Fishing Report 5.17.2023

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.

3.  Take your own boat 42 miles across the lake.

A complete list of lodging, fishing charters / guides and helpful info about the area at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging.