Lake of the Woods News


Lake of the woods
For those of you who have never been to Lake of the Woods, it is a huge lake covering over 1,400 square miles with over 14,000 islands on the lake. It is home to walleye, northern pike, muskie, crappie, smallmouth and largemouth bass, sturgeon, perch, lake trout, and other species of fish. It can be a daunting lake to fish with lots of structure to choose from, big waves, three distinct areas of the lake to fish.

The southern, American side of the lake is almost island free. You can boat from Warroad and go almost 30 miles before you meet your first island. To East, you have Baudette, the "Walleye Capital of the World." With a few islands, a walleye machine of a river, and reefs nearby, it is one of the most productive portions of the lake. Finally, the Canadian side of the lake is a maze of islands and hidden reefs. With a good map and a sound GPS, you can reap the benefits of the fishing of this area.

News
We've been fishing Lake of the Woods since the 1950's, back when commercial fishing was a big ticket and my Grandpa built his own launches and kicker boats out of wood during the winter months. He owned a restaurant and shut it down for the winter, doing all his construction in the main dining hall. When he finished building a boat, he would take out the window and slide it right down the snow bank to the river's edge. When he got to be "big time" he was able to buy launches, in the later years he owned 9 launches and over 20 kicker boats. This was the 50's, and fishing was great on the lake. He finally sold the resort in the 70's, leaving a fishing legacy for years to come.

Today much has changed on the lake. Boats are faster, and fishing has become more refined with the increase in fishing pressure. Places like Baudette, Warroad and Kenora are full of people in the summer and winter months. There are times when the boats are so close together, a person could almost walk from boat to boat for miles.

To me, fishing is best enjoyed with the company in your boat, not with the hundreds of other boats around you. That is why when I hit the big pond, I love to explore to places where I can find myself enjoying the calm of catching fish alone. Places like the South Shore, Buffalo Bay, and especially the Canadian side of the lake all have their quiet times when the fish are just pounding your lines. Of course, there are always the "secret" portage lakes to hit, but that's a different topic for a different day:)