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Lake of the Woods Fishing Reports by Wigwam Resort


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Good Afternoon Fishermen!

Whoa! What a storm! After it was all said and done, we ended up with about 18" of snow. We're plowed out now, but as you can see whatever we had melted away in the last weeks has been very quickly replaced!

The morning and evening bite has been good, in 15-20' along the Canadian line. Adrian's Road has been plowed out to Pine Island only, and that is all the farther it is going (due to a very large, very impassable drift). At this time there is no vehicle traffic on the lake, snowmobiles, sled dogs, or track vehicles only. Perch numbers have been increasing up on the reefs. It is highly recommended to have a GPS as most of the snowmobile trail stakes have been removed. As of yesterday, the Rainy River was open about 8 miles east of Birchdale. The Kuttes Access at Pelland had only a thin layer of shore ice that had blown in yesterday.

We are looking forward to spring, and a couple of warm days to reduce some of this newly acquired snow! There is still time to get some ice fishing in! We've had a lot of calls for this weekend, so if you are thinking about coming up, call soon!

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Good morning fishermen!

Spring has sprung! The snow is melting, the geese are flying, the river is opening, I can hear birds chirping through the windows... And we still have a ton of ice on the lake!

There is still a lot of good ice on the Lake yet. There are some slushy spots, and as well as some standing water in places. If you can get out to the Graceton Beach area, the structure there, on the edges 20-22ft, you should do well fishing. Move over to the Morris Gap in 16-18' from about 6:30 pm until dark, and you should do well. Morris Gap area isn't that slushy yet. Northerns are biting in Four Mile Bay, and should pick up quickly as we warm up.

We're still saying not to bring your four wheelers yet, unless you have tracks on them. Snowmobiles or tracked vehicles until more of the snow goes down.

There is officially open water at Franz Jevne, and there are open spots at Birchdale. It's opening quickly with the warmth and the sun we've had. Quite a few fishermen are using the Kuttes Access at Pelland.

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Good afternoon fishermen!

Today when I opened my car door at work, I heard a beautiful sound. The sea gulls! You may, or may not, agree that it is a beautiful noise, but it reminded me that one day, hopefully soon, there will be open water in front of the resort!

**REMINDER**-Walleye season ends tonight at midnight!

Folks are still ice fishing. And they are still using extensions on their augers. YES. You heard me right, it is the middle of April and people still need extensions on their augers. So for those of you wondering how the ice is on the lake, it is still thick, and still in good shape. Last week was quite warm, and there was quite a bit of slush to contend with. This week we are expected to be below freezing again. (Mother Nature, just letting us know who is really in charge...) ATV travel on the lake is OK now, as the slush from last week has froze over. The pike bite has picked up in Four Mile Bay, and will continue to get better in the shallows as we get deeper into spring and the ice starts to (finally) go down. Fish in 1-10 feet of water near creek tributaries, Bostic creek, Four Mile Bay.

Sturgeon catch and keep season is open from April 24th-May 7th.

We still have our awesome spring rate of only $28.50 per person, per night until opener! Our bar is open, and food is available!

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Good morning fishermen!

We have open water! Four Mile Bay has WAVES in it. Yes, you heard right. Waves. Not snow drifts. I thought this day would never come!

For those of you who are headed up for the sturgeon opener on Thursday, you will have easy access at the Wheeler's Point Public access, as there are is only a tiny bit of shore ice left. (See photo.)

For those of you looking forward to walleye opener, it's looking good to have some amount of opener water. It's just a question of how much. The extended forecast is ranging from 40-65 degrees, with the nighttime temps sometimes dipping below freezing. So, anything can happen!

For those of you who want chase pike, there is still great ice access at Graceton Beach and Swift Ditch. The ice is still in really good shape over there, and with these warmer temps, the bite is good!

Pictures show the open water just NW of our resort into Four Mile Bay, taken from our Lakeside Cabin dock, and one picture of the Wheeler's public access.

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So Wigwam, is there a story with the house still on the ice? For sale cheap, maybe?

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I drove by there on Saturday and was wondering if they would get it off. Whose ever it belongs too needs to get it out of there or else they will be getting it by barge. It may already be too late. The only saving grace is that it is probably froze to the bottom between there and shore.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's another rainy and chilly day here on Lake of the Woods, but it's not so bad, because now we can fish for walleyes!

The fishing report for this weekend was phenomenal. There was a lot of big fish caught, and with all the slots yours arms will get sore! 12-18' anchored up and jigging in the Bay and on the Lake, 12' or less on the river. 1/2-1 oz jigs, pink, orange, gold, pretty much any flashy colors. The river was hot this weekend, all the way to Frontier, and will only get better as the ice continues to go out. A lot of the fish caught this weekend had not yet spawned out. Morris Gap was good for keeper saugers in the early morning, and then it shuts down. Not a lot of keeper fish were caught, but that isn't such a terrible thing, when you're reeling up hogs!

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Good morning fishermen!

We are looking forward to a GORGEOUS Memorial Day weekend. (As in a predicted high of 79 degrees on Saturday!!) We have a very appropriately named band for this coming weekend, "The Boys of Summer" will be playing both Friday and Saturday nights!

Fishing this weekend was a tad bit slower than it was opener weekend, but people still came in with some limits, and there were a lot of reports of big fish. Folks were fishing in the Morris Gap/Washout area, 6-12' of water, the Lighthouse Gap, and Four Mile Bay, and in the Gap, 12-14'. If you're sitting in a current area, you'll see the current is pretty fast, and you'll need at least a 1/2 to 1 oz jig, if you're in the lake, you won't need anything quite that big and 1/4-3/8 oz is plenty heavy. I am anticipating that we will have an official ice out this week, as its already well on it's way.

Picture is of Dalton holding his 29" personal best from this weekend.

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***Recent update: Just had one of our guides call in and say he could no longer see any ice from the Morris area. It could have been pushed out further by the wind, but we are hoping it is all gone. I doubt I will be able to get a clear satellite image today, as it is pretty cloudy, but hopefully we can call ice out!

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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 
    • mulefarm
      With the early ice out, how is the curlyleaf pondweed doing?
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   The big basin, otherwise known as Big Traverse Bay, is ice free.  Zippel Bay and Four Mile Bay are ice free as well.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th. With the walleye / sauger season currently closed, most anglers are targeting sturgeon and pike.  Some sturgeon anglers are fishing at the mouth of the Rainy River, but most sturgeon are targeted in Four Mile Bay or the Rainy River.  Hence, pike are the targeted species on the south shore and various bays currently.   Pike fishing this time of year is a unique opportunity, as LOW is border water with Canada, the pike season is open year round. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. Back bays hold pike as they go through the various stages of the spawn.  Deadbait under a bobber, spinners, spoons and shallow diving crankbaits are all viable options.   Four Mile Bay, Bostic Bay and Zippel Bay are all small water and boats of various sizes work well. On the Rainy River...  Great news this week as we learned sturgeon will not be placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.     The organization had to make a decision by June 30 and listing sturgeon could have ended sturgeon fishing.  Thankfully, after looking at the many success stories across the nation, including LOW and the Rainy River, sturgeon fishing and successful sturgeon management continues.   A good week sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River.  Speaking to some sturgeon aficionados, fishing will actually get even better as water temps rise.     Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River near the Wheeler's Point Boat Ramp is still producing good numbers of fish, as are various holes along the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from the mouth to Birchdale.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  A few spots with rotten ice, but as a rule, most of the Angle is showing off open water.  In these parts, most are looking ahead to the MN Fishing Opener.  Based on late ice fishing success, it should be a good one.  
    • leech~~
      Nice fish. I moved to the Sartell area last summer and just thought it was windy like this everyday up here? 🤭
    • Rick G
      Crazy windy again today.... This is has been the norm this spring. Between the wind and the cold fronts, fishing has been more challenging for me than most years.  Panfish have been moving in and out of the shallows quite a bit. One day they are up in the slop, the next they are out relating to cabbage or the newly sprouting lilly pads.  Today eye guy and I found them in 4-5 ft of water, hanging close to any tree branches that happened to be laying in the water.  Bigger fish were liking a 1/32 head and a Bobby Garland baby shad.   Highlight of the day way this healthy 15incher
    • monstermoose78
    • monstermoose78
      As I typed that here came a hen.  IMG_7032.mov   IMG_7032.mov
    • monstermoose78
      So far this morning nothing but non turkeys. 
    • monstermoose78
      Well yesterday I got a little excited and let a turkey get to close and I hit the blind!!
    • smurfy
      good......you?? living the dream..in my basement playing internet thug right now!!!!!! 🤣 working on getting the boat ready.......bought a new cheatmaster locator for the boat so working on that.   waiting for warmer weather to start my garden!!!
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