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.