Lake of the Woods holding stringer of fish on dock Sportsman's Oak Island Resort
Article

Lake of the Woods Lures Anglers

Scroll to Read
Image Caption
Headed home with a nice stringer of walleye

Lake of the Woods Lures Anglers

Straddling the border between Minnesota and Canada, giant Lake of the Woods is the four-season fishing destination of your dreams. Home to the Northwest Angle—the most northerly point in the continental U.S.—anglers search out its walleye, sauger, northern, smallmouth bass, muskies and even the prehistoric looking sturgeon found in the spring and fall.

float plane over oak island and lake of the woods

A float plane flies over Oak Island in Lake of the Woods

The Minnesota shoreline offers lakeside resorts and public access points from Baudette to Warroad. There are many ways and seasons to fish Lake of the Woods. There is no doubt it is an ultimate fishing destination on many a bucket list.

Boy holding a giant muskie on Lake of the Woods

A giant muskie on Lake of the Woods

Spring & Summer on Lake of the Woods

Early spring and summer, fishing is concentrated along shorelines of the big lake. As the lake grows warmer, the fish move out to deeper depths later in the summer—a great time to take advantage of a charter boat trip.

Many resorts around the lake provide charter boat fishing with experienced captains. The boats use downriggers to get the lures down to the deeper depths where the walleye and sauger can be found in July and August. Lake of the Woods is one of the few lakes in Minnesota (besides Lake Superior) where you can leave shore,  jump on a charter boat, and have a great chance to catch that trophy fish or nice size eaters.

As the season enters mid-summer and fall, you’ll find fish by bouncing jigs off of the rocky reefs. 

Man holding two big fish after ice fishing on Lake of the Woods

Bring home a trophy (or two) from Lake of the Woods / Arnesen's Rocky Point

Winter Ice Fishing on Lake of the Woods

The activity doesn’t stop when the big lake freezes over. Lake of the Woods is a popular destination for ice fishing. Walleyes are active early and late season, but you’ll find plenty in midwinter, along with some nice saugers for a meal.

Resorts provide “fish houses” so the angler doesn’t have to rough it. These “fish houses” can be a basic house with heat and holes drilled for you, or deluxe on-ice accommodations for overnight stays. Some resorts even plow ice roads so that anglers can bring their own ice fishing shelters.