Gary Engberg Outdoors

Fishing, Ice, and Trail Report From Sportsmans Lodge 2-8-2012

gengberg February 8th, 2012

Lake of the Woods South Shore
Fishing, Ice and Trail Report
Sportsman’s Lodge
Baudette, MN
www.sportsmanslodges.com

866-998-7280

We are fishing away here as we hit mid season on the 2011-2012 ice fishing season time line. Fishing the past few days has been a little bit slower but we are still getting some nice catches. We are experiencing some more “normal like” weather right now with lows below zero. The day time highs have been warming up into the teens but a little cooler than the past few weeks which may have a pretty good hand why the action slacking off a bit. There has been a mix of walleyes and saugers caught this week in the 30′-32′ water range some say the mornings have been doing best. We can’t say enough of about the Vexilar/Fish Finders; anglers using those devices really do reel in more fish than non-users.

Quarter ounce jigs glow in the dark red, pink and gold jigs have been working best tipped with a minnow. A few suspended fish have been found but most of the fish are hugging bottom. Several slot fish continue to be caught along with the good eaters and a few trophies throughout the week.

Check out a few nice ones caught by the Stachowski Group. A nice 23 & 26 inch walleye were caught and released.

Ice Conditions
We have made a few more inches of ice this week. We are currently sitting at 27-28 inches in the areas we fish and travel. Subzero temperatures will be around for a few more days so we could very easily see another inch or so develop.

Trail Conditions
The trails are freshly groomed and in good condition. The trail from Sportsman’s Lodge to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge is in good condition. A word of caution is advised at the pressure ridges. A snowmobile has no problem getting over them but it is advised to check the crossing spot before going over, due to the many temperature fluctuations we are getting this can shift often. The trail from Wheeler’s Point to Warroad and Wheeler’s Point to Baudette have both been freshly groomed are in good shape. It is advised that the best riding is on the trail. Off of the trail due to the below normal snowfall we have received is rough and has many ice chunks. The land trails continue to be closed. If you are looking to get out and do some snowmobile riding your best bet this year would be the lake trails, no bare icy spots are reported on the trails and they are in good condition.

Availability
We have a few openings for Friday night left this weekend and fish houses available all week. Check out our Sweetheart Specials running Feb 5-9 & 12-16 and receive up to $30 in savings per person on select fishing packages. Give us a call 800-862-8602 for all of the options.

Lake of the Woods Oak Island
Fishing, Ice and Trail Report
Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge
Oak Island, MN
www.oakislandlodge.com

800-772-8411

2/8/2012

Fishing in the islands…..
It has been a little spotty this week. The best fishing has moved off the reefs into about 27′-29′ of water. There has been a mix of walleye, saugers and perch caught and on a sunny day we are seeing a few pike. An odd catch for our area this week was a 36 inch lake trout. It was a fun but surprising to bring up through the hole. Normally lake trout are found quite a bit further north of us. Years ago 18,000 were stocked in our area but only a few were caught within the next few years. We are not sure if they migrated north or got eaten by muskie and pike.

The best tackle this week has been gold and glow in the dark jigs tipped with a minnow. Most of the fish found are hugging bottom however we are seeing some suspended walleyes 5′-6′ off bottom on the cloudy days. The fish being caught are nice eaters with a few 26″-29″ also thrown in the mix.

Ice Conditions
We currently have 26-28 inches of ice in the areas we travel and fish.

Trail Conditions
The trail from Warroad to Oak Island has now been marked and groomed and is in good shape. The trail from Sportsman’s Lodge across the lake to Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge has been freshly groomed and is in great shape. A word of caution by the pressure ridges but other than that there is good ice and a smooth trail to be enjoyed. A snowmobile has no problems going over the pressure ridges but just keep in mind when the temperature fluctuates so much like it is doing this year to stop and check out the best place to cross each time before crossing. No bare icy spots are reported on any of the lake trails. The ice road from Young’s Bay/NW Angle is in good shape but calling ahead of time for a guide is requested as they are still battling the pressure ridges and continue to have to move the path quite often. We have not received much for snow lately so the land trails continue to be closed.

3244 Bur Oak Rd NW • Baudette, MN 56623