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2020 Lake of the Woods Fishing Reports & Info


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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

 

Let's see your pics!!!

 

2020 Lake of the Woods Fishing Reports - Click Here

Click Above for 2020 Fishing Reports↑↑↑↑

2009-2020 Lake of the Woods Fishing Reports below↓↓↓↓

Go ahead and post your Lake of the Woods fishing reports and conditions in this thread.

 

More current Fishing Reports - Click the >> link above to the right after the NEXT link.

 

For 2019 LOTW Fishing Reports - Click here.

 

Questions welcome too.

 

Fishing Reports by the TOP Lake of the Woods Fishing Guides, Charter Captains & Resorts are in here - Click Here.

 

Lot's of good info and our best members posting below already. Newer Reports are on pages that follow.

 

Be sure to give back and share your fishing reports here as well smile

 

Thanks.

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  • 10 months later...

I heard some good reports arount the 12 mile area last weekend, so I'm heading up Wednesday to give it a try. Any other reports from the area? Ice conditions?

Thanks

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Fife, did well in the mud on Friday and did well on 12 Mile Saturday. Lot of people struggled this weekend however on the reef so I don't know if I can really recommend 12 Mile right now. We drilled at least 50 holes on and around 12 Mile Saturday morning and finally found some around noon. Had 0 fish at noon and ended up filling out for 3 guys by the end of the day. No slot fish but some nice 16-17 inch keepers. On Friday, we caught a bunch of saugers/walleyes in the mud. We couldn't keep the little ones off the hook and then once in a while you would get a keeper or two in a row.

I would try the mud first (around 22 fow) or Arnesen's or Tower and then if it doesn't go well, head up to 12 Mile.

If you want more info, let me know. I believe you have my e-mail address, right?

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Thanks for the info Bapper! I misplaced your email. For some reason I can't use the internet up there, but my email still works.

We'll be staying at my Uncle's cabin and be on sleds with portables. I also heard a good report around 12 mile on Saturday and then dead on Sunday. I hope we can find some of those sumo perch too.

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I saw some monster jumbos but we never got any this past weekend. Good luck and let me know how it goes. I plan on heading back up the first weekend of April.

My e-mail is robert dot nathe at target dot com in case you need it.

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Fished out of Arnesen's Friday and Saturday. They put us on the NW end of 12 mile and the fishing was slow Friday for us but we heard the other side did pretty good. The opposite was true for Saturday, we fished the same house and had action all day and the report on the other side was slow. Fished 27 fow and the biggest fish was a 28 in Northern, 13 in Perch, 17 in Walleye and a 17 in Sauger.

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Walleye One,

How was the bomber ride? Coming up Thursday morning to spend three days in a sleeper house for the first time to Arnesen's. Any colors to start with (I have Gold, Pink and Red ready to go).

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We had a tough day on Thursday, a good day on Friday, and another tough one on Saturday. Most of our fish came in the 24-28 foot range off of the flats. We had a ton of small fish which is good to see. In our few hours on 12 mile we caught a mix of walleyes, sauger, eelpout, tullibee, and perch. The ice is still thick enough that an extension is needed and the snow on top was starting to get wet and slushy.

mrmanners,

All of those colors should work well. Red and gold buckshot rattle spoons are usually my go to lures. Stop sign lures were also working well.

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Hello, coming up this friday for the weekend in a sleeper, wondering what to expect as usually fish over by Pine. Have heard that monnows not available, that true, and help would be much appreciated.

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Arnesen's will have plenty of fathead minnows but no shiners. If you want shiners, you need to pick them up on your way up.

You can expect to have solid fishing and great interaction with your guides. If you can swing it, I would highly recommend eating the Prim Rib at the lodge. Its tough to beat.

Bring your pink buckshots and Lindy rattlin flyers. They have produced lately. Don't forget the gold either...

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Mrmanners

The bomber ride on the way out there on Friday was rough but it softened up for the ride home as well as the next day as things started to melt.

It seemed like no lure was hot for more than an hour but red jigging spoons worked well and gem-n-eye type lures with full minnow worked pretty good too.

bapperpimp - you're right about the prime rib - had it on Friday - very good!

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  • 2 weeks later...

would like reports on springsteel .am going up on tues any help would be much apperated. how deep for northerns any eyes over there,never fished there .live bait or dead ?

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Access is holding up okay and we got out with p/u today no probs. Some tracks to follow, watch for slush holes. Off trail pretty good getting around.

Less ice today and softer. I have'nt used my extention yet all winter and now it's reaching a good bit easier!

Reliable Walleye bite in 18-20 fow last 3 times out there. Not much for whoppers but good 16-18's with a coupla low slotters and some good Sauger thrown in. Perch infrequent??

Alot of trucks back and forth to the Stip today.

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Well guys, the last ice fishing trip of the year for my group turned out a success. We ended up fishing the 12 Mile Reef area on Friday and Saturday and found some fish. For the 2 days, we iced 5 slot fish plus a nice 29 incher. In addition, we had 5 northern (biggest only 35 inches), plenty of pout, some big fat perch and a bunch of nice eater walleyes and saugers.

Just wanted to say thanks to the Arnesen's for another spectacular year. Year in and year out, you guys provide great service and great food and great entertainment.

Also, a big thanks to the guides that helped us out this year. Wingnut (Tim) has helped us for a lot of years now and I highly recommend him. Don't get me wrong, the other guides are great too. Most of them have been fishing that area of the lake for a long time.

If anybody is looking for a place to go, Arnesen's is always a great time.

I can't wait to head up during open water season.

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Fished up off the angle for the third weekend in a row and some during the week. Walleyes and saugers have been like money in the bank on alot of the top rubble areas, very small rock piles on the rubble more oe less. Hard to find but oh so good when you do. The JUMBO perch finally showed up in some numbers, they are so sweet, one weekend to go and its an easy to choose the ice. Usually id be on the Rainy now but compared to the lake its poor, fished sturgeon today and was slooowwww.Lots of good ice and the sled rides are great so north we will go, Hope you all are all doing well. BIG FISH DONT LIKE CROWDS

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Thanks for a good year!!! Puten stuff away now and things are good. Fishing is great and looks like we get good ice to the end. People got good fish today. Lots of good size today(21" to 29"). Why do the big ones wait till the end? Thats why they get big! Thanks Again.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Folks were down there fishing over the weekend, it was pretty much wide open along the shore spots. I sat down there and did some chowing and saw no fish caught in about a half an hour of watching 7 or 8 anglers.

fiskyknut

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The big Pike are running like crazy right now.. Good fishing if you get there before they are all done..They only run for about a week or less then they are all gone.

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A week or less then they are all gone huh? That is something I did'nt know!

You been up here Pike fishing lately? Musta missed you!

Alot of fish in the ditches yesterday still but not as many as this time last week. Saw a 44 incher cpr'd yesterday but it was slow according to most who were fishing. Sunday afternoon and only 1 boat out there.. Wow!

Sure looking like we will be ice free on opener.

Sturgeon Incursion crowd should be heading south soon not to be seen again till next spring so I'm going Sturgeon fishing this week!! Maybe see you around man.

Be coool Rusty, enjoy the Spring season.

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Was out yesterday, it was slow but fish are still being caught. We ended up fishing 3 hours with three fish landed, a 27, 36, and a 39. Wind was straight out of the north and that is a cold wind off the lake and it sent us home early. I watched many more fish landed but from the way most people were talking saturday was the day. Heading out again this afternoon, hoping to see one over 40 today.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had a great opener! Caught many nice fish, all in all it was probably one of the best in recent memory. Between 4 guys we caught 14 fish over 27" before 1:00pm on Saturday. We have pictures of every single one of them and I hope to post a few of them as soon as I get them.

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Is the ice off yet? i had to work over the weekend but plan on heading up there soon

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Daily Fishing Report: The weekend brought a lot of success and bunches of fun for many an angler on Lake of the Woods and Rainy River. I was able to see first hand a few nice Walleyes and Northern Pike over the weekend and it made me want to never leave the lake. People are “catching” Walleye in Rainy River, Four Mile Bay and Lighthouse Gap. The lure of choice is still the Chartreuse, Pink or Orange/Gold 3/8 oz & 1/2 oz Jigs (all which I personally used and was successful with this weekend). For the bait, I personally used frozen emerald shiners, but I have heard people saying that they are also using, fat head minnows and rainbows with the same success. The depth of water you want to be in will range from 14’ to 20’ and the water temperature was hovering right around 49 – 50 Degrees Fahrenheit. I hope this information serves all my angling buddies well!

28.JPGDSC00075.JPG

Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier

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