Lake of the Woods fishing report for 8/27/2012

The summer fishing season is far from over in the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods. If you are looking for a multi-species fishery that can match up against any other, this is it. Walleye, Muskie, Crappie, Perch, Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Sturgeon, and Sauger can be found in numbers and trophy proportions. Water temperatures are still in the low 70’s with the water clarity a little darker with the small algae bloom.  We have had a few very windy days this week, but other than that, the weather has been beautiful. No matter what time of the year it is, good fishing is going on. Here is our Lake of the Woods fishing report.

The Walleye fishing has been fairly consistent as of late. Most of the larger Walleyes are being taken trolling spinners across the mud flats and by Muskie fishermen in the southern portion of the Northwest Angle. Numbers of Walleye up to 24 inches and hundreds in the 14 to 18 inch range are being caught jigging in the northern areas around main lake humps and points. A minnow with a bright colored jig worked over 25 to 40 feet of water is arguably the best way to target Walleye on Lake of the Woods.

For the entire summer period, Muskie fishing has been excellent. Large Muskie are being caught every week and the average size fish seems to be in the low 40 inch range. Several mid to upper 40 inch Muskie have been caught this week  and more fish pushing the 50 inch mark are being spotted.  Like the rest of the year, a large variety of baits have been producing nice fish. It’s hard to beat the classic lures like the Mepps Marabou, Suick, and Topraider, however, don’t be afraid to try all your favorites. If you are looking for a chance to boat a large number of Muskie with a legitimate shot at a trophy Muskie over 50 inches, Lake of the Woods is a hard place to beat.

Whether you want to target Walleye, Muskie, Smallmouth Bass, or Crappie, Flag Island Resort on Lake of the Woods has a guide to help you catch fish. With the cooler months approaching, Crappie fishing on Lake of the Woods will start to heat up. Muskie will start to put on the feed bag and trolling becomes a popular option to catch a trophy. Give us a call today to find out how you can experience the best fishing Lake of the Woods in the Northwest Angle has to offer.

Thank you for stopping by for our weekly Flag Island Resort Lake of the Woods fishing report.

Lake of the Woods fishing report for 8/19/2012

Lake of the Woods is a massive lake with hundreds and hundreds of fantastic looking fishing areas full of good looking spots. While there are numbers and numbers of just about every popular gamefish that swims and some tough fishing days can be had, one can really get into some trophy fish and catch some numbers as well. The Northwest Angle truly is one of the best shield lakes in the world, especially when it comes to Walleye and Muskie fishing, wildlife, and scenery. Flag Island is the perfect location for a resort on Lake of the Woods to experience it all. The deer have really been roaming the shorelines and the fish moving and biting extremely well. It is a great time to be experiencing a mild summer on the lake. Water temperatures went from the middle seventies all the way down to as low as sixty-two degrees after the last cold front that really turned on the big fish on LOTW. Every fishing report seems to have been a good one!

Walleye fishing on Lake of the Woods continues to be hot. Many boats are experiencing over one hundred Walleye per day across the Northwest Angle. The north, clearer waters have been the most consistent with the vast majority of fish being caught in the thirty to fourty foot range. Main lake points with sharp drop offs off the larger islands have been prime areas. There are lots of smaller fish in the Northern section of the lake; however, you do have a legitimate shot at catching a trophy Walleye over 28 inches. There has been a few larger Walleye being caught in the southern portion of the Northwest Angle with a 26 inch fish being caught off Flag Island on Thursday in about 4 feet of water near dead weeds and reeds. Minnows on a 1/8^th ounce jig head have been the hot bait for catching numbers of Walleye throughout the day. The larger Walleye are being caught casting larger crankbaits and trolling crawlers.

It feels like September with the cooler water temperatures out there. The Muskie fishing is pretty good right now and the algae bloom is a non-factor. Some boats are seeing up to 20 fish per day and catching two if they are out fishing from sun up to sun down.  We had a couple, very windy days this past week. Narrow areas between islands have been a good place to find Muskie. Sand bottom near areas with broken rocks casting with jerkbaits and larger bucktails have been a productive method with quite a few larger fish being caught on crankbaits. The majority of the fish being caught are in the fourty inch range with several over 45 inches. A forty-seven and a half inch Muskie was caught this weekend fishing a small, shallow island complex adjacent to deep water. Shallow areas near larger islands with lots of boulders have been good in the evenings. Lake of the Woods Muskies, especially in the Northwest Angle, are known to follow and follow before they strike. One thing to remember is to always figure 8 at boatside at least three times around after every cast. The water is low and fairly murky and a lot of the times fish will not show themselves until it’s too late. Keep your casts close to shore and the boat out as far as you can without casting into the shoreline and you will be sure to get some action if you put in the time.

Large Northern Pike in the Northwest Angle of Lake of the Woods are showing up with each passing cold front. The first day, the Pike are showing up in areas you would typically find big Muskies. Rock spots on the main open water areas of the lake in close proximity to deep water of at least forty feet have been producing Pike over fourty inches. Shallow weed beds in smaller coves in the back of larger bays have also been producing Pike over fourty inches as well as a lot of fish in the thirty-two to thirty-eight inch range bright, fluorescent colored lures are working extremely well. Side to side glide baits, Suicks, bucktails, and spinnerbaits will all be taken by a Pike. Traditional methods of catching Pike with lures such as spoons and small twitch baits like the Rapala Husky Jerk are also working well. Big Pike will stay shallow for a few days during and after the cold front and return to deeper water as it warms up. Hang on, because these fish are fighting just as hard as any Musky!

The Crappies are really starting to bite on Lake of the Woods. Deep trees and thick, deep weeds have been the prime spots. Crappie will suspend in water as deep as twenty feet or be latched onto cover. Minnows and small jigs jigged vertically over the cover is your best bet, but you have to be in precise locations to really get into them. You can be rewarded with great numbers of Crappie over fourteen inches if you really put the time in to locating them.

As expected, fishing for all species remains consistent in the Northwest Angle and beyond with the cooler weather. We will wait and see if we get another heat wave or some more cold fronts and report back with how the fishing is on Lake of the Woods and what we think is going to happen. We have had only a couple weeks of extremely hot weather, but water temps have been pretty consistent in the seventy-five to seventy-six degree range before the last couple cold fronts. Good luck out there and drive safe. The water is low, but the fish are eating well on LOTW!

Check out your favorite Lake of the Woods fishing resort by visiting www.flagislandresort.com.

Lake of the Woods fishing report for 8/12/2012

Water temperatures have been fairly stable throughout the month of August on Lake of the Woods. In fact, they have been cooler than they were at the end of June through the entire month of July. This has made for some great fishing whether you are targeting Walleye for the frying pan or casting to release a trophy Muskie. Right now we are seeing 71 to 72 degree water temperatures in most areas of the lake. While the southern portion of the Northwest Angle is fairly dingy with clarity at about 2 feet, there are areas up north to be found with clarity up to 6 feet.

The Walleye fishing sure did turn on this last week. We had one day where multiple boats caught over 100 Walleyes with quite a few dandys thrown in. Smaller, main lake reefs that top off around 30 feet adjacent to water as deep as 60 feet have been great. The deepest areas in between small islands have also been good during calm days while the same islands closer to the shorelines have produced best on the windy days. White and gold 1/8^th ounce jigs tipped with a dead minnow or Berkley Gulp minnow were getting bit before we could drop them to the bottom at times. Since that day, Walleyes are still being caught in large numbers.

Even with the water temperatures down, we are seeing a typical August as far as catches. We have no 50 inchers to report from the resort this week, but there were a handful of fish in the upper 40 inch range caught and released by our guest with several large specimens lost boatside. Main lake rocks and broken rock shorelines close to deeper water have been great spots to see multiple fish. Bucktails, jerkbaits and blade-style topwaters are producing the best results during low light periods. If you aren’t fishing up until sunset, you may ­­be missing opportunities. Be on your best spot during this prime period and fish through it several times. 

Ice fishing season will be here faster than we know it. Flag Island Resort is located in the southern portion of the Northwest Angle. Our location is within a 5 to 10 minute drive of Young’s Bay, located just south of the Angle Inlet. We are a Lake of the Woods resort that caters to fishermen and outdoorsman of all kind. Please check out our website at www.flagislandresort.com and see what we have to offer. Thank you for reading this week’s Lake of the Woods fishing report.

Lake of the Woods fishing report for 8/6/2012

It's time for another Lake of the Woods fishing report. What a great week of fishing here in the Northwest Angle for Walleye, Muskie, and Pike. Anglers battled through some strong winds, but that did not hurt the fishing. Numbers of fish and quite a few large fish were caught out of Flag Island Resort. Water temperatures are still falling. 72 degrees was the coolest we found and it’s keeping the algae bloom in check. We can continue to expect great fishing as long as the water temps stay down.

 

Where did all the Walleye go? Fish seem to be spread out throughout the southern portion of the lake. Trolling crawler harnesses seems to be the best option, especially on windy days. The northern portion of the Northwest Angle, however, tells a different story. Jigging deep reefs with a 1/8^th ounce jig tipped with a minnow is putting lots of fish in the boat. Steep drop offs off smaller islands being hit by the strong wind are also holding lots of fish.

 

We have to say it again; you cannot beat Lake of the Woods when it comes to Muskie fishing.  No other lake in the world can provide you with as many spots and patterns to fish. Before the big storm hit, fish were going bonkers. Even after, anglers are still reporting several follows and some beautiful catches. Another 50 inch Muskie was caught along with a 49 inch and several 45 inches or better. It’s great to see so many large fish being caught when a lot of smaller fish around 30 to 38 inches were caught earlier in the year. The larger bucktails finally took the trophy this week, but smaller crankbaits and twitch baits are still producing fish. It’s hard to beat a shallow island complex or a shallow rock saddle this time of the year; however, fish are still being caught in the weeds.

Want to target Northern Pike? After a cold front, big Pike like to slip up shallow onto classic summer-time rock spots. Large, shallow gravel areas around islands adjacent to water as deep as 30 to 40 feet are excellent areas to target Pike after a cold front. Bright colored Suicks, side to side glide baits, and twitch baits around 6-8 inches are hard to beat. When the water is warmer, Pike will slip out deep and can be caught trolling 6-10 inch crankbaits in bright colors Weeds hold fish year round and Pike can be caught on a variety of lures such as spoons and bass size spinnerbaits.

Lake of the Woods Resorts