only species being caught. Anglers have reeled in sizeable perch and pike throughout the last week.

Summer is here!

We still have openings. Give us a call to book your Oak Island adventure, 800-772-8411

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

May 29, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

The last week has been perfect, and we don’t expect it to end anytime soon. The combination of great fishing, beautiful weather, and a long weekend set us up for the perfect kickoff to summer.

Anglers fishing the lake didn’t have to travel too far to find fish. Slot and trophy sized fish were found swimming in 6 to 14 feet of water in Four Mile Bay, the Lighthouse Gap and the Morris Point Gap. Anchored jigging with chartreuse, pink, white/pink combo and gold tackle tipped with a frozen shiner or live fathead produced some of the largest fish of the week. We expect the excellent fishing on the lake to continue as the water warms and the fish continue to move from the river to the lake.

River fishing has also offered anglers an excellent fishing experience. Like the lake, shallow, anchored jigging is the most productive method of fishing. The current on the river is pretty strong right now, so pack some extra weight for jigging. Gold, chartreuse and pink spinners are the tackle of choice.

Captain Darryl can still catch ‘em! Check out this 28.5” walleye he reeled in this week!

Rae Ellen Cloke traveled all the way from Louisiana for a few days of fishing on Lake of the Woods. She caught and released this 38” pike with Captain Dave!

We hit 80 degrees for the first time this season on Saturday, and expect the warm weather to continue. Click here for the full, 10-Day Forecast.

No hassles, great fishing and no equipment required!

Dynasty DJ will be taking your requests in the Sandbar this Friday and Saturday night. For the full entertainment schedule, click here.

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

May 21, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

Wednesday, 5/21/14

Sportsman’s Lodge South Shore Fishing Report

The weather has been heating up, but the fishing is hotter. We can hardly keep up with the big fish that are being caught and released every day!

If you’re looking for fish, you won’t have to look too hard. Anglers have been venturing out to 4-Mile Bay, the Lighthouse Gap and Morris Point Gap to depths between 4 and 17 feet to find their share of walleyes and the occasional sauger. Anchored jigging with gold, pink, pink and white, and white glowing tackle tipped with a minnow or frozen shiner is the preferred method in both the lake and the river. River fishing has been great in areas downstream with a decent amount of current. Sizeable walleyes, northerns and saugers have been pulled in on docks lining the river. If you do want to venture off the docks, fish have been biting in water depths between 6 and 12 feet.

David Trumbl landed this 28.5” walleye with Captain Darryl!	Greg Halleland made the trip from Minneapolis, MN to reel in his catch-of-a-lifetime, a 29.5” walleye! (Released) Greg and his friends were guided by Captain Dave.
Jim Krueger from Kasson, MN caught and released this 29.5” walleye with Captain Dave!	This 27.5” walleye was caught by Brad from Lakeville! Captain Dave guided him to this monster!
Louis told us he had an awesome day fishing, and even reeled in this 26.5” walleye with Captain Darryl!

Check out more pictures on our Facebook page!

Beautiful Weekend Ahead! Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be the perfect start to summer! Click here for the latest forecast!

New Villas are great for family vacations

Beautiful new lodging units are ready for you!

Deals! Deals! Deals!

Only a few days left of our spring specials!

Lodging starting at $40 per person per night at Sportsman’s Lodge for dates through May 22.

We have great rates on lodging and charter fishing packages too! Give us a call 800-862-8602.

Oak Island Ice-Out Update

May 18, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

The ice is slowly shrinking away around the lake and its islands. Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge is closed at this time, but with warmer temperatures starting tomorrow and rain early next week, we are hoping to be open within a week. Travel around the south side of the island is not possible due to ice surrounding the island and in Young’s Bay.*

Watch Facebook and our weekly fishing report for updates on the ice and opening of Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge!

Now is the perfect time to plan your Sportsman’s Oak Island adventure! For more information, or to book your trip, visit us at
www.sportsmanslodges.com/oakisland or give us a call at 800-772-8411.

*Lake access and fishing is possible (and great) on the south side of Lake of the Woods. Check out the latest report from the south side here!

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

May 15, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

Sportsman’s Lodge Fishing Report

For the first time in years, fishermen enjoyed beautiful weather for last weekend’s fishing opener! Oh yeah, the fish were biting too! Boats packed the river and 4-Mile Bay in search of walleye, sturgeon and northern. One outdoorsman estimated seeing over 300 boats in the bay alone.

No one in search of walleye has left the lake empty handed since the opener. Fishermen reeled in walleyes of all sizes throughout the day with frozen shiners topping gold and bright colored tackle. You won’t have to go far to find good fishing. Our guides have had the most luck just a few miles from the lodge.

Sturgeon season has now moved on to catch-and-release, but fishermen have still managed to boat a number of sizeable sturgeon along the river.

If you’re planning a trip for the weekend, you’ll want to make sure your tackle box is filled with bright tackle and some weights. The current in the river remains strong, which makes for some murky water.

Check out some pictures from this weekend’s spectacular opening!

Sam Scalzo, 31” Walleye	Captain Keith’s guests caught and released lots of nice walleyes!
Doug Herold from Omaha, NE caught and released this 28.5” walleye with the help of Captain Dave!	Captain Dave wrangled this sturgeon with the sharp netting skills of Chuck!

New docks!

We have added 9 additional dock slips including a day/short term parking slip. All of the new slips have electricity and now reach the entire waterfront length of our property. To rent a nightly slip give us a call 800-862-8602 for availability or email us at [email protected]

New Villas are great for family vacations

Beautiful new lodging units are ready for you!

Deals! Deals! Deals!

Take advantage of our spring rates through May 22.

Lodging starting at $40 per person per night at Sportsman’s Lodge and $58 at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge.

We have great rates on lodging and charter fishing packages too! Give us a call 800-862-8602

The biggest day of the year in Minnesota is this weekend (May 10)!

May 9, 2014 by Sportsman's Lodges

Walleye season opens for the summer bright and early Saturday morning, and we can’t wait! Fishermen have reported a strong walleye bite ahead of the season opener, and we expect that to carry into the weekend. Finding walleye hasn’t been difficult, and you certainly don’t have to go far. Most of the largest fish have been reeled in along the Rainy River and in 4-Mile Bay (ice still remains on parts of the lake, but there are plenty of areas to find fish now).

Sturgeon season has now switched over to catch and release from now through May 15. Guests have been boating quality sturgeon at all times of the day and along a majority of the river. However, the best sturgeon have been found lingering in deep crevices. Pack your shiners and crawlers to help land you a monster!

If pike are more your style, you’re in luck, because they’re biting too! Test your fishing skills in either the 4-Mile Bay or Zippel Bay areas. Find a weed bed and drop a line and spoon and get ready! Don’t forget, pike season never closes!

Sturgeon Tournament Recap This year was our best one yet. We started out with a record number of fish boated, and ended with one of the largest daily winners ever. The weather may have been cold, dark and rainy, but spirits were high throughout both days. Here’s a look at the final leaderboard.

For more pictures from the weekend, check out our Facebook page!