Being a northern MN destination, often times, like this year, great snowmobiling goes on through the month of March.  For many, ending in February is just too soon for an already short season.  Lake of the Woods is rich with hundreds of miles of trails and two snowmobile clubs who do an excellent job at grooming and keeping the trails up.  Maybe you will decide to sled the south shore, hitting the many forests, igloo bar on the ice or jump from resort to resort.  Perhaps you are looking to explore the 42 mile trail across the lake up to the NW Angle.  The Angle also has a wonderful trail system through some of the most beautiful county around along with a number of resorts, restaurants and bars.

A couple of years back, I had the privilege of sledding both the south shore and trekking across Lake of the Woods up to the Angle.  It was one of those trips that was easy yet unforgettable.  Here is that memory…

I have talked about it for years.  Actually taking a snowmobile trip on Lake of the Woods and having ice fishing as second fiddle.  This kind of behavior isn’t in my nature as I love catching walleyes and saugers through the ice.  On this trip, however, it was planned months ago and there was no turning back.  The plan:  To snowmobile the south end of the lake and then sled up to the NW Angle and experience the trails in that neck of the woods.  We had one day of ice fishing planned to avoid any kind of “shakes” or “teary eyes” for some of us.

I was joined by the host of Prairie Sportsman, Bret Amundson and our good friend and avid outdoorsman Jamie Dietman.  On day one, we arrived at Sportsman’s Lodge on the Rainy River.  It could have been any resort on the river or south shore but Sportsman’s also has Sportsman’s Oak Island up at the NW Angle and Gregg Hennum, owner of the resort also grooms the trails on the river and across the lake to the Angle, thus on this trip, it made good sense.

We started out hooking up with the groomer of the land trails for the Lake of the Woods Drifters Snowmobile Club, Todd Barnes.  Todd knows the woods and trails like the back of his hand and is a wonderful host.  Todd met us at Sportsman’s and we took our Polaris sleds right on to the frozen Rainy River.  The trail is nicely groomed and staked all the way from the mouth of the river where we started to Baudette.

The ride was late in the afternoon and about 2/3 of the locals fish houses on the river were occupied, telling us there was a decent evening bite on the river.  We found out later in the trip there indeed was.

We snowmobiled around the international bridge that goes from Baudette to Canada and into Baudette Bay near the famous Willie Walleye statue and then continued up Baudette Bay under the Hwy 11 bridge on to the land trails.  There were well groomed, smooth and well marked.  A beautiful sunset led us into the woods. 

We made our way through the woods over to Zippel Bay State Park and had a brief stop at the Igloo Bar on the ice.  Always a festive time.  We then continued with a short drive back to Sportsman’s to hit the hay until our morning trek north to the Angle.

After a good breakfast, we fired up the sleds and made our way north.  A beautiful 42 mile ride on an unseasonably warm January day.  We stopped along the way to fly the drone and get footage of the enormity of the lake, fish houses and everything Big Traverse Bay is made up of.  Very impressive footage.

As we made our way over Garden Island that marks the start of the NW Angle, we stopped and checked out the shelter on the east end of the island.  This shelter is used for boaters or snowmobilers in the event of inclement weather.  Our next stop, Sportsman’s Oak Island.

We dropped our pull behind sled with our clothes and fishing gear at the resort and snowmobiled over to Sunset Lodge for a quick lunch.  The next stop, checking out the Northern Most Point of the Contiguous United States buoy at Young’s Bay Resort.  After a few pics, we were off to the only one room school in the state of MN, Angle Inlet School.  There we met the President of the NW Angle Edge Rider’s Snowmobile Club, Richard Allen McKeever.

Richard Allen led us on a great adventure up to the end of the actual inlet of the NW Angle and into the wooded trails.  The scenery was breathtaking with a layer of fresh snow blanketing the pines.  Trails were smooth, marked well and we literally did not see another sled in an afternoon of snowmobiling.

On our way back to Sportsman’s where we were staying, we stopped off at Flag Island Resort for a quick soda and hello.  After our adventure for the day, we were tired and hungry.  We headed back to Sportsman’s, enjoyed dinner and hit the hay.

The last full day of our trip was ice fishing.  We were treated to a bomber ride out to a heated fish house.  Even though the day was below zero, the fish didn’t disappoint as we caught walleyes, saugers, a jumbo perch and an eelpout.  Plenty of fish for our evening fish fry, which was delicious. 

The next day was travel day.  We packed up and snowmobiled back south to our initial starting point.  We took extra care on the ride home as the temp was -25 degrees.  The Polaris sleds were most excellent and got us home safely.  We had four of us and took necessary precautions to make sure everyone was safe, warm, etc.  These temps are nothing to mess around with.

Snowmobiling on and around Lake of the Woods.  Hundreds of miles of groomed staked trails.  Two snowmobile clubs passionate about the trails.  Scenery that will knock your socks off.  Very few riders.  If you enjoy snowmobiling, you may want to add this one to your list!

 

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The stunning international  waters of Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River is known as the Walleye Capital of the World™. It provides some of the best fishing in the world and anglers flock here year-round in search of that elusive record catch.  The fishery is really broken up into three different areas, the Rainy River, Big Traverse Bay (the big open water basin) and the Northwest Angle

Lake of the Woods, the Walleye Capital of the World™ is shared between Minnesota and Canada. The Rainy River, which meanders between Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods, forms a natural boundary between the US and Canada. The slow moving Rainy River feeds the big lake. 40 miles of navigable water is teaming with walleyes, pike, smallmouth bass and lake sturgeon. Resorts line the mouth of the river and look across to Canada.

The middles section is known as Big Traverse Bay. Charter boats, catering to groups up to 6 anglers, line the docks at local resorts. Everything is provided, just step aboard and catch fish. Licensed charter captains take groups out targeting walleyes. With years of experience and by networking with other captains on the water, the days are typically very successful reeling in good numbers of fish.

The third section of Lake of the Woods is the Northwest Angle. This area is the northernmost point of the Continental US and is where the 14,552 islands of the lake begin. Basically you are fishing amongst islands, eagles, bears, deer and some of the most beautiful scenery in North America. Some resorts are rustic with log cabins in the woods all the way up to full service resorts with high speed internet and all of the amenities of home.

Visitors enjoy good fishing all year long. In the winter, the Walleye Capital of the World™ holds ice fishermen in toasty houses, while spring heralds a fishing frenzy for pre-spawn walleyes near Franz Jevne State Park. Remember that ice houses in this border area are able to stay on the ice overnight until March 31^st. Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods, the Walleye Capital of the World™ is an angler’s paradise no matter what season you come to visit.

For more information on lodging, fishing and other activities at Lake of the Woods, go to www.lakeofthewoodsMN.com

There are a lot of incredible outdoor opportunities to take advantage of around the Lake of the Woods area.  Many of these get overshadowed because of the world class walleye fishing.  Known as The Walleye Capital of the World, people come from all over the world to fish these walleye rich waters.  What gets missed often times is the opportunity for a good ole cast and blast, Lake of the Woods style.

Many people think of Lake of the Woods as trees, rock islands, northern MN wilderness.  Yep, we have that.  But what many don’t always have the chance to see are the over 40,000 acres of agricultural land Lake of the Woods County has.  Crops vary as this is the north county and a different growing season than many are used to but many of the crops are excellent food sources for waterfowl, specifically, Canada Geese.

Recently, a group of outdoor media and representatives from outdoor companies came together up at Lake of the Woods for a cast and blast.  The group setting this up was AGLOW, or the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers.  The Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) is a dynamic organization of writers, editors, publishers, and many other media professionals. As individual communicators, they educate and in- form the masses through the written and spoken word.  With that being said, this is the perfect venue for like minded folks who love the outdoors to get together.

The entire event was captured by Prairie Sportsman TV and host Bret Amundson.  The segment is titled Northern MN Cast and Blast and really tells a nice story about the fall opportunities in these parts that go much further than catching a bunch of walleyes.  On this trip, in addition to catching walleyes, the group had the chance to do layout blind hunting for geese.

Imagine all of the waters, backwaters and rivers of and around Lake of the Woods.  Combine that with thousands of acres of agricultural land (food) and this area is not only a flyway but a spot where geese will hold for a while.

The entire experience of getting up at dark thirty to get out to a field to set decoys.  Watching experienced waterfowl hunters instruct how to set the spread based on the wind.  Understanding based on where we were hunting how to best conceal 5 or 6 hunters in a flat field.  Knowing how to talk with the geese with a goose call.  When to talk loud, when to be soft, when to go crazy, when to be silent.  This scenario taking place was the culmination of hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours in the field.  The result of hunts that saw no shooting to quick limits and everything in between.

On this given week, the hunting was about as good as it could get.  Limits were taken each morning in short order.  The memories of the geese locked up on the decoys, the various chatter amongst the flock and the camaraderie of like minded, outdoor loving enthusiasts will last a lifetime.

 

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Lake of the Woods Tourism is displaying at two different sportsman’s shows across the Dakotas.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about the area, resorts and of course, the various kinds of fishing the go along with it.

This Weekend, Red River Valley Sportsman’s Show in Fargo!  It’s sportshow season in the Dakotas and this time of the year, anglers are excited to talk Lake of the Woods fishing.  Perfect timing to be talking Lake of the Woods at this weekend’s Red River Valley Sportsmen’s show that starts Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Fargodome in Fargo, ND.  Once again, we will be holding down booth #166 and look forward to seeing everyone.

Next Weekend, Sioux Empire Sportsman’s Show in Sioux Falls!  Outdoor minded folks from the Dakotas and the surrounding region love Lake of the Woods.  Once again, we will have our normal location in the main exhibit hall, booth #87.  Swing by and say hello!

Dive Deeper!  One of the great advantages of a sportshow is spending some time with experts from a destination to have the opportunity to learn, ask questions and ultimately make the best choice for your group.  A group of guys headed up to fish for four days might be a very different looking trip than a husband / wife getaway or family vacation.

Joe Henry with Lake of the Woods Tourism will be at the Lake of the Woods Tourism booth all weekend both in Fargo and Sioux Falls happy to share info and answer questions.

Seminars!  Sportshows are such a great place to learn more about fishing, hunting and the great outdoors.  In Fargo and Sioux Falls, check out hunting expert Todd Amenrud discuss top strategies for whitetail deer hunting.  If you are an angler, watch tournament champion Korey Sprengel discuss spring pitching techniques for walleyes and understanding what you are fishing.

Visitor Guides.  While at the show, stop by and pick up our new Lake of the Woods Tourism visitor guide.   Enter to win a 3 night / 2 day fishing trip courtesy of the Walleye Inn.  This is a great time to learn more about the lake, resorts, activities, etc taking place this year around Lake of the Woods.

 

There is a lot to talk about in the upcoming months at Lake of the Woods.

–Current Ice Fishing report around the Lake.  What are current ice conditions?  What is the current ice fishing report?  How long does ice fishing last?  What are they biting on? where to catch monster March pike, how is the crappie bite out of the NW Angle

–Upcoming Rainy River Walleye Fishing.  Is there open water on the river now?  Where should we fish?  What should we use?  How long does walleye season last?  What accesses are on the Rainy River?

–Sturgeon Fishing.  How long does the season last?   What kind of setup should I use?  What is a sturgeon rig?  What part of the river do sturgeon live?  What is slot during keep season?

–Resorts, Hotels, Outfitters and Guides.   Where should I stay based on our group and what we want to do?  Where can I find a list of resorts with amenity chart?  Are there deals?  What resorts offer full service guides?  What kind of boats are used on different parts of the lake?

If you are in the Fargo area this weekend or Sioux Falls next weekend, stop by and say hello!

 

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