fishing reports 2020 Lake of the Woods Fishing Reports & Info

[jjohnson5150]

PLENTY of ice yet. You may have some slush to deal with, but I wouldn't expect it to get in your way of getting out ice fishing. There was well over 30" of ice last weekend where we were. We could not drill out the wheel house without an extension. Fishing was great too BTW. Bring your vex & sit on a bucket outside. Enjoy.

[ifish4fun]

Fished 3/1, 3/2 and 3/3 with 2 other guys 13.5 miles past pine island in 35 ft of water. We ended up with 145 fish total. Had our limit of walleye and saugers early in the morning on Friday. Best action was Thursday afternoon. Big fish of the trip were 26.5" and 23.5" walleyes on a tip-up.

[pikerliker]

Hey ifish what did you use for bait on your tip ups? I am fishing out of a house at Zipple Bay resort on the 12th and 13th and was thinking of throwing a couple tip ups outside.

Thanks

[fishforlife123]

Just got back from zippel bay! very very slow... first day caught a few 12 saugers a 18 inch walleye and a 24 inch walleye. second day couple little saugers and a burbot. third day few saugers few walleyes few tullibee and a 21 inch walleye. probably caught about 40 fish with 6 guys and about one third were keepers in a sleeper. planning on going back next year just came at the wrong time and the resort was moving a lot of house. but still had fun!!

[MNfan]

fish how deep were you? Thanks

[SBb]

Has anyone been out of Swift Ditch the last day or two? I'm going to head towards Willow Creek. Can a truck make it or will I need ATV or snowmobile?

[pushbutton]

Just got back from a couple days along the border. We were out about 5 miles past pine in 30 ish ft the first day. Apparently the tullies have green cards because that is pretty much all we caught. It was downright crazy. Morning, noon, and night tullie after tullie. The first 50 were fun, but after that, started to get a little old even for me, and especially for my father who only cares about walleyes. This was his first trip up there, only his second time ice fishing, and he was even suspicious of the sauger

Did catch some nice slot fish there, some sweet pout....... one freakoslobasaurus close to 15 lbs, but only five saug/eyes for the bucket. Since this was his B-Day present, and of the meat hog generation, the next day we moved about a half mile northwest into about 33 ft. Fishing was "better" as we were able to fill out our limits without being accosted by so many tullibee, but REALLY had to work for it. I fished nearly 24 hours straight to try to play catch up. Yes the fish do bite at night, no it is not gangbusters action, but of the 16 bucket fish, 6 were caught at night as well as a few more slots.

I'm sure we could have done better, but let the big guy use my flasher during the day. He heard they only bite on pink jigs about 6 inches off the bottom so thats pretty much where he stayed and used. When I did use the flasher, the key in this tough bite was to find the active fish by jigging up about 3 feet, and get them to chase as high as 6 or 7. Also pink/gold did work, but did catch just as many off glow red and glow perch spoons. The nicest bucket fish was a 10:00 pm 15 minute off and on chase sequence with a glow red flyer lip hooked with the smallest fathead i could find.

Was a little disappointed the eyeball bite had slowed(for my father's sake), especially since reading the almost non stop action all year, but thats they way it goes sometimes. We still had a good time and got to take home plenty of fish. Have about 20 tullibee brining for the smoker as i type and going to cook up a few beautiful pout straps tonight. Yum! Good luck to all venturing up the rest off the year. Sadly this will be my last ice report for the year. Will "see" you all in about 9 months.....will be a long wait for the first 12 inches of ice up there!

[muc33]

Snowmobile is your best bet.

[muc33]

We were in just in the main basin side of pine and did just ok towards Morris Gap. Headed out to the finger flats in about 30 feet straight out from Zipple Bay this morning and got quite a few sauger and only a few eyes. We'll keep drilling and reporting. Windy and some snow making it not too easy today.

[Cobra]

Good report!

Thanks!

Any size/color info on the varmits?

[pushbutton]

pushbutton,

It really didn't matter what I threw down the hole, I was dubbed the Tulibee King both days.

Big spoons, little spoons, Lindy Darter's, Jiggin Raps, even the fabled Pink Charmer all produced the silver stinkers for me. Color didn't matter either, but the more shiny the better typically w/ tulibees.

Brian

I asked the same question about a week ago and this was BMC's response, and will be mine as well, yeah a few names of lures were different, but ya get the point. Was really surprised how big of a setup they would hit. The only time i have fished for them have used droppers and tiny frosties or flyers tiped with waxies, spikes, or heads thinking it needed to be small......guess not... 1/4 oz. jig with a good sized fathead was just fine with many of the brutes up there. A 1/16 oz flashy rattle spoon with a smaller crappie minnow did work best however.......

[rookieguylow]

We are new to the site, so hope we did this right.

We are going up this Sunday and are going out from the Sportsmans Lodge. Can any one tell us what we should do to make the trip a great one and catch fish.

Taking my two boys up, (over 20) and have never ice fished, and can use all the pointers we can get.

Did do the package, so they are taking us out first thing Monday morning.

Thanks in advance,

Rookieguylow

[pushbutton]

First off welcome to HSO! Secondly,what will make your trip is what you guys make of it. The highlights of my trip was not the fish to take home, but rather that my young son, my father, and I spent two days on a famed lake in a small wooden box together. In a year will not remember the 17 inch sauger or the 18 inch walleye in the box, but will remember the huge pout I caught and all the tullibee that would not leave us alone.

We were a little north of where the main armada of sportsman's houses were set up. Truthfully i think that will bode well for you. While we did move even further north to get on some fish, my gut told me that shallower might be a better option, as they will soon start concentrating for their spring run. For tackle and tactics, read my report and the multitude of others on the various threads. Problem with that is that you will see many different ways to get you fish.....best advice is to try them all and see whats working that particular day in that particular spot. Tom's pink and gold tackle has a great reputation up there and will be available at the lodge and local bait shops, so might as well support the local economy. I do however wonder if blue and lime green on something that looks like a charmer with all the same hype, but made by a different company might have the same results. If you do not have electronics, pretty sure sportsman rent them and would be well worth the price. Good luck, have fun, and let us know how you guys did!

[rookieguylow]

Thanks for all the great info. I agree it is more about being in the shack then the fish. My oldest son loves to fish, but just cannot seem to put them on the hook. The greatest time would be for him to pull in the "big" one.

[Cobra]

Sportsman's does rent flashers, but you will need to speak up in advance because they have a limited amount and others want them too! Make sure to have the walleye appetizer in the bar!

[SCONASOTAN]

To make the most of the fishing you will WANT to have Flashers for each fisherman. Its gonna be outside fishing weather so ask the guides to drill holes for you all over outside your rented shack. talk (ie: think hockey,football, fishing, hunting, women) and make friends with your guides, IT WILL pay off. have shiners and fatheads. have jigging spoons in pink, gold, glow and plain hooks in the same colors. have a set line 6" off bottom with a plain pink hook and split shot and on the other hand held rod switch jigging spoons/jiggin raps/darters until you are catching consistenty. Smell the roses when you are there with your 2 boys and be greatfull.

[Milinko12]

We are new to the site, so hope we did this right.

We are going up this Sunday and are going out from the Sportsmans Lodge. Can any one tell us what we should do to make the trip a great one and catch fish.

Taking my two boys up, (over 20) and have never ice fished, and can use all the pointers we can get.

Did do the package, so they are taking us out first thing Monday morning.

Thanks in advance,

Rookieguylow

Hope you and your boys have a great time! I can almost bet that even if you don't come home with limits of fish, you will be talking about "booking" the next trip! My question is......They are over 20 years old and have never ice fished?!?! Well, it's probably safe to say that they will be hooked! Me and my buddies will be up Sunday-Wednesday at Morris Point (just west of you), so let me know how you do! Best of luck.

[ThndrDkl]

sounds like the ice is plenty thick. I worry about this upcoming warm snap. anyone think this is going to be a problem? I am planning a trip up to lotw march 18-21st as long as the ice conditions hold and the snow melt doesn't make the lake impossible to drive on/ take a wheeler out. I would think that a snowmobile would be out of the question soon. let me know what your thoughts are and it would be helpful if people could post ice conditions on this thread over the next week or two. thanks again.

[rookieguylow]

Thanks everyone for helping us out. I called the resort and told them I needed a flasher. The person had no idea what that was. I then said probably the Vexilar. So we got one.

I will try to post on Monday night how we are doing.

[Jack Stasney]

Thndr I know a few people up there right now. From what I've heard the ice is still good. With the up coming warmth we'll just have to watch it. I don't think it is going to get that bad by next week. Plan on wheelers as trucks will not be an option. Two years ago we had a similar situation, but it got warm even sooner than this year. We watched trucks go through the ice. The thing is the roads get thin first, but everywhere else is fine. So stay off the roads.

[ThndrDkl]

I agree with the guys who said earlier that the trip will be what you make of it. the more i go out on fishing trips, the more I realize that it isn't necessarily about the amount of fish that I catch (while it does help to catch em) but it is more about the company you keep and the people you are with. being able to just hang out and tell jokes and what not is almost more important than catching hundreds of fish. have a good time and let us know how it goes!

[bturck]

4 Mile Bay is always an issue when the river starts to open up. Keep an eye on Adrians reports. They will close the access if it get unsafe and then wheelers or sleds are the only option. Talked to Darren at Snobes yesterday, he said rain forecast Monday. Temps forecast near 70 next week down this way. Ice on the lake will be around for awhile, its just a matter of how you get out there. stay safe.

[Walleyehooker]

Being mobile later in the year is a big key to success on LOW. I find the fish are on the move and if you can find them sometimes there are a lot of them in an area. Renting a house is a dump shoot. You might have good fishing or just get passing schools from time to time or nothing. We were just up there about a week ago on sleds and did the run and gun deal to get fish. Fish a spot for 20-30 minutes and if it didnt produce we moved on.A lot easier to do when the weather is nice and I would love to be up there right now.

[cat44]

A group of us fished pike out of Warroad yesterday. Ice was plenty good out on the bay. We made it through without an extension, but it was close.

[jay83196]

So what do you guys think that go up a lot, live up there etc how will ice be at the end of month? I have trip planned staying in arnesons shacks will they still be able to take us out after couple weeks of this warmer weather end if the month?

Thanks

[Guest]

Just got back and it is already getting messy, ice ridge areas are starting to hold standing water, cracks are widening. With forecast showing only 3 nights in next 10 getting below freezing and several days in the 60's I would not plan anything more than a week out to be safe. We did not have as much ice as normal to begin with and now with this unusually warm weather for this time of year I think "ice fishing" will end early this year for everyone including LOW.

[Reedo7]

Just got back from LOW. fished friday noon till sunday noon. We were two guys fishing with flashers and moving every 30 minute if we didnt find fish. On Friday we fished out of Long Point, we caught 13 with only two keepers, everyone elese we talked to out there had found slow fishing as well. St morning started in 29 FOW out of Adrian's road, we caught three in the morning with two being keepers. Then things slowed down so we moved. We decided to go out to the ened of the road where we heard a good report. We caught two tiny ones, we talked to other groups that had the same luck, including a group of three guys that were on ythe move like us. So we worked our way back in with no luck. We also talked to a lot of ather groups, as most were fishing outside of their houses. No one had much luck and everywhere we went we could hear people having the same luck as us. So we went to Babblers we fished on a steep break in 28'FOW. We caught 15 more, but only two keepers, and two that were close. Sun. morning fished out of morris point in 28FOW, caught 20. one 22" two keepers and the rest small. Our keeper requirement was over 13". Hopefully things pick up with stable weather.

[Ballyhoo]

Everyone will need to stay in contact with the resorts up there as they know the best. What some think is safe ice is not. Please stay in touch with the resorts. I talked to a local up there today and he was worried about the river and 4 mile bay if it rains and the sun keeps on like it was the last 2 days.

[ib_jigged]

Fished out of Babler's on Sat 3/10. 6 of us in 34-35' of water and filled out with nice fish all 14-18". Action was slow, took all day to catch the limit. Marked fish steady but had to keep moving. Drilled about 24 holes in one big area and would move from hole to hole and drop a jig with minnow down and would catch one, and then move on to the next hole and kept doing that between holes seemed to work well.

[larson311]

Fished out of Babler's on Sat 3/10. 6 of us in 34-35' of water and filled out with nice fish all 14-18". Action was slow, took all day to catch the limit. Marked fish steady but had to keep moving. Drilled about 24 holes in one big area and would move from hole to hole and drop a jig with minnow down and would catch one, and then move on to the next hole and kept doing that between holes seemed to work well.

We have a similiar report in 33' FOW at Long Point. 4 of us, 2 whom were 12 year olds and maybe fished half the time we were out there. I think we came home with 25 so I didn't think that was too bad. Marked a lot of fish but had to jump hole to hole and keep jigging them. I thought it was going to be a quick day at first, I tried to set the depth on a tip up and caught 2 nice saugers just dropping the line down. After about 10am it really slowed down. 8 guys near us on a bachelor party kept 54 so right about the same pace we were on. Also, I don't think I saw one fish supsended over 3 ft from the bottom.