Tag Archives: lake of the woods ice fishing report

Sportsman’s Lodge Fishing, Trail & Ice Report 12-23-2016

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12/23/2016

Fishing continues to be great! Lots of action!
A mix of good eaters and 24”+ walleyes has been caught this week. An early morning and late afternoon bite in 17’-23’ has been best using 3/8 oz. gold jig with a white tip, chubby darters, red frosty spoons and glow buckshot rattle spoons tipped with a minnow or minnow head jigging 6-8 inches off bottom. The ride is just 20 minutes to our fish houses!

29 inch walleye caught and released by Ryan Winter

29 inch walleye caught and released by Ryan Winter

Ice Conditions
12-16 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel with a 3-5 inch snow cover.

Trail Report
The trail from Four Mile Bay (Wheeler’s Point) to Oak Island and from Four Mile Bay to Warroad are both now marked. The trails have 11-14 inches of ice and 3-5 inch snow cover. The trails are marked with black stakes.Trails will start to be maintained using a drag next week and the groomer as soon as we get 24 inches of ice.

Our ice report is for the areas we travel and fish. Our houses are on a private groomed trail. If you are venturing out on your own, we encourage you to check with the outfitter or resort that maintains the road for the most up to date conditions and stay on the road as conditions differ in different areas of the lake.

Public Ice Road
Adrian’s public ice road at the Four Mile Bay access near Wheeler’s Point is currently reporting 13 inches of ice on Four Mile Bay and 10-14 inches on the lake. They are allowing mid-size SUV’s, mini vans and cars. Four wheelers and UTV’s are allowed to pull wheel houses out up to 17’ long. No ½ ton trucks. The road is marked 1.5 miles past Pine Island.

Johnson group making memories

Johnson group making memories

Look what this young angler reeled in!

Look what this young angler reeled in!

New Year’s Eve Party
Join us for our annual New Year’s Eve Party! Entertainment, food and drink specials, champagne toast, party favors and a whole lot of fun! Make your dinner reservations now 800-862-8602.

forecast-12-23-2016

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Weekly Fishing Report

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03/15/2016


Another ice fishing season is in the books! Thanks for another great season!
The first day on the river went well! Anglers reeled in several nice walleye and sturgeon. Water temperature is 36 degrees. Jigging with jigs tipped with chubs or shiner minnows worked best.
26 inch walleye
Caught by Todd Labine 3-14-2016
Guided by Shane.
27.75 inch walleye caught and released by Andy Labine. Guided by Shane. Nice catch!
The boats are shined up and ready to go! 
The Rainy River is open at Frontier Landing 16 miles east of Baudette (28 miles east of the lodge) as of yesterday.
Crews worked hard to clean out the shore ice at Birchdale Landing, 26 miles east of Baudette (38 miles east of the lodge) yesterday morning and it is ready to go! Only snow and salt remain on the ramp. We anticipate Frontier landing to be open in a few days and Vidas Landing 8 miles east of Baudette (20 miles east of the lodge) a few days after that. Time for river fishing!!!
Birchdale Landing is open! 3-14-2016
Just snow and salt on the ramp remain
Crews started early in the morning March 14 to get the ramp ready for fishing! Thank you for the help!
Birchdale 3-14-2016
Lodging as low as $40 per person per night now through May 26. Guided outfitter trips available now! $450 for the boat for up to 4 people for a full day including guide, bait, use of rods and reels, fish cleaning and soft drinks/water assortment. *plus tax and based on double occupancy
Fishing Seasons
Walleye season is open until midnight April 14. Northern Pike season never closes and lake sturgeon catch and release is open now through April 23, keep one within size limits April 24-May 7, catch and release again May 8-15. For limits and the complete Minnesota DNR regulation guide, click here.
For directions and information about the Rainy River boat access ramps, click here
Join in on the fun 8pm-1am! Entertainment, great specials, wear your favorite costume, FREE Hurricanes 8pm-9pm, stay and play packages and more! You won’t want to miss it!

 

Lake of the Woods South Shore Ice Conditions & Fishing Report

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3/9/2016

Ice Fishing Update
Right now we still have 15-25 inches of ice and plan to fish through this weekend in our day houses. The bite has been improving this week. Anglers have had the best luck in depths outside of Pine Island in 21’-33’ using bright colored small lures and jigs tipped with a minnow. Jigging aggressively 3-6 inches of bottom has been the best approach. Electronics really help pin point the fish. If you do not have one, we suggest trying one, we do have rentals available but be sure to call ahead to reserve, they go fast. We currently have openings every day this week except Saturday. Give us a call to make one last trip 800-862-8602!

Check out some the latest catches!
Ashley is on the left with a nice 18 inch walleye she caught this past weekend, guided by Beef and Jim Fuschetto is on the right with his 25 inch walleye he caught and released.
Ashley from the Iron Range reeled in this nice 18 inch walleye this past weekend. Nice catch Ashley. Guided by Beef Nice catch Jim Fuschetto! 25 inch walleye, released.

 

River Soft Water Fishing Update
It’s that time of year! To many, it seems strange for ice fishing and boat fishing to be going on at the same time, but this is very common in our area due to the difference in the lake and river conditions. This year it is certainly starting much sooner than normal but nonetheless, it appears spring is showing up early this year. 40 miles to our east, the Rainy River is starting to open up. There is open water 10 miles east of Birchdale landing right now. Birchdale is a small town east of Baudette. Due to the current in the river, this body of water opens before Lake of the Woods. As of right now we anticipate the Birchdale landing to be open after this weekend. We are now booking guided boat trips aboard an 18’-20’ boat equipped with a guide, poles, bait and fish cleaning. Hook into a mighty walleye, a monster lake sturgeon (the dinosaurs of the lake) or an aggressive northern pike!

Walleye fishing is open on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods until April 14, closing for a short time and then re-opening May 14. Lake sturgeon season is catch and release now through April 23, keep one within size limits April 24-May 7 and catch and release again May 8-15. Northern pike season is open year round.  Spring is one of the best times of year to get into an aggressive bite! Take advantage of the early spring and get into some fun fishing action! Book your trip today 800-862-8602.

For a Rainy River Boat Access Map and directions click here

 

 

Sportsman’s South Shore Day Fish Houses are out!

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Sportsman’s South Shore Day Fish Houses are out!

Busy day on the lake today. The guides worked hard and were able to place all the day houses on the ice.

-Up to 8-10 inches in the areas we travel and fish we found today on the south side of the lake and 7-8 inches on the bay. Keep in mind this is in the areas we travel and fish.

If you decide to go out on your own please stay on marked trails and check with local resorts or bait shops before going out. We use a private road. Adrian’s Road and Morris Point’s public roads are open to ATV’s and snowmobiles only at this time. Please check with them for up to date conditions. It is a big lake and all areas DO NOT freeze the same! We are finding the Rainy River and other areas have a lot of current this year and will probably not be safe for quite some time. Stay safe and fish on!

We hope to have the sleeper houses out later this week. Since they are heavier we need a few more inches of ice to be safe.  Stay tuned for an Sportsman’s Oak Island Report and open date tomorrow.

Ice Fishing Season starts Monday, Dec 12

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12/9/2011

Are you rrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeady for some ice fishing?
The ice is shaping up good! We have had some nice cool temps over the past few days.  We will start ice fishing on Monday, Dec 12 for the season!!!! We currently have 10 inches of ice on Four Mile Bay and 7-9 inches on the lake in the areas we travel and fish. We anticipate by Monday that we will have 12 inches to start safely.  We will start pulling houses out tomorrow and be ready for you on Monday, so make your reservations to arrive Sunday night to get in on some incredible early season fishing!  The guides have been out doing some pre-fishing and the results are excellent!  We have good clear water and ice. They are seeing lots of nice walleyes and saugers.  It is going to be a fun year!  Keep in mind early season is usually excellent for trophy walleyes too!

Trail Conditions
At this time we have very little snow on the land or lake trails. The land trails are closed.  Many resorts are working on getting their lake trails staked over the weekend.  The snowmobile club will start staking their trail to Warroad and across to Oak Island in a week or so based on the ice conditions.

This Weekend
If you plan to venture out this weekend, please use caution especially in the areas where the ice broke up early in the week. Light jeeps and ATV’s only are advised. As always remember the entire lake is not treated equally when it freezes so make sure you stay on the trails and know where you are going.  Keep it safe!