Lake of the Woods?

[Troy L]

I planning on fishing the mud basin of LOTW this next coming summer. How far do you go out, do you follow the charter boats out, do you use cranks or spinners. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Also whens the best time to go?

[Kaz]

Troy: I have not fished the flats on LOTW. In the spring I fish close to shore in 10' to 15'. Mid summer I fish a little deeper or on the rock piles and reefs. If you have a boat capable of following the charters, then that is a good bet. They leave from the Rainy River Gap at about 8:00 AM and return at 5:00 PM. Marine channels for the Sportsman Lodge is channel 12, they have a fleet of about 15 boats, far the biggest group on the lake. Channel 82 is the one most of the other guides hang out on the south end. I try to follow the flotilla if the fish are not biting by the Gap, but sometimes it's fun just to go way out and see where the charters get their fish. They know what's happening as they have paying customers and have to get fish!It's about 30 miles out and can be treacherous if the wind is, or comes up from the northwest. You need a boat that can handle some pretty good sized rollers, because of the current going out and the wind comming in. Mine is a 25' Sportcraft and I've had no problems most days. A good deep vee is good too, but you may take a little pounding until you get out a few miles where the current has dissapated. All in all it is very worth the trip as the fish seem to be bigger and there is lots more of them. As for gear, bring it all up and listen to the charters, they talk back and forth telling what's working. It can change from day to day, so you want to be prepared. If you need something special, there is plenty of shops to get the "newest wonder". Good luck and COME ON UP......Kaz

[Troy L]

Thanks for the reply, your info is very helpful.

[bluelund]

Troy L,

I have fished the mud flats on Lake of the Woods for years. The fishing on the flats usually doesn't turn on until after the 4th of July. Before that it is pretty much fishing the reefs and shallows on the south end like Kaz said. When we fish the flats we almost always pull crankbaits with downriggers, however it is not unusual to see some guys live bait fishing with spinner rigs, they are usually drift fishing or trolling. I agree with Kaz that you need a good boat cuz you will be along way from shore and the wind can really howl sometimes. I fish out of a 2250 Lund Sport Cabin and there are days when it feels a little on the small side. We troll right with the charters, but I am always giving them plenty of space. It's a big lake and there is no reason to crowd. If you want a shorter boat ride to the flats, try launching at Long Point instead of Baudette, you can trailer your boat for about 15 more miles north and then you have quite a bit less pounding to take once you get on the lake. If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask. My email addy is in my profile if you want to email me.

Take care and good fishing,

Bob M.

[Troy L]

Thanks for the info. When i get closer to the open water i'll probally e-mail you for some more info. Quick question if you reply. How deep is the water in the basin and were are the fish located on the bottom or suspended or watch the locator.

[bluelund]

Troy,

The depth of the main basin of Lake of the Woods is a really consistent 35-37 ft. This will vary a little depending on if it is a wet year, last summer we had really high water and it was around 37 feet all summer. I troll with my crankbaits ticking along the bottom, I've tried fishing for suspended fish but with no great success. I watch my locator quite a bit to see if there are fish in the area or if I happen to be near a reef, don't want to catch the downrigger balls in the rocks ya know. As far as crankbaits go, I have had the most success using #5 or #7 shad raps, bring a variety of colors although the biggest fish seem to be caught on perch color so I always have one line set with that. If you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask.

Take care and good fishing,

Bob M

[Troy L]

Thanks again bluelund.

[Kaz]

Bluelund: Do you ever hit Garden on the south west corner?? We did very well pulling plastic from there to almost Stony. Released several in the 29" to 31" last Aug. But weren't the dead heads terrible last year? Water is down now and I think it will stay that way if they don't open the gates at the Int Falls to much next spring. Good luck FISHING...Kaz

[bluelund]

Kaz,

Yeah, I spend alot of time trolling south of Garden over towards Stony Point. It seems that quite a few had good luck fishing in about 30 feet off of Stony but I always seem to do better when I am out in about 35-37 feet. As far as deadheads, they were the worst I have ever seen. I heard of alot of props and lower units being taken out but I was fortunate and made it through the summer without hitting one. Have you been up ice fishing recently? I am going up to Long Point at the end of January and was wondering about the ice. Any big ridges on the south shore this year?

Take care and good fishing,

Bob M

[Kaz]

Bob: I was up two weeks ago and walked out in front of Wigwom to about 14'. The ice was only about 6" on Saturday night, and then it rained the night thru so in the morning the ice was reduced to about 5". Needless to say we were not walking out in the dark. Tom, from Wigwon wasn't a hero either so we sat and drank coffee. Sunday evening we walked out again and fishing was slower than the evening before. We got 10 eaters and had a good time. Four wheelers were running all over the place including to the other side of Pine. Not for me though. I called up to Adrians this week and they are in full swing now. Houses are out and they have the road open. I didn't ask if the ice heave is as usual just over Pine. I don't think I will get up again until spring as I will be in and out of town for now. Check with Backwater Eddie as he has some connections at Long Point and he may have some later data. See you next spring on the water. I monitor 82 and use Kaz there too. I have a white SportCRAFT and usually go out of the gap about 7:30 or 8:00. Good luck ICE FISHING....Kaz