Last weekend my friend decided to host his bachelor party on Lake of the Woods. There is no better form of male bonding than an ice fishing trip on prime walleye/sauger water. We didn’t return home with the burden of a large pending taxidermy bill, but we did come home with healthy meal of fish and lifetime memories.
Saturday morning we headed out of Wheeler’s Point and across Pine Island and set up for the morning bite in 28 FOW. Early in the morning the bite was slow and gained momentum around 9:00 AM. We found the jigging spoons produced equally as well as our presentations under a float. One of my favorite jigging spoons, that seems to excel particularly well on LOTW, is hammered gold on one side and glow paint on the other side. It provides a nice combination of gold, which is a LOTW standby, and a fish eye-grabbing paint scheme. Unlike my trip up there in January, the walleyes were responding much better to aggressive jigging. When they did strike the jigging spoons, they were absolutely inhaling the lure. The hook removal tool got a good work out.
In terms of our offering under a float, it seemed anything bright colored was producing better. I started out with a simple colored hook set up, but found a sharp improvement when I switched to a JB Lures GEM-N-EYE. This is the first time I have used this jig under a float. In the past, I have only used it for tight-lining purposes, but it seemed to work just fine under a float.
Around Noon we headed to 33 FOW to join the rest of our group. We were greeted with a less than positive report. The bite turned out to be much slower than the first spot of the day.
I’ve posted a picture of signage that is new to me. I didn’t see any of these signs in January, but the resorts have been forced to respond to what is deemed a concern of the resorts. This particular resort has stated violation of using roads they have plowed will cost a violator $500. I don’t have my JD, but I don’t think it’s enforceable. I’m not here to debate if it’s legal for resorts to claim ownership of lake roads. The point is we need to be respectful of each other as fellow anglers and the resorts that are putting expense and labor into maintaining the ice roads. If you are using a spur road, make sure you pull off far enough to allow passage by others.
Good luck on your next ice adventure!
Sully
I saw a sign like that in Jan when we were up there about 8 mile out. It’s a big lake with plenty of room for everybody. No need to play on there roads, although I don’t think that they can claim it. I respect there time & effort.
Man, I guy almost needs a ladder to get the holes started. LOL Thanks for sharing your trip.
You can’t own the lake, just the property around the lake. I think their saying if you come off the lake using their road and onto their property they will fine you for tresspassing. As far as using their plowed road and getting on their road without crossing or going on their land, there’s nothing they can do. The signs are out there to deter people from using their roads, but unless you cross their land, they can not do anything.
Absolutely NO legal grounds to back that up. – I don’t know how or even IF they would try to “fine” you. But at the same time , common sense should tell you either check with the resort first ( they may just let you use it) or leave it alone as if it were your own sign.
So my pea sized brain tells me that if I take a quarter mile ribbon out there in the summer, I can stake a claim to that water and charge anyone $500 to cross my ribbon?
(Note to self…Set this up for the kids to do on Summer vacation for their college fund.
)
BTW…Great report Sully!
How thick is the ice? That’s a huge extenstion.
Hi,
That is my friend’s resort sign, and I know that you are mistaken in saying that particular resort(the one on the sign in your report) would fine you $500. He wasn’t the first to put them out either, but after other resorts did he needed to to make sure his roads didn’t recieve all the traffic. I go up there a lot…stay in their houses…and bring my portable. He says that this year has been crazy in the amount of wheel houses that they have seen. He said that he attributes this partly due to the poor ice on Mille Lacs. He has received a lot of calls from guys who usually fish Mille Lacs, but couldn’t get out. The reason for the signs is the wheel houses. The signs are not on the main roads. They are on the roads that go directly to each resorts houses. wheel houses have been parking right on the roads, not off of them and have been flooding them costing him lots of work.
**One thing that should be mentioned is that he is out there every day with his plow truck, bring people to their houses and mainting the roads, and is willing to plow out a spot for a wheel house off the road, just need to ask.
I have full appreciation for the service they provide. Thank for your input! I was hoping a resort representative would chime in.
If you enlarge the picture I posted, you will see on the sign post it states there is a $500 fine. It may have been added in jest.
If we all follow the golden rule, everyone will be happy.
Sully
My comment was just to add levity.
I do understand that these resort owners work darn hard to keep roads open to their houses. They do a great service, and a fee to use them is the least that we as anglers can do to repay them.
The “Fine” comment was what got my attention.
The auger in the photo was my friend’s auger. I didn’t have an extension and didn’t need it..for now. When I got to the bottom of my holes, my power head was in the slush.
I would advise anyone going up there in the near future to pack an extension.
Sully
Personally he was against the signs, but after the other resorts put them he was kind of forced too. When i first saw them I was surprised too. He said that if they do flood the road depending on where the floodin happens he has anywhere from 4-5 hours of work, not to mention trying to explain to his customers that it is fine, just drive through the water to get to the rental.
I also hope that my first post was not taken negatively. I just wanted to make it known that this resort is run by the nicest people, and like I said he is more than willing to plow a spot for a wheel house if you want it. That way you can fish in a little more secluded spot with your wheel house.
Brad
Oh gosh no! That was just me being the smart a$$ I am!
Good to have ya on IDO!
And, I do not want to take anything away from a great report…so I am going to slither back into the depths that I came out of.
I also stay at this resort several times over the winter and can say these are some of the nicest people and are more than willing to help you out and have a great place to stay……great report, hope to be up there in 2 weeks!
Great report, Looks like a blast
Pete
Great report Jason!
What a great place to have a bachelor party! 
Great Report
Deffinately sounds like a great bachelor party 
Jason-The Wife&I just got back from Baudette. We went out of Adriens, $7.00 to use their plowed roads. I thought that’s a fair deal for using about 8miles of plowed roads to help our fihing trip to be a trouble free.Had a fairly good outing 30 some saugers&2ciscos 1 eel pout. 45″ of ice to bore. Sunday went out of Zippel Bay Resort,used one of their permanent shanties, what a way to go if you are bringing someone as dear as the MRS. anyhow fihing was a bit slower.8 saugers&1 23″eye..Our Daughter Danielle resides in Baudette now, So I forsee a many of a trip in order..Looking forward to the upcoming Smallie bite which is greatly overlooked.(RAINY RIVER)Walleye/Sauger to boot.