It’s Sportshow time again, are you going to the show?  Lake of the Woods Tourism is displaying at two different sportsman’s shows across the Dakotas in March.  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.

Feb 29 – March 3, 2024, Red River Valley Sportsmen’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 the Red River Valley Sportsmen’s show that starts Thursday, February 29th and runs through Sunday, March 3rd at the Fargodome in Fargo, ND.  Once again, we will be holding down booth #166 and look forward to seeing everyone.

March 14-17, 2024, Sioux Empire Sportsmen’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!

Learn More about Lake of the Woods!  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.

Does it make sense to bring your own boat?  If so, where are the best places to launch?  Where are good backup spots if the wind is blowing hard?  These are all great questions and if you are headed up to Lake of the Woods, the options are many.

In some cases, for many groups, it makes all the sense in the world to work with a guide or jump on a charter boat.  Up at the NW Angle, maybe if you aren’t familiar with the water, maybe it would be helpful to jump aboard with a guide.  Experience an adventure amongst the 14,552 islands of Lake of the Woods, fish some of the best fishing in North America, target multispecies.

On the south end, many of the resorts offer charter boats to make your fishing not only easy and enjoyable, but successful.  Imagine, having a nice breakfast and around 8am stepping aboard a nice charter boat with lots of room, filled with all of the rods, reels, bait and licensed charter captain to make your time on the water count.  Guides will clean your fish after the trip and many of the resorts will cook them up for you.

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 guide and TV personality Jason Mitchell discuss the topics, “Do’s and Don’ts with Forward Facing Sonar” and “Tackle Modifications that catch more Walleyes.”

Jason Mitchell cut his teeth as a professional fishing guide on North Dakota’s Devils Lake. At the time of his retirement from guiding, Mitchell had built one of the largest guide services in the industry. Today, Mitchell hosts the popular outdoor program Jason Mitchell Outdoors which airs on Bally Sports Networks. Over the past fifteen years, JMO has had some of the highest raw Nielsen ratings in the industry for outdoor programming. Jason Mitchell has been on the forefront of the fishing industry with innovation and is credited with pioneering several walleye fishing methods and strategies. In 2016, Mitchell was also inducted into the North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame

Joe Henry from Lake of the Woods Tourism will also be presenting at both sportshows.  He will be speaking about “Masters Level:  Spinners for Walleyes” and “Multispecies Success on Any Body of Water”.

As a fishing guide, licensed charter captain, and tournament angler, Joe Henry has made fishing a part of his everyday life. He has experienced many successes throughout the years with some tough days sprinkled in as well. It is learning from both, Joe believes, that helps make an angler more effective and versatile.

Joe is an award-winning outdoor communicator, sharing fishing techniques, strategies and philosophies with thousands through seminars, tv shows, videos and articles across the U.S.

Professionally, Joe has enjoyed many leadership positions and serves on a variety of boards. His professional background combined with his many fishing credentials led him to his current role, Executive Director of Lake of the Woods Tourism.
Joe works closely with 60 lodging facilities, area guides, and a variety of stakeholders. He orchestrates the strategy and execution of the marketing, promotions, events, ad buys and social media for Lake of the Woods Tourism.

Visitor Guides.  While at the show, stop by and pick up our new Lake of the Woods Tourism visitor guide.   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.

–Upcoming Rainy River Walleye Fishing.  What is the outlook for spring fishing on the river?  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 a couple of weeks after, stop by and say hello!

Click Here to view Lake of the Woods Lodging Options

Click Here to view Lake of the Woods Tourism website

Hints of Spring have been showing its face all winter, even though Mother Nature blanketed us with 6 inches of snow this past Tuesday. Temperatures have been above average all winter with episodes of below zero temps at night, so this makes for a very interesting winter to spring season.  With the warmer winter temps, spring Rainy River anglers are thinking ahead!

There is still lots of ice on the lake and resorts / outfitters still providing some great ice fishing.   Fish houses can remain on the lake through March 31st (depending on Mother Nature), anglers are already getting their boats and their gear ready for the spring run of walleyes on the Rainy.

Walleyes go up river in the fall chasing shiner minnows and then again in the spring to do their spawning. Here’s when the trophies show up. Whether there area ice burg size chunks of ice floating on the river or it’s totally clear, anglers line up along roads and access points waiting to dawn the beautiful waters of the Rainy River.

Rainy River flows out of Rainy Lake near International Falls and forms the border between the United States and Canada at the top of Minnesota. It flows into the famous Lake of the Woods known as the Walleye Capital of the World.

Each spring anglers and local residents watch this body of water for the signs of liquid water to show up. Each year this “ice opener” is documented by the local newspaper and has been recorded since 1934.  The recording place is near the International Bridge connecting the United States and Canada between the towns of Rainy River, Ontario and Baudette, MN.   This early ice out is a welcomed sight for anglers chomping at the bit to get their boats out into the open water. The Northern Light Region is the official reporter of first “ice-out” over the years.

The most current report at the time of this writing is that the River is open just east of Birchdale which is located 25 miles to the east of Baudette. That’s exciting!!! This is usually reported as resort owners to east of Baudette keep checking daily for spring updates. Usually the report is recorded as whether the river is open shore to shore or not.

Koochiching County to the east of Baudette is a great neighbor that works at clearing the first river accesses available for fishing. They use their county machines to clear the ice and snow off so that anglers are able to back down the accesses to launch their boats. Anglers are usually dressed in the appropriate gear as they don’t know what temperatures they will meet when fishing. It could be a sunny day to fish with just a hoodie, but when watching the skies, they might see a snow storm coming on the horizon. What an adventure!!!

This writer has seen scores and scores of fishing rigs lined up to launch their boats and even having to anchor them to small icebergs along the shoreline. This year looks like the land will be free of that scene.

River accesses open up from east to west with Franz Jevne, a primitive state park area, being opened first with only one lane. The next larger access point is at Birchdale where there is also a beautiful campground and lots of space to park rigs and hang out. When visiting that area, be sure to stop into the one store in Birchdale which is one of the last general stores to be open in this area. It’s amazing!! And a Must-Stop location!!!

The next access moving west is at Frontier Landing. There is parking there for about 10 rigs and signs are posted for other parking places along designated roads. Moving again to the west you come to Vidas Landing. Again, a pretty large area to park your rig up and down the road approaching the landing. These landings open as the open water moves towards town. Of course it’s all up to warmth and current increasing as spring arrives.

Minnesota’s state fish, the walleye, is a good fighter, tastes excellent and is common throughout most of Minnesota. Effective Mar. 1 – Apr. 14, Walleye/Sauger catch and release fishing is allowed during this time period in Four Mile Bay and the Rainy River. All Walleye and Sauger must be returned to the water immediately. There is no closed season for northern pike on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. The possession limit for northern pike is three. All northern pike from 30 through 40 inches must be immediately released; only one northern pike over 40 inches may be possessed.

The Sturgeon is a pre-historic fish that inhabits these waters. Sturgeon is a unique catch and fights to the finish! Often times taking over an hour to land the fish in the boat. The spring sturgeon season shifts from catch and release, to a keep season and eventually is closed for spawning.  Spring fishing details can be found here.

Local bait shops and resorts have the necessary bait and tackle used to fish the river this time of the year.  Much of the sturgeon tackle, like the sturgeon rig referenced, is made by the local company Tom’s Tackle. Regardless of what species you are interested, know that the opportunity for a fish of a lifetime exists in these waters.

So plan your spring fishing trip soon! Come to Lake of the Woods area and experience the beauty of the famous waters of the Rainy River!!

For lodging see: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging

Seasons and regulations are also found on this site.

Also see our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsmn

MN DNR: www.dnr.state.mn.us

Courtesy of the MN DNR

2024 Rainy River Spring Fishery

(March 1 – April 14)
The Rainy River forms the border between Ontario and Minnesota for its entire length of about 90 miles. Anglers intending to fish Ontario waters of the Rainy River should refer to the Ontario Fishing Regulations Synopsis for details (https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-fishing-regulations-summary).

If you choose to fish Ontario waters of the Rainy River, you must comply with Ontario laws, and with USA-Canada border crossing regulations. This handout addresses special fishing regulations for Minnesota waters only.

Minnesota Waters of the Rainy River from International Falls Dam Downstream to Lake of the Woods

Walleye and Sauger

On Fourmile Bay of Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River

Effective Mar. 1 – Apr. 14
Walleye/Sauger catch and release fishing is allowed during this time period. All Walleye and Sauger must be returned to the water immediately.

Lake Sturgeon

No harvest is allowed from Mar 1 through Apr 23. Anglers are allowed to catch-and-release lake sturgeon during this period.

Northern Pike

There is no closed season for northern pike on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. The possession limit for northern pike is three. All northern pike from 30 through 40 inches must be immediately released; only one northern pike over 40 inches may be possessed.

Gaffs not allowed

A person may not possess or use a gaff while fishing on the Rainy River.

*The Rainy River is designated as “infested waters.” Regulations related to bait harvest, water transport, and draining water apply to these waters. For a more thorough listing of the regulations that apply to Minnesota-Ontario border waters, please see the Canada-Minnesota Border Waters section of the Minnesota Fishing Regulations synopsis.

Enforcement

Minnesota DNR Conservation Officers and Ontario MNR Conservation Officers are commonly observed checking anglers, their boats, and safety equipment during the spring Rainy River season. Anglers should expect to encounter these resource officers during either their Minnesota or Ontario fishing activities.

To report fishing or boating violations, call:

Minnesota State Patrol: 218-748-2426, Minnesota TIP (Turn In Poachers): 1-800-652-9093, or, Ontario Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

To report other violations, or for emergencies, call: Koochiching County Sheriff: 218-283-4416, or, Lake of the Woods County Sheriff: 218-634-1143

For information on Rainy River spring fishing: Baudette Area Fisheries Office: 218-395-6040
International Falls Area Fisheries Office: 218-598-8190

For customs and border protection, call: International Falls Port of Entry: (218) 283-2541
Canada Border Services: (807) 274-3655

For information on lodging and other accommodations, please contact:
Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau
218-634-1174 or toll free; 800-382-3474
Email: info@lakeofthewoodsmn.com Web site: https://lakeofthewoodsmn.com

International Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau
1-800-FALLS-MN; 1-800-325-5766
Email: cvb@rainylake.org Web site: www.rainylake.org

Rainy River boat access areas administered by Koochiching County, City of Baudette, and Minnesota DNR

The Site Manager may be on duty to ensure that activities occur as safely and efficiently as possible during periods of high use. Do not park on State Highway #11.

Wheeler’s Point Access

This access, with a boat dock and triple ramp, is located 12 miles north of Baudette on State Highway 172, near the mouth of the Rainy River. No camping is allowed.

Baudette Access in Timbermill Park

A boat access, with a double ramp, is located near the City Park, located on the east edge of Baudette. No camping is allowed at the access. Camping is allowed in authorized areas of the City Park.

Vidas Access

This access with a double ramp is located 1.5 miles east of Clementson at the end of Koochiching County Road UT 392. Signs have been installed to direct traffic and reduce congestion. Parking is allowed on both sides of UT 392. No camping is allowed from March 15 through April 14.

Frontier Access

This access with a single ramp is located approximately 17 miles east of Baudette along State Highway 11. No parking is allowed along Highway 11. Parking is restricted along Koochiching County Highway 4. No camping is allowed from March 15 through April 14.

Nelson Park – Birchdale

This access with a double ramp is north of Birchdale on Koochiching County Road UT 118, which runs from State Highway 11 to Nelson Park. Parking is allowed on the east side of UT 118. Camping is allowed in designated areas.

Upper Sault Access (near Franze Jevne Park)

This access with a single ramp is located at the end of Koochiching County Road 85, just east of Birchdale. This ramp is best suited to small boats. No camping is allowed.

Manitou Rapids Access

This site has a primitive boat access, and ample shore fishing areas. The access is appropriate for boats that can be carried-in, or for boats that can be transported on the marked trail with an ATV. The site is located approximately 34 miles east of Baudette on Highway 11, or about ½ mile west of the Indus School. There is parking available. No camping is allowed.

Black River Access at Loman

This access is in the City of Loman, on the Black River. The Black River is often still frozen during this period and will not be accessible to boats until it opens each spring. Camping is available in authorized areas of this park.

Reedy Flats Access

This access is located on the south side of State Highway #11, along the Bigfork River. The Bigfork River is often still frozen during this period and will not be accessible to boats until it opens each spring. No camping is allowed from March 1 through the second Thursday in May.

Kuttes Landing

This access is located just east of the junction of Highway 71 and Highway 11 at Pelland. No camping is allowed.

Ron Hall Memorial Access (Shorewood Ramp)

This access is located on Shorewood Drive in International Falls. There is parking available across the street from the access. No camping is allowed.

Info on the Rainy River

Info about the Lake of the Woods Area

Lake of the Woods is such an exciting place to live. The lake itself is international as it spans two countries, the United States and Canada. The Rainy River flows from the East at Rainy Lake into Lake of the Woods which forms this incredible border.

People ask this writer all the time, “Where is it you live again?” and “What border do you live on?” and “What exactly do you do up there all the time?” At the very middle of the continent of North America is a border that separates Canada and United States. That’s the border we are talking about. Yes, I can actually see the border from my house in the center of Baudette, MN.

I count it a privilege to live on this border for the simple reason that it is first of all very unique, it presents challenges of being quite an isolated area, but the genuine-ness of hearts and the pioneer spirit still remains.

People in this locality are far from the “stay at home” types. Everyone is on the go with either their businesses or getting out into nature using all kinds of sports. This area is especially known for its excellent fishery. Walleyes are in abundance as well as other species such as: smallmouth bass, black crappies, sauger, northern pike, muskie, sturgeon, lake trout, eelpout, and yellow perch. The walleye population made this area known as the Walleye Capital of the World™.

The resort area is divided into three geographical sections. First is the Rainy River where all the resorts along that river are located. The second is the resorts that make up the section called the South Shore area. The most interesting area to be noted is the Northwest Angle which is a parcel of land that makes up the “chimney” of Minnesota.

Here’s what’s so interesting….one must cross the border into Manitoba, Canada and then re-enter the United States by crossing the border at Angle Inlet, the small town on the Northwest Angle.  This locality is the northernmost spot in the contiguous United States.

The Northwest Angle is its own unique area which hosts 7 resorts, and the two islands of Flag and Oak host 8 more resorts. It features a first-class restaurant, a golf course, and a post office at the locality of Angle Inlet. An incredible feature of this area is the last one room schoolhouse of Minnesota. Youngsters get their early education here and travel in by boat or snowmobile when the lake freezes over. When they reach the appropriate age, they are then bused to the Warroad school district which may I say is quite a trek from door to door.

My hat goes off to the people who live and work at the Angle because it takes a lot of planning and creativity to live there and also operate first rate resorts.

This writer moved to the area in 1983 and soon after that winter fishing began making its entrance. Before that period of time open water fishing was the draw. Today the same holds true, however, hard water fishing has become so popular on the lake that you can actually call it another village on the lake.

A few thousand fish houses owned by local resorts dot the horizon on the big lake. There are also individual fish houses, portable fish houses, and wheel houses that enjoy the sport whenever possible. This border is unique as Ice Houses can remain on the lake for an extra month of fishing. That puts them available until the end of March.

The walleye season is still open so you will still find anglers using pop-up fish houses and using their ATVs an small crafts to travel the lake. Otherwise, stand out in the open sunlight, drill a hole and sit on your bucket to await that great catch. Maybe even a trophy fish. What an incredible feature of this border area!!

Jobs in this border area are in abundance with 50+ resorts that are always looking for loyal workers. They employ office workers, restaurant workers, ice workers, housekeeping workers, maintenance people and bar/ lounge wait people to serve their clients. Hospitality is an incredible industry on this border.

The city of Baudette has put out a website called Get Hooked for Life that lists features of the area as well as an elongated list of employment opportunities. Lake of the Woods County is the county seat with a well-equipped Government Center able to assist you with all of your legal county needs.  Lake of the Woods School is the one and only school in the county but it continually ranks as one of the highest in the state of Minnesota for educational excellence.

LakeWood Health Center is located in Baudette which houses a clinic, an acute care unit, a well equipped emergency room and a Long Term Care Center. This border area is very fortunate to have such a great facility in our locality. Once again, jobs are in abundance here also.

Farming and logging are still high operating careers along the border. There is also ANI Pharmaceuticals which is a big employer in the area.  Marvin Windows is 36 miles to the west of Baudette and employed over 6,500 people along the border. Further to the west is Polaris Industries where snowmobile, ATVs and motorcycles are manufactured.

Speaking of snowmobiles, Lake of the Woods has an incredible system of well groomed and maintained trails as well as trails that have been marked and staked across the lake. Summer kayaking and canoeing are big also and hunting is a draw for many sportsmen from all areas in a 5 state area.

Service organizations, churches, and local businesses all make up the population of Lake of the Woods. As you can see…..the Border area is an amazing place to live. Come visit us or come and stay!

For more information and lodging see: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging

www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsmn

February 13, 2024

Info about Lake of the Woods

Lodging, Fish House Rentals, Charter Boats and Guides

There are many ways to stay connected to Lake of the Woods.  Social media, our website LakeoftheWoodsMN.com, resort fishing reports, etc.  Another great way that sometimes gets forgotten about are webcams around the lake.  Webcams allow guests who can access the internet to see conditions in real time the conditions, weather, waves, boat activity, and just life up at Lake of the Woods based on where the camera is located.  There are many webcam options on Lake of the Woods, the Rainy River and up at the NW Angle.

Arnesen’s Rocky Point Webcam.  On the southwest portion of Big Traverse Bay is Arnesen’s Rocky Point.  This is a great area to watch a variety of boat and ice fishing traffic coming and going from the resort.  Arnesen’s looks out over Muskeg Bay on the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods.

Typically, there will be boat traffic from April into November and then based on Mother Nature, some ice traffic with the snowmobile trail and sometimes bombardiers if the river ice gets thick enough.  Other views include views of the docks and resort area.  The camera is preset to move to different positions.  This is also a fun camera to check out.

Not only is it fun checking out the conditions of the lake, the webcam gives a fun look at the outside activities at a popular sport fishing resort.

The busier times are normally in the morning just before and after sunrise when people are headed out fishing or around supper time when anglers are coming in off of the ice or via boat for a bite to eat in the Rock Harbor Lodge.

Dales on Lake of the Woods Webcam.  Located on the bottom of their website’s homepage is Dale’s on Lake of the Woods webcam.  This webcam gives a great view of the lake just to the east of twin rocks and to the west of Long Point overlooking Big Traverse Bay.

With sleeper fish house rentals, beautiful camping facilities, ice access for customers of theirs and a boat ramp, there is lots to see as this camera overlooks the access on the shores of Lake of the Woods.

Whether it’s ice transportation, boats, checking out the snow falling or the wave action on the main lake, this camera poses a beautiful view.

NW Angle Edge Riders Snowmobile Club webcam at Young’s Bay Resort.  If you have ever been to the NW Angle, you may have been through the ice access or harbor at Young’s Bay Resort.  It is a hub of activity and where the main ice road heads out to island resorts and in some cases, where local resorts access the lake.

In addition, during the open water season, this is the main harbor to boat out to the resorts, cabins and other attractions throughout the NW Angle islands and even Ontario islands on the western side of Lake of the Woods.

This camera focuses on the boat ramp, harbor, ice access and even picks up some of the northernmost point buoy and Jerry’s Bar and Restaurant.

Hwy 72 webcam south of Baudette, MN in Dawson Township.  A main travel route for travelers coming to Lake of the Woods, highway 72 runs north and south where it meets Hwy 11 just to the east of Baudette.  This camera provides a view of weather conditions and is in an area with beautiful scenery to watch the various colors of the foliage change throughout the year.

Hwy 11 webcam near Roosevelt, MN.  Located in Lake of the Woods County, this webcam gives an idea of weather conditions and provides a good view of highway 11 which runs east and west across the south end of Lake of the Woods and is a main travel route.

This camera also picks up the railroad tracks which are active with trains heading across the south end of Lake of the Woods.

Webcams are also great to view the variety of bird activity throughout the year.  There is a great migration both in the spring and fall that is exceptional, as well as a resident population of birds unique to this northern Minnesota area.

Weather events are also very interesting to viewers.  Being nice and cozy while checking into the various weather events in the area is something of interest to many.  From the beautiful sunrises and sunsets to storms moving through the area, they are all part of life and interesting at the same time.

It is also interesting to see the various perspectives from the Rainy River, big open waters of Big Traverse Bay and the islands area of the NW Angle.

There are many great ways to keep in touch with Lake of the Woods.  Another option you may just want to add to your routine are webcams.  What a fun way to keep in touch in real time with The Walleye Capital of the World.

Click Here to access Lake of the Woods Tourism.

Click Here for a list of lodging options around Lake of the Woods.