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There are a lot of ways to fish Lake of the Woods. One of the easiest and most successful ways is fishing on a charter boat. Nearly everything is provided, a licensed charter captain, rods, reels, tackle, bait and fish cleaning.

Charter boats are popular on Lake of the Woods and many of the resorts on the Rainy River, along the south shore and up at the NW Angle have them.

Guided fishing allows all anglers, regardless of ability, to have a fun and successful day of fishing. There are really only two things you have to think about, what to wear and what to eat! The rest is taken care of.

To find out more about the Lake of the Woods area, lodging and of course, charter fishing, check out Lake of the Woods Tourism at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com

In March and April as the ice melts on the Rainy River, big Lake of the Woods big female walleyes head upstream for their annual spawning ritual. This tradition is cherished by many and takes place both upstream and downstream from Baudette, MN.

Huge Lake Sturgeon that already live in the river provide anglers some of the best fishing of the year. These prehistoric fish can grow to over 100 lbs and are hungry this time of year.

Anglers take advantage of this time to get their boats in the water often for the first time of the year and have the chance to catch big walleyes and sturgeon.

General info about the area at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com

Info on fishing the Rainy River in the spring at www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/rainy-river/

Info on how to fish sturgeon at www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/sturgeon-fishing/

A variety of lodging is available at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging

March is an excellent to ice fish Lake of the Woods. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st which is longer than other parts of MN. In addition, the walleye and sauger season lasts through April 14th and the pike season never closes.

Pike anglers flock to these waters for big numbers of trophy pike in March. Pike put the feedbag on as they congregate near spring spawning grounds making tip up fishing very effective.

Lake of the Woods is home to a large population of trophy pike in excess of 40 inches long.

Resorts offer many lodging and ice fishing options. More info at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging

The Northwest Angle. It is the northernmost point of the contiguous United States, it is where the 14,552 islands of Lake of the Woods begin and it is home to some of the best ice fishing in North America.

In March of 2020, the U.S. / Canada border was closed due to the pandemic. As most guests drive to the Angle, which takes them 40 miles through Canada, the normal route of getting to their favorite resort has been shut off.

The area relies on tourism as their main industry and resorts have struggled consequently all year. With their backs against the wall, the area has come together to create the first ever NW Angle Guest Ice Road.

The ice road stays in MN and is 30 miles long, providing a way to drive to a NW Angle Resort.


More info on NW Angle Resorts at https://lakeofthewoodsmn.com/northwest-angle-lodging/

More info on Lake of the Woods at LakeoftheWoodsMN.com

More info on the NW Angle Guest Ice Road at Facebook.com/nwaiceroad

Lake of the Woods is a world class ice fishing destination. Known as The Walleye Capital of the World, anglers come to catch walleyes, saugers, pike, perch, eelpout, crappies and tulibees through the ice.

When ice fishing for walleyes and saugers, using the one - two punch is a very effective technique.

In Minnesota, anglers are allowed two lines for ice fishing. Use one line to jig for walleyes. This jigging line will attract fish from a wide area. It will also catch the more active fish.

The second line is called a deadstick. Basically, it is a live minnow on a plain hook or ice fishing jig 6 inches to a foot off of the bottom usually with a bobber. The deadstick will tend to catch the more neutral fish in the system.

To learn more about Lake of the Woods, check our our website at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com

For resorts, lodging and fish house rentals, go to www.LakeoftheWoodsmn.com/lodging

Follow Lake of the Woods Tourism on Facebook.

Ice fishing has begun for most on The Walleye Capital of the World. Some resorts were fishing late last week with others starting up this week.

Lake of the Woods is a big lake, consequently, not all areas of ice are the same. It is important to work through a resort or outfitter and stay on their marked trails.

It is also important to keep speeds below 15 mph and make sure you abide by the weight limits imposed by those running each ice road.

Ice fishing is a special activity up at Lake of the Woods. With walleye and sauger populations healthy, it should be a good year.

For more info on resorts and ice fishing Lake of the Woods, go to www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com.

Each year, thousands of ice anglers flock to The Walleye Capital of the World, Lake of the Woods, to enjoy some of the best ice fishing the Midwest has to offer.

With big numbers of ice anglers comes a lot of potential garbage. Keep It Clean was created to protect, maintain and promote cleanliness for the beautiful landscape, water resources and shorelines of Lake of the Woods as a special place for everyone to visit and enjoy.

Through education, promotion, awareness and enforcement, the Keep It Clean group made up of stakeholders from the Lake of the Woods area is asking for everyone's help in keeping this natural resource clean for generations to come.

Thank you!

Whether you are fishing a body of water that has a slot limit which it is mandatory to release fish or you simply want to practice good conservation, understanding how to hold and release fish effectively is important.

In this video, Joe Henry with Lake of the Woods Tourism catches a big walleye and shares some tips on how to quickly and effectively get the fish properly released.

Being prepared with a needle nose pliers, jaw spreader, measuring board and camera will speed up the time of getting the fish back into the water which is crucial to survival.

More info on fishing Lake of the Woods at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com.

Joe Henry demonstrates how to create a crawler harness storage system with an everyday container and swimming noodles.

The key is to purchase a container that fits the boat compartment or other area you plan on keeping your harnesses.

Once a container is purchased, use a knife to cut the noodles in lengths to fit the container.

Then use a filet knife to make one inch grooves about one inch apart across the noodle. Harnesses can be safely and easily wrapped into these grooves.

The noodles are inexpensive, have a wide diameter for fast wrapping and float if they fall into the water.

Whether you purchase your harnesses or tie your own (check out the video on How to tie Crawler Harnesses), this is an efficient yet inexpensive way to create your crawler harness storage system.

Joe Henry shows how to properly tie a crawler harness, otherwise known as a snelled spinner. In this video, Joe ties a two hook harness typically used with a nightcrawler. It is just as easy to tie a one hook harness for minnows or leeches as well.

Joe prefers to use fluorocarbon line as it disappears in water. Because of these properties, he feels he can get away with heavier line and in the video, suggests 15 lb fluorocarbon.

The hooks are octopus style hooks. He normally uses size 2, 4 or 6 hooks for harnesses, with size 4 being the most popular.

As far as length of harness, longer harnesses typically do better in clear water conditions. As you can always trim down the length of a harness, he starts out by using 6 feet of line. The finished product ends up being around 5 feet long.

Crawler harnesses are extremely effective in catching walleyes but will basically catch most any fish in the body of water you are fishing. It is suggested to use a two ounce bottom bouncer and as a rule, drift or troll at about 1.25 mph and try to maintain a 45 degree angle with your line. This gives maximum control.