Fall fishing is firing on Lake of the Woods. Water temp is down to 53 degrees, and the walleyes are doing just what you want to see this time of year. Fish are making their way closer to shore, and that’s setting up some nice coolers of fish. There’s still some excellent fall fishing to be had before the open water season wraps up.

Big Traverse Bay (South Shore)

Good numbers of walleyes are being caught jigging with a minnow along the south shore. It’s a simple approach, and right now it’s hard to beat. The fish are definitely pulling in closer to shore as the water cools, which shortens the run and puts a lot of walleyes within easy reach.

This shoreward move is classic fall behavior, and it’s setting up some nice coolers of fish. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to jig the south shore, it’s happening now.

This fall movement also will bode well for early ice fishing.  On average, and Mother Nature always determines the date, but day houses along the south shore usually get out around December 10th on Lake of the Woods.  Get ready!

Rainy River

The river gave up some nice walleyes during Saturday’s Chili Bowl tournament. The winning team of Jack and Arie Slipy weighed five walleyes for 33.21 pounds, a strong bag that shows just how good the river can be this time of year.

The big run of shiners hasn’t started yet.  Anglers are hoping more shiners start moving up, as there are already some nice fish in the river.

Sturgeon action has picked up, too, with some nice fish caught this week. As the days keep getting shorter and the water cools, this bite only gets better. It’s a great chance to tangle with the biggest freshwater fish most anglers will ever catch.

NW Angle

Walleye action up at the Angle has been excellent. Jigging with a minnow is pulling in good numbers of fish, the same pattern that’s working down on the south shore.

Crappie anglers are reporting some good fall fishing as well. Fall is a go-to time for big crappies, when they school up and feed hard, so it’s a great stretch to go chase some slabs.

Muskie fishing remains good too, rounding out the kind of multispecies variety the Angle is known for.

Before You Go

There’s still some excellent fall fishing available on Lake of the Woods, so there’s time to get in one more open-water trip. And if you don’t have ice fishing reservations yet, now is a great time to contact your favorite resort or outfitter and lock in your preferred dates before they fill.

To plan your trip, check out our website at LakeoftheWoodsMN.com.

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