Tag Archives: Walleye Fishing

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

by

6/19/2014

Summer is here! Get out on the water and catch yourself some Walleye!
Fishing continues to do well despite the wet weather that continues to hang on.  Anywhere North is the place to be especially around the sandbars.  Crawlers, leeches or minnows on hammered gold spinners seem to be what’s catching their attention.  If you’re still wanting to jig fish, there’s still a decent bite happening with jigs, particularly pink or chartreuse, with frozen shiners in depths of 25’-30’ just outside Pine Island and Morris Point Gap.  Try one of our charter trips, experienced guide, boat with onboard restroom, use of poles, bait, tackle, assortment of pop and water and fish cleaning provided. No hassles, no experience or equipment required. Sit back, take in the views and reel in the fish.  After a day of fishing enjoy your fish fried up for a tasty appetizer in the Sandbar.

IMG_7262 IMG_5556

Carter with his bait…a pickle …and his 19 inch walleye.

Fishing remains good despite high water.
At this time our docks are very wet but we have made changes to keep our boats safe and are loading and unloading guests on to the charters at one central floating dock system.  Dock slip rentals are not available at this time at our Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location but all other services are available.  It is business as usual. If you are traveling from the east, their are some road closures near International Falls. Check out 511.org for the most up to date information. Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge has wet docks but we continue to make changes to keep docking safe and available.

After a day on the lake stop by for a cold one & great food.

Daily specials including TWO Happy Hours, new menu, new 3rd Street Craft Beer, Weekend Entertainment and more! www.mysportsmans.com

Learn about our specials, fishing tips and more on Facebook.
Like us at www.facebook.com/sportsmanslodges

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

by

Wednesday, 5/21/14

Sportsman’s Lodge South Shore Fishing Report

The weather has been heating up, but the fishing is hotter. We can hardly keep up with the big fish that are being caught and released every day!

If you’re looking for fish, you won’t have to look too hard. Anglers have been venturing out to 4-Mile Bay, the Lighthouse Gap and Morris Point Gap to depths between 4 and 17 feet to find their share of walleyes and the occasional sauger. Anchored jigging with gold, pink, pink and white, and white glowing tackle tipped with a minnow or frozen shiner is the preferred method in both the lake and the river. River fishing has been great in areas downstream with a decent amount of current. Sizeable walleyes, northerns and saugers have been pulled in on docks lining the river. If you do want to venture off the docks, fish have been biting in water depths between 6 and 12 feet.

davidtrumbl

David Trumbl landed this 28.5” walleye with Captain Darryl!

greghalleland

Greg Halleland made the trip from Minneapolis, MN to reel in his catch-of-a-lifetime, a 29.5” walleye! (Released) Greg and his friends were guided by Captain Dave.

jimkrueger

Jim Krueger from Kasson, MN caught and released this 29.5” walleye with Captain Dave!

brad

This 27.5” walleye was caught by Brad from Lakeville! Captain Dave guided him to this monster!

louis

Louis told us he had an awesome day fishing, and even reeled in this 26.5” walleye with Captain Darryl!

 

Check out more pictures on our Facebook page!

Beautiful Weekend Ahead! Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be the perfect start to summer! Click here for the latest forecast!

New Villas are great for family vacations

Beautiful new lodging units are ready for you!

Deals! Deals! Deals!

Only a few days left of our spring specials!

Lodging starting at $40 per person per night at Sportsman’s Lodge for dates through May 22.

We have great rates on lodging and charter fishing packages too! Give us a call 800-862-8602.

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

by

Fishing Report 4/30

Sportsman’s Lodge

It’s sturgeon season, and it’s already been one for the record books! Two 100”+ sturgeon have already been caught and released along the Rainy River in the last few weeks! The sturgeon have been on the move, but remain easy to find, which is perfect for our annual sturgeon tournament this weekend. Most of the biggest sturgeon have been found lingering around the deeper depths along the river, and are biting on circle hooks tipped with crawlers and frozen shiners.

Sturgeon Tournament This Weekend

Our 8th annual sturgeon tournament takes place right in front of the lodge this weekend! Stay up to date with the happenings and photos on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages! If you’re fishing in the tournament, be sure to tag us in your photos using #SportsmansSturgeon14.

Make a Date

Don’t forget when each season opens and closes! Here’s a little list for your reference!

  • Sturgeon: Keep one (within size limits) from now through May 7, and then catch and release again May 8 – 15.

  • Walleye: Opens for the season on May 10

  • Northern Pike: Open year round

Spring Lodging Special

Starting at only $40 per person per night through May 22 at Sportsman’s Lodge Rainy River location. Give us a call to book your trip 800-862-8602 or request online.

*Plus tax, based on double occupancy.

Guided Fishing

Prefer to let us find the fish and bring the gear? Our guided outfitter trips are great for spring and fall fishing. Enjoy great river fishing in one of our 18′ or 20′ boats equipped with poles, bait, tackle, experienced guide, assortment of pop and water and fish cleaning. $450 for an all day trip for the boat. Boat holds up to 4 passengers plus the guide.

Our New Villas are great for summer vacations!

Have you checked out our beautiful new villas yet? They are brand new and spacious 1-5 bedroom lodging units great for groups of 1-17. Log furniture, fireplaces, beautiful river views, open floor plans and more. Check them out today and make plans to book your summer vacation at Sportsman’s.

Mom’s & Fishing

Treat mom to a fishing weekend or maybe a relaxing and quiet weekend in a cabin while you go fishing on Walleye Opener and treat her to our delicious Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch. You will love our vast selection of entrees, desserts, mimosas and more. Lodging starts at only $45 per person plus tax based on double occupancy. Walleye Opener is May 10 and Mother’s Day is May 11.

Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report

by

Fishing Report – 04/01/14

That’s a wrap! Sportsman’s lodge has officially wrapped up its 2013/2014 ice fishing season! Thank you to all of our guests for making the trek up to Lake of the Woods to spend some time fishing with us! We had a blast spending our winter with you!

Katie caught this Northern on Lake of the Woods this weekend!

Katie caught this Northern on Lake of the Woods this weekend!

Fishermen have continued to reel in a lot of fish throughout the last week. Some of the fish have flirted with with lengths near the slot limit, but most have been good eating fish. Either way, the fish are biting!

Sportsman’s Lodge guides and guests have been fishing in water depths ranging from 18’ to 26’ about 5 miles from the lodge. Shallow water has been consistently producing fish in the early and late hours of the day, while deeper water has been successful during the afternoon hours.

Minnows and fatheads remain the popular bait, while buckshot lures in pink and gold have been the tackle of choice.

Ice Conditions
We still have plenty of it. We are still sitting on 40+ inches of ice, and, after Monday’s blizzard, a substantial amount of snow.

Sportsman’s Lodge has removed all permanent ice houses from the lake. However, Based on current ice and weather conditions, we expect the ice to remain for a while longer. So, if you still haven’t gotten your ice fishing fix, pack your ice augers and take your own ice fishing adventure.

Rainy River Update
The river is beginning to open up about 15 miles from Birchdale, MN. Birchdale is located approximately 50 miles downstream from Sportsman’s Lodge and the mouth of Lake of the Woods. The Birchdale landing is usually the first one to open for the year in our area.  Stay tuned! Once we start warming up, it shouldn’t take too long to deteriorate the river ice and start our soft water fishing season.

Visit our website to download the area boat landing map.

Trail Conditions
26 inch pink jig Joshua ThielenPublic trails had their last groomings last week, and remain in fair to good condition. The trail markings will be left up until conditions deteriorate.Many resorts help maintain the trails or use their own private trails.

Weather
We may officially be in the spring season, but we are a long ways off of spring-like weather. Daytime temperatures will only be climbing into the mid- to upper-30’s throughout the next 10 days, and will drop below the freezing mark to the teens and 20’s during the overnight hours. A slight chance of snow is expected late this week, and again early next week.

Sturgeon! Pike! Walleye! Make plans for April & May soft water fishing!

Excellent sturgeon, walleye and pike fishing will soon be here.

Walleye season is open until May 14, reopening May 10

Pike season never closes

Sturgeon season is catch and release through April 23. Keep one (within size limits) April 24-May 7, catch and release again May 8-15.

Get your reservations in today.

25 Minutes to Good Fishing!

by

25 Minutes to Good Fishing!

Weekly South Shore Fishing Report

2/12/2014

The bite has been good, like last week small jigs ¼ oz. gold and glow in the dark tipped with a half minnow or minnow head is the key to success. Vexilar/Fish Finders are also another key component. It is a light bite so do some jigging and once you get the feel for it, you are golden.  Just 25 minute ride to our houses right now. The fish house is warm and cozy, bait and jig sticks are ready. The best bite has been in 28’-32’ of water.

Tom caught and released this 28 inch walleye

Tom caught and released this 28 inch walleye

Shaun Stumo caught this 27 inch walleye

Shaun Stumo caught this 27 inch walleye

Bruce Oistad with 25 inch walleye

Bruce Oistad with 25 inch walleye

Sounds like we are going to start warming up from our frigid temps! We are ready! It is time to start the slide into the last part of our season. Warmer weather and more sun usually equal a better bite! Fish house rentals available until March 31. Give us a call to join in the fun 800-862-8602 or book online.

Ice Conditions
Currently we have 30-36 inches of ice in the areas we fish and travel right now. Lots of ice to get us through late March!

Snow & Trail  Report
The trails are in good shape.  We are forecasted to get a couple of inches of snow this week.  The trails continue to be groomed 1-2 times a week. Click here for specific trail conditions.

Ice Conditions Update 11-26-2012

by

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!

Walleye Opener 2012 in 9…8….7…. days and counting!

by

We are enthusiastically waiting for Walleye Opener 2012! Opener this year is Saturday, May 12.  We have had very good fishing the past three years and are looking forward to once again another excellent year here on Lake of the Woods.  The DNR has done a great job at maintaining and growing our fishery over the years.  Many long time guides continue to say they have not seen the fishing like this in years if ever.  The walleye and sauger population is in great shape and continues to thrive.  The large lake specialist, Tom Heinrich from the DNR said in a recent St Cloud Times article that the sturgeon population in his estimation is one of the largest in the country.  We also have one of the highest trophy pike populations in the state as well. We are very happy with where the fishery is at and headed at this time and are looking forward to another great summer!

Walleye Fishing Opener & Mother’s Day Weekend is soon here!

by

Does your Mom like to fish or relax?  Treat her to a trip to Sportsman’s Lodge Mother’s Day and Walleye Fishing Opener Weekend, May 11-13.  Walleye Opener is Saturday, May 12 and Mother’s Day is Sunday May 13.  Enjoy walleye fishing, food, entertainment, indoor pool, hiking, relaxing, boating, shopping and our Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch on Sunday, May 13.