fishing reports 2020 Lake of the Woods Fishing Reports & Info

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

A great week of fishing despite varying weather conditions. Despite the weather, the fish still ate.  Jig and minnow is still best tactic but pulling spinners is gaining. Guides are finding fish. Depths in 8-15 feet while pulling spinners tipped with a crawler or leech on south shore and jigging with a minnow on reefs in 15-30 feet. Gold jigs and spinners are doing great. Trolling crank baits in the shallows after dinner producing walleyes and northerns.

On the Rainy River, walleyes are being caught near the mouth of the river and into four mile bay. The smaller walleyes and saugers are being caught further up river. Jigs and minnows remains best option for catching walleyes. Most anglers fishing the lake. On windy days the river has proved to be a viable option to put fish in the box.

Up at the NW Angle, Resorts and guides are finding walleyes in 20' or less targeting points pulling crawler harnesses or 1/4 ounce jigs in pink and gold while tipped with a minnow. Some walleyes being caught off resort docks and in shallow bays.  Fishing has been excellent.  Muskie season opens this Saturday.

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

Fishing is in full swing.  Numerous weather systems moved through this past week but anglers were still on fish.  The fishing has remained steady with pulling spinners working the best.  8-17 feet while pulling spinners tipped with a crawler or leech on south shore and islands was productive. Jigging with a minnow on reefs in 15-30 feet is also producing walleyes. Different schools of walleye keying in on a variety of bait.  Gold and silver jigs and spinners were best. Trolling crankbaits in the shallows evenings producing active walleyes and pike.

On the Rainy River, walleyes are being caught near the mouth of the river and into four mile bay. Although the river fishing slowed temporarily with all the rain some fish are still being caught. Jig and minnow remains best option for catching walleyes. Most anglers fishing the lake.  Smallmouth bass consistent.

Up at the NW Angle, Resorts and guides are finding walleyes in 6' to 30' targeting areas with current or closer to shore for the mayfly hatch. Pulling spinners tipped with a minnow, crawler or leech or 1/4 ounce jigs in pink and gold while tipped with a minnow is the ticket. Muskie season has begun with vengeance.  Numerous "skies" caught and released.  With 14,552 islands, big muskies are prevalent!

[Sunset Lodge]

6.27.16 Sunset Lodge Fishing Report

Another interesting week on Oak Island in the Northwest Angle! We had another bug hatch and weather that went from one extreme to the next. But, we did manage to string together a few nice days of warmth and sunshine!

On the Minnesota side of the lake, the south side of Oak Island has been producing walleyes on the reefs and points anywhere from 15 to 20 feet. White and pink jigs have been producers here. Working the shallow flats in 6 to 8 feet with green, gold, and orange spinners has also been giving up some nice eyes'. Other spots worth trying are Little Oak and Garden Island.

On the Canadian side of things, trolling crankbaits in 10-15 feet have been moving fish. Jigging in depths of 25 to 32 feet with gold, pink, green and orange has been solid. Working the rock reefs and deepwater humps in these areas has been best. Bishop Bay, Tug Channel, and Deepwater bay are good bets. Smallmouth fishing has continued to be great, casting shorelines and rocks has been dynamite! Musky fishing has been slowly getting better, casting bucktails and spinnerbaits over rocks and around cabbage has been raising a few fish. Areas to target are Johnston Passage to Fern Island and Monument Bay to Skeet Island. We had fish ranging in size from 36" all the way to 52".  - Cale Albers

--------------------------------------------

Bishop Bay and Big Narrows in 20-26 foot of water. Up in the narrows, fish the current. Musky's are still mainly in the slop weeds so far. Smallies are in the shallows. – Forrest Huset

Sunset Lodge

218-223-8211

[email protected]

[fisherjmb]

A bit of a late report but I was up last Monday through Thursday at noon. Fishing overall was very slow. We fished our usual areas between Rocky Point and Sandy Shores. Only had a short window on Tuesday mid morning that I would consider the bite to have been good. Otherwise it was a fish here or there every once in a while.

Didn't even really mark many fish other than one time we marked a lot of fish on a sand flat on Wednesday morning. Trouble was we couldn't get them bite for anything. Threw everything we could think of at them and nothing. Tried all tactics, jigging with shiners, leeches and crawlers. Pulled spinners with shiners, leeches and crawlers. Even tried cranks with lead core. The best tactic was jigging with leeches during that short window on Tuesday AM. Caught a few pulling spinners on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning but could never get a real good pattern put together.

Largest fish was a 24.5", only kept 6 fish over the 3 days. Not even many small fish to speak of. We did probably catch a dozen over the 3 days that were in the slot and were released.

The water seemed very dirty. Probably due to the 4+ inches of rain the area received the week prior. It was also very windy Sunday before we came and Monday when we arrived. The clarity on Monday was at best 10 inches. Not sure if the dirty water played a part in the slow fishing? I am guessing so. The water clarity did improve each day and by the time we left on Thursday it was probably up to 18 or 20 inches.

Sounds like the good reports are mostly on the north end of the lake and into Canada which has been the trend the last few years.

It was still fun to be up there but the fishing results were disappointing, especially for the middle of June. Hope to hear better reports as the summer moves along. 

[Walleyehooker]

I was up there to and the wind had the south shore really stirred up which usually isn't a good sign. Will be headed back up in a few days for a couple weeks. Hoping for less rain and wind.

[Sunset Lodge]

7.5.16 Sunset Lodge Fishing Report - NW Angle of LOTW

What a great week we had here in the Northwest Angle! Good weather and fantastic fishing were capped off by a Fourth of July celebration here at Sunset Lodge that ended with a bang!

In Minnesota, boats are finding walleyes around Little Oak Island, Crowduck Island and the south side of Oak Island. Tactics have varied, but jigging with gold, pink and orange jigs in 24 to 30 feet of water around deep water humps, points and rock piles has been turning fish. Crawlers and minnows both seem to be working well. Pulling crankbaits and drifting spinners has been a good tactic to cover water and locate active fish.

On the Canadian side, the story has been that the Musky action has been heating up steadily over the last week or so. As the water temps push into the 70's, these fish have been more active and aggressive, with several reports of large fish being caught and landed, as well as several that have followed lures to the boat on numerous occasions! Casting bucktails and large spinnerbaits, as well as some topwater baits has been best. Work rock reefs and cabbage beds to find these large predators. Fishermen and women are finding walleyes in the areas of Tug Channel, Bishop Bay, Deepwater Bay and Skeet Island. Jigs with minnows and crawlers in 20 to 30 feet of water have been steadily producing fish.

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend!

Come visit us soon at Sunset Lodge on Oak Island,
Cale Albers

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

Excellent fishing continued through the holiday weekend. Pulling spinners, jigging, and pulling cranks all worked.  10-19 feet while pulling spinners tipped with a crawler or leech.  Anchoring and jigging with a minnow on reefs in 15-30 feet is also producing some eyes. Schools of fish in the middle of the lake in 28-32 feet being targeted by jiggers and crankbaiters alike. Gold and silver have been strong.

On the Rainy River, some walleyes are being caught near the mouth of the river and into four mile bay. Water clarity has improved from previous weeks. Jig and minnow remains best option for catching walleyes. Most anglers fishing the lake.  Great smallmouth bass fishing up and down the river.  Sturgeon "keep" season is now open through Sep. 30th.  

Up at the NW Angle, resorts and guides are finding walleyes jigging with gold, pink and orange jigs in 24 to 30 feet of water around deep water humps, points and rock piles.  On the MN side, Little Oak, Crowduck and the south side of Oak Island producing nice walleyes.  Pulling spinners or crankbaits also working well. On the Canadian side, musky action continues to improve as water temps reach the 70's.   Target cabbage and rock piles with bucktails and topwater baits.  Smallie and pike action strong. 

[Sunset Lodge]

Hello again from Sunset Lodge on Oak Island!

Hope everyone had a great week! Here in the Northwest Angle, things are about as good as they can be, the weather has been decent and just a few showers and storms to contend with. And the fishing has been good! The water temp was between 70 and 73 degrees this week.

Stateside, anglers are finding that pulling night crawlers behind spinner rigs has been working well and catching walleyes. Depths range anywhere from 8 to 25 feet with hammered gold, copper, orange, and pink being the best producers. Areas to target are the flats and mud between Oak Island and Four Blocks, Little Oak, and Crowduck Islands. The South and East side of Oak Island has also been producing fish. Pulling crankbaits in 8 to 12 feet of water has also been working well.

In Ontario, the Musky action has definitely been heating up! With numerous fish being seen and landed throughout the week. Reports of some larger specimens have been steadily coming in but the majority of fish being landed are between the 40" to 45" mark. Rock reefs and points seem to be the best bets for finding one of these giants. Casting bucktails and large spinnerbaits have been the best producers. Walleyes can be found among the reefs and rocky points in Bishop Bay, Tug Channel, Deepwater Bay, Monument Bay and Skeet Island. Big Narrows is also a good bet. Jigs with frozen shiners and fatheads in depths of 20 to 30 feet have been producing limits for anglers. Gold, pink, chartreuse, and orange are top colors.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week! Come visit us soon at Sunset Lodge!
Cale Albers
----------------------------------
The bug hatch is over! Fishing picking back up again.

Up in Ontario, small reefs are all holding fish and the big reefs down in Little Traverse are all starting to have fish on them, too. The best fishing was in 22-26 feet right on the edge or top of the reef. Little Traverse is the place to be if it is calm enough to fish there. Otherwise, the reefs up by Skeet Island are all holding fish now too and you can get out of the wind. The best was a fluorescent colored jig tipped with a minnow. Jumbo perch are being caught along with the walleyes.

On the Minnesota side, there have been boats all the way from Four Blocks down to Garden Island. Once again, fishing the edges of the reefs if pulling spinners.

We took 9th in the Musky Bowl at Wiley Point this past weekend. Seen a lot of fish but they just wouldn't eat the bait at boatside. The winning team caught 5 muskys in the two days. You can already sign up for next year. It was a great turnout for the first year with 20 teams in it.

Until next week good luck fishing!
Forrest Huset

Sunset Lodge

[Sunset Lodge]

Hello everyone! Checking in from Sunset lodge on beautiful Oak Island here in the Northwest Angle. I hope everyone had a fantastic week!

Here on Oak Island, this week the story was days of sun and heat, severe storms, and fishing that was definitely heating up! Our water temperature is at 76 degrees.
 
Stateside, anglers are targeting and finding walleyes down by Little Oak Island. The offshore reefs and humps in 25 to 30 feet have been the best. Drifting with spinners and bottom bouncers dragging night crawlers has been the most productive tactic. Reports of decent catches are also coming in from Garden, Shady, and Four Blocks Islands. Fishing the reefs, points and deep mud in these areas has been productive. 

Up on the Canadian side, Deepwater Bay has been the area of choice for several of our guests in the last week. Walleyes have been the target species, but anglers have been pleasantly surprised with the mixed bag of fish they have been encountering. Walleyes, Saugers, Perch and Crappies have all made it into several boats live wells. Northern Pike have also been hooked in these areas as well, and some have been real hogs! We've had a couple of reports of Pike up near that 40" mark! Poplar Island has been popular here in Deepwater, drifting and trolling spinners and crawlers in 18 to 30 feet has been most productive. Tug Channel has also shown some promise this week, specifically the southern end. Working offshore reefs in 15 to 25 feet with jigs and minnows have been best. As for all of you Musky junkies out there, the fishing for these large predators keeps getting hotter! Anglers are targeting smaller Islands with rocky reefs, shallow weedy shorelines near deep water, and rock reefs out in the open water. All of these areas have been holding fish, and fisherman have definitely been reaping the rewards! Numerous fish have been raised and brought close to the boat, and several have gotten a mouth full of hooks and their photo taken for their troubles! We've had several fish landed right in that 40" to 45" range, and a few larger specimens that have stretched the tape to 50" and above! Wow! So for all of you Musky faithful out there, grab your stick, sharpen your hooks, and dial in your figure "8" cuz the fish are ready to eat!

Until next time, from all of us here at Sunset Lodge, have a fantastic week! Make sure to book a stay with us soon, and we'll see ya on the water!
 
Cale Albers
Sunset Lodge

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

Fish are active and there are limits to be had. Resorts are downrigging with crankbaits, jig fishing and drifting spinners. Schools of fish in the middle of the lake in 28-32 feet being targeted by jiggers and crankbaiters continue to heat up. Garden Island and 9-12 miles off of Pine Island are holding fish. Many great fish in the 18" range and some trophies mixed in as well. Gold, silver and white have been strong. 

On the Rainy River, some walleyes are being caught near the mouth of the river and into four mile bay. Water clarity has improved slightly.  Jig and minnow remains best option for catching walleyes with some anglers using a bottom bouncer paired with a stick bait as well. Most anglers fishing the lake.  Great smallmouth bass bite up and down the river.  Sturgeon "keep" season is now open through Sep. 30th and they are active. 

Up at the NW Angle, the mud between Little Oak and Oak Island has been pro and aducing good numbers of saugers and walleyes in depths of 24 to 30 feet. Work the offshore reefs and humps using spinners and bottom bouncers with crawlers, or crankbaits, as the majority of fish have moved off the larger islands onto the mid-lake structure. The southwest side of Oak and the areas around Four Blocks also good producers again. Gold, pink and orange are top color choices. On the Ontario side the walleyes have been out deep in the mud off the rocks in 25-35 feet due to the recent storms and heavy winds. Spinners have been the most productive. The water temp is 70 degrees. Many nice sized fish have been boated and everyone has been going home with their limits! The Muskie action has continued to improve along with pike and smallmouth bass.  

Anglers who plan to take Highway 46 out of Deer River should know that the bridge 3 miles south of Alvwood is closed and a 30 mile detour is the result. Our suggestion is to take Highway 6 North in Deer River to Highway 1 West to Northome.  

[slammer]

Fished north of Long Point Fri & Sat.  About 5-6 miles out down rigging in 32-34 ft.   Good fishing with a lot of 14-18 inch fish.  Nothing big this trip but steady action

[Sunset Lodge]

Hi folks! Checking in here from Sunset Lodge on Oak Island. Hope you all had a great week! Here in the Angle, we've had some great weather the last week and some fishing that has been absolutely on fire! Our water temperature is between 76 and 78 degrees.

On the U.S. side, anglers are hooking walleyes and saugers out in the mud in depths from 18 to 30 feet. Spinners and crawler harnesses with bottom bouncers have been best. Colors to use are gold, orange and pink. Down rigging with crankbaits has also been producing lots of fish this time of year. Areas worth targeting are the south side of Oak Island near Rabbit Ears and the Soldier Point area.

In Canada, muskie fishing has been decent with several fish being seen and several more being landed! We've had a few larger fish caught this week as well with some pushing the 50" and above mark! Cast rocky islands and reefs near deep water with stickbaits, bucktails and topwater lures to have a chance at one of these giants! Walleye anglers are finding fish in depths of 15 to 25 feet on the reefs and the mud areas adjacent to them. Jigs with minnows and spinner rigs are the way to go. Skeet Island, Tug Channel, Big Narrows and Deepwater Bay have all been producing fish.

Summer is quickly coming to a close folks, make sure to book a trip with us at Sunset Lodge before time runs out. Remember that fall fishing and hunting here in the Angle is world class! We would love for you to join us for a trip in September or October. Have a great week everyone!

We'll see ya soon at Sunset Lodge!
Cale Albers

[Walleyehooker]

Just got back from a few days on the pond. Had a little bad weather and wind that kept us off of the lake at times but fishing was pretty good when you could get out. Best fishing was up north and we caught fish on spinners and down rigging. Lots of fish out in the basin to but seem to be scattered out. One day we dropped the riggers about every mile or 2 on the way back to shore and picked up 1 or 2 fish in most of the spots. No big fish but some nice eaters and some good size saugers. Will be back up in a couple weeks for about 10 days or so.

Edited August 28, 2016 by Walleyehooker

[Sunset Lodge]

Hello folks! Hope you all had a fantastic week! Checking back in with you from Sunset Lodge on beautiful Oak Island in the Northwest Angle on world famous Lake of the Woods.

Fall is definitely here as we have felt the temps slowly falling, the leaves starting to show their vibrant colors and the local waterfowl beginning their annual migration to warmer climates. Here in the Angle, several hunting seasons have started over the last few weeks: Canada goose, black bear and more recently small game and archery deer just over the weekend. And starting next weekend, our Minnesota waterfowl season kicks off! Along with all of that excitement, the fishing has been red hot and getting hotter despite the falling temps!

Here stateside, the water temps are between 61 and 63 degrees, anglers are finding walleyes and saugers in depths of 10 to 14 feet and 18 to 25 feet. Most boats are using a jig and minnow combination or pulling crankbaits in the areas south and west of Oak Island, near Four Blocks and the east bar of Little Oak. Hot colors are gold, orange, and chartreuse.

In Ontario waters, anglers are putting together limits of quality fish for the frying pan and catching several trophy caliber fish as well! Boats this week have been fishing the humps near Skeet Island, Outer Bay, Tranquil Channel and east to McPherson Island. Most have been using a jig and minnow combo working points and reefs in 15 to 25 feet of water. Quite a few jumbo perch have been showing up in these areas along with the walleyes as well! The crappie bite has been up and down the last week, but we expect it to heat up as the temps continue to fall. Look for deep water areas off of points or flooded timber areas. Jig and minnows or plastics can all produce crappies this time of year. And for all you Muskie faithful, these giant predators are becoming more active as the temps start falling and they strap on the feed bags before the winter months. Cast stickbaits, minnow baits and bucktails over rock reefs and points to hook into one of these monsters! Trolling large crankbaits and minnow baits is also starting to become productive as well.

Time is running out on the open water season folks, now is the time to join us for some fantastic fall fishing, hunting and relaxing! Maybe a combination fishing/duck hunting adventure is in your future? We would love to be your hosts for your next outdoor excursion! Have a great week folks and be sure to visit us soon at Sunset Lodge!

Until next week, take care!
Cale Albers

[flagislanddan]

Fishing Report from Flag Island Resort Lake of the Woods, Northwest Angle 9/26/16

 

Happy Fall!

 

On the Minnesota side fishing has been great around Soldier’s and Mergan’s Point. Most points have been producing fish as well as bays due to shiners moving into the bays. Raps and spinners have been successful as well as 3/8 ounce jigs with the jig bite turning back on. Shiners, crawlers and fatheads have all been attracting the fish. The magic depth has been between 8 and 18 feet. The duck and goose opener has been successful with many resident birds still around we have not seen any signs of northern birds in the area. There have been many Woodducks and Mallards around.

 

Over on the Ontario side the Walleye bite has been great and the Crappies are picking up. Anglers have been targeting fall spots and jigging in 18-28 feet of water. Emerald shiners are on the move to spawn so watch for them in channels and bays with creeks. The water temp is cooling down and is approximately at 62 degrees. Trolling for Muskies in 10-18 feet has also been good.

 

The leaves are starting to change colors and there is definitely a chill in the air but, there is still plenty of time to get in on some wonderful fall fishing. The best part about fall fishing is some of the great wildlife you get to see out and about. Also, it is a good time to start thinking about your winter ice fishing trip, we would love to have you as our guest!

 

Until next week, good luck fishing!

Guides Dan Schmidt, Jeremy Glessing and Devin Rau

 

Flag Island Resort

218-223-8011

 

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

Walleyes and Saugers continue to move closer to the south shore. Good fishing in 23 feet of water outside the Lighthouse gap and all along the south shore. Shiner minnows in the area keeping large schools of walleyes active! The bite will continue to improve in the coming weeks. Anchoring and jigging with a shiner minnow successful with gold or pink/gold the colors of choice. Some crankbait action in the afternoons to cover water to find active schools. Lots of ducks and geese in the area as local waterfowl still around. Should expect a good northern push in a few weeks as it gets colder.

The Rainy River continues to get better each day as more shiners and walleyes push into the river. Fall walleye fishing on the Rainy River can be some of the best! Sturgeon are being boated up and down the river daily. 

Up at the Northwest Angle, walleye and sauger action is hot. Drifting with a bottom bouncer, spinner, and a minnow doing great. Anchoring and jigging with a minnows doing good as well. Look for deep holes and mud areas in 18-30 feet between Oak and Flag Island. Also look for points with depths of 8-18 feet as shiners have started moving into bays. On the Ontario side, walleye fishing is red hot as the feed bags are on to bulk up for the winter. Use electronics to locate schools of fish in 18 to 28 feet and use a jig and minnow. Bottom bouncers with spinners can be used to cover water to locate fish. Crappies over 15 inches are stacked up in sharp drop offs and around flooded timber in 30 feet. Muskie action has turned to trolling large minnow baits in 10-18 feet. Plenty of waterfowl in area with local birds still around.

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

The fall bite is on!  Great fishing continues in 15-25 feet of water with a jig and a minnow all along south shore, Pine Island, Long Point, Zippel Bay and up north near Knight and Bridges and NW Point. In many cases, sort through fish to get keepers.  Bright colors or gold tipped with a frozen or live shiner. Schools of jumbo perch along south shore mixed in with walleye and saugers. Big pike active in bays.
 

The Rainy River walleye fishing is going well.  Anywhere from Four Mile Bay all the way up to Birchdale eyes are being caught in good numbers. Jig and a shiner doing well as is pulling crankbaits. Pink, gold and glow.  15-25' of water.  Mornings / evenings best.  Many anglers who find walleyes switching to sturgeon with many caught and released.

 

Up at the Northwest Angle, walleyes in 18 to 30 feet.  Jigging the preferred method. Gold, pink and green tipped with minnows have been hot. Areas to check out are the gap between Oak and Flag Islands and the South side of Oak and Hay Islands. On the Ontario Side, crappie action strong bringing in quite a few nice slabs! Look for deep points off Islands 30 feet or more and places where sunken trees and timber are present. Use electronics to locate schools of fish, then use a jig and minnow or plastic combo to put slabs in the boat. Walleyes have been putting on the feed bags this week! Depths of 15 to 25 feet have been best with a jig and minnow combo being the best producer. Musky anglers pulling large crankbaits with success. 

[DJ_Slick]

3 generations fished MEA weekend together for our final hurrah of the season.

Friday started in the river - never got a bite, nor did we see any caught.  Went out of the lighthouse gap to 22 feet and did well.  Good snappy bite, lots of fish, but no size.  At least we had a nice fish fry.  Didn't see all that many caught around us, though.  Some of the sauger had egg sacs in them.  Wind blew us off the lake mid-afternoon when the boat was swinging so fast at anchor that the jig wouldn't stay on the bottom and the bite quit.

Saturday went back out of the gap, but went to 24 feet hoping for bigger fish to take home.  Didn't find any.  Biggest might have been 16".  Bite was a little slower and much softer.  Lots of short bites and hangers-on.  Stingers would probably have doubled the number of fish we hooked.

Whoever decided that late morning/early afternoon on Saturday the 22nd was the right time to pull all the navigation buoys out of the bay and gap ought to have their head examined.  There were many dozens of boats on the lake yet when we came in at 3 PM, and not a buoy to be found.  The weather forecast is for continued warm temps.  No freeze on the horizon anywhere.  They should have at least waited until the last busy weekend of the year was over with before pulling the buoys.  I get that everyone has a schedule for end of the season activities, but would it have hurt to wait until Monday?

[Hoey]

My wife and I fished Friday and Saturday.  Friday we got out around noon, fished shallow rocks (15 to 22ft), mid-depth reef (15 to 28ft), and shallow sand flats (8 to 20ft).  Bite was slow to non-existent, wind was strong and fierce at 18 to 24mph.  Boat control was tough and we ended the day about 4pm.  Told my wife the sacrifice was not worth the excitement.  

Saturday was a different story.  Calm with some sun.  Got out by 10am and started out fishing shore rocks (15 to 28ft) and picked up a couple.  Around noon moved to deeper reefs and bang we found fish, nice ones too.  We were trolling very slowly, i.e. 0.1 to 0.3 mph until we marked and caught fish.  Then we'd anchor up on them until the bite went away.  Ended the day 3 short of our walleye/sauger limit.  

Talked with others indicating the bite on Thursday was very good, Friday was tough, and Saturday was a bit better. 

We took the boat to the dealer for YE service, so we are done for the year.

...oh and got all three snowmobiles started too.  This was a first.

[busse3775]

My Dad and I started fishing on Upper Red Lake early Saturday morning and did not hear one good report so after an hour of fishing we made the decision to make the hour drive North and fish Lotw for the weekend. We did not bring a wheeler or portable as the temperatures were forecasted to be brutally cold so my Dad was worried we would not be able to find a heated day house from a resort. I called Lake Road Lodge and they had day houses available and a place to stay for a very good price. We actually stayed in a skid sleeper house next to the motel, which was very nice and all we needed. It had a TV, bathroom, mini fridge, and stove top in it and was only $25 a night per person. We started fishing at noon on Saturday and was in 24' of water. Both of us were jigging as well as a dead stick with one having a shiner and the other a fathead. The fish seemed to favor the dead sticks with a fathead and we were just using plain gamma glow hooks. We caught enough saugers and a couple walleyes for supper and had a great fish fry at Wheeler's point resort. We then went over to Sportsman's for a couple beers and played some pull tabs and luck was sure on our side. Walking out of there $300 ahead was definitely a good feeling!

Sunday morning we asked to be set up a little shallower and were placed in a fresh house next to a couple pressure ridges in 19' of water with the closest fish house around 300 yards away. This was exactly what I was looking for and knew the bite would be good. The walleyes were very aggressive and were crushing our dead sticks with a shiner on them. We caught our limit of eyes pretty quick and also had a bonus 25". There wasn't much of a sauger bite up shallow where we were at but did manage to get a couple nicer ones for the bucket.

Overall, it was an awesome trip and definitely recommend the Lake Road Lodge. Marshall and the guides did a great job and the facilities were top notch! Already looking forward to the next trip up there!

[Ray Berg]

Nice mess of fish, Good report

[Floyd32]

Does anyone know if the Graceton Beach access is safe to take a 4 wheeler out on the ice?

[Vexilar]

I was out the 21st and 22nd out of Peterson access (formerly babbler). We did really well on Wed with the size of the walleye and saugers, 2 slot fish and 13 really nice keepers and two perch, we could have limited out if kept 12-13 inch saugers.  Thursday it slowed down and basically shut down after 1 but we caught 4 eelpout, one was a mammoth , we deep fried it and it was awesome.  It was mainly a walleye bite.  We were west of gull rock in 29 ft of water.    the main lure for use was a glow red blade spoon by Clam. 

 

Dale and Connie Peterson do a terrific job and I bet you will not find anyone nicer on the lake.  Very helpful. 

[slammer]

How do they operate the access?  Do you get a pass somewhere or pay right at the lake?

[Vexilar]

You stop by the house on the right side and pay a access fee, a little steep $15 but they will treat you well

[magnum mike]

We fished the Pine Island area Tuesday & Wednesday with little success.  We tried 20 & 24 FOW, several presentations of different colors & sizes, all hours of daylight hours and kept 6 for 3 guys.  We were visited by the local warden who was very pleasant but confirmed our speculation.  She said EVERYONE she checked had similar catch rates to ours.  48 man hours of fishing - 6 fish kept and maybe 15 released.  That is not "hot fishing", "good fishing" or even "spotty fishing " as portrayed by the area resorters.  

 

It was the first trip of this season and a good time as always.  Our outfitter was prepared, our accommodations were comfortable and our meals were tasty.  It was a good trip and my only complaint is the "fluffing" done by the outfitters.

[CANOPY SAM]

In their defense, Mike, they're always going to say fishing is good.  And honestly, somewhere on that lake, it probably is.

 

You kinda gotta put yourself in their shoes.  Would a plumber advertise their company by saying, "We do GREAT work!  When we're done almost nothing will leak!"  Would a restaurant advertise their food by saying, "Our food is awesome sometimes, but most days it's just average, and a lot of the time it's pretty bad!" 

 

They can provide top notch service, but they can't make the fish bite.   Sorry to hear the fishing wasn't gangbusters, but glad your group had a great trip anyway!  That's really the joy of fishing.  Even the worst day of fishing is better than being at work!

[vman59]

Been off pine island since yesterday morning. Caught 11 fish all day, 2 tullibee,2 walleye 7 saugers. We had shiners in the bait bucket the outfitter provides and that's all we caught them on other than the tullibee. All but tullibee on dead sticks. Marked very few fish. Today we have 2 saugers that's it. Went in to border bait everyone was buying shiners.

[vman59]

Well we were in a sleeper this past weekend Friday- Sunday. Friday and Saturday morning were extremely slow. They didn't want anything jigging. Mark a fish start jigging and poof gone. What we did find out was they wanted lake shiners. Saturday from noon to about 6:30 was a hot bite and we ended up with our two man limit. Dead stick with a white hook and shiner and on our jigging rods we used a Lindy Foo flyer tipped with a shiner but didn't jig it just ever so slightly twitch it. Hope this help good fishing.

[Sunset Lodge]

Hello everyone! We are back with another fishing report for this week. We've had quite the week of weather here dealing with almost a foot of snow and some very cold temperatures.

 

On the Minnesota side, we are still fishing in 19-27 feet of water. Our houses start at Miller Point and run down to Four Block and Little Oak now, too. Jigging a spoon or anything tipped with a minnow head has still been the best. Deadsticking has worked better than jigging for some groups. Some saugers, perch and tulibees are being caught throughout the day, giving groups some bonus fish on top of the walleyes! Best colors have been gold/red, pink and chartreuse.

 

On the Canadian side, we are still fishing walleyes a little bit deeper in 22-29 feet of water and guys are getting their limits. Crappies have been coming in almost every night and some have been pushing that 16" mark. Best colors being gold and pink.

 

Until next week, stay warm everyone!

Forrest Huset

Sunset Lodge