The Rainy River is a success story.  It acts as the international border between the U.S. and Canada all the way from Rainy Lake where it empties out all of the way to Lake of the Woods, a lake in which it feeds 70 + miles downstream.  This beautiful river is known to most for it’s world class fishing opportunities.  Walleyes running up from the lake in the spring and fall.  Massive Lake Sturgeon which have made a huge recovery over the years.  Perhaps none of this would have been possible without the many changes that took place to clean up the river.

The below article is a re-print from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and highlights the success story of the Rainy River.

In an era of flashy quick fixes, the Rainy River is a story of how slow and steady wins the race. Once one of the most polluted rivers in the state, the Rainy River now boasts “good to excellent” water quality.

Back in the 1950s, the Rainy River was so choked with industrial wood waste and raw sewage, one had to dig several feet to hit water. Now the Rainy River supports drinking water, fishing, tourism, and recreation.

The solution

Reading a new report by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on the health of the river, another idiom comes to mind: “Many hands make light work.” This story of recovery came via efforts of many agencies and environmental legislation in both Canada and the United States. For more than 50 years, the two countries have collaborated to restore and protect water quality.

“The Rainy River is a vital economic and cultural bond between the United States and Canada,” says MPCA commissioner Laura Bishop. “With all partners working together — including federal, state, and local governments, Tribal Nations, industry, and environmental advocates — we have moved the river from near total destruction to one of the most treasured fishing spots in North America that is also integral to the health of economies on both sides of the border.”

Though it would take several decades to turn the Rainy River around, two pieces of legislation set the river in the right direction: Canada’s Environmental Protection Act in 1971 and the United States’ Clean Water Act in 1972. In addition, the International Joint Commission established the International Rainy River Water Pollution Board to assist the two countries to address pollution in the Rainy River. By the early 1980s, pollutants had dropped dramatically on both sides of the border.

“The improvements that we have seen in the Rainy River demonstrate what can be accomplished when our two countries collaborate, in this instance by working together in the International Joint Commission’s International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board, to achieve shared objectives,” said Ariel Delouya, Consul General of Canada in Minneapolis.

The Rainy River is now considered a world-class fishery, and one of the top five places in the U.S. to catch a 10-pound walleye or a four-foot or larger sturgeon. Other aquatic life, such as insects that provide food for fish and birds, are also doing well.

Looking ahead

The MPCA report cites the need to continue to protect sensitive headwaters lakes and streams, to ensure spawning for multiple game species. Protections are needed from future development and land use changes. For the report and supporting images, visit the Rainy River pages.

The Rainy River report is the fourth in a series on big river systems in Minnesota. Previous reports have focused on the Upper Mississippi, Minnesota, and Red rivers. The MPCA is now working on its assessment of the St. Croix River.

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Lake of the Woods and Rainy River area lodging and guides

It’s “Dog Days” on Lake of the Woods,  a time in the heart of the summer when the ecosytem is in full force.  On many bodies of water, it is darn tough to catch a walleye right now.  Between huge blooms of weeds combined with the baitfish, perch, panfish and young of the year baitfish all perfect sizes for a walleye to eat, walleyes can be finicky and hard to get to.  On LOW however, this is a time that shines for catching walleyes trolling or drifting with crawler harnesses on the deep mud and around reefs.

There are different techniques that shine different parts of the year.  In colder water, earlier summer and the fall, the jig and minnow is a go to.  It has caught more walleyes out of the big lake than any other presentation.  Right now, however, the walleyes are more spread out and covering water along with a bit of speed is advantageous.

Trolling crankbaits during the dog days of summer is also a very effective technique in catching walleyes.  You can cover water with a variety of size, shapes, wobbles, rattles, etc.

There can, however, some very good arguments made in learning the nuances of pulling spinners for dog days walleyes, also called crawler harnesses or simply snelled spinners with a crawler, minnow or leech.  The technique can have big advantages.  Harnesses:

-Are easier to use on and around structure

-Provide strong vibration which is picked up by a walleye’s lateral line

-Are easy to alter by changing blades on a quick change clevis

-Provide the action and smell of live bait

-Are effective for both neutral and active walleyes

-And very simply, summer walleyes can’t resist them.

Spinners for summer walleyes really kicks into gear as the water begins to warm up.  Normally when water starts to hit the mid 50’s, it is time to start considering drifting or trolling with spinners.  Currently the dog days water temps on Lake of the Woods are in the high 70’s and even some days reaching the low 80’s.

This video was not filmed this year but it has some good info about pulling crawler harnesses that is pertinent all of the time.  Check it out.

First off, a crawler harness and snelled spinner are basically the same thing.  When you are not using a night crawler, we don’t call is a crawler harness anymore, thus it’s a snelled spinner.  Semantics out of the way, these set ups are effective for summer walleyes.

Why are spinners for walleyes so effective for dog days walleyes?  A lot of reasons, the flash of the blade.  The different color combinations of the beads and blades.  The vibration of the spinner is sensed by the walleyes lateral line much like that of the prey they feed.  You can put crawlers, minnows, leeches and plastics on a harness.

My go to set up is a two ounce bottom bouncer with a harness between 4-6′ long.  It is conducive to use a longer snell in clearer waters, thus on Lake of the Woods, I normally go about 5′ or so as the water is stained.  In a nutshell, the key with this presentation is to slowly be pulling this through the water column where the fish are so the blade is spinning and a desirable speed the walleyes want that given day.

What that looks like is drifting or trolling your set up with a desirable 45 degree angle.  When I am trolling in my boat, my goal is 1.25 mph.  You don’t want the harness way behind the boat like when you are trolling with a crankbait.  You want that 45 degree angle and have total control.

Keep the sinker just off the bottom, not dragging the bottom, but rather touch the bottom once in a while to know you are down there and lift just off so you avoid snags and other debris.

When a walleye grabs it, it loads up like a wet sock.  Normally they don’t hammer it.  Simply lower you rod tip back at the same speed of the boat so the walleye doesn’t feel anything change for two seconds and swing the rod with a mild hookset. 

When using a crawler, I suggest a two hook harness and pinch off the crawler once hooked on the harness so only about 3-4″ of tail hangs off of the back hook.  This will avoid missing walleyes that grab the back of the rig.

This set up covers water.  It can be used from shallow to deep.  It will catch everything that swims.  And for the folks who go fishing with you less experienced, is a relatively easy way to get walleyes hooked up.

There are many good brands of snelled spinners or crawler harnesses you can purchase with length, fluorocarbon line and quick change clevices.  Some anglers like to tie their own crawler harnesses as well which allows creativity in the bead pattern, length of snell, etc.

Give spinners for summer walleyes a try this year, you might be surprised how many more fish end up in your boat!

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Some call it the “dog days” of August.  When most walleye anglers talk about August, it can be a challenging time for most bodies of water.  There are a number of good reasons why catching walleyes in August in many waters is difficult and why walleye fishing on Lake of the Woods excels.  Gary Parsons of the Next Bite TV show and successful professional tournament walleye angler summed it up nicely here…

Here are some reasons many of bodies of water are tough for walleyes…

1.  Plethora of baitfish.  In the first part of the summer, much of the young of the year fish, perch, panfish and minnows were very small.  They have now reached a size in which walleyes are interested.  For a walleye angler, this literally means competition with literally thousands of offerings to walleyes they really didn’t have earlier.
2. Weeds.  It is summer and weed growth has made it difficult to troll, jig or pull harnesses in many areas.  Walleyes still may inhabit these areas, but they are very tough to get to.  Hence, the overall equation means touch to catch walleyes.
3. Walleyes seek colder water.  For many bodies of water, this may mean suspended fish of fish more difficult to target.
4. Bait stealers.  With the growth of panfish in many systems, anglers have a very difficult time pulling crawler harnesses for instance or fishing a Lindy Rig as the small fish will eat up your live bait in no time.

Anglers who fish Lake of the Woods are fortunate.  Most of the time in the late summer, there is a distinct pattern that sets up.  On both Big Traverse and Little Traverse Bays, there are huge stretches of “no man’s land” or mud that extends for miles.  The depth is consistent in most areas, typically 30 – 34′, a trollers dream.  Many anglers will approach these walleyes trolling as many are spread out picking away at schools of bait and a variety of offerings living in the mud.

To get lures down the 30′ or more, angler’s have some good options.

1.  Jump on a charter or in with a guide.  Charter boats are equipped with the necessary equipment to catch walleyes wherever they are roaming.  In some cases, live bait techniques may be used.  In other cases, if the captain feels angler success will be much higher, they may decide to troll crankbaits.  It is very helpful to have a charter captain who understands walleye movements during the dog days of summer.  It also helps to have other charter captain friends on the lake to share real time info with, ensuring high customer success.
2. Downriggers.   Riggers can be spendy for the average angler to consider.  They are effective however during the dog days of summer.  Basically, a lead weight on a cable that comes off of a large spool that is mounted to the boat.  A lure is attached to the cable via a special release that will release the line once fish hits.
3. Snap weights.  Considered old school by many, snap weights are weights anywhere from 1/2 ounce to 4 ounces with a clip that attached to the line.  The idea is to let out 25 – 50′ of line with your lure and attach the proper sized weight to get down to the fish.  When a fish is caught, reel up to the weight, remove it from the line and continue reeling in the fish.  The key here is to not give the line any slack.
4. Leadcore line.  Very popular amongst walleye anglers to get crankbaits down to dog days walleyes, this is basically line that has lead inside of it which causes it to sink.  Anglers can determine how deep lures are running based on how deep the lure runs on it’s own and how much leadcore line is let out.  In a nutshell, let out 30′ of leadcore for every 5′ of depth you desire.  Most use linecounter reels with this technique.
5. Big billed cranks with superline.  There are some crankbaits with larger bills that are designed to get deep.  This combined with a very thin diameter superline like a Suffix or Fireline can really attain good depth.

There are certainly other methods to achieve depth when trolling, but on Lake of the Woods, the aforementioned are the most effective.

August is an incredible month to fish Lake of the Woods.  Some anglers actually plan their vacations to target dog days walleyes on LOW as some of the largest fish in the system are active and very predictable, roaming “no man’s land” in search of food which for the really big walleyes includes roaming schools of tulibees.  There are a nice variety of resorts and hotels geared towards fishing in the area.  Some offer full service with bar and restaurant.  Others offer lodging and you cook your own meals.  A little bit of everything is available.

In some cases, angler’s paradigms of poor fishing for walleyes in August during the dog days of summer isn’t far off.  Up at The Walleye Capital of the World, fishing is just kicking into high gear!

To learn more about Lake of the Woods, check out the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.

To find a guide, charter boat or lodging, check out our lodging page.

The Lake of the Woods Veterans Memorial is dedicated to the brave men and women that have, are, and will service in the armed forces of the United States.  This memorial is for all U.S. veterans everywhere and is not geographic in any way.

Mail Call.  Simply put, it is the distribution of mail to members of a military unit.  For veterans, it was a time before the computer age when it was the only communication possible from a girlfriend or boyfriend.  A husband or wife.  Mom and dad, brothers and sisters.  It was, for many, a lifeline of connection to loved ones and a life worth fighting for.  Recently in Baudette, a brand new Lake of the Woods Veterans Memorial was unveiled at Timber Mill Park on the east side of town on highway 11.  The memorial features a statue is of a serviceman intently reading a piece of mail received at mail call.

A dedication ceremony for the Lake of the Woods Veterans Memorial took place on July 4, 2020. Several hundred spectators were on hand as the Baudette Ceremonial Squad marched in and raised the American flag while the the national anthem was played and spectators sang. After a short speech the center piece statue was unveiled.

The bronze statue is titled “Letter From Home”. The ceremony concluded with the Ceremonial Squad firing a 21 gun salute to honor all veterans that have serviced in our military. After Taps was played the Ceremonial Squad departed and the public milled around looking at pavers honoring individuals that have served.

The next time you are in the Baudette or Lake of the Woods area, we encourage you to swing by, take a deep breath and imagine what it was like (or for some, remember what it was like) to receive mail call.  Feel free to take a walk through Timber Mill Park.  This park is great for walking and biking, has a City owned campground and fish cleaning facilities and a wonderful boat ramp to the Rainy River.

While the City of Baudette, Lake of the Woods County, the VFW Post 273, and the American Legion Post 217 have contributed funds towards this project, it is not enough to fun the entire project. Therefore, the Lake of the Woods Veterans Memorial Committee is requesting monetary donations from individuals and businesses to help fund the construction of the memorial and its ongoing maintenance.

Donations in any amount are needed and very much appreciated.  There is also the opportunity to have a paver engraved in your name, your families name or perhaps in the name of a veteran and incorporated into the Lake of the Woods Veterans Memorial.  Pavers are $200 for three lines of text and four lines of text for $250.  If you would like to help out the fundraising efforts for this memorial that will be here for generations to come, please feel free to donate.  Please contact Glen Lawrence at 218.202.0092 or at glawrence53@yahoo.com.

A big “Thank You” to all who have already donated their time, talent and treasure as a way to honor those who have served or are currently serving.  And of course, thank you to all veterans and active military.

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As had been expected, MN Governor Tim Walz has issued Executive Order 20-81 (attached) which implements a statewide mask mandate.  Beginning July 25, 2020 all Minnesotans will be required to wear a mask in all public indoor spaces and businesses, unless alone.  The mask mandate also requires workers to wear a mask when working outdoors in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained.

The Governor said that in the long run, the mask mandate or requirement is the quickest way to ending the COVID-19 pandemic – adding that it is an economic key to ensuring that businesses are open and stay open.  Governor Walz said the Department of Employment and Economic Development with the Department of Health will distribute masks to people who do not have them including underserved communities and businesses across the state.

The Department of Administration has procured 4 million disposable masks which will be distributed to local Chambers of Commerce in all 87 counties across the state for distribution in their areas.  Law enforcement will also be given masks to distribute to people who do not have one.   Lt. Governor Flanagan also provided remarks in support of the mask requirement, talking about how she lost her brother to COVID-19 a few months ago.  To date, over 30 states have implemented mask requirements.

The Governor’s press release states “Individuals with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that makes it unreasonable for the individual to maintain a face covering are exempt from the order. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals who have a medical condition that compromises their ability to breathe, and individuals who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance. These individuals should consider using alternatives to face coverings, including clear face shields, and staying at home as much as possible.  Children who are five-years-old and under are also exempt. Those who are under two-years-old should never wear a face covering due to the risk of suffocation.”

Additionally, the press release states, “While the goal of this Executive Order is voluntary compliance, not enforcement, any individual who willfully violates this Executive Order is guilty of a petty misdemeanor and upon conviction can be punished by a fine not to exceed $100. Businesses willfully violating this Executive Order are guilty of a misdemeanor and can be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail. The Attorney General, as well as city and county attorneys, may also seek civil penalties from businesses who are in violation of this Executive Order.”

More information on the mask mandate can be found at these links:

• Frequently Asked Questions About the Mask Mandate and about Wear Face Coverings:  link
• Face Covering Requirements and Recommendations under Executive Order 20-81:  link

Additional details about mask coverings can be found on the Minnesota Department of Health website here:

www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/prevention.html#masks

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Keep It Clean is an organization which was created jointly by Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau, the MN DNR, Lake of the Woods Soil and Water Conservation District and The Friends of Zippel Bay State Park to promote a clean Lake of the Woods and to bring together a variety of stakeholders to do so.

Keep It Clean was created to protect, maintain and promote cleanliness for the beautiful landscape, water resources and shorelines of Lake of the Woods as a special place for everyone to visit and enjoy.

Each year as part of Keep It Clean, there is an organized clean up effort.  This year’s clean up efforts around Lake of the Woods once again was a huge success.  The Lake of the Woods Soil and Water Conservation District with help from the Conservation Corp crew of MN and IA pulled together to clean up various areas around the lake and Rainy River.

Everyone benefits from garbage first off, not entering the environment.  With Lake of the Woods receiving a lot of traffic, inherintly, it will be the recipient of trash.  Removing this trash during this annual event not only physically removes a lot of trash but also brings to light the topic which in turn helps everyone to be more diligent in keeping Lake of the Woods, and of course their own environments, clean.

As mentioned, this year’s clean up event was a huge success.  Please read the 2020 Litter Removal Report below.

Keep It Clean –

2020 Litter Removal Report

June 1^st – June 4^th

Compiled by Abigail Nordstrom, Conservation Corps of MN & IA

Introduction

 This report documents the 2020 shoreline cleanup conducted by of the Lake of the Woods Soil and Water Conservation District (LOW SWCD) with an abundance of help from the Conservation Corp (CC) Crew of MN and IA. This is the 8^th consecutive year the LOW SWCD has hosted a crew. The shoreline cleanup is just one of several efforts of the Keep it Clean Campaign, that focuses on reducing garbage littered on Lake of the Woods during both the summer vacation and winter fishing seasons. A total of 81 bags of garbage were removed from 10.5 miles of shoreline.

Baudette Bay and Peace Park – June 1st, 2020

 The CC crew arrived on the afternoon of Monday, June 1^st, and began collecting garbage along the shorelines of Baudette Bay. About one mile of shoreline was picked. The group split up and while some members walked the shoreline, others paddled two canoes to fill and carry the 11 bags of trash collected. Most of the garbage that was picked up consisted of beverage cans and bottles. Three large plastic barrels were also collected.

Wheeler’s Point – June 1st, 2020

 Later that same day, the crew picked up two bags of garbage over the approximately 600 feet of shoreline at Wheeler’s Point Public Access. A notable find was a depth finder used for fishing.

Morris Point Scenic and Natural Area (SNA)

– June, 2nd 2020

 Morris Point SNA was the first site visited on Tuesday. The shoreline is two-thirds of a mile long and at total of 11 bag

s of garbage were collected, most of it being treated wood pieces and large styrofoam pieces from ice houses and single-use coolers.

Four Mile Bay Wildlife Management Area (WMA) – June 2nd, 2020

At Four Mile Bay WMA and some adjacent private land, 11 bags of garbage consisting mostly of plastic beverage bottles were collected over the 1.7 miles of shoreline. A car tire, and numerous pieces of treated wood were also picked up. Two iron barrels were left on the shoreline because of their weight.

Prosper WMA – June 2nd, 2020

Prosper WMA was the final site picked this day. Over the 2.8 mile long shoreline, seven bags of garbage, many pieces of treated wood, Styrofoam, a plastic bucket, and a life jacket were picked up.

Zippel Bay State Park – June 3rd, 2020

 On the morning of June 3^rd, Zippel Bay State Park was the first site visited. Seven bags of garbage and many wood pieces were collected along the 1.7 miles of shoreline. The site was thought to be considerably clean site for the amount of traffic it receives, but the shoreline also could have been cleaned up by others already.

Rocky Point WMA – June 3rd, 2020

The shoreline picked at the Rocky Point WMA was 2.8 miles long. Collected were 15 bags of garbage, probably two dozen pieces of treated wood, and two tires. An interesting find here was approximately 50 expelled shotgun shells. There were two accesses at this location: one at the western edge of the shoreline, and one access to the east. The crew split up and both groups walked east along the shoreline. The group that had taken the western side encountered a newly formed water channel, likely a result of the high- water levels last fall. This channel was impassable without wading through several feet of water and the group used pieces of driftwood to cross.

Half of the group made it across dry, but the other half did not. The two groups rendezvoused at the eastern access and made several trips with the 4×4 to haul garbage out.

South Shore WMA – June 3rd, 2020

 This was the final site picked on June 3rd. Collected items included: 14 bags of trash, a plastic pallet, a pull-out couch mattress, a fishing rod, many pieces of treated wood, and two unsalvageable tree cages. The mattress that was removed from the water and hauled off, came from a couch located on the beach. The couch was left behind beca

use of limited space in the truck bed.

Boy Scout Park – June 4th, 2020

 The Boy Scout Park was picked up by the Conservation Corp Crew without the assistance of the LOW SWCD. Over the quarter mile of shoreline, the crew collected three bags of garbage.

Final Summary

Approximately 10.5 miles of shoreline were covered in the 2020 Cleanup. With the ongoing COVID-19 situation, distancing requirements made it impractical to access and clean up the shoreline of Pine Island. Even with the loss of these four miles of shoreline, a comparable number of bags to previous years were filled. This has been attributed to the ability to access areas that are not accessible, except under lower water level conditions like those experienced this year. (See Figure 1. 2020 Water Level Graph).

The loss of the Pine Island site also dramatically increased the density (bags/mile) of garbage collected. The crew gathered 81 bags of garbage, mostly comprised of beverage containers, styrofoam pieces from ice houses and coolers, and many dozens of pieces green-treated wood. Other notable finds include three tires, two dozen or so fishing lures, several plastic buckets, a life jacket, a depth finder, a pull-out couch mattress, and a plastic pallet.

Map of Cleanup Locations

Figures

Tables:

Acknowledgements

The SWCD would like to thank the Conservation Corp Crew for their hard work, the landowners who provided access to property adjacent of cleanup sites, and all others who helped make this year’s cleanup possible. This help and access proved invaluable and resulted in a successful event.

This project was made possible by Minnesota’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. A portion of these funds are dedicated to the Clean Water Fund, to protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.

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Lake of the Woods is called The Walleye Capital of the World.  It is an incredible natural resource that allows anglers the privilege to keep walleyes and saugers that ultimately end up being enjoyed on a dinner plate.  It is a tradition anglers who visit Lake of the Woods really enjoy.  To get the very best out of a fish fry, it is important to know how to take care of the fish from the time they are caught to the cleaning table.  Keeping walleyes alive in a live well or properly chilled in a cooler of ice is important.

It is also critical to know how to clean a walleye to not only get all of the bones out but maximize how much meat you get.  There are a few tricks that can make walleye fillets come out boneless and delicious.  In the below video, “Angle Andy” otherwise known as Andy Lundbohm, a longtime guide up at the NW Angle shares his years of experience cleaning walleyes.  Check out his walleye filleting tips below.

There are a lot of ways to clean walleyes.  Some anglers use a normal filet knife, others use an electric knife.  Regardless of your style, the walleye filleting tips presented in this video are certainly the result of many years, decades and perhaps generations of tips.

By utilizing some key walleye filleting tips, anglers can not only maximize the amount of meat from a fish but make sure the end product during a fish fry is going to be boneless and delicious. 

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Thousands of ice anglers flock to Lake of the Woods every year.  As anglers make their way to the Walleye Capital, there are a variety of expectations that make for a successful trip.  In many cases, catching fish and having a fish fry are somewhere on the list.   Even though walleyes steal the conversations, summer saugers are often a part of this equation.

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield coined the phrase, “I don’t get no respect.”  One of the fish that doesn’t get respect, yet day in and day out keeps anglers busy and fills buckets is the sauger.  This smaller cousin to the walleye is sometimes taken for granted.

When headed up to Lake of the Woods, many anglers’ focus is on the fish that has made LOW famous, the walleye.  There is one fish, however, that plays a nice part in the overall catch and fish frys.  Saugers play a big part in what makes Lake of the Woods such an enjoyable fishing destination.

Ten good reasons to love summer saugers.

1.  Consistent action.  In between schools of walleyes, saugers normally bite well and keep the activity level high.  There have been many days fishing in which saugers have saved the day and certainly preserved the evening fish fry.  If the walleyes aren’t dialed in that particular day for whatever reason, having saugers whacking the jigs and lures really adds to the enjoyment.
2.  High population and good sized. Numbers in Lake of the Woods fluctuate year to year.  One thing we know, right now, there is an extremely high population in the system and many of them nice size.  When I say nice, I am talking up to 14 or 18 inches.   This creates a perfect scenario for a lot of action and that heart-pounding “strike” or “tap” at the end of your rod.
3. Living Quarters.  Saugers will coexist with walleyes.  It is common to come in with a livewell or cooler of walleyes and saugers mixed.  As a rule, though, this cousin to the walleye tends to prefer a bit deeper water than walleyes.  In addition, they normally hug the bottom vs walleyes that will utilize more of the water column, often suspending while targeting tulibees and other baitfish.
4. Great for kids.  Depending upon the day, walleye fishing can take some patience.  Saugers are typically more cooperative and help to bring consistent action to the boat.  Kids want and need action and saugers will typically keep electronics lit up and rods bent.
5. Unique.  Many waterways throughout the Midwest do not have saugers.  Saugers traditionally live in waterways associated with a river system and do well in stained water.  Thus, most anglers do not have the opportunity to catch saugers on a regular basis.  Looking at the sauger vs the walleye, there are differences.  Saugers do not have the white tip on the bottom of the tail, they have splotches on their skin, are browner, do not have a dark area at the base of their dorsal fin and have spots on their dorsal fin.
6. Delicious.  The firm white meat of a sauger is very much sought after.  Some locals will tell you they like the sauger better than even the walleye, as they believe the meat is a bit sweeter.  Regardless of opinion, one thing is for sure, they taste good.
7. Liberal daily limits.  There is a strong population of saugers in LOW.  Throughout the year, anglers are allowed a combined total of six walleyes and saugers per day.  Of these six, up to four can be walleyes.  With these limits, it lends itself well to filling a cooler of fish for an evening fish fry and bringing a few fish home.
8. Saugers bite all year long.  In some lakes when the water really heats up, fishing really shuts off.  Lake of the Woods keeps on trucking.  It is big water and luckily, there are so many saugers in the system some fish seem to cooperate every day making for a successful outing.  Spring, summer and fall offer incredible fishing for both walleyes and saugers as they are active.
9. A fish of Four Seasons!  Saugers feed well both on soft and hard water.   With the extended seasons Lake of the Woods has for walleyes and saugers being open until April 14^th, the sauger season is only close about a month leading up to the MN Fishing Opener.
10. Fun to catch!  Saugers fight much like walleyes.  The fish are typically hugging the bottom of the lake and they are normally a bit deeper.  Jigging your favorite jig, pulling spinners or trolling crankbaits will all bring saugers to the boat.

Although walleyes receive most of the attention, summer saugers play an important role in the overall fishing success on Lake of the Woods.  Saugers are fun to catch and swim the waters of Lake of the Woods in abundance.  More often than not, when you come for that epic walleye trip, saugers will be happy to pay you a visit!

To learn more about summer saugers and Lake of the Woods, check out the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.

To find a guide, charter boat or lodging, check out our lodging page.