South End

Great reports continue to come in for walleyes and saugers. Fish being caught in a variety of depths from 24-34′ of water. Morning/evening bite in 15-20′. Some suspended fish. Keep jigging lines moving. Gold, glow red and other glow colors effective. Try rattles to draw fish in. Deadstick with a plain hook and live minnow. Fish houses on ice through March 31, walleyes open through April 14, pike season open continuous. Thick ice, extensions needed. Resort houses available with good ice. Ice roads open.



Rainy River

A strong current in the river this year and a lot of snow. Snowmobile trail on a river is open and marked from Baudette (downstream from the bridge) to the lake. Stay on the trail for safety.



NW Angle

Excellent reports across the Angle. Walleyes coming from 22-30′. Saugers and jumbo perch mixed in. Jig one line, second line dead stick with a plain hook with a live minnow. Snowmobile trails from south shore across the lake to Angle are marked with fresh snow. Lots of slush off of the trail.

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South End

Most reports from anglers showing very good ice fishing.  A healthy mix of walleyes and saugers.  Most fishing continues in 30-34' of water.  Morning/evening bite in 15-20'.  Ice thickness pushing over 36" in most areas being fished.  Lots of snow and slush if you are not on an ice road or groomed trail.  Keep jigging lines moving.  Gold, glow red and other glow colors effective.  Try rattles to draw fish in.  Fish houses on ice through March 31, walleyes open through April 14, pike season open continuous.

Rainy River

A strong current in the river this year, thus, ice is thinner than normal.  Snowmobile trail on the river is open and marked from Baudette (downstream from the bridge) to the lake.  Stay on the trail for safety.

NW Angle

A mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, perch, pike, tulibees and eelpout.  Most fish coming from 22-30'.  Jig one line, second line dead stick with a plain hook with a live minnow.  Nice crappies just over the border amongst islands.  Snowmobile trails from south shore across the lake to Angle are marked with fresh snow.  Lots of slush off of the trail. 

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On the south end... Nice mix of walleyes and saugers with some big walleyes as well. Most fishing in 30-34' of water. Try and get away from traffic. Some good reports in 15-20' morning and evening. Ice thickness pushing over 36" in most areas being fished, extension for auger needed if not with resort. Rattle baits effective to pull fish in. Keep jigging lines moving. Electronics very helpful. Some nice walleyes again suspended this week. Fish houses on ice through March 31, walleyes open through April 14, pike season open continuous.

On the Rainy River... Lots of current in river. Ice is thinner than normal for February. Area around International Bridge in Baudette not safe due to construction of new bridge. Snowmobile trail on river is open and marked from Baudette (downstream from bridge) to lake. Stay on trail for safety.

Up at the NW Angle... Best bite morning and evening. Nice mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, perch, pike, tulibees and eelpout. Most fish coming from 22-30'. Gold, glow red and other glow colors best. Downsize jigging presentation if fish are sluggish. Snowmobile trails from south shore across lake to Angle are marked with fresh snow. The ice road from Young's Bay to Flag and Oak Island resorts is open.

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On the south end... Overall, really good ice fishing for mid-February with a nice mix of walleyes and saugers.  Most fishing 12-15 miles out, 30-32' of water the norm.  Other nice pods of fish found in closer to shore away from traffic.  Some good reports during the day in 15-20'.  Ice thickness pushing over 30" in most areas being fished, bring your extensions for augers if not with the resort.  Some nice walleyes again suspended this week.  Your favorite ice fishing electronics to mark fish is very helpful.  Jig one line, try teasing fish up.  Deadstick the second with a live minnow on an ice jig or plain hook under a bobber.  Fish houses on ice through March 31, walleyes open through April 14, pike never close.

On the Rainy River...  Some reports of morning/evening walleye action on the river and Four Mile Bay.  The area around International Bridge in Baudette not safe due to the construction of the new bridge.  Lots of current, thus thinner ice than normal for Feb.  Snowmobile trail on the river is open and marked from Baudette (downstream from the bridge) to the lake.  Stay on the trail for safety.

Up at the NW Angle...  Great ice fishing with a mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, perch, pike, tulibees and eelpout.  Most fish coming from 24-30'.  Pink/white, gold, glow strong colors.  Big crappies coming in from Canada side.  Snowmobile trails from south shore across the lake to Angle are marked with fresh snow.  The ice road from Young's Bay to Flag and Oak Island resorts is open.

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On the south end... Good ice fishing continues with a nice mix of walleyes and saugers. Most fishing 12-15 miles out, 30-32' of water the norm. Other nice pods of fish found in closer to shore away from traffic. Ice thickness pushing over 30" in most areas being fished. Some nice walleyes again suspended this week. Your favorite ice fishing electronics to mark fish is very helpful. Jig one line, deadstick the second with a live minnow under bobber. Jig deadstick periodically to keep minnow moving and get attention of fish. Ice roads open. Snowmobile trails across lake and around area staked and groomed with fresh snow.
On the Rainy River... Some reports of morning/evening walleye action on river and Four Mile Bay. Area around International Bridge in Baudette not safe due to construction of new bridge. Snowmobile trail on river is open and marked from Baudette (downstream from bridge) to lake. Stay on trail for safety.
Up at the NW Angle... Great week of ice fishing with mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, perch, pike, tulibees and eelpout mixed in. Most fish coming from 24-30'. Pink/white, gold, glow strong colors. Rattle baits to pull fish in proving successful. Nice crappies being caught. Remember, mortality rate is high for released crappies in 25' or deeper, catch fish, keep a few and move on. Snowmobile trails from south shore across lake to Angle are marked and are open. The ice road from Young's Bay to Flag and Oak Island resorts is open. A complete list of lodging and ice fishing packages available at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging.

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South end

 Despite very cold temps this week, the walleye and sauger bite stayed consistent with mixed in jumbo perch, tulibees and eelpout.  Ice thickness pushing over 24" in most areas being fished, setting ice up nicely for March walleyes/pike.   Key depths 25' - 32'.  Some nice walleyes again suspended this week.  Your favorite ice fishing electronics to mark fish is very helpful.  Jig one line, deadstick the second with a live minnow under a bobber.  Vary jigging lures, try glow colors, gold, green/white and pink/white.  Try rattles.  Sometimes a Rippin Rap or other noisy bait to pull in fish.  Ice roads open.  Snowmobile trails across the lake and around area staked and groomed with fresh snow.  



Rainy River

Some reports of morning/evening walleye action on the river and Four Mile Bay.  The area around International Bridge in Baudette not safe due to the construction of the new bridge.  Snowmobile trail on the river is open and marked from Baudette (downstream from the bridge) to the lake.  Stay on the trail for safety.



NW Angle

Good week of ice fishing with a mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, perch, pike, tulibees and eelpout mixed in.  Most fish coming from 24-29'.  Pink/white, gold, glow strong colors.  Nice crappies being caught.  Remember, the mortality rate is high for released crappies in 25' or deeper, catch fish, keep a few and move on. Snowmobile trails from south shore across the lake to Angle are marked and are open.  The ice road from Young's Bay to Flag and Oak Island resorts is open. 

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On the main basin

Good numbers of walleyes and saugers being caught of all sizes.  Jig one line, deadstick second.  Most anglers focused in 25-31' of water.  During the morning and evenings, shallow water bite in 13-18'.  Electronics very helpful with some larger fish suspended.  Every resort ice road is different but pickups and wheelhouses of varying sizes allowed on various ice roads.  Gold, glow red, yellow and orange hot colors.  Ice ranges from 12-20" where resorts are fishing.  Snowmobile trails on lake staked from south shore up to NW angle.  Please stay on marked trails, don't go off on your own and exercise safety precautions as ice conditions vary.

On the Rainy River

Stretches of the river and bay ice unsafe with heavier than normal current.  Some walleye action in Four Mile Bay early and late in the day.  Most river fishing currently being done by locals who know ice.

The NW Angle

Ice road is open from Young's Bay to Flag Island, no further as of yet.  Snowmobile trails from south shore across the lake to Angle are marked and are open.  Stay on the trail for safety!  Excellent fishing with good numbers of walleyes being caught.  Most fish coming from 18-24'.  Crappies being caught on Ontario side.  Work through resorts and stay on staked resort ice trails.

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Main basin (Lake of the Woods, MN)
The strong ice fishing bite continues. As expected, walleyes and saugers are starting to slide a little deeper, 23-29' of water. During the morning and evenings, many areas experiencing a shallow water bite in 13-18'. Resorts have marked trails for ATV, UTV and snowmobiles while others are transporting guests with light ice rigs. Some resorts starting to allow small SUVs with no house or ATV/UTV with up to 17' house. Gold and glow red continue to be hot colors. Ice ranges from 11-16" where resorts are fishing. Big crack 8 miles off of Pine Island stretching to Long Point. Snowmobile trail staked from 4 Mile Bay up to NW angle. Please stay on marked trails and exercise safety precautions as ice thickness varies.

On the Rainy River
Stretches of the river and bay ice unsafe with heavier than normal current and still some open water. Some walleye action in Four Mile Bay early and late in the day. Reports of pike still coming from bays.

Up at the NW Angle
The Ice road is open from Young's Bay to Flag Island, no further as of yet. Other areas still need more time/ice before vehicle traffic is allowed.  The snowmobile trail from 4 Mile Bay and Pine Island across the lake to the Northwest Angle is marked and open. For safety, always stay on the marked trail.  Ice condition in neck-down areas with current are iffy. Fishing reports are very good. Large numbers of walleyes being caught. Work through resorts and stay on staked resort ice trails. Safety first.

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On the main basin... Ice fishing is in full swing and the bite so far is incredible. Big numbers of walleyes and saugers in 17 - 24' of water. Resorts have marked trails for ATV, UTV and snowmobiles. Resort fish houses are on the ice. Reports excellent across south shore from Pine Island area west to Zippel Bay. Ice ranges from 9-12" where resorts are fishing. There are some cracks in areas not being fished. Please use resort marked trails, don't go off on your own and exercise safety precautions as ice thickness varies.

On the Rainy River... The Rainy River and Four Mile Bay are frozen over. Currently, higher than normal current makes river ice more dangerous. Reports of pike coming from Baudette Bay and other bays.

Up at the NW Angle... The NW Angle is locked with ice. Higher than normal current. As always, neck down and other areas with current are iffy. Some resorts have begun ice fishing with success. Work through resorts and stay on staked resort ice trails when ice fishing begins. Safety first.

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On the main basin... Ice is making progress and covers Lake of the Woods. Spearing for pike in bays. Some resorts reporting ice fishing on the lake will begin towards the end-of-week. Initial test fishing by guides was excellent with good numbers of walleyes. Water clarity looks good. Where resorts are staking ice trails, reports of 5-7" on Four Mile Bay, 7-10" on the lake. Ice thickness varies. Resorts access lake in different spots and will get houses out when they feel safe. Please use resort marked trails and exercise safety precautions as ice thickness varies.

On the Rainy River... The Rainy River and Four Mile Bay are frozen over. Currently, higher than normal current makes river ice more dangerous. Reports of pike coming from Baudette Bay and other bays.

Up at the NW Angle... The NW Angle is locked with ice. Higher than normal current. As always, neck down and other areas with current are iffy. Some resorts have begun ice fishing with success. Work through resorts and stay on staked resort ice trails when ice fishing begins. Safety first.

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