Tag Archives: ice conditions

Lake of the Woods South Shore Ice Conditions & Fishing Report

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December 19, 2014

Snow, Sun, Warm and Cold…

….we’ve had it all this past week. Ice Fishing has been spotty with some houses reporting great action while others have seen slower bites.  We are moving houses shallow and some deep to try to get on the fish.  Right now, we are anywhere between 18’ and 31’.  Anglers have reported that the bite is mostly saugers at this time with some nice walleyes in the mix too.  Gold jigs with some flash or some glow are the hot jigs this week.  Afternoons are producing the best action at this time but the weather has also been tricky this week as well.  The weather forecast through next Wednesday is all over the board again with varying temps from the low teen’s to the mid-30’s with a chance of snow leading up to Christmas.

Tom Frisch
27 ½” walleye
December 2014

Kendall Simmons
26 ¼” walleye
28 ft with a gold/pink jig

Ice Conditions
Ice conditions range anywhere from 14’-17’. The warm up late last week made for a little slush but the cold temperatures the past few days have firmed it back up. It looks like the lows are going to be in the teens and twenties for the week ahead. We have a nice base of ice at this time.

Our report is based on the areas we travel and fish. Please keep in mind the entire lake does not freeze equally. If you venture out on your own, we urge you to follow marked trails and know the latest conditions. All of our fish houses  are on groomed trails not accessible by wheeled vehicles. More peace and quiet and better fishing!

Four Mile Bay Ice Road
The cool down from the warm spell did not cause any cracks on the road. They are now letting ¾ ton trucks pulling up to 22 ft long wheel houses out as well. The ice is about the same thickness as last week which was around 15-16 inches on the bay and 16-18 inches on the lake just outside of Pine Island.

Trail Conditions

Lake Trails

The Lake Trails are all marked.  Work is being done to smooth the trails as best as possible.  Once there is enough snow, the trails will then be groomed.  When traveling please watch for the pressure ridges and use caution especially when their is a drastic change in the air temperature.

Land Trails

Groomers for the land trails report that they have been working on clearing the trails. It was slow going earlier as there was no snow thus wheeled vehicles were used and this was making the progress slow. After the snow the pace was improved. No other information was given at this time as to the progress but there is not enough snow for packing or grooming. You can find the latest information by clicking here.

7 New Villas are available now!
Check them out and make your reservations today! They are in high demand, so don’t wait too long!

New Year’s Eve Party!
Join us for live entertainment, one night only exclusive menu, party favors, champagne toast and a whole lot of fun! Make your reservations now.

Oak Island Ice Conditions & Fishing Report

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December 19, 2014

We are open for the season!  Fishing has been good. Gold jigs tipped with a minnow in 18′-26′ of water. Nice 14″-18″ walleyes have been found the past few days. Give us a call to book your winter trip! 800-862-8602

Ice Road is open!
The ice road from Young’s Bay to OakIsland is plowed and open. Call for directions before you come as it has not been marked yet. 14-15 inches of ice is reported.

Snowmobile Trails
Lake Trails – All lake trails are staked except Driftwood Point to Warroad. Grooming is dependent upon snow.

Make your dinner reservations now for New Years!
Dinner Specials, Party Favors, Champagne Toast and a whole lot of fun!

We will be closed both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Did you know?

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Walleye Facts

Walleye is the largest member of the perch family and has been known to reach 25 pounds.  North of the border, the walleye is more commonly known as pickerel. Its name comes from the fact that the fish’s eyes point outward, as if looking at the walls.  They also have huge marble-like eyes, which feature a layer of reflective pigment, which means that the walleye can see quite well in dim light.  The most common prey is the yellow perch which lacks this ability to see well in low light.  This trait alone has made the walleye a successful predator.

Walleye are among the most popular of all game fish. Each year, Minnesota anglers keep roughly 3.5 million walleyes totaling 4 million pounds.

The walleye is the state fish of Minnesota and South Dakota and the official fish of Saskatchewan. More walleye is eaten in Minnesota than in any other state of the United States. Locally, Baudette is known as the “Walleye Capital” of the World”. You can see the 40 foot statue of Willie Walleye at the corner of Highway 11 and International Drive in Baudette. Make sure to bring your camera! www.sportsmanslodges.com

Ice Update

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12-4-2014

Ice update!!!

The crews have worked hard all week and have made some nice smooth trails to and from the fish houses. There is 16″ of ice on the lake and 14″ on Four Mile Bay (the bay we access early in the season to get to the lake). The cracks have mostly healed and things have come together nicely for our opening weekend of ice fishing. The rainy river has 8″-10″ of ice.

 

The snowmobile trail to Oak Island will be marked next Tuesday or Wednesday with the trail to Warroad and the Rainy River to Baudette trail being marked the day after the oak trail. We are very excited about the ice thickness and the upcoming season. The guides have done some scout fishing and report good water clarity and some hot action. Please remember that it is still early and there may be thin weak spots of ice yet. At this time there are no full size vehicles allowed. Please call ahead or check our website to find out the latest ice report. Also remember we only report on the areas we travel and fish and the entire lake is certainly not treated equally. Safety first!  Good luck fishing! For reservations contact us online or call 800-862-8602.  Bring on the season!!!

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

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12/2/2014

Ice Fishing Season begins Friday!!!!!!

The ice has come along nicely but we must stress safety and for people venturing out on your own, follow the resorts marked trails…if there isn’t a resort trail it is a no go area. Any place there is current is still going to be thin ice. Thin spots of ice remain and with the new dusting of snow it is tough to see different areas of ice. With all that said we have a strong 11″-12″ in the Four Mile Bay and 12″-13″ on the lake. We have checked ice all the way out to 26′ of water. Water clarity is good and there are have been quite a few small to nice eating fish being caught in 22′ and some slot fish being caught in shallow in the morning and evening. The ice is rough and we will be spending the beginning of the week grooming and making trails and the most importantly checking and rechecking the ice thicknesses.

Lodging is available now. The Sandbar and Riverside Dining Room opens Friday, Dec 5 serving lunch, dinner and drinks. The Dockside Dining Room serving breakfast opens Saturday, Dec 6.

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.

Ice Conditions Update 11-26-2012

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11/26/2012

Good Morning Ice Fishing Fans!
We have the first signs of ice on the lake! Last night we dipped down to -4 with a wind chill of -15.  The week ahead is calling for lows in the single digits and highs in the teens and twenties. We are making ice!  At this point based on what we know we could be out fishing with 12 inches of safe ice by as early as Dec 8. Stay tuned for our next update at the end of the week!  If you are planning on venturing out on your own, we are in no way advising anyone to go out yet. This is our first signs of some decent ice, which is probably merely an inch or less.  This time of year the conditions can change quickly. No sense it rushing it, it will be here before we know it! Stay safe and start polishing off your fishing rods ice time is soon here!

Fire
In the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day some of our vehicles and trailer we use for early ice were lost in a fire. The cause is yet to be determined at this point.  This of course was very disheartening to us but we were thankful no one was hurt. We want all of our guests to know that this WILL NOT delay our ice fishing season. Our phenomenal staff, friends and neighbors have pulled together and we plan to start the year as planned as soon as we have safe ice.

Check out some of the pictures of the start of the ice formations taken this morning. We hope to get a satellite picture this afternoon of the lake. So be sure to log on to our Facebook page or website later today.

Front of Lodge Four Mile Bay (place where we
access the lake early in the year)
Four Mile Bay (place where we
access the lake early in the year)		 Graceton Beach
A south shore view of Lake of the Woods

11/26/2012

Good Morning from Oak Island!
We dipped down to zero last night and the bay in front of the lodge closed up and we have a layer of ice as far as we can see. The weather forecast looks cool in the week ahead. We are looking forward to some good ice making weather! We usually start about a week later than the Sportsman’s Lodge location, so around the 15th is in our sights at this point. Stay tuned for more updates to come!

Fishing, Ice & Trail Report Lake of the Woods

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For the Areas of Four Mile Bay and just outside of Pine Island on Lake of the Woods

12/13/2010

ICE!!!!
It’s here, it’s nice and think and the walleyes are just waiting to be hooked at Sportsman’s Lodges.
We currently have 12+ inches on the lake right now in the areas that we travel and it was -31 below this morning! We are making more ice every minute!

Walleyes!
The fishing started out fair last week, but over the weekend it really picked up and limits of fish was not uncommon.  The guides found the fish out deeper than in normal years at this time.  Chubby Darters, stop signs and gold jigs have been the hot tackle lately tipped with a minnow. Check out this beauty caught last week, Joe Cooper from Baudette, MN caught this 11 lbs, 31 inches! Wow! It was released, and is waiting for you!

A few tips from the guides, jigging helps, change up your tackle after awhile if you don’t get any bites and the morning and late afternoon bites are the best.  Vexilars are also a helpful thing to bring along or rent from the front desk.   Also keep in mind last winter we had quite a few fish caught not just at bottom, but also suspended 1, 2, 3, and even 6 feet off bottom.  The best technique to catch one of those is to leave your jig on the bottom, have a vexilar and watch it, when something comes up, reel up. The most popular seasons on Lake of the Woods is here!

Trail Report
The Lake of the Woods Drifters snowmobile club is planning on staking the trail from Wheeler’s Point to Oak Island this Saturday.  The land trails have 12-14 inches of snow but are just starting to be groomed. Hopefully by the weekend we can have our first nice grooming done. No word yet on when the Wheeler’s Point to Warroad trail will be marked. I am sure it will be soon. Stay tuned.