Upnorth Media Productions

03/15/2022

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (3-15-22)- On the south end... Ice conditions, snowpack on the ice and cool March weather are all combining to lengthen the current good ice conditions. Lake of the Woods enjoys an extended season with fish houses allowed on the ice overnight through March 31st, walleye and sauger season open through April 14 and a pike season that does not close. Lodging and fish houses are available.

Ice anglers are reporting a mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, tullibee and even a few crappies. As some resorts start moving fish houses closer to the south shore, fishing is happening from 17 - 33' of water, a big spread. Mixed reports across the lake. Most believe as days lengthen, snowpack melts and water starts entering the lake, fishing will improve.

Electronics are a big help showing suspended fish and assisting in being more effective for fish below you.

Keep lures moving to get walleyes and saugers to commit. Jig one line, deadstick the second with a live minnow.

Gold combined with glow colors, wonderbread, red, white and green glow colors have been good.

Pike activity is picking up. Using a tip up with a quick strike rig, live sucker or frozen bait has been the most successful in 10 - 20'. Set tip ups in varying depths until you figure out the best depth and duplicate it. Dead smelt and live suckers have been hot.

Have pike release tools (needle nose, jaw spreaders, camera) ready to roll so pike get back into the water quickly and safely. Pike limit is 3 fish per day, 30 - 40 inches must be released, one can be kept over 40".

On the Rainy River... Some anglers still ice fishing but most are looking forward to open water on the Rainy River. There is slow progress being made but with 40's in the forecast, optimism runs high. The open water mark is a number of miles east of Loman currently.

Only Mother Nature knows, but when the river starts to open up, it can happen fast. Stay tuned.

The snowmobile trail is groomed and staked from Baudette up to the NW Angle.

01/12/2022

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (1-12-22)- On the south end... Ice fishing is going strong. As the season progresses, much of the ice fishing is pushing to deeper depths, now fishing 25 - 30 feet of water.

Temps from -20 to +20 from day to day causing some havoc with the bite, but overall anglers are catching fish, sorting through small fish to catch their keepers, some slots and a few trophy walleyes. Jumbo perch, eelpout, pike, tullibee, a few crappies and occasional sturgeon in the mix.

Lake of the Woods has a combined limit of 6 walleyes and saugers. Up to 4 can be walleyes. Walleyes between 19.5 - 28.0 inches must be released. One fish over 28 inches is allowed per day.

Jig one line, deadstick the second line. Gold, glow, pink, glow red, glow green and yellow effective colors this week. Using electronics is very helpful.

On the Rainy River... Rainy River anglers reporting walleyes primarily morning and evening. Gold and glow with one jigging line and one deadstick working well.

Sturgeon are still being caught. Having patience is key to hook into one of these monsters. Small sturgeon and a few walleyes can be expected while waiting for the big bite.

With the current of the river, knowing where and where not to travel and working through resorts / outfitters who know ice conditions is key. The snowmobile trail is marked from Baudette to Wheeler's Point up to the Angle.

Up at the NW Angle... Great walleye fishing this week. Reports have been very good. Lodging and fish houses are available at Angle resorts.

01/04/2022

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (1-4-22)- On the south end... Ice fishing is in full swing and a great week it was. As the ice thickens, some resorts / outfitters are using bombardiers and others are allowing one ton trucks on ice roads. Check with ice road operators for specifics as ice conditions vary. Stay on marked ice roads, trails, etc.

Fishing reports for walleyes and saugers are good. Ice anglers are still catching numbers of walleyes and saugers, sorting through smaller fish to find keepers. Slot and trophy walleyes in the mix along with eelpout, jumbo perch, pike, tullibee, and sturgeon.

Good action in 25 - 28 feet of water. Jig one line. Vibration and rattles on some days, other days no rattles. Even if the fish aren't hitting noisier presentations, it still helps others in the fish house to attract them.

Deadstick your second line. Gold, glow, pink, glow red, glow green are all effective colors. Often, a plain glow hook, colored hook or an ice jig tipped with a live minnow 6" - 1' off of the bottom is the ticket.

For those who are portable, the morning / evening walleyes are being caught 10-15' along shore and can be a fun way to start or end the day. Must be set up early and stay till just after dark ideally.

On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is ice covered and where there is good ice, anglers are still finding walleyes primarily morning and evening. Gold and glow with one jigging line and one deadstick working well.

Sturgeon bite continues for anglers wanting to catch a dinosaur through the ice. A few frozen shiners and even crawlers if you can get them on a hook with a 3/4 ounce egg sinker or on a spoon fished on or near the bottom is the goto.

With the current of the river, knowing where and where not to travel and working through resorts / outfitters who know ice conditions is key. The snowmobile trail is marked from Baudette to Wheeler's Point up to the Angle.

Up at the NW Angle... The walleye fishing remains strong with saugers, jumbo perch, and pike being caught as well. Fresh fish frys are the norm!

12/25/2021

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:46

12/22/2021

12/19/21
We will start allowing 1/2 ton trucks pulling single axle and aluminum trailers like Yetti out starting today. We will be allowing bigger rigs and houses out the day after Christmas. Things are looking good and the weather is finally favorable.

With everyone getting whipped out with the bug and just coming back to life we will limit our hours to 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM starting today through the week. We will be closed Christmas Eve & Christmas Day and will get back on track the day after Christmas.

12/21/2021

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (12-21-21)- On the south end... Ice fishing is going strong on Lake of the Woods. As the ice thickens, resorts / outfitters start increasing weight limits. Each area of the lake can have very different ice conditions, check ahead based on where you access the lake. Stay on marked ice roads, trails, etc.

Fishing reports for walleyes and saugers are excellent. Most anglers report catching numbers of fish and having to sort through many small fish to find keepers. Good for the future but make sure you have plenty of bait. Nice numbers of slot fish (19.5" - 28.0") are being caught, quickly photographed and released. A good population of trophy walleyes over 28.0" in the lake and they are being caught as well.

Good action in 21 - 27 feet of water. For those who are portable, some morning / evening fish are being caught from 9 - 18' along shore.

The one two punch, jigging one line and deadsticking your second line is most effective. Gold, glow colors, lighted lures and lures with vibration and rattles effective on jigging line. A live minnow just off the bottom on the second line for your deadstick. Some using a plain hook, others prefer an ice jig.

Pike anglers are still finding good numbers of pike on tip ups. Plenty of pike being caught by walleye anglers. Eelpout, jumbo perch, tullibees, sturgeon and an occasional crappie showing up as well. You never know on Lake of the Woods.

On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is ice covered and where there is good ice, anglers are finding walleyes and sturgeon. With the current of the river, knowing where and where not to travel and working through resorts / outfitters who know ice conditions is key.

Good fishing this week. The walleye bite is best in the mornings and evenings. Sturgeon are still active and creating some sore arms!

Up at the NW Angle... Ice is progressing nicely and the walleye fishing is starting out good. Depending upon where resorts have fish houses, some are active mornings and evenings with a lull during the day. Others positioned in deeper water pick at fish all day but not the flurries. Both are good options.

12/14/2021

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (12-14-21)- On the south end... Ice fishing has begun and fish houses are out on most areas of Lake of the Woods. The lake is big and ice conditions vary greatly. Be safe and work through a resort or outfitter and stick to their marked ice roads, trails and fishing areas where they have checked ice.

Fishing reports are excellent overall. Early ice is a great time traditionally and this year is no different. Good numbers of walleyes and saugers with eelpout, pike, perch and tullibees mixed in.

Anglers are fishing from 8 - 27 feet of water depending upon the time of day and in some cases, what ice conditions allow. Some good walleyes caught early morning and last light in shallow water. This bite can happen all winter as some walleyes will come up shallow to feed low light.

The one two punch, jigging one line and deadsticking your second line is most effective. Gold, glow colors, lures with vibration and rattles, jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head or tail working well. Live minnow just off the bottom on the second line.

As a general rule, snowmobiles, ATV's and side by sides are being allowed so far. For those fishing in resort fish houses, they will transport you out via light ice rigs.

Pike anglers are finding good numbers of big pike. Some spearing / fishing is still taking place in bays. Great success tip up fishing on the main lake.

Extreme safety is always important, especially so with early ice conditions. Each resort / outfitter will share info as it is available.

On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is ice covered and where there is good ice, anglers are finding walleyes and sturgeon. With the current of the river, knowing where and where not to travel and working through resorts / outfitters who know ice conditions is key.

Sturgeon have been cooperative through the ice this week. With a larger hole and beefed up equipment, those targeting dinosaurs are having great success.

Up at the NW Angle... Ice is progressing nicely up at the Angle. Some local snowmobile travel has been happening in marked areas with good ice conditions. Like every year, there are areas with cracks, current, etc. Stay on marked trails when things open up.

12/08/2021

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (12-8-21)- On the south end... Ice has covered Lake of the Woods and in some areas of the lake, ice fishing has begun! Other parts of the lake need a bit more time but things are moving along nicely. It is always a good idea to work through your favorite resort or outfitter as ice thickness and conditions vary from one area to another.

When ice roads / trails open up, it is normally snowmobiles, ATV's and side by sides with collapsible fish houses initially. As the ice thickens, each ice road operator will announce when weight limits increase.

Some resorts are getting fish houses out and fishing is beginning this week. This is happening in areas of good ice that has been checked and marked. The initial word is fishing is very good!

Spearing and tip up fishing for pike on back bays has been going well with a nice variety of eaters along with the trophies at over 40".

Extreme safety is always important, especially so with early ice conditions. Each resort / outfitter will share info as it is available.

On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is ice covered. With the current of the river throughout the year, knowing where and where not to travel on the ice is a must. Work through resorts / outfitters for safety as some areas are not safe.

Pike, walleyes and sauger are being caught in areas where ice conditions allow, back bays and areas with low current that have been checked and marked.

As the ice gets thicker in December, a snowmobile trail will be staked from Baudette to Wheeler's Point offering travel on the river, Mother Nature dictating of course. When it opens, stay on the trail for safety. No trail is marked yet.

Up at the NW Angle... Ice is progressing nicely up at the Angle. Some local snowmobile travel has been happening in marked areas with good ice conditions. Like every year, there are areas with cracks, current, etc. Stay on marked trails when things open up. Ice fishing for some will begin next week. Check with your favorite NW Angle resort for specifics.

11/25/2021

11/23/2021

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (11/23/21)- On the south end... The few anglers who got out this week on the open water had good success but most have put their boats away and are hunting or looking ahead to the ice fishing season.

Ice is starting to form but is not safe yet. As of the writing of this report, bays such as Four Mile Bay, Zippel Bay and Bostic Bay have varying thicknesses of ice. Ice guides are monitoring conditions daily and make the call when it is time.

The first houses out will be spear houses on back bays looking for pike. Some resorts offer spearing packages on Zippel Bay and Bostic Bay.

Please exercise safety and caution as ice thickens. Our resort and outfitter ice guides are on the ice daily checking thickness, avoiding springs, cracks, shifting ice, unclear and weak ice, etc.

In some cases, they are actually flooding the ice to thicken it quicker. The bottom line, we encourage you not to go off on your own but rather use ice guides and the marked trails they have created.

Ice has also started to form on the big waters of Big Traverse Bay which is a good sign. Cold temps, wind and snow can all affect progress.

Many LOW resorts / outfitters are providing ice reports on their pages this time of year.

On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is ice covered with pockets of open water. With the current of the river throughout the year, knowing when, where and where not to travel on the ice is a must.

Typically, later in December, a snowmobile trail will be staked from Baudette to Wheeler's Point offering travel on the river, Mother Nature dictating of course. When it opens, stay on the trail for safety.

Up at the NW Angle... Angle Inlet and various areas throughout the islands of the NW Angle are ice covered with random areas of open water as ice continues to form. Things are coming along nicely but are not ready yet.

11/17/2021

Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River (11/17/21)- On the south end... The fish are there, the anglers this time of year, not so much. Some are deer hunting, some have put their boats away and are getting the ice fishing gear ready. For those who have not winterized their boats, there are plenty of walleyes and saugers to be had.

Those who hit the water this week were rewarded. Schools of walleyes and saugers are set up along the south shore and are active. Anchored up and jigging with a fathead or emerald shiner is the most common method of fishing.

Most anglers report good fishing in 17-27 feet of water. Gold, pink and glow continue to be hot colors in the stained waters of LOW.

Pike, jumbo perch, sturgeon, crappies and eelpout are also being caught by walleye anglers.

Looking forward to ice fishing!

On the Rainy River... A great week of fishing on the Rainy River with good numbers of walleyes. Most are jigging with emerald shiners. Gold, glow and pink, gold / orange have been strong colors.

Sturgeon are still being caught, many by unsuspecting walleye anglers jigging with minnows.

Up at the NW Angle... Back harbors and bays are just starting to ice up. For the few anglers out fishing, the bite continues to be really good. Most anglers are jigging.

Gold, pink and/or glow colored jigs are doing well. Anglers fishing the U.S. side are tipping with a fathead or frozen shiner. Those fishing the Ontario side tipping with various plastics.