Tag Archives: baudette minnesota

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

May 26, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

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.

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

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

It’s Fishing Time

May 20, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

It’s Fishing Time!

Sportsman’s Lodges on Lake of the Woods, MN specialize in lodging and guided fishing trips. Learn more about Sportsman’s Lodges fishing packages today.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge Fishing Report May 3, 2016

May 3, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

The ice is gone! We are looking forward to opening in a few weeks for walleye opener May 14! Get your reservations in now by calling 800-772-8411 or online by clicking here. We are looking forward to a great season!

Lake of the Woods & Rainy River Fishing Report May 3, 2016

May 3, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Few more weeks of sturgeon fishing, 10^th annual tournament is this weekend!
Water temperature continues to warm up. We are currently at 49 degrees today and the week’s forecast looks beautiful and much warmer!

Sturgeon Fishing
It was a breezy weekend and the bite dipped this past weekend. Some anglers say that your bait must stay in the same spot without any movement to entice these bottom feeders to go to the smell. Some movement by the sway of the boat can confuse them. That could have been the reason for the dip in the catch rate this weekend. Anglers still caught some nice 40”+ sturgeon. The successful anglers also noted they used 2 anchors, set up in or near a hole in the river bottom in current, added a shiner to their gob of worms for some added smell hooked into their 3/0-4/0 circle hook and 3-4 ounce no roll weight and did not try a new spot until at least an hour had gone by. There is a lot of fish moving around, give these tips a try and give it a shot. When you reel in a 65 inch prehistoric dinosaur it will all be worth it!

Check out this video for more sturgeon fishing tips!

The guys from The Simple Outdoorsman joined us last week. Check out a few of their pics. These guys got into some nice fish. Be sure to check them out on facebook and like their page.

Check other their video below!

Right now through May 7, you can keep one sturgeon within 45”-50” or over 75” with a Minnesota fishing license and $5 sturgeon tag. Sturgeon tags can be purchased at the lodge, online or anywhere that sells Minnesota fishing and hunting licenses. May 8-15 is catch and release. The season closes May 16-June 30. These fish are fun to catch and release or very tasty smoked. Lodging, Guided Trips, Boat & Dock rentals available.

10^th Annual Sportsman’s Sturgeon Tournament is this weekend!
Fifty boats and over 100 contestants will battle it out over this two day event. We usually see over 100 fish caught and released over the two days including winners in the 65”+ range. The tournament runs Friday, May 6 8:30am-4pm and Saturday, May 7 8:30am-3pm. The bar is a great place to stop by after the tournament to hear about the action, grab a beer, food and listen to musical entertainment. The tournament is full for 2016 but lodging is available starting at only $45* per person per night. If you have never fished for sturgeon or just would like to learn more, stop by the bar. Most anglers in this tournament have been doing it for 7+ years. They have a lot of good tips and great stories to share. The weather is looking great and we are excited for our 10^th year! Good luck anglers! It is going to be a fun weekend!

*plus tax and based on double occupancy

Northern Pike bite is heating up!
Tributaries and bays along the river are great spots. Anchored and casting out a jig tipped with dead bait and bouncing off the bottom has been producing some huge pike. Some anglers are having great success trolling with crankbaits too. Lodging and guided trips are still available. Click here or give us a call 800-862-8602.

Walleye Opener is May 14
Up to 20% off summer lodging and charter fishing packages May 13-May 26 and lodging packages starting at only $40 per person per night now through May 26. It’s fishing time!

Check out the fishing action on our Dock Cam!

Photo Contest!
Submit your summer photo from a trip to Sportsman’s, tell your friends to vote and you could win a free night lodging at Sportsman’s Lodge! Click here.

Lake of the Woods & Rainy River Fishing Report April 26, 2016

April 26, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Sturgeon and pike fishing is hot, hot, hot!

We are seeing big numbers of sturgeon and pike being caught this week. Now is the time to get into a great spring bite. Lodging, Guided Trips and Boat Rentals available. Make plans to visit us today!

The current water temperature is 41 degrees down from 47 on Friday. Forecast is calling for highs in the 50’s this week and warming up next week. Water clarity is decent.

Sturgeon
The sturgeon are moving around. Anglers have not just been finding them in the holes of the river bottom but also sitting along break lines along the bank. We even had 10 caught right off our dock this weekend. A 3-4 oz. no roll sinker, 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook tipped with a gob of night crawlers and a shiner works perfect. Anglers are also finding the sucker and the eelpout bite has been crazy!

Check out some of the action!
Check out these sturgeon! 67, 58, and 60 1/2 inch. Caught by Nick Emanuel, Aaron Garrelts, Brian Clusiau and Nick Emanuel. The bite is on!
www.sportsmanslodges.com

Pike
The pike bite really heated up this past weekend! Creeks and the river are hot spots. One group landed over 10 pike over 35 inches. Dead smelt lying on the bottom has been working well. Make sure to hook all the way through the body of the bait to keep it nice and secure. Long shaft jigs work well.

Cayla Bendel with a nice nothern pike photo courtesy of The Simple Outdoorsman

Drew Selvestra with a nice pike! Photo courtesy of The Simple Outdoorsman

Our 10^th Annual Sturgeon Tournament is May 6 & 7
The tournament is full but lodging is still available. Join us to learn more about sturgeon fishing with some of the pros that have been doing it for years. The tournament runs 8:30am-4pm Friday, May 6 and 8:30-3pm Saturday, May 7. All of the fishing takes place in front of the lodge so lots of excitement can be seen right from the lodge windows and dock. Happy hour and dinner served in the Sandbar as well as nightly musical entertainment. Join us!

Spring Specials!
Lodging starting at only $40* per person per night now through May 26 and up to 20% off summer lodging and charter fishing packages May 14-26. *plus tax and based on double occupancy

Win a free night lodging with your photo!
Do you have a photo from a recent summer trip to Sportsman’s Lodge? Submit it here and tell your friends to vote. You could win a free night lodging this summer!

Lake of the Woods & Rainy River Fishing Report April 20, 2016

April 20, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Lake of the Woods & Rainy River
Fishing Report April 20, 2016

It’s Sturgeon & Pike time!

The sturgeon and pike fishing has been great!
The water temperature has warmed up 6 degrees this week. Current temperature is at 46 degrees today and the weather is holding steady. Anglers are finding lots of sturgeon and pike to bite this week. Lodging and guided trips are still available. Click here or give us a call 800-862-8602.

Sturgeon Bite
Lots of nice 30”-65” sturgeon have been found in Four Mile Bay, areas within of the river near the lodge, Clementson and Birchdale. Size 3/0 or 4/0 circle hooks and a 3 ounce no roll sinker tipped with a gob of crawlers and a frozen shiner has been working well. To keep the worms from sliding off a good tip is to use piece of a plastic grub at the end. Anchored at deep river holes or crevices with a little current are best. Catch and release is open now through April 23 and May 8-15. You can keep on within 45”-50” or over 75” April 24-May 7. They are a blast to reel in!

Northern Pike bite is heating up!
Tributaries along the river and Clementson Rapids are stacked with pike right now. Anchored and casting out a jig tipped with a shiner and bouncing off the bottom and rocky areas has been producing some huge pike.

Ryan 48 inch sturgeon, released. Way to go Ryan!

Mike reeled and released a 52 inch sturgeon! Nice one!

Now-thats-a-whopper-63-inch-sturgeon-caught-and-released-by-Michael-Daly

Forecast for the Week

Walleye Opener is May 14

Up to 20% off summer lodging and charter fishing packages May 13-May 26 and lodging packages starting at only $40 per person per night now through May 26. It’s fishing time!

Open water channel through Four Mile Bay is getting wider!

March 24, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Open water channel through Four Mile Bay is getting wider!

The Rainy River is wide open all the way from Birchdale to Wheeler’s Point now. An open water channel through Four Mile Bay to Lake of the Woods is widening by the minute.
All boat ramps from Birchdale to Wheeler’s Point are now open to all boats.

Walleye season runs until April 14. Sturgeon season is catch and release now through April 23. Keep one sturgeon within 45″-50″ or over 75″ is April 24-May 7, be sure to pick up a $5 tag at the lodge or anywhere where you can buy a Minnesota fishing license. May 8-15 is catch and release again. Northern pike season is always open. Lake of the Woods is home to some beautiful walleyes, huge sturgeon and one of the top 5 lakes in Minnesota to catch a trophy pike. Get your fish on! Spring fishing is here!

Lodging starting at only $40 per person per night and guided trips available! Click here

The river is open in front of the lodge!

March 21, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

3/21/2016

The river is open in front of the lodge!

What a year! The river opened quickly! Over the weekend the Rainy River opened in front of the lodge. It is now wide open to Wheeler’s Point and there is a channel open through Four Mile Bay that is within ½ mile of Lighthouse Gap where Lake of the Woods starts. All boat ramps on the Rainy River are to all boats except for Wheeler’s Point. Wheeler’s Point has about 15 feet of shore ice this morning but we expect that to be gone in a couple of days.

Wheelers Point Access 3-21-2016 Shore ice should be gone in a few days! All other ramps on the Rainy River between Birchdale and the lodge are open to all boats now.

View from the lodge looking onto the Rainy River 3-21-2016

Looking towards Wheeler’s Point on the Rainy River from Wheeler’s Point Public Access 3-21-2016

Last week the tributaries opened up and muddied up the water making the walleye bite tough. The water is starting to clear and should be much better by this weekend. Jigging with 3/4-1 oz ounce jigs tipped with a chub or shiner minnow does the trick! In the meantime the sturgeon bite is good! Anglers have been reeling some nice 30”-65” monster sturgeons. Anglers are anchored in deep holes around current using a size 5/0 hook, 2-3 ounces of weight and a gob of worms. Sturgeon catch and release season is open until April 23. April 24-May 7 you can keep one within 45”-50” inclusive or over 75” with a sturgeon tag. Sturgeon tags are $5 and available online or at the lodge. May 8-15 is catch and release again. The season is closed May 16-June 30.

The current water temperature is a cool 33 degrees. The current is quick and the water level is low.

Check out this dinosaur! Lake Sturgeon caught and released this past weekend. Guided by JP Book your spring guided walleye, sturgeon and northern pike trip today!

Monster Sturgeon being caught! Guided by JP. released

Lodging, Guided trips & Dock Slips available!
Lodging starting at only $40 per person per night plus tax Sun-Thurs and $45 on weekends in our lodge rooms and cabins. $59 in our new villas. Guided trips for up to 4 people including guide, boat (18’-20), use of poles, bait and fish cleaning is $450 per day. Dock slips $10 per night. Book by calling 800-862-8602 or book online here.

The lodge will be closed Easter Sunday but lodging is still available!
Book by calling 800-862-8602 or book online here.

Lake of the Woods Fishing Seasons
Walleye open through April 14. Reopening May 14
Northern Pike – always open
Sturgeon catch and release open now through April 23. Keep one within size limits April 24-May 7, catch and release May 8-15. Closed May 16-June 30. Keep one within size limits July 1-Sept 30. Catch and release Oct 1-April 23. For limits and more information click here.

Check out the cool drone footage from Bryan “Beef” Sathre from Fathead Guide Service shot on March 19!!

Spring is here! Time to get your fish on!

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing/Ice & Snow Report

March 1, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

3/01/2016

Walleyes, Pike & Perch
Anglers are reeling in a mix of walleyes, northern pike and perch lately. Varying depths between 22’-30’ along and on reefs have been best. Lots of fish are showing up on the electronics but anglers are finding them to be finicky. Bright colored jigs and lures and jigs with some noise or flutter to them have worked the best tipped with a minnow or just a minnow head. Dead sticking one pole and jigging the other is the best approach. Anglers have been finding if they see a fish on the electronics, not touching the dead stick until the fish hits it is the most successful. The sun is shining more and the season is getting ready to change, we expect the bite to get more aggressive as we move through the month.

HUGE Sauger 18.75 inches caught by Mike V from Anchorage, Alaska on a pink crappie jig guided by Travis Campbell. Nice catch Mike!

John Jones catching the big ones at Sportsman’s Lodge with Guide Travis Campbell. Northern Pike

Wowser! check out this monster pulled from the Rainy River by Dave Winters. 56 inch sturgeon, released.

Ice Conditions

We still are maintaining 15-22 inches of ice and plan to keep on fishing until late March at this point. Stay tuned for updates.

Ice Road
The ice road from Young’s Bay to Oak Island is open and in good shape.Snow & Trail Report
The lake trails are in decent condition and groomed. Take a ride to Oak Island this weekend for the Annual Northwest Angle Edge Rider’s Snowmobile Rally! Use caution at the pressure ridges when the temperature fluctuates. Land trails are pretty beat up and could use more snow.

Fishing, Ice & Trail Report Sportsman’s Lodge Lake of the Woods 2-4-2016

February 4, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Sportsman’s Lodge

Fishing, Ice & Trail Report

Lake of the Woods South Shore Area

2/4/2016

Fishing away

Fishing has been spotty this week. We have houses in a wide variety of depths and areas between 26-33 feet. Each day it varies which houses do better than others. So what are the best tips for a successful day? Use a vexilar! Watch for the suspended fish. Jig one rod 4-6 inches off bottom consistently; if you see some suspended fish, reel up do a little jig dancing to grab their attention. We are seeing quite a few fish at varied depths. With the other rod, dead stick it. See what works best for you for that day Smaller presentations gold, pink or glo jigs or lures are working better than large (1/16-1/4 oz.) tipped with a minnow. Something with a little noise or flash are doing well, buckshot rattle spoons, macho minnows and gumball jigs to name a few. If a full minnow isn’t working, try a minnow head. If you aren’t getting the action, try something different. We are seeing mainly saugers, some nice walleyes 22”+, few northern pike and eelpout this week. Check out some of the latest catches. Hungry for more tips? Check out our Facebook page. It looks like we are in for some beautiful weather this weekend highs in the twenties and light wind.

Ice Conditions

Currently we have 13-22 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel. We travel a private groomed trail. If you are looking to go out on your own, here are the latest conditions from a few of the local ice roads:

Adrian’s Road – Four Mile Bay, 12 miles north of Baudette 15-18 inches of ice, less in some areas off the road. Allowing ½ ton trucks pulling up to 21’ wheeled houses. Morris Point Road – Morris Point, 15 miles north of Baudette Allowing ½ ton trucks with up to 16’ wheeled houses. Up to 20’ houses may go out on skids. ¾ ton trucks with portables only.

Trail Conditions The lake trails from Sportsman’s Lodge to Warroad and Sportsman’s Lodge to Sportsman’s Oak Island lodge at Oak island are being groomed and in decent condition. We could use some more snow but lake conditions are decent. The trail was recently marked right from the Sportsman’s Lodge. Follow the black stakes. Trail maps are available at the lodge or at local businesses. For the latest conditions for the land trails click here for the Baudette area or here for the NW Angle and Oak Island area.

Availability this weekend!

We have a few openings for a one bedroom cabin Saturday night and a two bedroom villa for Friday and Saturday night. Fish houses are also available. Give us a call! 800-862-8602

Big Game Party this weekend!
Free Apps 5pm-6pm, 12 Big Screen TV’s, food and drink specials! Join us!