On the south end… Summer fishing on Lake of the Woods is in full swing and the lake is producing. A nice size mix of walleyes with lots of eaters, slots and trophy fish in the mix.
Various techniques are catching walleyes. Crawler harnesses are working very well. A two hook snelled spinner with a crawler and 1 -2 ounce inline sinker or bottom bouncer drifted or trolled at around 1 mph will catch walleyes.
A tip for crawler harnesses… Hook the front part which is the dark part of the crawler on the front hook. Straighten the crawler and hook with the second hook. Have about 2 – 3 inches off of the back hook. If it’s too long, pinch off the long tail.
Jigging with a minnow, and sometimes a leech, is still catching walleyes. Anchoring up and vertical jigging amongst fish is effective.
If you are struggling to catch fish, trolling crankbaits is a great way to find fish. This technique puts your lure in front of a lot of fish and triggers reaction bites.
Most walleyes are being caught in 20 – 28 feet. Some nice walleye bites also taking place in 8 – 15 feet, usually when forage is present. Fish being caught at various locations across the south shore and up north by Garden Island.
Nice pike are being caught by walleye anglers. Those actually targeting pike are working bays and shoreline structure.
Big Pike
On the Rainy River…  River anglers are catching walleyes in many of the traditional walleye haunts such as current breaks, holes and rocky areas.
A jig and minnow in areas with structure or a current break is a good strategy. To find fish spread out on a flat or along a break, troll crankbaits or spinners / crawlers. Walleyes are the target, but these techniques catch a variety of species.
Lots of smallmouth bass in the river. Target feeder rivers, bridges, and areas with rocks. For pike, weed beds, bays and feeder rivers to the Rainy River.
The sturgeon season opens again July 1st.
Up at the NW Angle… Walleye fishing is excellent on both sides of the border. Most are jigging with a minnow or plastic on underwater points, neck down areas, flats with moving water and edges of reefs.
Crawler harnesses are working great for walleyes. In rocky areas, use a bottom bouncer and keep it just off of the bottom to avoid snags.
Smallmouth bass are in good numbers along shoreline structure. Pike can be found in bays and targeting points.
The muskie season opened June 17th. Good numbers of big fish caught and released.
On the south end… A fantastic week of fishing on Lake of the Woods. Walleye anglers are coming in with lots of limits and great pics of bigger fish that were released as well.
Crawler harnesses are catching a lot of fish. Using a 2 hook snelled spinner with a crawler and 2 ounce inline sinker or bottom bouncer. This technique has been deadly for walleyes. .
For the spinner blade, try a small (#2) to medium (#4) sized blade in gold and / or glow red, orange, pink or glow white.
Some anglers are using a minnow on their spinner rig with success. Jigging with a minnow is still catching a lot of fish, especially when on structure. Leeches are just starting to work for walleyes, and will get better as the hot summer weather continues.
Good reports from anglers trolling crankbaits both in the shallows along shore and in deeper depths.
Nice Pike
Most walleyes are being caught in 7 – 25 feet, water temps in the 70’s.
Great pike reports, with many nice fish being caught by unsuspecting walleye anglers.
On the Rainy River…  River anglers are finding some nice walleyes in many of the traditional walleye haunts such as current breaks, holes and rocky areas. Some fish are showing up in shallow flats as well.
Try pitching a jig and minnow to high probability areas with structure or a current break. To find and catch fish spread out on a flat or along a break, troll crankbaits or spinners / crawlers.
The Rainy River has some incredible smallmouth bass fishing. Target feeder rivers, bridges, and areas with rocks. For pike, weed beds, bays and feeder rivers to the Rainy River.
The sturgeon season opens again July 1st.
Up at the NW Angle… Walleye fishing continues to be excellent. Most are jigging with a minnow or plastic on underwater points, neck down areas, flats with moving water and edges of reefs.
With the water warming, spinners and crawlers are coming on strong. They are a great way to cover water and put your bait in front of a lot of fish.
Caught plenty of walleyes and want to mix it up? Try casting bays or areas around points. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and swimbaits are great all around lures that will catch a mixed bag.
On the south end… A great week of walleye and sauger fishing on Lake of the Woods. Lots of limits. Good numbers of fish being caught, which includes eaters, slots and some trophy walleyes to make things interesting!
Most anglers are jigging with a frozen emerald shiner or live minnow. Jig colors to consider are gold with a bright color such as gold / pink, gold / glow white and even gold with some tinsel.Â
Some reports of spinners starting to work well tipped with a minnow or crawler. A great technique is drifting with a 2 ounce bottom bouncer and spinner rig.
Fish being caught around the lake. Trust your electronics and watch for fish. In addition to the south shore where various schools of walleyes and saugers are living, consider the Garden Island area, Knight / Bridges Island area, and Twin Islands where good fish are being caught.
Most walleyes in that 18 – 24 foot depth.
Good pike reports. Back bays are still holding good eaters and a few big females. Some of the larger fish have made their way to the lake.
On the Rainy River…  Walleye anglers are finding some nice eater walleyes in the River. There is always a number of walleyes that stay in the river all year. Whether you like the beauty and secluded feel of the river, have a small boat or simply want to get out of the wind, the river is a great summer spot with little traffic.
Anchored up or slowly moving upstream with a jig and minnow, trolling spinners / crawlers or trolling crankbaits are all effective right now.
Smallmouth bass are plentiful in the Rainy River. Whether you are a bass angler or simply want to mix up species, target feeder rivers, bridges, and areas with rocks.
The sturgeon season will re-open again July 1st.
Up at the NW Angle… Excellent walleye fishing this past week. The jig and minnow is the goto bait. Anglers using spinners with crawlers or minnows and crankbaits are catching lots of fish as well.
Structure around the many islands holding walleyes. Shallow flats areas with current are also heating up.
Great fishing reports from both sides of the border. NW Angle anglers boating into Canada to fish cannot possess or transport any bait, alive or dead. Most are using jigs / plastics, artificial crawlers on spinners and crankbaits with great success. If desired, live bait is available and can be purchased for the day just over the border via boat in Canada, check with your resort for details.
This entire area is great for multispecies action. In addition to walleyes, big pike, smallmouth bass, jumbo perch, crappies,and muskies are also being caught on a regular basis.
On the south end… Walleye and sauger fishing continues to be really good. Most walleyes are spawned out and feeding nicely. Great reports by resort charter boats and others across the lake. A nice mix of eaters (under 19.5″), slot fish (19.5″ – 28″) and a good number of trophy fish (over 28″) caught this past weekend.
The combined limit of walleyes and saugers on the MN side of LOW is 6, with up to 4 of the 6 being walleyes. One trophy over 28 inches is allowed. All walleyes 19.5 – 28 inches must be released.
This is the time for jigging. Most anglers are anchoring up and vertically jigging with a jig and minnow. The best jig colors… gold, orange, chartreuse, pink or a combo of these colors.
Tip jigs with live minnows or frozen emerald shiners. Quick LOW tip… Place the hook of the jig through the mouth of the minnow, out the gills, slide the minnow all the way up to the jig head and hook the minnow through its midsection. This will get you hooking more fish.
Depths again varied from shallow to deep, depending upon where you were fishing. Most walleyes in that 8 – 30 foot depth. Watch  your electronics for fish. Not every fish in the lake is feeding on the same forage, hence, varying depths.
The pike continue to be active. Back bays and shoreline structure are the best spots. As the waters continue to warm, lures such as inline spinners, spinnerbaits and crankbaits are producing more pike.
On the Rainy River…  Walleye anglers are finding some nice walleyes in the Rainy River. Some walleyes will make their way back to the lake after the spawn, many will stay, some for a while, some all year.
Anchored up or slowly moving upstream with a jig and minnow are the go to techniques. Trolling crankbaits is also working nicely to find fish or fish walleyes spread out on a flat.
The river is a slow rolling, relatively small water nice for boats of all sizes. There are 42 miles of navigable waterway from the mouth at Wheeler’s Point east to Birchdale.
The sturgeon season will re-open again July 1st and will continue through May 15, 2024.
Up at the NW Angle… Great walleye fishing this past week. The jig and minnow is again the way to go in this cold water. Points, neck down areas, flats with some current, and areas with shoreline rubble holding nice walleyes.
As is normally the case amongst the islands, a variety of fish are being caught while fishing walleyes. Saugers, pike, smallmouth bass, crappies, jumbo perch and an occasional muskie. Lots of action.
Three ways to travel to the Angle…
1. Drive 40 miles through Canada and re-enter back into MN at the NW Angle.
2. Avoid customs by riding the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service which transports you across the lake to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.
3. Take your own boat 42 miles across the lake.
On the south end… Walleye fishing was fantastic for the MN Fishing Opener on Lake of the Woods. Many limits of eaters, lots of slot fish and a good number of trophy fish over 28 inches caught this past weekend.
Most anglers were after walleyes anchored up and vertically jigging with a jig and minnow along the south shore of Lake of the Woods. Ice just went out the week before so fish were still adjacent to spawning areas in many cases. Once you found the fish, it was typically good fishing.
The best jig colors… gold, orange, chartreuse, pink or a combo of these colors.
Some tipped jigs with live minnows, others, frozen emerald shiners. Both worked well and there was plenty of bait available for the opener.
Depths varied from shallow to deep, depending upon where you were fishing. Some anglers catching walleyes in as shallow as 3 feet of water to as deep as 30 feet, with that 15 – 25′ being most consistent.
The pike fishing continues to be good in the back bays. Some anglers are taking advantage of the numbers of fish in the bays post spawn, some love the action of pike fishing while others just like to mix it up a bit.
As the waters continue to warm, lures such as inline spinners, spinnerbaits and crankbaits are producing more pike.
On the Rainy River…  Walleye anglers found some nice walleyes in the Rainy River for the opener. With the late spring, good numbers of walleyes are still in the river and in Four Mile Bay.
Anchored up and jigging with a minnow is the go to technique this time of year and worked well this past weekend for anglers fishing the river.
The spring sturgeon season finished up May 15th. It will re-open again July 1st and will continue through May 15, 2024.
Up at the NW Angle…  A great walleye opener up at the Angle with good fish caught.  The jig bite produced on points, near neck down areas, adjacent spawning areas and areas with shoreline rubble produced walleyes for the opener.
A lot of fish caught shallow as the water is still cold and most walleyes have just finished spawning.
Crossing the border as you pass through Canada to reach the Angle is back to normal, or, pre-COVID status once again. There are few ways to travel to the Angle…
1. Drive 40 miles through Canada and re-enter back into MN at the NW Angle.
2. Avoid customs by riding the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service which transports you across the lake to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.
On the south end… Open water on Lake of the Woods, just before the MN Fishing Opener on Saturday, May 13th. Good timing on Mother Nature’s part. A combination of hot sun, rain and a strong north wind was too much for the rotten ice. Open water as far as the eye can see is a welcome sight for many.
The prediction is for some great walleye and sauger action. Most anglers will be going after the walleyes anchored up and vertically jigging with a jig and minnow along the south shore of Lake of the Woods.
Jig colors… gold, orange, chartreuse, pink or a combination of these colors in the stained waters of LOW will be the ticket.
Plenty of bait for the opener. Some anglers will go with live minnows, some frozen emerald shiners.
Once again, it is a combined limit of 6 walleyes and saugers on the Minnesota side of Lake of the Woods. Of those 6 fish, up to 4 can be walleyes. All walleyes 19.5 – 28 inches must be released. One fish is allowed over 28 inches.
Walleyes will certainly get the attention this coming weekend, but don’t forget about some wild pike action. The pike fishing this past week has been excellent. Good numbers of big pike are coming from various bays.
Dead bait, either under a bobber on a quick strike rig, or simply laying on the bottom, has been the goto bait. As the waters continue to warm, lures such as inline spinners, spinnerbaits and crankbaits will start to produce more fish.
On the Rainy River…  A great week of sturgeon fishing. Hundreds of fish caught this past weekend with some absolute giants over 70 inches, with weights estimated at over 100 lbs. The sturgeon season continues through May 15th, and reopens again on July 1st.
Walleye anglers are excited to hit the Rainy River for the opener. With a late spring, there will be good numbers of walleyes still in the river and in Four Mile Bay. There are 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from Wheeler’s Point to Birchdale with a number of boat landings in between. Perfect for smaller boats.
Up at the NW Angle…  Open water up at the Angle with some lingering ice anticipated to disappear by week’s end. The excitement is building for the fishing opener with lots of walleyes around during the late ice period lending promise of good fishing come Saturday.
Points, neck down areas and shoreline rubble will be areas to pay attention to with the cold water.
Pike anglers will be working shallow bays and neck down areas. Expect a mixed bag of fish if casting bays and shorelines this time of year.
Crossing the border as you pass through Canada to reach the Angle is back to normal, or, pre-COVID status once again. There are few ways to travel to the Angle…
1. Drive 40 miles through Canada and re-enter back into MN at the NW Angle.
2. Avoid customs by riding the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service which transports you across the lake to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.
On the south end… Rain, sun and wind are all putting a beating on the Lake of the Woods ice. Open water progress is being made, ice is getting darker, things are progressing. The open water so far on the basin continues through the Lighthouse Gap, Morris Point Gap and amongst various bays.
Various reports of pike in the bays. Most bays are now open or almost open for open water pike anglers.
Pike season is open year round on Lake of the Woods providing anglers with a unique chance to fish pike before the MN Fishing Opener. Big numbers of trophy pike over 40 inches are available to anglers. Try a live minnow under a bobber, dead minnow laying on the bottom, slow moving spoons, spinner baits and crankbaits. With the cold water, work these baits slowly.
On the Rainy River…  This week was a great week for sturgeon fishing. With the weather forecast ahead showing warm temps, fishing will only get better. Boat ramps are open up and down the Rainy River including the mouth of the river at Wheeler’s Point.
Most anglers are using a sturgeon rig with a no roll sinker. Basically, a 4/0 circle hook loaded with crawlers and/or frozen emerald shiners on a 18 inch length of 60 lb test leader material or line teamed up with a 4 – 6 ounce no roll sinker.
Four Mile Bay (the bay that separates the mouth of the Rainy River and the big lake) continues to produce good numbers of sturgeon. In addition, nice sturgeon are being caught at various spots up and down the river. Most anglers are targeting holes or flats adjacent to the deeper water in that particular stretch of the river.
The sturgeon harvest season runs from April 24th – May 7th and July 1 – Sept. 30.
53 inch sturgeon
The catch and release season runs May 8th – May 15th and Oct. 1 – April 23rd.
If you fish during the harvest season, purchase a sturgeon tag ahead of time for $5. One sturgeon per calendar year 45 – 50 inches or over 75 inches may be kept per angler during the harvest season. The sturgeon must be tagged immediately and registered within 48 hours.
Up at the NW Angle…  Open water areas continue to grow and the remaining ice is getting very dark. Areas with current are opened up as are many bays and marinas.
Resorts continue to prepare for the MN Fishing Opener on Saturday, May 13th. Based on late ice fishing success, the jig bite for walleyes should be excellent.
Crossing the border as you pass through Canada to reach the Angle is back to normal, or, pre-COVID status once again.
There are many different ways to travel to the Angle.
1. Drive 40 miles through Canada and re-enter back into MN at the NW Angle.
2. Avoid customs by riding the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service which transports you across the lake to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.
3. Take your own boat 42 miles across the lake.
4. Private pilots fly up and land on the lake.
A complete list of lodging, fishing charters / guides and helpful info about the area at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com.
On the south end… Big Traverse Bay, the big basin of Lake of the Woods, is still ice covered. Mother Nature is chipping away at the thickness and durability of the ice, but as is normally the case this time of year, ice still covers the vast majority of the basin.
The open water so far on the basin continues to be the Lighthouse Gap, Morris Point Gap and various bays.
This time of year, pike are running in some cases, under the ice in the bays, often in ditches flowing into the bays and backwater areas of the bays themselves. Open water is expanding in Four Mile Bay, Bostic Bay and Zippel Bay.
Pike season is open year round. Now to ice out is a great opportunity to get in the back bays for some great pike action. Baits for pike this time of year… a live minnow under a bobber, dead minnows laying on the bottom, slow moving spoons, spinner baits and crankbaits.
On the Rainy River…   The Rainy River is completely opened up into Lake of the Woods. The Little Fork River let loose early last week and the Big Fork followed about two days later. The majority of ice and debris from these tributaries letting loose has flushed through the Rainy River.
Sturgeon fishing has been good overall. The cold spell didn’t seem to help, but anglers are still catching plenty of fish. Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River is producing good numbers of fish, with various spots along the river producing as well. Warmer weather will fire up the bite even more.
The sturgeon harvest season runs from April 24th – May 7th and July 1 – Sept. 30.
south shore open water
The catch and release season runs May 8th – May 15th and Oct. 1 – April 23rd.
If you fish during the harvest season, purchase a sturgeon tag ahead of time for $5. One sturgeon per calendar year 45 – 50 inches or over 75 inches may be kept per angler during the harvest season. The sturgeon must be tagged immediately and registered within 48 hours.
Birchdale, Frontier, Vidas and Wheeler’s Point boat ramps are all open.
As mentioned, pike season is open. There are various tributaries and backwater areas of the river to target pike with some big fish around.
Up at the NW Angle…  Open water is expanding amongst the island areas of the NW Angle. Current areas show up well on aerial maps this time of year as that is where the open water shows up. Anywhere there is current will break first with other areas to soon follow.
Water flows into Lake of the Woods from the Rainy River and other tributaries, flowing north through the dam at Kenora, through Lake Winnipeg, and eventually reaching Hudson Bay.
The MN Fishing Opener for walleyes is May 13th, traditionally this is a jig bite and fishing should be excellent.
To travel to the Angle, drive 40 miles through Canada and re-enter back into MN at the NW Angle, or, the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service transports you across the lake to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.
A complete list of lodging, fishing charters / guides and info about the area at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com.
On the south end… Big Traverse Bay, the big basin of Lake of the Woods, is still ice covered. Some ice anglers with snowmobiles went out ice fishing this past week for big pike and did well. Safety first this time of year. Resorts and outfitters are no longer plowing or monitoring ice roads so experience, having others with you and exercising great caution is vital.
The open water mark has reached the Lighthouse Gap area of Big Traverse Bay. The flow of water from the Rainy River is pushing against the ice pack. Current, sun, wind and rain are all taking a toll on the lake ice.
Spring is a great time of the year to fish back bays which are perfect for smaller boats. There is a very large population of big pike in Lake of the Woods and these bays will be full of them very soon, if not already. Open water is starting to show up in Four Mile Bay, Botic Bay and Zippel Bay.
On the Rainy River…  The Rainy River is completely opened up into Lake of the Woods. The Little Fork River let loose into the Rainy Monday. The Big Fork is about to let loose any day. Thankfully, sturgeon will feed in muddy water conditions until the river has a chance to flush itself out.
The walleye season finished up April 14th. Fishing was very good for most, until we received the 70 degree weather. The almost instantaneous hot temps quickly melted the snowpack along the river, pouring muddy water over the ice into the Rainy. The last couple of days of the season were tough. Before that, some 100 fish days and big walleyes were caught.
Sturgeon fishing is going very well with many big sturgeon being caught. Most anglers are targeting deeper holes, the mouth of feeder streams and rivers, flat areas adjacent to a deep hole or Four Mile Bay on the edge of the channel.
The sturgeon harvest season runs from April 24th – May 7th and July 1 – Sept. 30.
68 inch Sturgeon on the Rainy River
The catch and release season runs May 8th – May 15th and Oct. 1 – April 23rd.
If you fish during the harvest season, purchase a sturgeon tag ahead of time for $5. One sturgeon per calendar year 45 – 50 inches or over 75 inches may be kept per angler during the harvest season. The sturgeon must be tagged immediately and registered within 48 hours.
Up at the NW Angle… Most ice fishing is finished for the year. A few locals with knowledge of ice conditions and the right equipment such as a good snowmobile are still getting out catching walleyes and pike. Reports have been good. Most of us will have to wait until May 13th, the MN Fishing Opener.
Open water is naturally appearing more and more. Anywhere there is current will break first with other areas to soon follow.
To travel to the Angle, one can drive 40 miles through Canada and re-enter back into MN at the NW Angle, or, for those looking to access the NW Angle this summer and avoid customs, the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service transports you across the lake to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.
On the south end… Big Traverse Bay, the big basin of Lake of the Woods, is still ice covered. Some ice anglers with snowmobiles are still getting out ice fishing. Resorts and outfitters are no longer plowing or monitoring ice roads so experience, having others with you and exercising great caution is the name of the game this time of year.
Most ice anglers still getting out are targeting big pike.  A lot of big fish continue to be iced. The vast majority of pike are returned to the water after a few pics. The season for pike on LOW is year round. Three pike can be kept per day, but all fish between 30 – 40 inches must be released. Anglers are allowed one fish over 40 inches per day.
Those wanting to fish the open waters of the south shore will get their chance once the ice on the bays melts. This is also the time when the big pike slide into the shallows to spawn.
Spring is a great time of the year to fish back bays which are perfect for smaller boats. There is a very large population of big pike in Lake of the Woods and these bays will be full of them very soon.
On the Rainy River…  Open water spring fishing going strong on the Rainy River. Most anglers are targeting walleyes and sturgeon. Both species have been very cooperative.
There are now three boat ramps open between Baudette and Birchdale. The Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp just east of Clementson are open to all boats.
Walleye anglers are primarily jigging with a plastic or with a minnow. Bright colored jigs and larger plastics with a twister tail or paddle tail this time of year are effective.
Some anglers spot lock or anchor up and vertically jig. Others pitch the jig out and drag it back slowly to the boat, letting the lure sweep in the current.
Slow trolling crankbaits is also effective. Use a crankbait matching the depth fishing or use a three way rig and cover various depths.
Releasing fish in this ice cold, relatively shallow water, is very successful. As responsible anglers, we ask everyone to plan ahead and take good care of the fish. Have a camera, needle nose, etc ready to go. Be quick on taking pics. Handle fish with care and release quickly.
Four Mile Bay and the Rainy River is catch and release only for walleyes and saugers through April 14th. The big lake is still open for harvesting walleyes and saugers through April 14th. The MN Fishing Opener when the walleye season re-opens for both the lake and river is May 13th.
Sturgeon fishing is going very well. Lots of sturgeon being caught. Most anglers are targeting deeper holes in the stretch of river they are fishing. Sturgeon often will lay in these holes, which enables them to use less energy vs fighting the current and provides a plethora of bait sweeping downstream.
First Sturgeon
The sturgeon harvest season runs from April 24th – May 7th and July 1 – Sept. 30.
The catch and release season runs May 8th – May 15th and Oct. 1 – April 23rd.
If you fish during the harvest season, purchase a sturgeon tag ahead of time for $5. One sturgeon per calendar year 45 – 50 inches or over 75 inches may be kept per angler during the harvest season. The sturgeon must be tagged immediately and registered within 48 hours.
Up at the NW Angle… Most ice fishing is finished for the year. Locals with knowledge of ice conditions and the right equipment such as a good snowmobile are still getting out catching walleyes and pike. Safety first.
Most are looking forward to the open water, which is starting to show itself in neck down areas between islands where there is current. Mother Nature has some work to do, but normally will come through. Things happen in a hurry.
To drive to the Angle, one must travel 40 miles through Canada and re-enter back into MN at the NW Angle. Post COVID, things are back to normal for crossing the border. For those looking to access the NW Angle this summer and avoiding customs, the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service transports you across the lake to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.
