75-100 Fish a Day!

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Fishing in Minnesota has started out with a bang this year! Lots of walleye action! Mix of 12”-28” has been coming through the holes. Jigging in 20’-24’ of water, gold and pink jigs tipped with a minnow and a handy vexilar/fish finder has brought anglers the best luck this week. Check out the pictures of some of the action below and on our Facebook page! We always love to see your photos, so be sure to tag us or send them via email.

Mercedez Stangland with 29 inch walleye caught on 12-8-2013

Mercedez Stangland with 29 inch walleye
caught on 12-8-2013

DeWolf Party 12-6-2013

DeWolf Party 12-6-2013

Dave Santelli with 23 inch walleye

Dave Santelli with 23 inch walleye

Richard Stangland and 23 inch walleye

Richard Stangland and 23 inch walleye

Ice Conditions
Current ice conditions in the area we fish and travel is 11”-13”. It has been very cold, but we would like to see it warm up a little bit during the day to make us some good quality ice.

weather_12-10_to_12-19-2013Ice Road
Adrian’s, who maintains the ice road out of Four Mile Bay reports 7 3/4 to 9 inches of ice on the bay and 10 to 12 1/2 inches on the lake. ATV’s and Snowmobiles only allowed for now. It looks like it will be another week or so for trucks.

Trail
We have a foot of snow on the trails right now. On the lake we do have some spots with bare  ice, so be on the watch for them.  The crew is planning to make their first check and stake the trail to Oak Island later this week. The Lake of the Woods Drifters reports the land trails are being checked and grooming will start very soon. Click here for more trail updates.

For reservations and more information contact us today at 800-862-8602 or click here to book online.

Ice Fishing Season Starts Friday!

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Minnesota Ice Fishing Season Starts Friday!


Updated 12/5/2013

It’s GO TIME!
The first day of our 2013-2014 Minnesota ice fishing season starts tomorrow! We have 11-12 inches of ice were we travel and fish from the south shore (Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location) at this time and making more as I type, the thermometer currently reads 5 below and the week ahead looks like we will get a lot of the same! Our Oak Island property reports 4-8 inches of ice. They plan to open up in 7-10 days or so.

Snow
We did get some snow yesterday, about 8-10 inches on the south shore and 5 inches up at Oak Island and the Northwest Angle. Will this affect the ice? In a sense yes, it will slow the building down a bit, but we do not anticipate it slowing it down very much. It sounds like we did not get nearly the snow as most of the state. We measured that we made an inch of ice within the past 36 hours. Most of the snow has been blowing around the past few days. There are areas with 3 foot drifts and areas with bare ice. Like always we have a few slush spots and areas of caution, but we do every year. That is normal. Rest assured we check ice at least a few times daily and safety is always our first priority. If you do plan to venture out on your own, we suggest making sure you know where you are going and staying on marked trails.

For reservations and more information call 800-862-8602 or log on to www.sportsmanslodges.com. We still have openings for this weekend.

Minnesota Ice Fishing
Minnesota Fishing

Ice Fishing in Minnesota

Forecast Looks Cold!
Highs in the twenties today and tomorrow we are going to start dipping below zero for the week ahead.  Perfect for ice making!  We are getting some snow now and it sounds like a possibility of another 3-5 inches tomorrow.

**Please keep in mind we only report in the areas we travel and fish. The entire lake does not freeze equally. If you venture out on your own, know where you are going and stay on the marked trail. Safety first!**

Ice Roads
The ice road near Wheeler’s Point/Four Mile Bay access has 8 inches of ice and is allowing ATV’s and snowmobiles at this time and through the weekend.

Latest Ice Conditions

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Lake of the Woods Current Ice Conditions Report

Sportsman’s Lodge Baudette, MN www.sportsmanslodges.com 800-862-8602
11/27/2013
Ice Fishing season 2013-2014 kickoff is in our very near future!
Check out these pictures. What a view yesterday.  The ice crew found 4-7 inches of ice on Four Mile Bay and 4-6 inches on the lake just outside of Pine Island. In the northern areas near Oak Island and the Northwest Angle, 2-4 inches is reported.  We were hoping to get an airplane up and check to see if there are any areas of open water in any parts in the middle of the lake today, but were unable to, due to the snowfall.  We plan to do so as soon as the weather clears. Please keep in mind we only report ice conditions in the areas we travel and fish. The entire lake does not freeze equally. If you plan to venture out, make sure you know where you are going.  Safety first!
Next week is looking good
As soon as we get 10-12 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish, we start the season.  If the forecast stays cold we should have no problem starting our season on the south end at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location by Dec 6 or 7 and at our Oak Island locations a week or so later once we have time to get a real good ice base over the areas between the islands where there is more current.   The crew plans to head out again Monday to check on how much progress we made over the weekend. Stay tuned! It won’t be long!
Walleye forecast
Big walleyes with a chance of saugers are in the forecast.  The first few inches of ice have frozen clear and smooth. Perfect for an great early season bite!
For reservations and more information contact us today 800-862-8602 www.sportsmanslodges.com
From the Sportsman’s family to your family, Happy Thanksgiving! 

Outside Pine Island 11-27-13
Smooth ice – Too bad I forgot my skates.  
No it is not water….it is ice.

It’s Freezing Season!

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It’s Almost Time For Ice Fishing

Temperatures below zero and single digits the past few days. Great ice making weather!

We plan to venture out and do our first ice thickness check later this week. Stay tuned! The forecast looks cold.

Do you have your winter reservation in yet?
Give us a for call and ask about our NEW Villas at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location! Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location call 800-862-8602 Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge or Eagle Ridge location call 800-772-8411 or online

Lake of the Woods 11-24-13
View North from Morris Point
View of Four Mile Bay
View up River from Wheeler’s Point

Two degrees! Wahoo!

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Two degrees was the low temp last night and the wind finally calmed down. Wahoo! We have started making the first layer of ice on the deeper waters and the extended forecast looks cold. Check out the latest pics. Early December start date is looking good! Stay safe, and stay tuned!

Ice_11-22-2013

 Click images to view full size versions.

Ice_progress_11-22-2013

Have you made reservations for your winter trip yet? Book online or call 800-862-8602 today!

Getting Ready for Ice Fishing

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Getting Ready for Ice Fishing

We are busy getting ready for the ice fishing season. It won’t be long!

Current Ice Conditions
We have had some cold days but also have battled some wind lately, so at this time only the shallow bays have a sheet of ice over them. The good news is the water is cold and the forecast keeps getting colder. The current forecast is calling for highs in the teens and twenties this week and lows in teens and single digits with less wind starting tomorrow. We just need 10 cold days with low winds for the first few and we can easily make 10-12 inches of ice. Stay tuned! We will continue to keep you updated. Do you have your reservation in? Book online or call 800-862-8602. Our season runs from early December through the end of March.

New Villas
Our new 3 new villas are nearly complete. They will be ready to rent in early December. You will enjoy these brand new comfortable accommodations. Full kitchens, log furnishings, flat screen TVs, 1-2 bedrooms per bathroom, most with gas fireplaces and awesome views. For more information, click here. These new units are filling up fast, make your reservation today.

Christmas Shopping Done Easy
Sportsman’s gift certificates are great for the outdoor person on your list. Sportsman’s gift certificates are always the right color, size and price. Certificates are available to use at any of the three locations and never expire.Order yours online today.

working_on_finishing_touches_in_villas

Working On Finishing Touches In Villas

Villas soon complete

Villas Soon Complete

New Villas

New Villas

Ice on Shallow Bays

Ice On Shallow Bays

Fish Houses Are Ready

Fish Houses Are Ready

It’s Freezing Season

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Soft water fishing has pretty much come to a close this week. A few hard core anglers are still out, but for the most part we are getting ready for hard water! It is time to start stocking the tackle boxes and re-stringing the poles.

11-12-2013-freezing-up

It Won’t Be Long Now!

We have had some real cold nights earlier this week that froze up some ice sheets on the river and some of the larger bays. Unfortunately, most of those have dissipated, but that is typical for this time of year. It is still early. The water is cold and ready! If we can get 10 days of below zero weather that usually sets us up with 10-12 inches of ice to kick off the season. Typically we start ice fishing in early December. It won’t be long, we can’t wait!

Lots of projects are going on at the lodge this fall at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location.
Three New Villas are being constructed and in the completion stage. They will be ready to rent in December. Stay tuned on our Facebook page for pictures coming soon! Our 3rd floor of motel rooms is getting a face lift, some new fish houses are being built, landscaping in front the lodge main entrance has been re-done, the lodge was freshly painted on the exterior and new shingles were put on the lodge room wing over the summer too. We are excited to show you are new improvements!

Winter Reservations
If you haven’t made your reservations for winter yet, now is the time! Give us a call Sportsman’s Lodge 800-862-8602, Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge 800-772-8411, Sportsman’s Sleeper Division 218-634-1589 or request online. Ice fishing season starts in is less than a month!

11-14-2013-freezing-up-2

Freezing Up!

 

Soft Water Fishing Is Coming to a Close

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If you still have your boat out, come on up. The fishing has been great! We had an excellent emerald shiner run. Large schools of walleyes have been found in the Rainy River near Wheeler’s Point, Wabanica Church, Baudette Airport and Clementson Rapids this week. Vertical jigging with a 1/2-1 oz jig tipped with a shiner has been working well. Some of the shallow bays have iced over, but the main lake and river have not. Lodging is available at great rates as low as $30 per person per night  plus tax (based on double occupancy). Our restaurant, bar, pool and guided trips are now closed until December.

Making Ice!
The temperature keeps dipping. Ice Fishing is just a month away! Book your winter trip online or call 800-862-8602. We will have 3 NEW Villas ready in December, availability is limited! Call today!

weather_14-1_to_11-13-2013

 

A Few Weeks Left Of Soft Water Fishing

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Water temperature is a cool 41 degrees today. A perfect time to find a good mess of walleyes up the Rainy River. The emerald shiners continue to run strong and the walleyes are pushing up river. Anchoring and vertical jigging a 1/2 -1 oz gold jig or gold spinner and sinker tipped with an emerald shiner (available at most bait stores in the area) is working well. Areas from Lighthouse Gap to Birchdale in 12′-16′ of water have been your best bet. We have a few charter boats available and 18′-20′ outfitter boats for guided trips available for a few more days. Dock slips are also available.

LOTW_Video_10-30-2013

Check out video of a crew that was in the area this past week for some more tips.


Lodging is available through freeze up.
We have some great rates as low as $30 per person per night plus tax now through November. Give us a call 800-862-8602 or book online. Please note our bar, restaurant and pool are now closed until December.

Ice Ice Baby 
The thermometer read 10 degrees yesterday morning. It won’t be long and the big ol’ pond will be ready for ice fishing. Don’t be left at home this winter. Give us a call to book your stay Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River 800-862-8602, Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge or Sportsman’s Eagle Ridge 800-772-8411 or click here to book online. We offer full service ice fishing packages so you do not have to bring a thing, just come and enjoy good fishing. Click here for more information.

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