Tag Archives: Family Fun

Opener is right around the corner!

May 12, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

Temperatures are up and the fishing is heating up too! With water temps scratching 50 degrees, pike are in full swing and aggressive. Casting spoons and spinnerbaits in the tributaries and at any shallow weeds that may be beginning to grow is the best and most efficient way to target them. Sturgeon have begun to spawn and are stacking up in rapids and fast flowing shallow water. Best areas to target these monsters is to concentrate on deep holes adjacent to these spawning areas.

Walleye Opener
With the walleye season beginning this weekend, great places to begin the season is just outside the Lighthouse Gap, the north side of Pine Island and Four Mile Bay. A jig tipped with a shiner is always the best bet to kick the season off. As far as colors to start with, chartreuse, pink and gold are great choices!

Sturgeon fishing has been hot! 3 days left of the season until July. Get into the action!

Unreal! Two hours into these gals sturgeon careers they haul in a 68″ monster!

Take a Mom fishing
Mother’s Day is May 14. Treat mom to some great fishing, relaxation and Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch at Sportsman’s next weekend. She will love our cozy accommodations, indoor pool, hot tub, beautiful views, excellent fishing and delicious food. Click here for our spring lodging and fishing packages and here to check out our Mother’s Day menu.

Get on the fish with a Guided Trip
Whether you are looking for sturgeon, pike or walleye we have trips available this spring. Contact us for more information 800-862-8602.

Cool beginning but the weekend looks sunny!

April 26, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

Last weekend we enjoyed some average spring weather but it has been a cool start to the week with some rain and snow showers. Looks like it should shape up for the weekend. The water temperature is currently 41 degrees. Despite the weather, anglers are finding some nice sturgeon and pike. Sturgeon anglers are finding them in several areas wherever a good hole in the river bottom can be found between Wheeler’s Point to Birchdale. Size 4/0 or 5/0 circle hooks and a 3-8 ounce no roll sinker tipped with a gob of crawlers and a frozen shiner has been working well. If you have trouble with the worms falling off, try a piece of a plastic grub at the end. Anchored at deep river holes or crevices with a little current are best. You can keep one sturgeon now within 45”-50” or over 75” through May 7 with a sturgeon tag (available at the lodge or anywhere MN fishing licenses are sold) and catch and release resumes May 8-15. Sturgeon are fun to catch and pretty tasty thrown in a smoker.


Captain Matt McClure 40 inch pike	Captain Travis Madrazo	Captain Travis Madrazo with a nice pike!

Northern Pike bite
Tributaries along the river and shallow bays are great places to find some huge pike right now. Anchored and casting out a jig tipped with a shiner and bouncing off the bottom or casting out a jointed rapala has been working well.

Reeling in sturgeon of all sizes. Captain Travis Campbell

11^th Annual Sturgeon Tournament is May 5 & 6. The tournament is full this year but everyone is welcome to stop in and check out the action from our docks or in the bar. The tournament takes place right out in front of the lodge over a 1 mile stretch. Annually we see over 100 sturgeon caught over the two day tournament. Stop by for great fishing stories, food, drinks and entertainment Friday and Saturday evenings. The tournament runs from 8:30 to 4pm Friday and 8:30 to 3pm Saturday.

Walleye Opener is just around the corner
May 13 is walleye opener. Lodging starting at $46 per person and up to 20% off summer lodging/charter fishing packages. Click here to choose your package. *plus tax and based on double occupancy

Get on the fish with a Guided Trip
Whether you are looking for sturgeon, pike or walleye we have trips available this spring. Contact us for more information 800-862-8602.

Mother’s Day Brunch
Treat mom to some great fishing, relaxation and Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch at Sportsman’s May 14. From walleye, to salads to mimosas and more click here to check out the menu we have planned and make your reservations today.

Another great season is in the books!

March 15, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

Based on the weather forecast and changing conditions in the islands we have decided to close Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge and Sportsman’s Eagle Ridge for the season. Thanks for another great season! The office remains open. Give us a contact us to book your summer trip 800-772-8411

Bring on the cold!

February 21, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

It looks like the brief winter warm up is finally going to end after today and boy are we excited! Enough of the warm weather, what was Mother Nature thinking we still have a month of ice fishing left! LOL!

Currently we have 23-27 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish. We have made some changes to where we are accessing the lake and have been playing in some sloppy conditions the past few days but other than that we are still fishing, checking ice often keeping safety #1 and looking at the forecast we plan to keep fishing until late March.

If you are looking to venture out on your own we can’t stress enough to please work through resorts and outfitters. Check conditions before going out and stay on the trail. The conditions are not the same over the entire lake and now with very little snow left on the lake many people may think they can go anywhere. That is not the case. That is not the case even in the coldest of winters and the winters when we have 4’ of ice. On a good note once we start to cool down we should build ice quicker without the snow. So stay safe and come join us for some great late season fishing!

Fishing Action
Gold and pink spoons jigging or dead sticking with a plain hook tipped with a minnow has been working the best in 26-32’. Overall some anglers doing better than others depending on the day, hour, weather, depth, approach and mother nature. Electronics users seem to do better than those without. Still seeing some suspended fish in various depths from a foot off bottom to 15 feet. Bite has been mainly made up of walleyes and saugers for the pan or throwback with an occasional slot walleye (19.5”-28”) or larger. Best tip is to try some different techniques and talk with your guide for the best approach for the day. March usually considered an active month for fishing. Come visit us!

Check out what some of the guests have been reeling in this week!

Trail Report
Due to the warm weather we recently been having most of our snow has melted. Trails are marked and groomers will fire back up as soon we get another shot of snow!

Happy New Year! We can build a snowman now!

January 4, 2017 by Sportsman's Lodges

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

Walleyes Are Biting!

August 31, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Lake of the Woods continues to have a great summer season. Walleyes are biting from Long Point to Zippel Bay in 29-32 feet of water. Anchored and jigging with worms or trolling with crank baits have been working well. Hot tackle colors have been silver, white, red and orange. Around Pine Island in 25-30 feet of water is another hot spot. For those anglers heading to the north end of the lake, Garden Island and Little Oak are still producing nice limits of fish. The current water temperature is down a few more degrees from last week at 71. The forecast looks great so now’s the perfect time to visit.

49 inch sturgeon caught by Larry Deacon. Guided by Travis M

28 inch walleye caught by Molli Burns and guided by Captain Matt

Openings still available for this weekend!
If you are looking for a place to relax this weekend, give us a call! Lodging, Camping, Guided Fishing Trips and dock rental available. [email protected] or call 800-862-8602

Sturgeon & Bass
The sturgeon are starting to bite. Holes in the river bottom anchored using a 5/0 size hook, 1-2 ounce no roll sinker and a gob of minnows has been working good for sturgeon. The bite should only get stronger as the water starts to cool. Keep one season runs until Sept 30 and Oct 1-April 23 is catch and release season. Guided trips available! The smallmouth bass bite has been good around shallow rocks casting spoons in the river and around reefs.

Walleyes and a Muskie!

August 23, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

A good bite this week and a surprise! A group was down rigging with crankbaits this week in the mud targeting walleyes and reeled in to their surprise a 41 inch muskie! The northern islands are known for excellent muskie fishing but this was an unusual area to find this guy. What a fun experience!

41 inch Muskie caught by Mike Westerberg while targetting walleyes. Guided by Captain Mike

Water temperature is starting to cool. We are down a few more degrees this week to 72 degrees. Trolling with crank baits in 11’-18’ in the mud and along the northern reefs has been good. Drifting with spinners or anchored and jigging tipped with a minnow or worm has been fair too in 24’-32’ of water. Go to spots have been outside Zippel Bay, Lighthouse Gap and Little Oak Island. Gold, orange and silver have been the hot colors. August & fall lodging and guided trips still available!

22.5 inch walleye caight by Josh Westerberg. Guided by Captain Mike

21 inch walleye caught by Mike Westerberg. Guided by Captain Mike

Welch Group Guided by Captain Mike

Rainy River
The fall river bite is only a few weeks away. Small mouth bass and a few sturgeons have been hitting lately. Walleyes and a stronger sturgeon bite are just around the corner. Sturgeon “keep” season is now open until Sept 30. We have guided outfitter trips available great for river fishing. Give us a call 800-862-8602.

Fall is around the corner
We are roughly 4 weeks out from the legendary “Emerald Shiner Run” which normally occurs in late September on the Rainy River and Four Mile Bay. This event normally brings in thousands of walleyes to the Rainy River as they chase the shiners upstream. Get your reservations in now and take advantage of lodging starting at only $40 per person lodging. Up to 20% off summer lodging and charter fishing packages too! Good fishing, good food, guided outfitter trips, guided charter trips, dock slips, boat rental, indoor pool, hot tub and entertainment await you.

Minnesota Fall Hunting Seasons announced
Beltrami State Forest is just out our back door with over 67,000 acres of land along with one million acres of Lake of the Woods to explore. Come enjoy some great hunting for bear, small game, goose, grouse, waterfowl, whitetail deer, fox and much more. This is a hunter’s paradise.

Hot Summer Walleye Fishing

August 3, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Anglers are reeling in some nice walleyes in 20’-30’ of water jigging on the reefs with a 3/8 ounce blue or gold jig tipped with a minnow or leech and using gold or blue spinners with a few ounce sinker tipped with a minnow or a worm on the edge of the reefs. Areas around the east and northern side of Falcon and Massacre Islands have been hot spots. The water temperature is 78 degrees.

Muskies & Pike
Top water spinners and jerk baits have been working the best in bays of 7’-15’ with a fast tapering bottom. Working point to point is a good method to find the sweet spot!

Fall Rates start September 15.
Great walleye, muskie, pike, crappie and bass fishing, incredible scenery and great rates! Click here for more information.

August is a great month to bring kids!

August 3, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

The weather is great, the fishing is great and no equipment is required. Any month is a good month to bring young anglers but August is one of the best. With a mix of bait fishing and trolling with crank bait methods working, anglers get a chance to have a pole in their hand and/or just reel in the fish using the trolling for crank baits method using down riggers. No equipment or experience is required. The charter holds up to 6 passengers plus the guide. It has an onboard restroom, fully equipped with poles, bait, tackle, assortment of water and pop, the guide will clean and deliver your fish to your room, box lunch or a shore lunch option available or bring your own. We will also fry up some of your fresh fish in the bar for free if you would like. For more information or a quote click here.

What a catch, Logan! 27 inch walleye! released

The Scoop
Fishing has been great! Anglers are reporting lots of nice walleyes between 16”-25”. Gold or pink spinners, 1-2 ounces of weight tipped with a leech or minnow has been working well for bait fishing in 24’-30’ outside of Zippel Bay. Trolling with crankbaits near Garden Island in 26’-32’ and in the northern reefs using white and silver has been good as well. The water temperature is currently a warm 77 degrees.

Don’t take it from me; hear the latest fishing report from these junior guides!

Reel in some Hot Summer Deals
Email or call us today 800-862-8602!

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report July 6, 2016

July 6, 2016 by Sportsman's Lodges

Lots of Options
Stock up your tackle box or leave the hassle to a guide. The fish flies have hatched and the weather is warming up which means the best way to lure in some walleyes is changing. The best method right now is using a few methods. Drifting or trolling with a gold and pink spinner tipped with a night crawler or leech is one method. Drifting and jigging with a 3/8 oz. flashy colored jig and a minnow is another option. The third option anglers are just starting to use is down rigging with rapalas. The walleyes are starting to go deeper. 20’-32’ outside of Zippel Bay and on the northern reefs have been hot spots. It has been a beautiful week of weather here this week. The water temperature has warmed up to 70 degrees now, up 5 degrees this week. Don’t let summer pass you by! Get out and enjoy it!

Billy Hedtke reeled in a nice 27 inch walleye! (released)

2nd time fishing and she reels in a 27 inch walleye! Nice job Chris from Sleepy Eye MN! (released) Guided by Captain Mike

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100% Walleye Guarantee!
Yes you heard it right! Click here for more information.