Fishing, Ice, and Trail Report From Sportsman’s Lodge 1-11-2012

Lake of the Woods South Shore
Sportsman’s Lodge
Baudette, MN
www.sportsmanslodges.com

800-862-8602
1/11/2012

Excellent Fishing
We have had another excellent week of fishing. Walleye and sauger populations continue to rise on Lake of the Woods according to the latest DNR reports and boy can we attest to that! Several slot and trophy fish continue to be found as well as lots of good eating and those that will be good eating in a few years to keep your day busy and your pail filled. The morning bite has been one of the best times of the day, however the afternoon and midday hasn’t been too bad either. Gold, Chartreuse and glow in the dark jigs tipped with a minnow or minnow head have done well. We continue to move north into deeper waters and 28-31 feet of water has been working well right now. Vexilars/Fish Finders definitely increase your fishing success. So plan on bringing yours or call ahead to reserve a rental. Looks like we may start to get some cooler “real winter” weather blowing in today and for the next ten days. This may shake things up for a day or so but once it evens out, we anticipate the fishing to continue to be good!

 For more pictures check us out on Facebook.

Another monster sturgeon!
Check this out! A nice limit of walleyes tends to be #1 on everyone’s mind but you can’t beat the action a lunker like this brings to your day of fishing.

This fish was caught by Duane Halter from Andover, MN about 10am on the 4th of January using a 1/4 jig and 8# line. It was actually hooked in the lower rear fin and took about 40 minutes to land. Guide Luke, reached down the hole and pulled it through tail first as we were not able to get the head into the hole. Incredible!

Ice Conditions
We currently have 16-19 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish just outside of Pine Island. We are supposed to get below zero temperatures starting tonight so we anticipate our ice making to speed up quite a bit over the next ten days. The Adrian’s ice road access continues to be open to full size vehicles. It is advised to stay on the marked roads as the ice off the road may not be of the same thickness. All of our houses are on our own groomed trail and transportation is included in all of our trips.

Trail Report
We currently have 2-3 inches on the lake trails right now. We are supposed to get a 2-3 more inches today. The lake trail from Four Mile Bay across the lake to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge is open, marked and groomed. The conditions are decent considering the lack of snow with the trail being mostly snow covered with a few scattered slippery spots. Transportation is available from Sportsman’s Lodge to Oak Island and the Northwest Angle. For rates and more information go to the Lake of the Woods Passenger Service’s website or call 800-862-8602 ext 438. The land trails continue to be closed.

AIM Pro Walleye Series coming to Lake of the Woods Minnesota 2012 and 2013
Lake of the Woods Area Tourism Bureau announced a major walleye fishing tournament has been set and is coming to Lake of the Woods. The  AIM Pro Walleye Series features some of the biggest names in walleye fishing will host a walleye tournament August 16 - 18, 2012 and in August, 2013 as well. This tournament is open to the public.

Lake of the Woods Oak Island & NW Angle
Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
Oak Island, MN
800-772-8411

1/11/2012

GREAT FISHING!
Guide Ron reports excellent fishing on the island. Lots of 17″-19″ walleyes and nice saugers and perch as well as a few pike have been caught this week. The best fishing has been found just off the reefs in 22′-26′ of water and the bite is active! A 29.5 inch walleye was caught and released yesterday among many other slot fish (19.5″ - 28″) and check out this beauty of a pike! Shane O’Keefe, from Prior Lake MN reeled in this lunker January 6, 2012. The pike measured 45 inches in length, weighed 20lbs and was caught on a glow hook. What a nice fish!

Ice Conditions
We currently have 18-20 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish at this point. The ice is reported to be good ice and no slush reported. We are looking forward to the cool temperatures starting tonight to help build this up so we can enjoy ice fishing until the end of March!

Trail Conditions
We currently have 2-4 inches of snow and 2-4 inches in our forecast for today. The lake trail from the south end of the lake near Sportsman’s Lodge is groomed, marked and in fair condition. The trail from Warroad is not marked and no travel is advised at this time. Transportation is available across the lake from Sportsman’s Lodge. For more information go toLake of the Woods Passenger Service’s websitewebsite or call 800-862-8602 ext 438. The ice road from Young’s Bay and the Northwest Angle is open and in good condition however it continues to need to be moved so it is not marked due to the temperature changes. Give us a call prior to venturing out for information or a guide. The land trails are closed at this time. We hope to get some more snow soon so we can enjoy the trails!

3244 Bur Oak Rd NW • Baudette, MN 56623