Tag Archives: lake of the woods fishing

River Update 4-6-2022

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Vidas Landing

Open water is 3 miles west of Clementson and within a little over 3 miles of Baudette today. Boats are now being launched at Vidas, Frontier, and Birchdale landings. Next up is Timbermill, then Wheeler’s Point. The parking lot at Timbermill is plowed out.

15 more miles to go and we will have water at our docks. 😀 Mother Nature is throwing us some sleet and snow yesterday and today. Hope to see the sun by Friday. ☀️ Lodging is available and our restaurant and bar will be open this weekend. Book your trip www.sportsmanslodges.com 800-862-8602

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 3-18-2022

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Walleye caught at Sportsman's Lodge

Warmer Week
It looks like Mother Nature is loosening her grip on winter. We have had nice sunny days here this week which has been great but the long-range forecast tells us it is time to hang up our ice fishing rods for the year. We have decided our last day of ice fishing will be Sunday, March 20. It is time to put away the winter gear and start shining up the boats. Spring is in the air. It has been another great winter season. Thank you to all our loyal guests and followers. We enjoyed seeing you, chatting with you, and serving you.

The Bite
The current bite this week in 16’-25’ in the mud. Mainly walleyes and saugers are being caught, eater and throwback sizes. An occasional trophy walleye and a pike are also coming up the holes. Bright orange, gold, and pink have been hot colors, 3/8 oz or less for jigs and spoons tipped with a minnow. A mix of jigging and dead sticking is the way to go. A plain hook tipped with a partial minnow is a good tactic for the dead stick. We still have over 3’ of ice and snow. Melting is going on but we have a long way to go.

Spring Fishing
Up next, the river bite. River fishing on the Rainy River is a blast. The walleye season here runs through April 14. Sturgeon catch and release are going on now through April 23. April 24-May 7 you can harvest a sturgeon, (be sure to get a tag with your license) within size limits and then one more week of catch and release May 8-15 before the season closes until July. Walleye will close after April 14 and re-open on May 14 for the year. Pike season never closes and Lake of the Woods is home to thousands of trophies. A fun way to spend a few days. Right now the river is open 64 miles east of the lodge. If we continue to get warm temps and especially rain, it can get chewed up pretty quick. Stay tuned for updates starting next week.

Time to book your spring and summer trips
Dates are starting to fill. Check out all the options at www.sportsmanslodges.com Lodging starting at only $99 a night for two people April 1 – May 25. Guided trips are available through early May and charter trips start May 14.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho a Fishing we will go
For another weekend that is, before we take a brief spring pause. Our restaurant and bar will be open until 9 am Sunday. We have had a great winter and lots of fun seeing and serving you. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in May. If you haven’t made your reservations for summer yet, give us a call at 800-772-8411 or find us online at www.oakislanlodge.com. Our office will be open through the breakup season.


The last few days the sun has been melting some measurable snow. The fishing has been pretty good. A mix of walleyes and saugers, mostly walleye have been caught. Macho minnows, Rippin Raps, and 3/8 oz jigs have been hot tackle in colors of orange, yellow, gold, and glow in the dark. Minnows are the bait of choice. The trails are still open. Lots of snow. Midday gets a little soft. Good luck fishing!

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 12-22-2021

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Walleye Lake of the Woods

Sportsman’s Lodges Fishing & Ice Report 12-22-2021

12/22/2021

Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River Fishing Report

Merry Christmas from the Sportsman’s Crew!
We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you soon.

We are now 11 days into our ice fishing season. The season is kicking off well. Day houses started on the 11th and sleepers last weekend. We currently have 11-18 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel and guests have been catching nice fish. On the ice, we just have an inch or so of snow. As for hot tackle, gold, glow red, glow green, and bigger baits to get the fish worked off the bottom such as Rippin’ Raps are working the best. Bait of choice is chubs or shiner minnows. The best approach for a successful day of fishing is to jig with one rod and dead stick with the other until you find what works best for you. Anglers have been sorting small walleyes and saugers for keepers with a few big guns in the mix as well as an occasional sturgeon and pike. The best depth has been 18’-23’. We now have rods/reels available to use in our rental houses. Contact the front desk to check them out.

Trail Update

The trail from the south shore to Oak Island was marked last Friday. The trail from the south shore to Warroad is being marked today and the trail from Warroad to the island was marked last week. We have a light base of snow with some drifting, areas of bare ice. Could use more snow. For more information on the trails check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club pages.

Going out on your own? 

All of our rentals include transportation to and from the fish house. If you are looking to venture out on your own, there are several ice roads in the area you can choose from that other resorts and outfitters maintain and offer for a fee to use. We encourage you to check with them on their ice conditions before venturing out and stay on the marked areas only. The lake never freezes equally and they have the most up-to-date information on conditions in their area. 

Join us for our New Year’s Eve Party

Dec 31 Dinner and drink specials, party favors, live entertainment by the classic rock band, Cold Shot, and a champagne toast at midnight. Give us a call to make your dinner reservations at 800-862-8602.

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

The houses are out and we are ready to open up for our winter season! The lodge opens at noon on the 26th.
We currently have 12 inches of ice, 3 inches of snow on the lake, and 5-6 inches on land in the areas we fish and travel. What to stock your tackle box with? Gold and glow-in-the-dark 3/8 oz jigs and small spoons are always popular early-season tipped with a chub or shiner minnow. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Transportation The Lake of the Woods Passenger Service will start making trips across the lake from Sportsman’s Lodge to the islands after Christmas and Lake Country Air is also taking reservations now for flights throughout the winter too. The ice road is plowed out a few miles fromYoung’s Bay now with plans to plow to the island soon. We should have another update on the ice road today. Check back on our website here for updates.

Driving to the Northwest Angle
Americans who are fully vaccinated and have a 72 hour negative covid test are welcome to come across the border now. Download and fill out the ArriveCAN app and fill out the information to cross. For more information click here.

Trail Update

The trail from the south shore to Oak Island was marked last Friday. The trail from the south shore to Warroad is being marked today and the trail from Warroad to the island was marked last week. We have a light base of snow with some drifting, areas of bare ice. Could use more snow. For more information on the trails check out the Drifter’s Snowmobile Club and Northwest Angle Edge Riders Club pages.

Join us for New Year’s Eve Dinner
We are planning food and drinks specials! Give us a call to make your reservation at 800-772-8411.

Aerial Footage of our Ice Check Lake of the Woods 12-10-2021

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✈️ Check out the aerial footage of Lake of the Woods from the Rainy River, Pine Island to Garden Island during Friday, December 10th’s ice check flight we captured. 🧊 Looking pretty good overall. Please remember if you are venturing out on your own, the ice does not freeze evenly and some areas are never safe. Go out through a resort or reputable outfitter and always stay on the marked trails. Stay safe!

Sportsman’s Lodges Ice Report 12/10/2021

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Our season starts tomorrow!

The ice has been coming along over the last few weeks and we are ready to kick off another season! We start our season in our day houses at our Rainy River location followed by sleepers next as soon as we get a few more inches of ice (usually a week or so) and our Oak Island locations just after Christmas.

Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River Location

We currently have 10 inches of ice and a few inches or less of snow, in the areas we fish and travel. There are lots of areas on the ice with no snow right now.  Be sure to pack some ice cleats or boots with a good tread if you are heading up this week.  We start our season using light jeeps and passenger trailers. Our bombardiers will come out once we have more ice and snow. 

Going out on your own? 

All of our rentals include transportation to and from the fish house. If you are looking to venture out on your own, there are several ice roads in the area you can choose from that other resorts and outfitters maintain and offer for a fee to use. We STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to check with them on their ice conditions before venturing out and stay on the marked areas only. The lake never freezes equally and they have the most up-to-date information on conditions in their area. 

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge & Eagle Ridge

Making ice!

We are finding 6-9 inches in the areas we have been traveling so far in the islands up north. We haven’t ventured south of the island yet. Gregg took a plane ride today to check things out and he reports the lake looks like it froze pretty good overall considering the wind we battled within the early days of ice making. Rough ice here and there.  He didn’t see much snow on the lake at all which will help in the ice-making process. He and a crew plan to start venturing out further next week to start the ice checks for the trail that runs from the south shore to Oak Island.  Stay tuned for more information.  If all goes well, the trail could be marked in a week for snowmobiles.

Sportsman’s Ice Fishing Update – 3/11/20

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Sportsman’s Lodge
3/11/2020

 

Cool temps! 20 days of ice fishing left, you still have time!

A decent bite this week. Catching a variety of walleyes, saugers, and few eelpouts. Anglers trying some different things if the bite isn’t hot for them are getting the best results like different lures, jigging speed, dead sticking, on bottom vs a few inches off the bottom, minnow head vs full minnow and using electronics like a Vexilar. The bite continues to be in 29’-34’ out about 45-55 minute ride from the lodge. Hot jigs have been 1/4 oz gold, pink or chartreuse or a plain hook tipped with a minnow. Come have some fun!

If the weather starts to warm up we will be moving our houses to stay away from the slush and to allow a longer season with safe ice. With the bombardiers and groomed trails, we have many areas to fish. Check out the pictures of the week and make plans to come wet a line.

Trail Report
Trails are open. For more information check out these links.
South Shore Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods

23rd Annual End of the Season Mardi Gras Party is March 28
Our end of the season bash is coming up! Visit us for great fishing and a whole lot of fun! Entertainment, beads, free hurricanes, food and drink specials, costume contest win $200 CASH and much more. Click here to check out all of the fun we have planned and book your stay and play package today!

 

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

Fishing Away

This week depths in 22’-27’ around structure using plain hooks, gold jigs s and small spoons tipped with a minnow has been the best approach for catching walleyes and saugers. An occasional perch, tullibee, perch, pike, and eelpout too. A mix of vertical jigging and dead sticking has been the best approach and electronics help! We have 30-32 inches of ice.

Trails
The trails are open. Click the links for the latest reports.

South Shore Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods

Ice Road from Young’s Bay to Oak Island
The ice road is open. Follow the signs and take a ride. It is about 10 miles out.

Time to book your spring and summer trip.
It is never too early to start planning your spring trip! Come visit the islands this spring and get into some hot soft water action. Spring lodging specials available May 8 -25! Contact us today 800-772-8411.

Sportsman’s Ice Fishing Update – 2/29/20

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River

A little Over A Month Left Of Ice Fishing Season

The best bite this week continues to be 29’-34’. A notable more aggressive noon – 2 pm bite has been going on the last few days. A mix of 3/4 sauger, 1/4 walleye, and a few tullibee.
Stop sign lures or jigs with glitter, pink/gold or chartreuse/white tipped a minnow has been working. For the best catch rate, a little work can go a long way. It doesn’t hurt to switch up tackle, try one-rod dead sticking and jigging the other, use electronics and test right on bottom vs a few inches off the bottom to grab the attention of the fish as they are swimming by.Ice Conditions and Rally Weekend
We have over 3’ of ice and the snowmobile trails are in good shape. Trails are freshly groomed. The Annual Northwest Angle Edge Riders snowmobile rally is planned for this weekend hosted at our sister resort, Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge on Oak Island at the Northwest Angle 40 miles north of Baudette. This event is always a great time! For more information about the event, click here.Visit us in March for a fun getaway. Click here to learn more

Trail Report
Trails are groomed and staked. For more information check out these links.
South Shore Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods

Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge

The Bite
20’-27’ on reefs and edges of reefs using pink, gold, red and white jigs tipped with a minnow has been working well. Anglers have been reeling in a nice bag of walleyes and saugers for supper along with an occasional trophy. We have 30 – 32 inches of ice where we fish and travel. Last chance openings available March 1-4, 15-22 and one 3 bedroom cabin 8-22.
Hosting the Northwest Angle Edge Riders Snowmobile Rally this weekend!
We are excited to be hosting the annual snowmobile rally Feb 29. Click here for all the info and make plans to head out on the trails or take a cruise on the ice road to join in the fun. The trails are in great shape. Click the links for the latest reports.

The sturgeon are biting!

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Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River
5/2/2018

The sturgeon are biting! Check out what the Johnson Group reeled in with Captain Wes yesterday!
Bill reeled in a 60” and 52” and Vance,  a 50”. All fish were released.


We are warming up!
Slow but sure, the ice is melting. The Rainy River is completely open and there is open water just past the gap right now on the lake. We received a little shot of rain early this week but could use a good rain to soften more ice up, nonetheless there are over 40 miles of fishable river and bays right now and more warm weather in the forecast.  Current river temp is 47 degrees, the water level is low, not much debris but it is dirty, clearing more by the day. It should be cleared up nicely by walleye opener. Luckily, the sturgeon feed by smell in the dirty water so it doesn’t have much of effect on the sturgeon fishing going on now.  The current is average speed. For more information about the river or if you like to keep tabs on it, click here for water data. This data is measured right off our dock.


The Best Sturgeon bite has been in the deep river bottom holes. Two to four ounce no roll sinker, 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook tipped with a gob of night crawlers and a few shiners works well. Spring is prime time catching time.  Come enjoy the weather and reel in some monsters!

Did you know? Lake Sturgeon can live to be more than 100 years old and exceed more than 150 pounds!

Pike
Bays and creeks and the river are hot spots. Smelt lying on the bottom works well. Make sure to hook all the way through the body of the bait to keep it nice and secure.  Long shaft jigs work the best.

Walleye Opener is next weekend, May 12.
It has been a slow warm up this spring.  Predictions are the river and bays will be full of walleyes on opener.

Seasons
Sturgeon – Keep one within size limits going on now,  April 24-May 7 and July 1 – Sept 30, catch and release Oct 1-April 23 and May 8-15
Northern Pike open year round
Walleye currently closed, reopening May 12

Our 12th Annual Sturgeon Tournament is this weekend
Stay tuned to our Facebook page Friday & Saturday for some great action. We will be posting leaderboard results and pictures. The tournament is currently full for this year, but there are still lots of fun that can be had watching the action.  The tournament runs 8:30am-4pm Friday and 8:30-3pm Saturday wrapping up with a banquet Saturday night.  All of the fishing takes place in front of the lodge. So, grab a chair and watch the excitement right from the bar and dock.  Join us!  Happy hour and dinner served in the Sandbar.

Come have some fun this spring. Spring Specials!
Lodging starting at only $43* per person per night now through May 23. Guided Sturgeon and pike trips going on now  and up to 20% off summer lodging and charter fishing packages May 11-23. Click here to start planning your trip.
*plus tax and based on double occupancy

River Update!

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River Update!

This morning, April 10, from Frontier and Birchdale Landings:

Yesterday afternoon, April 9, from Frontier and Birchdale Landings:

The river is open up to a few miles west of Frontier landing as of today. Approximately 15 miles west of Baudette. Weather forecast although not nearly as warm as last year at this time, is warming up. We will be doing another update Thursday. Stay tuned!

The River Bite
Some getting into a great bite with reports of 50+ fish in a few hours most ranging from 19″-30″ walleyes and 30″+ sturgeon to others struggling to get a dozen. Water is cool hovering around 33-35 degrees and the current is still slow. Walleyes – Gold, pink and orange jigs and plastics have been tackle of choice and shiners. Mix of vertical jigging vs dragging bottom depending on day. Some having the best luck drifting and others anchored. Sturgeon – Gob of worms, on a 4/0 or 5/0 hook and few ounces of no roll sinkers. An added shiner works sometimes too. Sturgeon are being found in deep holes and at the incline of holes along the river.

Seasons
Walleye open through April 14, reopening May 12
Northern Pike open year round
Sturgeon catch and release open through April 23
Keep one within size limits April 24-May 7 and July 1 – Sept 30
Catch & release May 8-15 & Oct 1 – April 23

Ice Fishing
Due to the cool spring, we still have lots of ice on the lake. Extensions are still needed. We don’t have any houses out but if you are interested in venturing out on your own, Morris Point road is open to ATV’s and snowmobiles. For the most to up to date conditions they can be contacted at  218-634-2570.

Join us this spring!
Openings available this weekend and throughout the spring. Lodging starting at $43* per person per night and guided trips available. Charter fishing packages up to 20% off May 11-23. Click here to learn more: www.sportsmanslodges.com/spring

*Plus tax. Minimum rates may apply.

River Update Coming Soon

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River Update Coming Soon

 

Hey Everyone!

What a crazy spring so far. We have gone from two of the warmest spring season’s to now one of the coldest. I guess that is Mother Nature for you, unpredictable. We are going to head out this afternoon and tomorrow morning and snap some pictures of what the river looks like and how far it is open to share with you tomorrow morning. We also will post another update Thursday afternoon too.

Over the weekend, the morning bite on the river was a struggle.  Temps dipped down causing some of the accesses to freeze up and then thawing late morning/early afternoon.  Some anglers went ice fishing on the lake for morning and headed to the river for the afternoon/evening soft water bite.  Still lots of ice on the lake.   Although it doesn’t appear to be time to break out the shorts yet, the forecast does look warmer for this week.  Warmer temps should help navigating the river and the increase the bite for the last few days of walleye season. Walleye season runs through April 14, re-opening May 12. Spring sturgeon catch and release season runs through April 23 and May 8-15, keep one (within size limits) April 24-May 7. Pike season never ends.  If you haven’t experienced reeling in a monster sturgeon or trophy pike, spring is one of the best times to do it. It is a blast! Give us a call, lodging and guided trips are available. 

The bite over the weekend was hit and miss. Some of those who did the best were jigging with 3/8 oz or 1/2 oz jigs on the river and small jigs/spoons on the lake in 16′-24′ tipped with a minnow. Sturgeon anglers were using a gob of worms, on 5/0 hook and a few ounces of no roll sinkers in deep holes of the river.   Pike anglers using live suckers and big smelt in pre-spawn areas.  The current is slow right now. Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow and Thursday.