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Lake of the Woods Fishing Reports by Wigwam Resort


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Remember guys, even if you wait a week to get out on the ice, you are still 2 weeks earlier than last year. Don't rush it and let the resorts do their jobs and make sure it is safe.

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Ice Watch 2013

River- At least 6 inches all the way up to the Church.

Bay- 5-8 inches

Lake- Some reports of 7 inches. (Be careful, check with resorts before heading out.)

Four-wheeler or foot traffic only right now. Travel with caution, keep your eyes peeled for cracks. Cracks form when new ice is forming. Never travel parallel to cracks.

Our houses will be going out on the 10th.

Please be careful folks! We are just as excited for ice fishing as you guys are, but we want to stress safety!

Call us with any questions! 1-800-448-9260

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good Morning Fishermen!

And we're off!! We've got folks fishing out in our houses, with a bunch more coming this weekend! It is COLD. And tonight it will be COLDER! I've heard -30+ degrees tonight.

There were quite a few fishermen out there this weekend. A lot were right out past pine island in anywhere from 17-24 feet. I heard many good reports in the 17 foot range. I was out for about an hour and a half on Saturday afternoon, and we caught 11 fish in that short span of time, with most of the action in the last half hour, around 4:45. A plain gold jig was by far the favored jig!

We are looking forward to a busy winter season, and for what is looking to be a good year of ice fishing!

Picture is of Liz's first fish of the season this past Saturday. full-42980-40146-lizearlyice.jpg

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Good afternoon fishermen!

We're having a heat wave! It is nearly 15 degrees ABOVE zero right now, with a bit of light snow. I feel like I could run around in a pair of shorts and a light sweater!

We have been getting some great fishing reports from the last week and half! Anywhere from 30-100+ fish a day! (Most I've heard is 250.) I've also heard that when they do start biting, it is hard to have both your lines in the water, as you just can't keep up! Gold, red, and white jigs seem to be the color of choice right now. They are fishing primarily in 19-26 feet of water. There are a lot of houses situated about a mile or so off of Pine Island. People are also having some luck near Zippel Bay and also over by Morris.

As of now they are only allowing snowmobiles and ATV's out. We aren't expecting truck traffic until after Christmas. On the lake there is anywhere from 12-14" of ice, and on the Bay, 10-11". If you do drive your ATV out, and want to go off trail at all, it is advised that you put chains on.

Give us a call, 1-800-448-9260, for up to date ice conditions and fishing reports, and also call over to Adrian's Resort, 218-634-1985, and check their ice road conditions.

Good luck out there, and stay safe!

Here is a nice chart that explains common fish behavior in different weather conditions and barometric pressure changes. full-42980-40409-barotable1.jpg

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Good afternoon fishermen!

Well, it's another really cold day. My car told me it was 25 below zero on my way in to work today. Tomorrow, we should be up to around 10 degrees ABOVE zero, with a little light snow.

Depending on who you talk to, folks are either fishing, or they're catching. Those who are catching are sifting through a lot of little guys to get their keepers, and the occasional slot fish. We're mostly fishing between 22-28 feet of water, although I've heard a lot of guys having luck out a little deeper, 30-34 feet. The bite has been pretty spotty with the high pressure system coming through. Pink and green glow jigs have been effective. Tip with a whole minnow.

Ice Report: The ice is still hovering around the 16" mark on the lake. Here is the latest from Adrian's Resort on vehicle allowance for their ice road: "We are allowing mid size vehicles not pulling wheel houses and atvs with wheel houses up to 17 feet long. Some of the resorts are out there with plow trucks in order to get there work done. This does not mean you can drive your truck. If we crack up the trail in the bay we can not just move over like we do on a normal year on early ice because there is slush areas off to the side in the bay. Everybody be patient we will open the road when we feel that it will not screw it up for everyone."

For up to date ice conditions, and fishing reports, give us a call at 1-800-448-9260.

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Thanks for tuning in!

Check out our latest video! My 10 year old son catches his biggest walleye, and we show you our brand new sleeper houses, and a first hand view of the ice roads.

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Congrats on a nice fish for the little guy!!!! Thanks for taking the time to put up the reports they're great for those of us who are waiting for our weekend to get up there still!

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I have to wait 6 weeks till I get up there ,,,But I'm looking to return to LOW after not fishing there for 30 years ,,,,I cant wait

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good afternoon fishermen!

Well, in case you haven't heard, or read about it on your Facebook news feed, or looked at pictures of dashboard thermometers, it's been pretty darn cold. Colder than Mars, apparently!

Fishing has not been too bad through this cold snap. It's been slow for some, while others have hammered them. Currently, we are fishing between 30-32 feet, anywhere from 10-14 miles out from Pine Island. They are using fat heads, shiners, and frozen shiners, and are having really good luck with silver spoons and chartreuse jigs. The ice seems to be in pretty good condition, and most ice roads are well plowed and ready to go! (Call specific resorts for more detailed ice road conditions.)

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We took our band Playback fishing on Saturday for a half day in around 34 feet of water. We didn't catch a whole lot, but went home with 8 keepers, and released maybe 5 small ones. We were using live fat heads, and probably every lure you can imagine. What worked the best for me was a gold spoon with an orange glow stripe down it. Don't ask me where I got it or what it's called, because I couldn't tell ya!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good afternoon fishermen!

We are cold. Very, very cold. But it is warm in our bombadiers and fish houses!

This past weekend was a toss up for the fishermen/fisherwomen on Lake of the Woods. Some people complained the bite was horrible, while others were very excited with the fish they caught. I received tons of pictures of slot fish. (See our "Fish Pictures" album here on Facebook.) Currently we are in 32 feet of water, 8 miles out on the Canadian line. Like I said, there were a lot of slot fish caught this weekend. Walleyes are biting off the bottom, as well as sauger and perch. Pink and gold jigs, glow jigs, and Jiggin' Raps, seem to be the ticket right now, tipped with a whole live minnow. I talked to a group of guys who headed up near Garden Island at Starren Shoals on sleds this weekend, and they did very very well. We will be trying to make our way up towards Knights and Bridges next week sometime.

We just had four cabins open up for the weekend of February 6th-8th, so if you are looking for lodging during that time, give us a call! These cabins will go quick, so don't wait too long!

We will be getting a fishing video out this week, so keep an eye out for that!

Picture is of Jennifer Raschke's aunt (name unknown), after she caught a 28" walleye on jigging stick, hand over hand.

full-42980-41990-photo_43.jpg

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Just got back from fishing this Sat/Sun out of Wigwam. A group of 10 guys had a great time and wonderful service from everyone there. I special thanks to our guide A.J., as you will read below, he went the extra mile to keep us happy and entertained as he stopped in on us throughout the day.

Here is an amazing story of a 26 incher that was caught 24 hours after the hook was set (or not set). We brought a new ice fisherman up to LOW and he went out and bought a very nice combo set from GM. He put a Tom's Tackle pink charmer on and a fathead minnow, then set the rod down unattended! Within 10 minutes, he had a fish take the rod down the hole while the other's laughed. His mood went down hill quickly! We told the guide (A.J.) about it on the ride in. The next morning A.J. shows up around 10 (different house) with a 26inch walleye in a bucket full of water and….a new (yet soaked) GM rod combo with the pink charmer still set in the side of the lip! Unbelievable! He took a jigging rap to the same house and jigged for 10 minutes and snagged the line and pulled up both fish and rod. Also hard to believe is we released the fish in our house and it swam away. This is a story we will share for years. It was a great trip! Not a lot of fish caught, but we did get several in the slot and we ate well sunday night. Looking forward to next year. full-41057-42011-rodandfishrecoveredafte

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Good afternoon fishermen!

In case you were wondering, it is still cold! We don't expect to warm up until Beach Bash. Kidding of course, but a nice 20 degree day would be more than welcome!

Fishing has been good the past week or so. We are starting to trend towards spring patterns; the rock rubble has had a good bite, and the mud is good mid-morning when the sun is shining. The fish have been biting well on Rapala Jiggin' Raps, JR's original Stop Signs, Lindy Flyers, and a plain gold or colored rock and roll jig, tipped with a whole minnow. Currently we are fishing in 28-32 feet out on the reefs, and 32 in the mud.

We had a 6 man cabin open up for this weekend, Thursday-Sunday, so if you are still looking to get out fishing, give us a call!

Check out this video from Carolyn Meuller, where she pulls up a 28" walleye on a jiggin stick, hand over hand! (Video was sent to me through SnapFish, and I can't upload it directly.)

http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/slides..._NAME=snapfish/

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good afternoon Fishermen!

We have been having some absolutely beautiful weather the past couple of days! We've been in the mid 30's and it feels like spring! You won't see a lot of jackets around here in these temps!

Fishing report:

We have been doing very well up north at the reefs, especially the early morning bite, and the evening bite, which are getting stronger. A jigging spoon tipped with a whole minnow, in 24-27 feet of water is the ticket up there.

The mud is spotty right now. Fishing in 34-36 feet of water, and if you happen to get on a school of bait fish, you will hammer them! Electronics are key. We had a sleeper house that said they caught fish all NIGHT on Sunday. Something to do with the moon maybe? I heard of other sleepers catching fish at night last night, as well. As most of you know, Lake of the Woods has a notoriously terrible night bite, so this is interesting! full-42980-42783-1964264_101008541893148

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Last week my husband and I took our Valentine's Day date out to the reefs near Knight's and Bridge's, and we caught some fish. It was fairly slow when we first got out there (which wasn't until around 10:30 because of some bomber issues), but it picked up very quickly a little later in the early afternoon. We caught close to a limit for each of us. In the video is pictures of the lures that worked best through the whole day. On that day, they pretty much only bit on glow pink with sparkles (or manly fishing glitter), and this big gold spoon I had with a stripe of orange.

Enjoy!

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Good afternoon fishermen!

Well, we had quite the eventful weekend with the weather! We didn't get the snow that the "southern" folks got, but we got enough to mess around with all of our ice roads. We're stuck in a cold snap, until at least the 5th or so of March. (If the weathermen can be trusted, which is sketchy at best!)

The reefs (Knight's and Bridge's) is producing very well right now, in 28-32 feet of water. Good colors, gold, glow pink, and green. Towards evening, if you're mobile, you can move on top of the reefs for some better action. Fishing is picking up in the main basin, and will only get better the closer we get towards spring. We're about 14 miles out, and moving our houses in to 28-29 feet of water. Electronics are a big help!

Here is a picture to make you laugh, because laughing generates body heat, and we need all that we can get! (Because it's cold. So, so very cold.) full-42980-42922-fishingfunny.jpg

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Good evening fishermen!

We were above zero today! (Still are, but only for a little while...) From the looks of the 10 day weather report, we will be above zero from here on out, at least during the day! That might not seem like much, but it feels like a heat wave to those of us that have been stuck in the deep freeze!

Hopefully you all already took care of this, but your MN fishing licenses expired this past Friday, and you will need an updated one!

Fishing report:

Up at the reefs near Knights and Bridges, our guys have been fishing in 30-35 feet of water. They've been having luck anything that glows, pink, gold, jigging spoons, Charmers, Stop Signs, Buckshots. Tip with a whole minnow on your dead stick, or a half minnow on your jigging spoons and things.

The mud does not have the best bite right now, but hopefully with the warming temperatures we will get some more active fish. When they bite they are biting on pink, white and gold. As our not-so-spring progresses, electronics are key. From the mouth of our own Craig Teal, "Figure out what makes 'em snap, and you have solved the riddle!!"

Here is beautiful piece of prose, that should get you chuckling.

full-42980-43071-aminnesotapoem.jpg

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Good Evening Fishermen!

Holy smokes, we can see our gravel roads! (For those of you who aren't aware, we haven't been able to see our gravel roads since sometime in November!) It has been a beautiful couple of days, so nice and warm and melty!

The fish are still in their spring migration, spread out from the deep mud all the way into a about a half mile off of Pine Island, making the "off the road" bite difficult to pin down, but not impossible. Electronics are still key. Pounding the bottom with jigs and spoons will trigger some lock jaw 'eyes.

The reefs are still the place to be at the present time, with the bite staying fairly consistent.

Expect the bit to get better every day as it appears that spring has finally sprung! (Now, every single one of you go knock on some wood!)

Side notes-Frozen shiners seem to be outperforming live bait. It's been warm, so the ice roads are a bit sloppy. They are still open and driveable. We still have ALOT of ice.

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Good afternoon fishermen!

Mother nature is confused, or moody or something. We're cold, we're warm, we're snowing, we're clear. She can't decide! Must mean it's March!

The fish are starting to move into the Gap, between 24-26 feet of water. The morning and evening bite are best. Northern's are moving into the shallow bays, Four Mile Bay included. The reef bite is picking up, with the afternoons producing better. Our lake conditions are holding up just fine, and we still have a heck of a lot of ice.

River update: As of today the Rainy is open to Big Fork.

Looks like we are going to have another ice fishing season that bleeds right into spring river fishing!

Picture is of Nina Briggs and friend Toni Thomas holding one of the walleyes caught on this reefs this past weekend! (Nina dove for this fish after it got off the hook while still in the hole! Now that's a woman!)

full-42980-43523-photo_47.jpg

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Good afternoon fishermen!

We had quite the busy weekend here at the Wigwam! We played host to the Ice Team University and met some awesome folks! It was a great event, and even with some cruddy weather they still got out and fished! We want to thank everyone over at Ice Team for letting us be a part it!

Fishing Report:

The weather was uncooperative this past weekend, and the barometric pressure was pretty high. This meant that the fish were a bit sluggish. I think they are feeling the effects of this incredibly long winter as well. People did bring fish in though! In front of the Gap, 19-24' was producing quite a few fish. We are moving our houses off of Knight's and Bridges. We're moving some down to the 9 Footer.

One of the Ice Team folks iced a 45" northern just a mile off of Pine Island, so for those of you itching to get on the pike bite, things are looking up!

Permanent houses have to be off the ice by March 31st, but that doesn't mean you have to stop ice fishing! We still have plenty of ice! Adrian's Resort won't be plowing their road quite as far, but there is still plenty of road and ice to get on the fish.

Rainy River Report: The River is open about 14 miles east of Birchdale. There are some open spots are Franz Jevne near the rapids. Hard to say how quickly it will open once the temps warm up

From April 1st until walleye opener we have our Spring Rates into effect! Only $28.50 per person, per night!

Give us a call to book your reservation!

1-800-448-9260

Picture shows 11 year old Addison and one of the few "babies" he caught this past Saturday up at the Reefs. He, by far, out fished everyone. (Caught his first tulibee and burbot!)

full-42980-43732-img_9524.jpg

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Fun time at the University! Good info and great folks !

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      i cant help you with the weed thing, but i just came back form out that way......Regal, New London Hawick area. i dont no how big the swat of rain was but there is water standing everywhere. my buddy told me they had over 3 inches of rain yesterday/last night 
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