Lake of the Woods is Ice Free!

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

On the south end...  Lake of the Woods is ice free!  Walleye anglers are looking ahead to the MN Fishing Opener on May 15th.  Based on the big fish in the Rainy River this spring, there is a lot of excitement!

The pike season is open year-round on LOW and the Rainy River.  Backwater areas and back bays are where pike spawning activity is taking place.  The pike limit is 3 fish per day, 30-40 inches must be released, one over 40" allowed.  Most practice catch and release with a nice photo on big fish, and there are a lot of big pike being caught.

On the Rainy River...   The spring walleye season closed with good success.  Despite varying clarity and some spring rains pushing debris into the water, hearty walleye anglers still pulled some very good fish last week.  Now looking toward the walleye opener.  

Sturgeon fishing this past week was excellent.  Sturgeon of all sizes being caught which bodes well for the health of the fishery which is very strong.  Sturgeon catch and release season through 4/23/21.  Keep season 4/24/21 - 5/7/21, (45-50", or over 75")  Catch and release 5/8/21 - 5/15/21.  Closed 5/16/21 - 6/30/21.  Harvest season, 7/1/21 - 9/30/21.

A 4-6 ounce no-roll sinker combined with a sturgeon rig (18" snell of 60 lb test with a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook) with a glob of crawlers, frozen emerald shiners or both is the ticket.  Local bait shops / resorts have rigs and bait available.

Find a deeper spot or hole in a stretch of the river, anchor up and still fish the bottom.  Your bait sends a scent trail the sturgeon will find!

Up at the NW Angle...  The NW Angle is ice free and everyone is looking forward to the May 15th fishing opener.  There are many ways to access Angle resorts.  The LOW Passenger Service, charter boat shuttle service from the south end, is open and running.  If you have the right boat and expertise, boating across is an option.  And finally, Lake Country Air flying service, a float plane service out of Baudette and other locations.