Well I just got back from working 5 days of the Duluth Sport Show and what a great time we had. From talking with organizers of the event and long time vendors at the event, it sound as if the show this year was the best in years…thank you to everyone that came and participated in the event. Down at the show I ran into a few famous fishermen such as Gary Roach aka “Mr. Walleye” and Tom Neustrom, each are longtime friends of Tom Briggs (Owner of the Wigwam Resort) and longtime patrons of the Wigwam Resort. I think the best quote of the week had to come from Gary Roach when he was visiting me at the booth. Gary and I were talking a little shop (Fishing), and there were plenty of people eves dropping listening to the conversation. As one of the gentlemen moved ever closer to us with his young son, I asked the boy if he knew who I was talking to, and the shy young man answered, “No sir, I don’t”. I then asked the boy’s father if he knew who I was talking to and the gentleman stated, “Yes…it’s Mr. Walleye”. At that time there were probably 15 -16 people around and Gary looked right at them and said, I quote “if you’re looking to go to Lake of the Woods, there is only one place to go, the Wigwam Resort”. Everyone started grabbing brochure after brochure. Thank you Mr. Walleye and I look forward to wetting a line with you sometime this summer!
On a little fishing front…I have been out for the past few days but that didn’t stop our guests from catching some AWESOME fish. Last week alone we had 8 Walleyes over 28 inches caught in our houses on the Reefs and in the Flats. Along with hooking into some nice big wall mounting Walleyes, our guests have been pulling out some great numbers also on a regular basis. If you plan on fishing Lake of the Woods in the near future, give us a call and we’ll treat you like “Rock Stars”, fill you up with some great food and put you on the best freshwater fishing this green earth has to offer…what are you waiting for? See you up at the Wiggy!
The lures that have still been working well are the “Gold Disco Ball aka “Strobe Jigs” (made by JB’s Tackle)”, “Stop Signs (Pink or White)”, “Macho Minnows (Pink, Green or White)” “Glow Pink Charmers (made by Tom’s Tackle locally in Baudette), which just happens to be my favorite lure to date” and “Chubby Darters/Rapala Rattling Jigs”. You want to be using anything that glows right now to get the best success possible…white and pink have been the best! All these items can be purchased at Log Cabin Bait and Tackle, which is about ¾ of a mile south of the Wigwam on 172. Remember that Vexilars are not required, but they help immensely when fishing off the bottom and marking suspended fish, which has been a common occurrence these days on Lake of the Woods. So, where I’m going with this one is, get a Vexilar today…you won’t be disappointed!
Daily Fishing Report: Today on and off snow flurries are possible along with variably cloudy skies, it will be cold with wind chills may approach -20F, high near 10F with winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Tonight we should have considerable clouds this evening with some decrease in clouds late, low -8F with winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow we should have partly cloudy skies, high 17F with winds light and variable. Tomorrow night should be mostly clear skies, low -7F with winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Thursday should be partly cloudy, highs in the mid 20s and lows in the upper single digits. Friday we should have clouds giving way to sun, highs in the low 30s and lows in the low teens. Saturday we should have times of sun and clouds, highs in the upper 20s and lows in the low teens. Today’s fishing report will come from our guides. Pink and White are still the magic colors on Lake of the Woods. The pressure is back under 30.00, which should loosen the fish up a bit. We haven’t been marking as many suspended fish as we did a few weeks ago, but you still need to be fishing with a Vexilar to even see those fish…I won’t even fish if I don’t have a Vexilar these days. All the action is still taking place, west of Pine Island and north of Graceton/Zipple in 30 – 32 feet of water, and up on the Reefs in 23 – 30 feet. We have still been doing very well in our houses, which are only accessible by fishing with the Wigwam Resort (Trucks can’t drive to them)…they are located on west side of Pine Island straight out from Graceton and up off the Reefs (21 miles north). The lures showing the best success rates are the “Gold Disco Ball aka Strobe Jig by JB’s Tackle”, “Charmer Jig (Pink) by Tom’s Tackle), the Pink or White Florescent “Stop Sign”, “Macho Minnows” and “Chubby Darter/Rapala Rattling Jig” (all can be purchased at the Log Cabin Bait store approximately ¾ of a mile before the Wigwam on 172). Use anything that glows right now, whether it is pink or white. Also give the plain gold jigs/Disco aka “Strobe” balls a try. The ice thickness out there is currently 33-36 inches. Adrian’s road is open for business…trucks are going out everyday. But again, just a little reminder, if you want to fish by the Wigwam’s houses, you have to come with us. The only types of transportation that will get you out to our houses are track vehicles and snowmobiles…no trucks. We are currently fishing the “Reefs”, but there are limited spots available each day, so book your spot today. Don’t miss out on this great fishing that we’re having on Lake of the Woods; come visit us today at the Wigwam Resort on Lake of the Woods!
Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!
Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Thanks for the report