It is no secret there have been some big walleyes living in the Rainy River this spring.  Unseasonably warm temperatures combined with less ice this year has created open water up and down the Rainy River.  Boat ramps are opened up and anglers are reporting good fishing.  If you think you have the walleyes “dialed in” on the river, perhaps this Emo Walleye Classic virtual fishing contest is for you.

Organizers in Emo, Ontario have created a virtual walleye tournament on the Rainy River.  Normally, this tournament would be towards the end of May and would be a traditional tournament with teams taking off from Emo, fishing the Canadian side of the Rainy River only, traditional weigh-ins with live fish and even a top 10 boat parade.  These are not normal times.

As last year’s tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic, organizers wanted to do something to keep the tradition alive even during these not so normal times.  It sounds like they have done it, with some tweaks of course.

-The tournament is a two day tournament, taking place Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11 from 8am – 4pm Central.

-This year’s tournament is a virtual tournament.  The tournament will rely on technology in the form of the well known fishing tournament smart phone app, Fish Donkey. 

-Being this tournament is virtual, anglers from both sides of the border can take part.

-Anglers can be on the water and at their spot before the start of each day which is 8am.

-Anglers will have to submit a video at 8am showing their livewell and different parts of their boat, which ultimately takes the place of a boat inspection for a normal in person tournament.

-Anglers will take a picture holding the fish with the left side of the fish showing.

-The second image will be their fish on a measuring board with the fishes mouth closed and touching the “bump” on the bump board which is the measuring board.  The tail can be swung back and forth with the picture taken showing the maximum length of the fish.

-Finally, a video should be taken showing the fish being removed from the measuring device or “bump board” and successfully released back into the water.

For official rules, check out the rules in the Fish Donkey App.  The app is free to download and an angler can read up on the rules and other details of the tournament before entering.  When in the Fish Donkey App, search for Emo Walleye Classic Can & American.  All information as well as how to register and pay for the tournament will also be there.

This tournament is organized and run by the non-profit called the Emo Walleye Classic Committee.

The purpose of this tournament is normally to get like minded folks coming together for a fun event as well as stimulating the local business community of Emo, Ontario with anglers in town, etc.

Proceeds from this tournament are put into the winnings for successful anglers.  This year’s top prize is $10,000 CDN.

Virtual tournaments are becoming more and more popular.  In this case, the virtual aspect overcomes many hurdles.  With a closed border, it allows both Canadian and U.S. anglers to enter.  It prevents groups of people which during the pandemic is a good thing.  Teams of two will be in their own boats out amongst nature.

Thinking outside the box and conducting a virtual tournament allows a local fishing tournament heading into it’s 20th year to continue the tradition for all of the right reasons.  We wish our friends across the river in Emo all of the best with the tournament.  If you decide to fish the tournament, have fun, good luck and make some memories!

Learn more about the Rainy River

Info about the Lake of the Woods Area

Area lodging info

With their backs against the wall and facing another season with little to no revenue, NW Angle businesses came together with a common purpose.  Technically, they are competitors to one another.  So much more, however, they needed each other for their businesses to survive.  The main route for guests to travel to the NW Angle is 40 miles through Canada.  With the U.S. / Canada border closed due to the pandemic, resorts were cut off from their customers.  The only other way to reach the Angle was to stay in U.S. territory and come across the lake.  It seemed far fetched to many, but left with few options, the group organized, invested and planned an ice road.

The NW Angle Guest Ice Road was a success and it stood for many things.  The entrepreneurial spirit of a small business owner.  The creativity of a solution when faced with a difficult, seemingly insurmountable challenge.  Teamwork amongst competing resorts.  But perhaps the one thing it stood for the most was hope.

Bret Amundson, host of Prairie Sportsman TV had the opportunity to travel the NW Angle Guest Ice Road up to the NW Angle and discuss what the road meant to people.  Perspectives of resort owners, cabin owners, customers and even one of the people who plowed the ice road all winter.  This piece is as much about the human spirit as it is the ice road.  Enjoy.

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Learn more about the NW Angle

Learn more about Lake of the Woods

Lodging around Lake of the Woods

Thinking about making a trip to Lake of the Woods this year? I would strongly suggest that you make your plans for this beautiful destination. Let’s consider some great ideas when making your plans.

Consideration #1: What area of Lake of the Woods should I visit?  Lake of the Woods is a large body of water being the largest lake in the contiguous United States next to the Great Lakes. It has 65,000 miles of shoreline and 14,000 islands. It is an international lake encompassing the United States and Canada. The area of Lake of the Woods in the states is divided into 3 areas. They are: the Rainy River, the South Shore and the Northwest Angle.

Rainy River is the river which flows from the east at Rainy Lake near International Falls. It makes up the boundary between Canada and Minnesota. Along this river are various resorts ready to serve your vacation pleasure. These resorts give easy access to the big lake and guides are experienced traveling these waters.

The South Shore area features resorts that are right on the big lake where sunsets dazzle the eyes and fish are ready to be caught. The Northwest Angle is located on the tip or the “chimney” of Minnesota. Visitors must travel through Canada to access these resorts and we are sorry to report that the Canadian border is closed during this Covid time. However, LOW Island Passenger Service and Beaver Air Tours can transport you, your guest and your gear across the lake.

Consideration #2: What services are you looking for in a resort? Each resort is unique and offers many great amenities. Are you interested in a cabin or possibly a log villa? Maybe you’d like a room in a lodge.  Would you like to have a restaurant available for meals or cook your own meals. Many families take advantage of package deals where their lodging and meals are offered as an American Plan. This is a great feature when bringing the wife along and treating her to no cooking. Would you like to have the availability of a bar/lounge? Some resorts even offer nightly music to further enhance your vacation pleasure.

Consideration #3: Do you want to bring your pet? As you check our amenities area on our lodging page of our website at www.lakefthewoodsmn.com/lodging, you can quickly find out which resorts are pet-friendly so the family that includes pets doesn’t have to be separated during vacation.

Consideration #4: Do you want to go charter fishing with an experienced guide or bring your own boat? Here again, check out our amenities chart for Guided Charter Fishing and also for renting a boat slip at the resort. Bait, Licenses and Gas are usually available at each resort and employees are happy to assist you with your needs. Guides will also clean your fish and either deliver them to you or take them to any resort to have them cooked up for a wonderful meal after a day on the lake.

Consideration #5: Will the whole family be coming? If so, do you want to find swimming for the kids. What a great amenity this is. This area has a few resorts with outdoor pools and others have indoor pools and hot tubs. What a great way to relax after a day on the lake. Don’t forget Lake of the Woods has a great sandy beach at Zippel Bay State Park. This area is huge and has availability of rest rooms and picnics areas and plenty of area for the kids to play and sunbath. The water there is very shallow and you can walk a great distance into the lake and still be very safe.

Consideration #6: How easy is it to get a reservation at Lake of the Woods resorts? That’s a great question. Another great feature of our website is the answer to this question. Go to www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com, click on the Lodging tab, Scroll down to Lodging Availability Request. Click on that and find a form to fill out to inquire about a reservation. This form automatically goes out to each resort. They, in turn, check their calendars and respond directly to you to try and accommodate any dates you might be interested in.

Another possibility for checking out Lake of the Woods is to go to www.exploreminnesota.com. Click on the Northwest Area of the map of Minnesota and begin your search.

Here’s hoping you will certainly consider Lake of the Woods as you vacation destination.

Click here to see our webpage: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com

Click here to see lodging opportunities: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging

Rainy River creates the border between Minnesota and Canada. Its wide expanse and the swift current makes for great adventures on this water. The Rainy flows from Rainy Lake in the east at Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada and International Falls, MN.  It meanders over small rapid areas and around a few islands to make it to its destination in Lake of the Woods.

The Minnesota Department of Resources along with the counties of Koochiching and Lake of the Woods maintain small rest areas, parks and landings where anglers can launch their boats or visitors can just enjoy the beauty of the river and possibly cook a hot dog over the provided fire pits in an area complete with shelters and picnic tables.

Spring Fishing on the Majestic Rainy River is an experience of a lifetime. Walleyes swim upstream to take part in their annual spawning ritual. Lunkers galore show up on angler’s lines for the thrill of landing a trophy fish. During this early “ice out” season, timing only Mother Nature knows, anglers from all over travel to find those trophy fish they’ve always dreamed about.

This spring of 2021 has proven to be an early season and at this writing the Rainy River is open shore to shore almost to Wheeler’s Point. That’s incredible. In about one week, ice season finished and open water season started. As the current increases on the Rainy, it starts its thawing ability and then with over the average spring temperatures, the race to the lake is on.

The MN DNR imposed Catch and Release ONLY in the Rainy River during this spring season so that the population of walleyes and saugers is sustainable. Previous studies showed a decrease of mature male walleyes in the river.  In order to sustain their availability, Catch and Release is enforced. Remember that anglers may only fish on the US side of the river because of the Canadian border closing.

Lake of the Woods is one of the healthiest fisheries around and it boasts of having more than enough walleye, sauger and other species to go around. There’s an incredible number of poundage caught each year, but Lake of the Woods still keeps producing the great population.

Access Points along the river are completely open. From the east on Hwy 11, the first access is a remote state park area at Franz Jevne. The Birchdale Landing at Nelson Park, located in Koochiching County, is so popular during this season that’s it’s not unreasonable to see hundreds of cars parked with boat trailers up and down the road leading to the park. Even local people are amazed at the sight of anglers who are have traveled distances to frequent this great river.

The next access point moving towards the west on Hwy 11 is Frontier Landing which is about 12 miles to the east of Baudette. This is also a favorite spot to launch your boat with great ease, and it’s very close to the Hwy so it’s closer to walk to your parked vehicle. Both Nelson Park and Frontier Landing have camping sites available as well as shelters, bathroom facilities and grill pits for your random meal before hitting the water.

Moving west about 7 miles you can launch at Vidas Landing which is a very open spot and great ease in launching your boat. There are also bathroom facilities, shelter and barbecue grills. If you move further west into Baudette, at the edge of town you come to Timbermill Park. What a beautiful place to camp and also use this great landing. This area is complete with a fish cleaning house with running water and just a beautiful setting on the Rainy.

As you head west on Hwy 11 into the heart of Baudette, turn right onto International Drive at Willie Walleye Park, home of the big fish. Continue towards the Canadian border crossing and you will come to a beautiful wayside park called Peace Park. This is a very popular boat landing with ample space for parking your vehicle and boat trailer. You will be launching in Baudette Bay which leads right into the Rainy River.

Of course, you can also continue on towards Lake of the Woods itself and use the huge public landing at the Wheelers Point area. As you can see, there is no lack of opportunity for launching your boat and enjoying the fresh spring air and the marvelous fishing the Rainy River offers. Walleye season is open until April 14^th. Come and enjoy!!

It is tough to predict each year how long the spring fishing season will be and when there will be open water on the Rainy River.  After all, only Mother Nature really knows when the river will open up.  Anglers who enjoy the spring tradition of fishing the Rainy River received good news this week as there are currently four boat ramps open!  Nelson Park at Birchdale opened first, followed by Frontier, the Vidas landing and Timbermill Park in Baudette.  The next on the list to open is Wheeler’s Point at the mouth of the Rainy River and that could happen any day!

The spring walleye season on the Rainy River and Four Mile Bay runs from March 1st through April 14th.  This is a catch and release season only.

As every year, it started with some brave (some would say crazy) anglers pushing their boats over shoreline ice only to find the open flowing waters of the Rainy River.  We don’t recommend or encourage this, but it does happen.

Not too much longer after the first few boats were spotted on the river, the first boat ramp was open to boats on trailers.  Nelson Park in Birchdale opened up this past week followed by Frontier then Vidas.  Since then, anglers have been out targeting big walleyes in the Rainy River.

With three boat ramps open, as you can imagine, anglers are taking advantage of the open water on the Rainy River.  Initial reports by walleye anglers are good.  The discussion is it will only get better as waters warm.

Most anglers this time of year are jigging.  Traditionally, a jig and minnow is the go to method.  Live minnows such as a fat head, chub or small sucker minnow is the choice of some.  Others swear by using frozen emerald shiners, which is a staple food source of walleyes on Lake of the Woods and in the Rainy River.

Some anglers break out their plastics this time of year.  A jig tipped with a plastic can be just what the walleyes ordered.  With the wide variety of plastics on the market, anglers can play around with size, shape, texture, scent and color.  There is nothing like the feeling of seeing a big walleye emerge from the depths with a jig and colorful plastic in it’s mouth.

Another overlooked technique that puts a lot of big walleyes in the boat is trolling crankbaits.  Yes, the water is cold.  However, slowly pulling a shad rap or your favorite crank against the current can be the ticket.  By pulling against the current, you can go slower which can be important in this ice cold water.  With water flowing against your crank, you still get great action without the speed.

Big walleyes are being boated.  Images across social media show why anglers come to the Rainy River this time of year.  The chance to catch dozens of nice walleyes.  The chance at a fish of a lifetime.  The opportunity to still be fishing walleyes.  The opportunity to fish open water which for many is the first time in 2021.  There are many reasons anglers flock to the Rainy River this time of year.

Another reason anglers come up to the Rainy River in the spring is sturgeon.  There is a growing group of anglers who actually leave the walleye anglers alone and focus on the dinosaurs.  Lake sturgeon have made a wonderful comeback on Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River.  With no more commercial netting on Lake of the Woods and the insertion of the clean water act which cleaned up the Rainy River, the sturgeon’s main spawning grounds, the population of sturgeon and the size of sturgeon have exploded.

Sturgeon fishing is very relaxing.  Typically, anglers will find a deep hole in the river and anchor up.  Using heavier tackle, the go to bait is a sturgeon rig combined with nightcrawlers and in some cases, even frozen shiners on a big circle hook.  This rig is fished on the bottom as sturgeon typically are bottom feeders.  When you hook into one, you will know it!

Spring sturgeon fishing has been excellent with big numbers of sturgeon being caught. Sturgeon catch and release season through 4/23/21. Keep season 4/24/21 – 5/7/21, (45-50″, or over 75″) Catch and release 5/8/21 – 5/15/21.  The sturgeon closes 5/16/21 – 6/30/21.

A lot of big sturgeon have already been caught this spring on the Rainy River this past week.  Some caught by sturgeon anglers, others by unsuspecting walleye anglers using live bait.  

Spring is a wonderful time of the year.  It’s also a wonderful opportunity to fish on the Rainy River.  With various boat ramps and a good stretch of the Rainy River opened up, traffic at access points gets dispersed which is nice vs having only one access open.  The upcoming week’s weather forecast is beautiful and some anglers will take advantage of this short but very special season.  Now is the time!

Info about the Rainy River

Info on Sturgeon Fishing

Lake of the Woods Lodging and Fishing Guides

General info about Lake of the Woods

Some people believe there are no coincidences, but rather, things are meant to be.  Regardless of your beliefs, this particular day on a charter boat on the big water of Lake of the Woods turned out to be special.  My intent was to jump on a charter boat with the purpose of getting some good photography of walleye fishing, maybe make a video and certainly, to feel that familiar weight of a nice walleye myself.  It seems good things typically happen on a charter, and let me tell you, this day was no different. 

Lake of the Woods is one of the few lakes you can jump on a 27 – 30 foot charter boat and fish walleyes.  A Coast Guard licensed charter captain takes away all of the worry regarding navigation, lunch, bait, tackle, getting on the fish and even the fish cleaning after the trip.

Most captains have a license that allows them to guide up to 6 customers at a time, which makes this type of boat ideal for the size of the crew.  With a cuddy cabin below, a small restroom if needed and big enough to handle the big water this lake is known for are all nice benefits.

If you don’t have a crew of six on a charter boat, which many don’t, most of the resorts will work with you to combine groups so you only pay your fair share.  Whether you are by yourself or in a small group, jumping on a charter boat is certainly doable.  Fishing with people you don’t know can end up being a nice bonus as I was about to find out.

I was on board with four other people.  One couple, John and Sonja and a father son team of Tom and Brent.   We had never fished together, but we were all excited to hit the water for a great day of fishing The Walleye Capital of the World on a charter boat.

Once to our destination, we anchored up and started jigging with jigs and frozen shiners.  The emerald shiner is a main forage for Lake of the Woods walleyes.  In addition, they provide a nice flash and a lot of scent.  Walleyes love them.  It didn’t take long and we started to catch a combination of walleyes, saugers and jumbo perch, with an occasional pike thrown in for good measure.

Initially, Sonja had the hot stick.  Sonja is a fun person with a good sense of humor and she enjoys good conversation.  I think she would be the first to tell you, between her and her husband John, she is definitely the chattier of the two.

We had some fun with her very unique, yet effective method of jigging.  You need to have an apple in one hand and your fishing rod in the other.  While holding a conversation with the rest of the boat and eating an apple, she would lift her jig way off the bottom, and then drop it erratically back down to the bottom.  This was not pre planned or by design, but on this day, the walleyes wanted it!  She was on fire and taught us all a lesson for the first part of the trip.

John held his own though and throughout the day, caught up nicely, just without the flare of his wife.  He did it old school, without an apple or the conversation or the patent lift and drop technique of his wife.

Enjoying the camaraderie of good people on a charter boat is a gratifying experience.  It really adds to the overall experience of catching walleyes, relaxing on the water, breathing in the fresh northern air, and making the trip mean that much more.

The other two anglers on the boat were the father/son duo of Tom and Brent.  Wanting to spend some quality time together, they thought a fishing vacation would be spot on.  The thought was to spend some quality father/son time together while staying at a nice resort, eating some good food and doing some fishing on the big pond.  And fishing they did.

Side by side reeling in walleyes, listening to the water lap against the side of the charter boat, soaking in the sun, talking about old times while hanging out with a loved one is a nice gig.  It was evident, these guys were enjoying every moment.  Both Tom and Brent are good anglers and caught good numbers of walleyes and saugers.  Although Brent enjoyed the day, he really wanted a bit more.  He had always heard about the trophy walleyes in this lake and wanted to catch a monster.

As the day went on, we all caught good fish and a lot of them, slowly filling the icy cooler for the evening fish fry.  As time slipped away into the afternoon, we were sitting just fine as far as numbers of fish.  Our captain decided to make a move to an area that was holding some larger fish.  We pulled into the spot, he dropped the anchor and we began to fish.  After about 15 minutes, we started hooking up with some nice walleyes.  Although we caught fish up to 25 inches, we never did get that true trophy Brent was hoping for.

Brent would be the first one to tell you, not catching a trophy walleye this day really wasn’t the end of the world.  We had a great day in so many ways.  It was a day of incredible day of fishing, new friendships and great memories to never be forgotten.  Was it that Brent knew something about the rest of the trip we didn’t?  I don’t think so, but trophy walleye luck for Brent was about to change.

My four new friends enjoyed a second day of fishing without me as I had to depart.  And wouldn’t you know it, later the next day I received a message.  He did it!  Brent caught the fish of his dreams, a 31 inch monster walleye with his Dad by his side.  As some might say, this was simply the icing on the cake to a fishing trip for the books.

This day on a charter was special.  I was very touched to have shared the father/son experience of Brent and his Dad fishing together.  I couldn’t believe it when Brent reached out to let me know he caught his monster.  Unbelievable.

I was also touched meeting a couple spending quality time together on the water.  When I am in a booth or giving a seminar at a sports show in the twin cities area, I look forward to seeing John and Sonja as they always make sure they come by and say hello and sometimes even hook up for dinner.

The four have fished together many times since.  Special things can happen on a charter boat on the middle of Lake of the Woods.  They certainly did on this trip

Learn more about Fishing Lake of the Woods

Click Here for a list of lodging, charters and fishing guides

Lake of the Woods is known as being the Walleye Capital of the World™. Huge walleyes show up in this fishery, but none as big as Willie Walleye himself. This statue is the town icon and has had his picture taken more times than a person can mention. He stands boldly at the center of Baudette, MN, where passers-by can’t help but see him. Marking its territory, Willie overlooks its namesake park called “Willie Walleye Park” as well as Baudette Bay and the Rainy River.

Here’s some history:

Willie Walleye, the 40-foot, 2 ½ ton fish which came to symbolize the Lake of the Woods, originated

as Arnold F. Lund’s idea, an idea which he recommended to the Baudette Civic and Commerce

Association. With Mr. Lund doing much of the organizing for the project, the Civic and Commerce group

took the job of building the fish statue.

By April of 1958, Al Anderson had translated Lund’s idea into a blueprint, using as a model a 32-inch

long, mounted walleye which was on display at Joe Farrell’s Hardware Store. Within a month the

concrete footings had been poured and work started on the frame. Walter C. Olson, assisted by his son,

David Olson, and Luverne Larson, had the difficult task of forming a frame of steel and wire mesh to the

shape of a walleye.

While Mr. Olson and his assistants were busy welding, cutting and welding some more, the Civic and

Commerce Association was trying to decide on a name for the fish. The first suggestions were Mr.

Walleye and King Walleye. It was decided to choose the name democratically and a ballot with five

names on it was printed in the Baudette Region. Wally, Walter and Willie were the additional names on

the ballot. After several weeks of voting, the name Willie won.

At about the same time, George Ayotte and his helper, Russell Halvorson, finished plastering the skin.

Dick Wilson had contracted to paint the statue, and the paint was applied the next spring. The statue

was dedicated during Walleye Days, June 19 and 20, 1959. *Credit to the Lake of the Woods County History Archives

Time and time again, Willie had to be refinished and that was getting to be a costly effort. It was decided by many members of a committee to replace the beloved concrete Willie with a new, maintenance free, fiberglass fish. What an event that was as the concrete Willie was demolished and the new Willie arriving by semi and put in place by huge cranes and a large audience. Willie Walleye, Baudette, Minnesota (roadsideamerica.com)

Funds for the new Willie were raised by numerous donations from organizations, fund raisers, and private donations. It was an endeavor that the whole county got involved in. Has anyone ever seen a huge 40 foot fish being hauled on a semi? Well, it was a site to behold.

Willie has such an incredible history that a few years ago people were asked to write the “true” story of how Willie came to live in the waters of Baudette Bay. Entries by the dozens came in and they are currently stored at the Lake of the Woods Historical Society. There’s no doubt that “he” is loved. Many town festivities and events occur each year at Willie Walleye hill. The biggest event held there is always the Fourth of July fireworks where thousands of people sit on the hill and observe this awesome display.

Why have a walleye as an icon for the town? Lake of the Woods has one of the healthiest fisheries in all of Minnesota. The primary catch each season is the walleye. The lake also hosts sauger (the walleye’s first cousin), perch, northern, smallmouth bass, sturgeon, muskie and eelpout or burbot. Fish are in abundance in this lake which is the largest fresh water lake in the contiguous United States next to the Great Lakes. It has 65,000 miles of shoreline and 14,000 islands. The large body of water is shared by both the United States and Canada.

So plan a trip now to the northern border of Minnesota where Willie Walleye watches over the town of Baudette with a watchful eye. He will then invite you to explore the great lake which he traveled freely all of those year before he became the Biggest Catch.

Link to the Lake of the Woods Historical Society.

Return back to Lake of the Woods Tourism Website.

Lake of the Woods, Minnesota

Once you catch on, you won’t want to be released.

By Hope S. Philbrick

Lush. Fresh. In any weather any season, these words best describe Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, which hovers midway across the United States at its northernmost edge.

The air here is so clean each breeze seems a soft sigh, every gust a satisfied yawn. Clean, healthy water teems with an abundant variety and volume of fish. From the sparkling blue water to the rustling green trees, the rich colors appear otherworldly. Bald eagles soar overhead. Loons wail a constant chorus.

Floating on this water feels like drifting on air. You can reach down and touch the clouds reflected on the lake’s glasslike surface.

Weather and wildlife cause more ripples on this water than people ever do. Dubbed “The Walleye Capital of the World,” this portion of the lake reaches depths of 36 feet. Walleye and muskies are king here, but northern pike, perch, sauger, crappie, smallmouth bass, lake trout, lake sturgeon, whitefish, and suckers also thrive.

Earth and water mingle across this 85-mile stretch that harbors 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline. The nation’s sixth largest freshwater lake and the 100th largest lake on the planet, Lake of the Woods offers some of the best fishing in the world. While avid anglers cast in search of that elusive record catch, even first-timers get hooked.

“It’s a very beautiful place,” says Ed Phillips, an avid North Carolina-based fisherman who spent a week exploring Lake of the Woods. “The lake is so huge and has so many islands it’s easy to get lost on. ‘Lake of the Woods’ is a very accurate description. It’s unlike anyplace I’ve ever fished.”  

This is a place where getting lost in nature is an adrenaline rush. “Lake of the Woods is one of my top three places to go fishing,” says Rebecca Bingham, who goes fishing as often as she can and has fished in seven countries and 36 states. “It’s incredible. There’s such a wide variety of species and each fishing experience is unique—whether in warm months or cold—with its own adventure and excitement.”

Whether you fish for food or bragging rights, a prize can be found here. “You can find big trophy northern pike and walleyes,” says Craig Enervold, a Minnesota native who fishes at least 60 times a year and frequents Lake of the Woods.

From lodges to cabins to resorts, there’s an overnight accommodation option to suit your interests and budget, whether you favor rustic camping or one of the more than 45 full-service resorts, whether you crave the company of other travelers or prefer a true escape into nature.

Navigate the massive lake on your own using maps and a GPS or allow a resort guide to coordinate every detail from providing necessary gear to offering insights about when, where and how to fish for certain species, to even preparing a traditional shore lunch.

Shore lunch can be “one of the experiences that makes a culinary imprint on your brain,” says Bingham. “It’s part of the culture.” Recipes vary but always showcase your fresh catch and can be prepared in just 15 minutes. “I’d never eaten fish so fresh,” says Bingham. “Every fish I’ve eaten since is measured by that experience.” Shore lunches often pair skillet-fried fish with onions, potatoes, baked beans, and bread. Some resort chefs can also prepare dinners incorporating fresh catches; one popular local favorite is walleye and wild rice. Enervold says walleye’s white flakey meat has “a flavor all its own, but not a deep extreme taste.”

Novices and experts are equally welcome. “It’s such a fishing culture,” says Bingham. “Yet it’s big enough that you’re not fishing on top of som ebody else.”

Even if not fishing, discoveries await. “We saw some petroglyphs that natives had drawn on some cliffs,” says Phillips. “There’s no light pollution so at night the stargazing is incredible; you can look up and see everything. We saw the northern lights one evening.”

Located an hour from International Falls and two hours from Bemidji, the remote Lake of the Woods is a place that will linger in memory, lure return visits.

Click Here for more info on the Lake of the Woods Minnesota area.

Click Here for a complete list of Lake of the Woods Lodging options.

State Parks are beautiful and number as high as 75 in Minnesota, however, Lake of the Woods is home to many beautiful areas to explore.

It’s time to get outdoors and get some fresh air and sit and enjoy the beauty of creation as it comes to life in the springtime.  Zippel Bay State Park is a beautiful spot to visit at any season, but springtime has special beauty.

With miles of groomed trails, you will enjoy wildflowers peeking through the undergrowth and the aspens and birch trees coming alive with their bright green leaves and beautiful white bark.  This State Park is located at 3684 54th Avenue Northwest, Williams, MN 56686 on Hwy #8 northwest of Baudette.  Currently during Covid-19, state parks are only open to day visits until May 31^st but that is a great opportunity to take the family on a walking tour.

The State Park at Zippel Bay is also known for its sandy beach reaching out into Lake of the Woods. It’s a perfect place for children to build sand castles and explore the shoreline. The bay itself is very shallow there so it is the best place for visitors to swim and walk out a long distance. You may obtain a State Park Sticker online before you visit or right at the entrance. A great family experience while practicing social distancing.

Zipple Bay State Park also manages the Blueberry Hill and Faunce campgrounds inside the Beltrami Island State Forest. For information on these units, please contact the Zippel Bay State Park office at (218) 783-6252. Blueberry Hill State Forest is located 3.5 miles west of Williams on the south side of Highway 11 and is one of the highest points of elevation in the county.

Other state parks in the area include an excursion by boat to the northern-most park of Garden Island on Lake of the Woods.

Boat docks and picnic grounds are available three seasons of the year. Here you can explore and do some walleye fishing and even enjoy a shore lunch on these beautiful grounds. Here’s a link to see what you can expect. Don’t forget that if you’re a birding fanatic, you  are able to see many species at this untouched landscape. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/destinations/state_parks/virtual_tours/garden_island/vt_gardenisland.html

Venture to the northland very soon to enjoy the rich beauty spring offers in state parks. Come to Lake of the Woods, MN. For more information and lodging availability, please see out website at www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging.  Feast your eyes on the beauty nature has to offer.