Ice fishing up here in the great white north on Lake of The Woods is in its full magical splendor! Initial fishing reports are good with a nice mix of walleyes and saugers. In true Lake of The Woods fashion, it’s a mixed bag with eelpout, jumbo perch, pike, tullibees and even some huge sturgeon mixed in.
The fishing has been outstanding this past week. More than once anglers have reported catching over 100 fish a day. That big school of fish that was reported hanging along the south shoreline towards the end of the open water season is still there. Our fleet of ice houses are out in front of Pine Island a half mile over 22 – 25 feet of water on 18 inches of ice.
We would like to stress safety first during this first ice. Yes, the bite and catch are exciting, but let’s all be smart about it. The condition of the ice will continue to vary greatly for a little while longer. We recommend working with or through a resort and make sure to stay on the marked roads. Any deviation could spell disaster. As a rule of thumb, snowmobiles, ATVs, and side by sides are being allowed out so far. Fishing through a resort you will be transported out to your fish house to ensure safety. It will not be until just after Christmas that ½ ton vehicles will be allowed out.
Once safely out on the ice and comfortably set up in a nice and heated icehouse, you will be impressed with a mix bag catch. As stated above, walleye, sauger, pike, eelpout and perch will be in the mix. Maybe even a sturgeon will give you a show.
The tried-and-true jigging and dead stick combination has been the ticket. Most effective color … Gold. Any brightly colored jig head like yellow, red, or orange will also work. Jigging spoons are being reported as landing some fish as well. On the active jigging rigs, use frozen shiners as a tip. On the dead stick use a live minnow. Let the live minnow do the work for you. As always, trust your electronics as the fish can come in from all over the water column. Right now, about a foot above the bottom is the sweet spot.
Now is the time to book your ice fishing trip and River Bend Resort can set you up with just one call to our booking agents. We offer a variety of ice fishing packages that will suit any level of ice fishing experience and will fit any budget. You can find our offerings as well as pricing by clicking this link. What You Need – Everything in One Call – The only thing missing is you! Early ice is where the magic happens on Lake of The Woods. Book Now.
We are running a 20% off special with our 3-night 2-day gold ice package here at the resort until December 23rd. We are asking for a minimum of 4 persons please. And you can pick any dates midweek or weekend.
Until next week … Keep a Tight Line! Bugs & Fishes ≤º))~{