The time is NOW! Book your exciting Ice Fishing Trip today. Requests are coming in and resorts are already taking reservations for that once in a lifetime ice fishing trip to Lake of the Woods. Did I say, “once”? No, many anglers frequent the waters/ice of Lake of the Woods many times during the winter months. Why? Because this Walleye Capital of the World™ is a first-class fishery and continues to be so. Permanent fish houses, sleeper fish houses, and day wheel-houses make up an entire village with plowed roads and sectioned off areas that are continually being groomed by experienced ice staff.

Yes, winter is right around the corner. The standard joke in northern MN is that we have two seasons. Summer fishing is the greatest as anglers of all ages enjoy the shimmering waters of Lake of the Woods. Soon, however, those shimmering waters start cooling down and currents slow and before you know it you’ll see a skim of ice forming on the bays, the big lake and the river. Then, Winter is on!!!

Very soon harvest will be upon us with wheat being harvested, wild rice being harvested, soybeans ready to ripen and the beautiful fields of sunflowers that have been prepared for harvest. People of the north enjoy all four seasons watching the harvest and preparing for hunting seasons. Resorts have been plenty busy, but are already looking ahead to the winter season.

When the ice first forms on the lake, resort owners and guides are out there immediately measuring the depth of the ice. They want to keep all the visitors to the area safe and won’t allow anyone on the ice until it’s safe. The MN DNR has a great page showing guidelines for safe ice travel and it needs to be adhered to by all.

It’s not too early to book your ice fishing trip now. The books are open but fish houses have been being prepared all season long as they are painted, cleaned and made ready for Winter anglers to arrive.

Planning your next ice fishing trip should be a breeze. Lake of the Woods Tourism has a new website that is very easy to navigate.  Go to www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com and click on the Lodging Tab.  Under that tab you will find many important things. First of all, there is an icon specifically called ice fishing.   That will take you to a list of all the resorts that offer that service.

You will also notice that our Lake of the Woods Area is divided into three different geographical areas. The Rainy River, the South Shore and the Northwest Angle all are unique and offer the best of experiences and lodging facilities. Now if you’d like to scroll down more you can view each resort’s website where you can see their amenities and check out their location and their rates.

Also on that page, you will find a Lodging Availability Form that you can fill out with your requests for dates and lodging. Fill out the form which will be sent to all the resorts. They will respond to you and you will and get your reservation made early. By the time Christmas rolls around, people of often hard pressed to be able to get a reservation.

You might also check our Hot Deals Page where you will find resorts that offer all-inclusive packages and often lower rates. This is a valuable option.

Picture waking up in the morning, getting some grub, then hopping into a heated snow bomber which brings you to your fish house which is already heated. Then proceed to catch fish all day long. It doesn’t get any better than that.

For anglers, the diversity of fish is unbelievable along with areas of the lake. The main basin or Big Traverse Bay is home to hundreds of thousands of walleyes and saugers who roam the entire bay. Then the Northwest Angle, where our 14,552 islands begin, offers many other species of fish including muskie and crappie.  With so many options where do you start!?!

It’s time!! Winter is beautiful and Exciting especially when you come to Lake of the Woods ice fishing.

Check out our website at: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging   or click on the ice fishing tab for all your ice fishing information.

See our FaceBook page at: www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsmn