In today’s busy world, when a window of opportunity to buzz up to Lake of the Woods opens up, you need to jump on it.  But how do you find lodging and fish houses during a busy weekend?  Look no further with the lodging availability finder.  This handy tool is found on the Lake of the Woods Tourism website under the lodging tab is a quick and easy way to check with multiple resorts on available lodging with one click of a mouse.

Ice fishing has become more and more popular each and every year.  Resorts have taken advantage of technology in fish house materials, heaters, plow vehicles and transport vehicles to make the sport enjoyable for anglers and non-anglers alike.  With that being said, there are times, often popular weekends, when lodging or fish house rentals are hard to find.  That certainly doesn’t mean they aren’t available. 

Now there is a tool to contact the area of Lake of the Woods you desire with a few clicks of a mouse.  With almost 60 different lodging and fish house facilities at Lake of the Woods, there is always somewhere to stay that is just right for you. Instead, if you are looking to book lodging at Lake of the Woods and don’t feel like calling around or it is last minute, try our lodging availability finder.

Finding available lodging during busy times is quick, just follow these steps.

1.  Go to the Lodging Availability Finder
2. Enter in your contact information
3. Arrival and departure dates
4. How many occupants
5. Select the area you would like to stay…
   1. South Shore / Rainy River
   2. NW Angle
   3. Information for both areas
6. Areas of interest, such as ice fishing, sleeper fish house, pool, etc
7. Any comments or requests.
8. Finally, you can check or un-check the box to receive the Lake of the Woods Tourism newsletter

Your request is emailed to all the lodging facilities in the geographic region you choose.  Resorts will respond back to your email with availability.

Imagine you call your favorite resort or two and they are booked.  This is a perfect time to go to the Lodging Availability Finder.

If you come back and want to us the finder here is how you do it:

1.  To find Lodging, go to the Lodging Availability Request page of the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.

2.  Fill out and send!  Enter contact info, arrival and departure dates, how many people and check the box indicating what portion of Lake of the Woods county you would like to stay.   Also indicate if you have any special requests or other comments and hit the submit button.  Your request is automatically emailed to the resorts, hotels and sleeper fish house businesses that are applicable in the area you prefer.  You are on your way to a simple way to find lodging.

If you prefer to contact a few specific resorts, we also have our lodging page to find lodging.  This page is full of information.  In addition to a complete list of lodging opportunities, learn what amenities are available and what might fit your group the best.

There are many ways to access lodging, fish houses, guides and charters up at Lake of the Woods.  Whether you are looking for something in Baudette, perhaps the Rainy River, south shore or Northwest Angle, all of the choices are in one place, the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.

Have a chance at a spur of the moment getaway to walleye country?  Give the lodging availability finder a shot.  It will save you time and often will provide options even on busy weekends.

Click Here to return back to the Lake of the Woods Tourism Website

Click Here to find Lodging Options around Lake of the Woods

Click Here for the Lodging Availability Finder Tool

The NW Angle has some of the best ice fishing in North America.  Without a way for guests to drive up to the Angle due to the border closure, area businesses, facing yet another season of little to no revenue, have teamed up to create the NW Angle Guest Ice Road.   This week the ice road opened up and created access to NW Angle Resorts.

Ice fishing in these parts is a big deal.  Enjoyed by both anglers and non-anglers alike, guests typically start their day with a nice breakfast.  Right around daybreak, heated specialized ice transportation called bombardiers transport guests from their resort to heated fish houses with the ice holes all drilled out and ready to fish on some of the best walleye waters in the world.  Some call it paradise!

During a normal winter season, thousands would have made memories from a fish house and enjoyed a fresh walleye fish fry already.  This year, however, is different.

To travel to the NW Angle, a guest would normally drive 40 miles through Canada and enter back into Minnesota up at the Angle.  Most never imagined back in March, 2020 when the U.S. / Canada border was shut down, things would last this long.  The border closure has drastically reduced tourism in this part of Lake of the Woods.

With their backs against the wall and facing another season of little revenue, the NW Angle community, made up of about 120 strong, has pulled together and created the NW Angle Guest Ice Road.

The ice road, which opened this week, is 30 miles long.   The road stays in Minnesota and travels over 22 miles of ice and 8 miles through forest.  It already has seen hundreds of hours invested in plowing, staking, erecting signage and building and placing bridges over cracks in the ice which is standard protocol with an ice road.

“Unseasonably mild temps have held back the start of the ice road compared to a normal winter, but with some recent cold weather, it is in great shape and open,” explains Joe Henry, Executive Director, Lake of the Woods Tourism.

“I had the chance to drive the ice road this week and it is incredible.  Honestly, after experiencing postcard type scenery and just the adventure of driving up, catching walleyes was just a bonus.  It felt good knowing we were supporting some great people whose businesses were cut off from customers as they have been stuck between two countries and a border closure during a pandemic.”

The NW Angle Guest Ice Road begins at Springsteel Resort just south of the Canadian border on the SW corner of Lake of the Woods.  The ice road makes its way north on U.S. ice and eventually connects to one of the main roads leading into the NW Angle.  From this road, NW Angle resorts are accessible.

In addition to the NW Angle Guest Ice Road, guests do have a few more options.  First is the snowmobile trails.  There are groomed and staked trails extending from the southeast and southwest corners of Lake of the Woods all the way up to the Angle.  The trip is about 42 miles on a well marked and groomed trail.

In addition to the trails up to the Angle, there are literally hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails in the area.  Trails also extend around the lake through some of the most beautiful scenery around.  From Baudette on the Rainy River to the Wheeler’s Point area, across the south shore through Bostic Creek, Morris Point, Zippel Bay, Long Point and Rocky Point.  Excellent sledding.

There is also the Lake of the Woods Passenger Service.  This is a bombardier service that transports guests from the south end of Lake of the Woods up to the Angle.

There is still time to enjoy ice fishing on Lake of the Woods as the season continues through March.

Information on the NW Angle

Information on the NW Angle Guest Ice Road

Information about Lake of the Woods

Information about Lake of the Woods Lodging and Ice Fishing  

Each winter, thousands of anglers, families, and friends enjoy staying overnight on Lake of the Woods in a sleeper fish house.  Resorts offer a variety of sleeper houses normally with bunk beds, a strong propane furnace to keep everyone warm on the coldest of nights, and of course, a stove for cooking meals.  Naturally, while fishing the Walleye Capital of the World, most will bring along the fixings for a fresh fish fry.  There is nothing like fresh walleye, sauger or perch fillets out on the ice.  It is important to understand the fish fry rules in a sleeper fish house.

With opportunity comes responsibility.  It us up to us as anglers to know and understand the rules of the MN DNR who manages natural resources in the state.  We thought it might be helpful to shed some light on what the rules are regarding cleaning, cooking and possessing fish while on the ice.

Over the years, one learns when discussing rules of any type to mention a disclaimer that our intent is to help with understanding and ultimately, it is your responsibility to know right from wrong.  The fish possession rules are not difficult, but one needs to be educated before hitting the ice.  Resorts are a great resource for additional questions.

Individuals may not possess fillets in their day/sleeper houses unless:

1.  They are in immediate preparation of a meal (the oil is heating) and carcasses are available for inspection

2.  Or a licensed fish packer has filleted and packaged them to be consumed while their guests are on the lake. If a licensed fish packer filets your fish, make sure to have proof (which they can provide) and know you have to cook and eat the fillets while on the ice.  It is unlawful to return to shore with filets from a licensed fish packer.  

Any filleting for transport should be done on shore or at the resort just prior to individuals traveling.  This means if you have fish you want to bring home, you cannot clean them on the ice.  Bring them to shore whole and clean them on shore for transport.

For those who really like to dig into state law, click here for the link.

State Rule 6262.0100 Subp. 5. (D)

Subp. 5. Possession of fish while on state waters.

1. While on or fishing in state waters with size restrictions that differ from statewide regulations, including experimental waters, special management waters, boundary waters, or any other waters with size restrictions, all fish for which the different size restrictions apply must be undressed and measurable when in a person’s possession, regardless of where taken, except under the following conditions:

(1) when a watercraft is docked or moored to shore or when on the ice and a person is in the act of preparing and using the fish for a meal; or

(2) when a person is on an experimental or special management water and the fish were lawfully taken, have been packaged and labeled by a licensed fish packer, are to be prepared for a meal while on the ice or shore of that water body, and do not otherwise exceed the statewide possession limits.

When fish are consumed under subitem (1), the angler must maintain the carcass of a fish with size limits in such a way that the carcass may be readily unpacked, unwrapped, and separated so that the carcass may be examined, measured, and counted to ensure compliance with size restrictions for that day, as defined under Minnesota Statutes, section 645.45.

In a nutshell, if you are going to have a fish fry, do not clean the fish until your oil is hot.  Fillets basically need to be cooked right away and not stored while staying on the ice.

In addition, when you clean fish, make sure to keep the carcasses so they can be measured.  This doesn’t mean frozen in a ball outside of the fish house.  With a slot limit on walleyes of 19.5 inches – 28 inches must be returned to the water immediately with the ability to keep one per day over 28 inches.  The pike slot is 30 inches – 40 inches must be returned with one fish in possession of over 40 inches.  It is vital that the MN DNR can measure fish to ensure compliance.

Winter walleye / sauger limits on Lake of the Woods.  Remember that in MN, the possession limit is equivalent of one day’s limit.  The winter limit on Lake of the Woods is a combined limit of 6 walleyes and saugers, with up to 4 of those fish being walleyes.  The slot limit of walleyes in 19.5″ – 28″ must be released.  One walleye over 28″ may be kept daily.

Many folks will have fish to bring home the day of departure.  Make sure to keep those fish in their whole form and do not clean them until you reach shore.

If you have further questions on fish fry rules in a sleeper fish house, contact your resort, outfitter or the MN DNR.

Sleeper fish houses provided a ton of winter fun and memories.  Whether it is stepping out on the ice at night and marvel at the stars and galaxy so far north with very little light pollution, waking up in the morning and fishing in your pajamas with a hot cup of coffee or simply having quality time with people whom you care about, sleeper fish houses on Lake of the Woods provide lasting memories and lots of happiness.

Fish frys are a tradition while out on the ice and are celebrated.  Before you head out, make sure to know your fish fry rules in a sleeper fish house!

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Click here to view Lake of the Woods lodging options including sleeper fish house rentals.

Lake of the Woods is a stained water lake.  Natural tannins add a light brown color to the water.  This makes it great for catching walleyes during the daylight hours.  It also makes noise even more valuable.  When it comes to catching walleyes and saugers through the ice on Lake of the Woods, sometimes it is the little things that can make a big difference.  One of those “little things” I have noticed over the years is adding some noise and aggressiveness to my presentation can pay dividends.

Noise in the fishing world can come in a lot of forms.  Pounding the bottom with your lure, the jigging action you create, rattles, vibration and spinners all create noise that can attract walleyes.  One of the ways walleyes sense their next meal is through their lateral line.  This lateral line senses vibration and noise in the water and can cause a natural triggering effect.

Over time, I have been turned on to using noise, becoming more aggressive with my approach in extracting walleyes and saugers from the icy depths across the ice belt.  Some of this trial and error has been during times of a tough bite.  Whether it is a cold front rolling through as they do periodically throughout the winter or perhaps a day in which the walleyes and saugers just aren’t feeding as well which could be for many reasons, noise has definitely been a strong tool in my walleye tool belt to catch more fish.

There are a couple of go to presentations / lures that I start with when I want walleyes to feel the noise.  First, a vibrating lure with bb’s in it, such as a Rapala Rippin Rap.  The second lure is a jigging spoon with rattles tipped with a minnow head or tail.  There are certainly times when rattles will out fish a spoon without rattles and vice versa.  As a rule, when I fish stained water lakes such as Lake of the Woods, I am a fan of rattles and a bit more noise.

For years, I was a fan of the lipless crankbaits for open water fishing, but had never used them through the ice.  This technique first caught my eye when a local guide up at Lake of the Woods talked to me about how years back he used to use a Rattle Trap to ice March walleyes.  Lake of the Woods has an extended ice fishing season with houses on the ice through March and the walleye season open through April 14^th.  Hence, anglers can target March walleyes putting on the pre-spawn feedbag.

He said he would be ripping a trap in one hole and deadsticking (a live minnow six inches to a foot off of the bottom) his second hole.  He said there were times when a walleye would hit that trap so hard it almost rip the rod out of his hand.

I experimented a bit with lipless cranks through the ice but really started having success with the Rippin Rap.  Now, it is a lure that I often lead with for my jigging line through the ice.

I experiment with jigging action, watching my electronics allowing them teach me what the walleyes want that day.  Some days, the walleyes’ moods are consistent, wanting the same action for the lure.  Other days, it is basically fishing each individual fish to learn what they want.

The normal jigging cadence I begin with is to pull the lure up in about two foot increments, enough to feel the vibration and hear the rattles.  I then will let it free fall into the strike zone, which in my mind is normally about a foot off of the bottom.

I do mix the jigging up, giving extra long and fast rips at times, shaking the lure as fast as I can, elevating the lure in the water column as some bait is elevated and fish see up.

Sometimes walleyes will slide in slowly on the lure.  Other times there will be a mark on my electronics out of nowhere.  That fish will eat almost all of the time.

When a fish slides in slowly, I work various jigging cadences until I get that fish to go.  Sometimes they want the normal jigging routine with a free fall.  Other times, will hold it just above them a bit and jig it more subtly much like I would a jigging spoon with a minnow head.  Jig, jig, hold in strike zone.  Shake, shake, shake, shake, hold in strike zone.  Walleyes will hit this lure sitting still and at times will actually prefer it sitting still in front of them verses moving.

When a walleye flies in out of nowhere, this fish is hot and is ready to eat.  Normally, all I have to do is get the lure in front of them, give it a couple of shakes and POW!  I have seen this happen often, both with walleyes when the bite is good but also when fish are in a more neutral mood.  I think it relates to the reaction strike we talk about when pulling cranks in the summer.

It is important to let the fish tell you what they want each day.  Their mood can change from day to day, sometimes, hour to hour.  Regardless, don’t be afraid to add some noise to your walleye and sauger arsenal to ice more fish.

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Click Here for Lake of the Woods Tourism lodging and fish house rentals

Every year, Mother Nature dictates when conditions are right to start grooming the hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails across and around Lake of the Woods.  Mother Nature has done her part and so have the area snowmobile clubs.  Between checking ice conditions, cutting through fallen trees, fixing bridges, adding or replacing signage along the trail, marking the trail and constant grooming, the good folks who are members of the club have been busy.  The great news is snowmobile trails on land and across the ice on Lake of the Woods are open!

There are two active snowmobile clubs around the lake.  The Lake of the Woods Drifters and the NW Angle Edge Riders.  Both do a great job of maintaining and grooming trails and keep conditions up to date on their Facebook pages.

There are literally hundreds of miles of lightly used snowmobile trails throughout the area.  Whether it is on the south of the lake through the miles of beautiful woods or up to the NW Angle, a 42 mile ride up to the Angle resort area, there is great trail riding available in the area.

Ice fishing is so good and well known throughout Lake of the Woods, snowmobiling takes a back seat.  In reality, the trail system, beauty and resources of area resorts are second to none and get very little use.  A nice change of pace vs the cosmopolitan snowmobile areas with hundreds or even thousands of sleds.

Snowmobile up to the NW Angle!  Recently, myself and a couple of friends had the chance to embark on this snowmobiling trek.  It was something we wanted to do for a long time.  With a busy schedule and also out of fairness, being a walleye nut, never made the time for.  On this particular trip, we put that “woulda, coulda, shoulda” aside and took on the adventure.  Bret Amundson of Prairie Sportsman and Jamie Dietman, avid outdoorsman from the Brainerd area joined me and we did it up right.  Our adventure was featured on an episode of Prairie Sportsman which airs on Pioneer Public Television, TPT Minnesota, Lakeland Public TV and KSMQ in Austin and Rochester.

After spending a day snowmobiling the south end of the lake, we rode our Polaris sleds north across frozen Lake of the Woods to the NW Angle.  The trail across the lake is about 42 miles long and marked with black stakes with reflectors on the top that show up well against the white icescape that extends as far as the eye can see.

The trail was in good shape, but it is important to stay on the trail as every year the ice freezes differently.  The year we traveled north, the ice froze amongst crazy winds which caused ice upheavals scattered across the lake.  Consequently, the trail snaked through what could be very dangerous ice chunks if not careful about sticking to the marked trail.  As a rule of thumb each and every year, if you stick to the trail, it is all good and the snowmobiling is very beautiful.

Upon crossing Pine Island, the many fish houses come into view.  This is prime walleye fishing area and the lake was covered with well distanced fish houses.  After flying a drone to capture the scene the next stop was Garden Island. 

Upon crossing the easterly tip of Garden, we stopped to check out the shelter on the island.  The shelter is a refuge for all seasons if caught on the big lake in inclement weather.  After a brief stop, we continued on to our destination, which on this trip, was Sportsman’s Oak Island.  Chi chi and crew welcomed us and got us settled.

There are about twelve resorts up at the NW Angle and eight are open throughout the winter months.  Some are on the mainland while other are on the islands.  All are amongst the beauty of the Angle.

After lunch, we headed for the one room school house.  Here, we met up with the President of the NW Angle Edge Riders, Richard Allen McKeever for an afternoon ride.  We went west on the inlet to about the northernmost point of the contiguous United States possible, eventually entering the land trails and and then headed south just inside the Minnesota border along the Canadian line. 

The trails were groomed to perfection with no traffic.  We snowmobiled an entire afternoon and never saw another sled.  “This happens all of the time,” explained McKeever.  “Folks who have never snowmobiled the Angle hit the trails and are blown away at how well they are maintained, how wide they are and the absolute beauty of the NW Angle.  They also comment on how little traffic there is on the trails.”

We agreed.  The snow covered pines mixed with hardwoods were awe inspiring.  This was postcard beauty at it’s finest.

We talked about how wonderful the sledding was in this area and how it was such a well kept secret.  It’s no surprise snowmobiling in this area takes second fiddle to walleye fishing.

We did take part in some ice fishing our third day.  I will say, the temps dropped to -25, so having a bombardier pick us up at the door of our cabin was a welcomed treat.  The heated bomber drove us just a couple of miles to our heated fish house set up on the edge of one of the many NW Angle reefs.  Despite the cold snap, Lake of the Woods once again produced.  In a partial day of fishing, we caught plenty of fish for a fish fry that evening.  Along with walleyes and saugers, we iced a tulibee, eelpout and jumbo perch. 

If you like snowmobiling, a destination on your list needs to be Lake of the Woods.  The two snowmobile clubs, the Lake of the Woods Drifters in the south and the NW Angle Edge Riders on the north end of the lake, are active and do a great job of maintaining the trails.  The trails go through some of the most breathtaking natural landscapes around.

There are seven shelters along the trails to stop and take a break.  These, for many, are nice places to stop, talk about the trails, plan on next stops and just pause for a moment to appreciate the beauty of being in the woods. 

The sleds we used on this trip were all Polaris.  It is something to see how Polaris, located in nearby Roseau, MN has evolved to make some of the best snowmobiles in the world.  The sleds started right up in -25 temps, were snappy and powerful, hugged the trails beautifully and were very easy on the body.  After putting on a couple of hundred miles in a few days, take it from a guy who doesn’t snowmobile much, I felt better than I ever had after so many miles.  A testament to the new design and cutting edge suspension Polaris has incorporated. 

The last day of our trip, we woke up to frigid temps bottoming out at -25.  After a hearty breakfast and some good coffee in the lodge, we dressed up with extra cold weather gear, double checked that we had no skin exposed and fired up our sleds for the 42 mile journey to the south shore.

As the weather was extreme, we stopped every ten miles to make sure everyone was doing OK.  It was nice having new sleds and having four of us in the event there was any equipment challenges.  Luckily, there was not and we arrived to our trucks and snowmobile trailer in good shape.

This trip was unique as we focused on snowmobiling, something most don’t do on Lake of the Woods.  I can promise you this, the trails were incredible.  It was a trip we will never forget and one we will surely be embarking on again in the near future.

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88 year old “Ike” Eichman and his friend Dan Ethan have been ice fishing together on Lake of the Woods for about 15 years.  They are good friends who worked together in Ethan’s sheet metal company in the Twin Cities.  Their tradition of ice fishing together has created a lot of memories, but this week’s ice fishing  and a big walleye that left Ike shaking is at the top of the list.

“I was using my special pink jig and a live minnow.  When I set the hook, I knew it was a big fish.  At first, I was thinking it was a dogfish,” explains Eichman who is a Korean War veteran.  “I fought it a long time.  When I got it up to the hole, wait till you hear this story, Dan does a better job telling it.  Dan tell him about it,” Ike says to his buddy with a big grin.

“Ike got it up to the hole and we saw it was a big walleye.  He couldn’t get it’s head turned up the hole.  As he was trying to get it’s head up the hole, the line broke,” explains Ethan.  “Our hearts just sank.  And then, Ike’s second rod started to bend.  We soon realized the walleye had gotten the line that broke tangled up during the fight with the line from Ike’s second rod.”

“Now we really had a mess, but the big walleye was still hooked up just below the ice.  As we looked down, the fish was so big, the  tail of the walleye was stretched over just below the ice in the original hole,” explained Ethen with Ike grinning as the events were shared.

“I reached down and grabbed the tail.  I was worried that when I touched the tail of that big walleye, it would kick like they often do when you touch their tail.  This one didn’t.  I grabbed the tail and started to pull it backwards up the hole.  I told Ike it was starting to slip and just then I was able to get a better hold of the fish and pull it up through the hole backwards. “

“At first when the line broke, I was more worried about my special pink jig than the fish!” explained Ike.  I have had that special jig for years and caught so many fish on it.  When Dan got that huge walleye up the hole backwards, I didn’t see my jig at first.  And then there it was.  I said ‘there’s my jig’.”

Ike’s big walleye was 30.5 inches to be exact.  “It was at that point I really had the chance to focus on how big this walleye was.  I didn’t get the shakes until it was all over.  I didn’t shake at all while I was fighting the fish.  My previous largest walleye was 26.5 inches long also caught on Lake of the Woods.  This was a lot bigger.  It was such a beautiful fish,” Ike explained with a twinkle in his eye.

“We took a picture of Ike with his big walleye and released her back.  She was healthy, in fact, when she kicked, that big tail gave me a shower!” explained Ike’s long time fishing buddy.

Ike and Dan were ice fishing through a Lake of the Woods resort.  Resorts have fish houses out in some of the best fishing areas of Lake of the Woods, following walleyes and saugers throughout the winter.  Many enjoy the ease of stepping into a spacious, heated fish house with the holes all drilled and cleaned out.  Ice guides check on guests throughout the day making sure things are going well.  At the end of the day, guides will even clean the fish.  In many cases, area resorts will actually cook up your fresh catch.

Traditions.  Friendships.  Memories.  Ice fishing is about so much more than just the fishing.  And to think it all started out with that small pink jig.

Info on Lake of the Woods

Lodging and Fish House Rentals on Lake of the Woods

The Northwest Angle.  It is the northernmost point of the contiguous United States, it is where the 14,552 islands of Lake of the Woods begin, it has 12 resorts who cater to anglers and the area is full of walleyes.  Ice fishing is awesome on this part of the lake, but with the the border being closed, travel to the Angle has been challenging at best.  This winter, visitors looking to travel to the NW Angle have a few options and one of them includes a fly in service.  That’s right, land right on the ice near your favorite NW Angle resort.

During a normal winter, guests who enjoy ice fishing up at the Angle would simply drive through Canada and then enter back into the U.S. up at the Angle.  With the pandemic and border being shut since mid March, 2020, travel up has been limited to traveling across the lake.

Another typical way some travel to the Angle during the winter months is snowmobile.  The two snowmobile clubs around Lake of the Woods do an excellent job of grooming and staking trails from the south end of Lake of the Woods all the way up to the NW Angle.  One trails comes out of the Wheeler’s Point area.  When the ice is thick enough on the Rainy River, guests could literally take the trail all the way from Baudette to the Angle.  The other route takes guests along the western edge of Lake of the Woods from the Rocky Point, Long Point area or from Warroad north.

There is now another option, flying.  Lake Country Air out of Duluth, MN is now offering Fly In Fishing trips to the NW Angle.  Currently, travelers can fly out of a variety of MN locations including Duluth, Baudette, Warroad, International Falls or Thief River Falls.  Round trip flights will land you on the ice up at the NW Angle where you can access your favorite resort.

Lake Country Air offers both sight seeing tours and a charter service.  The airplane used to fly into the Angle, interestingly enough, is no stranger to the Angle.  “20 years ago had this plane up to Lake of the Woods,” explains Jesse Starkson, one of the owners.  “They used to fly regularly to the Angle from Warroad.  The flight service was very popular to many.”

The current plane being used is a Beaver and can transport 4-6 people based on weight.

This fly in service can fly anglers up to the NW Angle landing on the ice on specially prepared landing strips.  This makes it possible for guests to access or get picked up by their favorite NW Angle resort.

The fly in service will also operate in the open water months.  By May, the company will have a larger plane available called a Caravan which has longer range and can transport more than 10 people.

NW Angle resorts offer some of the best full service ice fishing in North America.  Heated fish houses are moved often to keep you on the fish.  Anglers will catch walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, eelpout, pike, and tulibees.  Once in a while, crappies, a muskie or a sturgeon will even make an appearance.

Angle resorts offer both great cooking facilities in their cabins or a number of them have a great bar and restaurant as part of their offerings.  You might be way up north, but don’t for a minute think you will be sacrificing good meals.  The menu offerings in these parts are plentiful and the food is delicious.

When you are staying at the Angle, whether you cook it yourself or let the resort cook it, fresh walleye with all of the trimmings is a tradition that is hard to beat.

Ice fishing the NW Angle is something special.  With this year adding many challenges to our lives, please know that special place to allow relaxation, peace and calming is accessible, just maybe in ways we are not used to.

Access info about Lake of the Woods

Resorts, outfitters and ice fishing options on Lake of the Woods

When Barb Carey joined AGLOW (Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers) seven years ago, something became very evident.  Women were not being represented enough throughout the ice fishing industry.  “I had been running WI Women Fish since 2006 and I knew how many women actually ice fished.  There were a lot.  I also knew how much money women spent on the sport of ice fishing,” explained Carey.  Those observations are what motivated Carey to start an organization called Women on Ice.

Women on Ice…  To inspire and motivate other women who want to learn the sport of ice fishing, as well as generate awareness and recognition for women anglers.  This movement of women ice anglers started seven years ago and has been building.  “Awareness of women in the sport of ice fishing has gotten much better,” explains Carey, a retired police officer from Madison, WI.

Prior to being a police officer, Carey owned a petting zoo at one point in her life and was an LPN at a VA Hospital in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  “It’s funny, I have helped more people through my fishing career than I had in all of my previous careers combined.”

Carey and other leaders from Women on Ice were up at Lake of the Woods this past week.  It was mainly a work trip, gaining assets for sponsors, another way of saying providing images and videos, along with getting the word out about the benefits of the product lines they represent.  Make no bones about it, along with the work, there was some fun, which includes ice fishing.  “Normally at this event, we would invite women who would like to join us to learn more about ice fishing or simply get to know other women who ice fish.  Because of COVID, we had to hold off on that part of the event,” explained Carey.

The Women on Ice event was based out of River Bend Resort located at the mouth of the Rainy River that leads into Lake of the Woods.  This was home base where the ladies were staying in cabins overlooking the river and across the ice to Canada.

As a guest at the Women on Ice event, my main role was to stay out of the way!  These ladies are proficient with a capital “P”!  These ladies came with their own ice transportation.  A couple brought snowmobiles, others brought ATV’s.  In many cases, these ice fishing machines were tricked out with features making ice fishing easier and more enjoyable.

I rode with Carey on her red Honda ATV.  It was set up with a Raymarine GPS so Carey knew exactly where she was both on land and on the ice.  It also allows her to follow her plot line to and from fishing spots on the ice making sure she didn’t get off course.

For the ladies who didn’t have a unit on their sled or ATV, Carey insisted they use their Navionics app in their Smartphone.  At one point, just as the sun was rising and everyone was getting ready to hit the ice, Carey pulled one of the group aside and asked her, “Do you have your Navionics on?  Do you know how to drop a plot line so you can find your way back if need be?”  It was all part of it, teaching, promoting leadership, enabling ladies with the skills and tools to be self sufficient as ice anglers.

When I say these Women on Ice ladies know their stuff, I mean it.  Each morning they were out before the sun was up starting their machines, looking over their equipment, attaching their collapsible fish houses to their snowmobile or ATV.

At the end of the day, same routine in reverse.  Some equipment was brought inside where it was warm, other equipment secured in trailers, etc.

When I rode with Carey, she pulled two collapsible fish houses, one attached to the other.  Her K-Drill auger was attached to the front of her ATV.  She made sure to take my Vexilar in a bucket and put that in the front rack.  “With any electronics, I like to put them on the front rack so they don’t get so beat up in the fish house banging around.”  There weren’t many details missed.  Equipment was accounted for and secured.

The Women on Ice group was very good about helping each other out.  “Are you topped off with gas?  I have a gas can in the trailer, let me grab it for you.”  This kind of teamwork resonated.

Naturally, some of the ladies had more experience than others, and it didn’t matter.  What mattered is making sure everyone was safe, helping to accomplish the mission of the trip and having a good time.

The Women on Ice event was very organized with safety being of prime importance.  “Can I have everyone’s attention.. Hey, can you guys turn your machines off just for a second, thank you.  We are going to go out on the ice together.   I will take the lead and Rikki, (referring to Rikki Pardun, one of the leaders) will be in the back.  Let’s make sure we stay together in a line.  This is still early ice and we have to be careful.  If you would happen to come across an area or something that doesn’t look right, stop your machine and approach it on foot to check it out with a spud bar first.  Make sure you have your float suits on and zipped up.  Does everyone have ice picks on?”

Once on the ice, these ladies, if they weren’t involved in shooting a video or creating some cool looking still shots of ice fishing products, were after the walleyes.  Once we stopped in an area, the augers were cutting ice, collapsible fish houses were being set up, heaters were getting started.  Some of the ladies, simply to get their line in the water, started fishing in the open.  All were dressed in Clam ice suits, one of the Women on Ice sponsors, so they were ready for the weather.

I have to say, the Women on Ice group needed nobody’s help, in fact, I am confident they could provide some good learning for the majority of ice anglers.  If they did, they would be cool about it.  These are a group of very good natured female ice anglers who simply love ice fishing, love the comradery, and love being ambassadors in a sport they hold near and dear to their hearts.  Women on Ice, advancing the sport of ice fishing.

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