The bite continues to be red-hot on Lake of the Woods, with walleyes and saugers providing plenty of action across many areas! Whether you're targeting shallow ...more sand, deep mud, or rocky structure, fish are active and hungry. On the South Shore... The jig bite remains the top producer on the South Shore! Anglers are finding walleyes and saugers in a wide range of depths, with the 23 to 28-foot range being especially productive. Walleyes are relating to various forage opportunities, showing up on sand, mud, and rock alike. The most effective technique continues to be anchoring up or spot-locking and jigging. A 3/8 to 1/2 ounce jig tipped with a frozen emerald shiner is the go-to bait. Don't forget those bright colors in the stained waters of LOW – gold / glow white, gold / chartreuse, gold / glow white / pink, or straight gold are all catching walleyes. Some good pike are still being caught by unsuspecting walleye anglers. While many have moved into the main lake, some big northerns are still lingering in the shallows, offering an exciting change of pace if you're looking for a fight. On the Rainy River... The Rainy River is still yielding some fantastic walleyes! With climbing water temperatures and steady current, a 3/4 ounce jig tipped with a frozen emerald shiner is working well. Most anglers are vertically jigging in deeper holes or just off the main channel. Four Mile Bay continues to be productive, especially when fishing the channel edges and slowing your presentation. For those looking to cover more water and find active fish, consider switching to spinner rigs tipped with crawlers or trolling crankbaits. If you're up for a fun challenge, try casting crankbaits, swim jigs, or spinnerbaits along the shoreline, around docks, or into the bays for multispecies action. The sturgeon season is currently closed but will reopen on July 1st. From July 1st through September 30th, anglers with a sturgeon tag can harvest one sturgeon per calendar year, either 45-50 inches or over 75 inches. Up at the Northwest Angle... Excellent fishing continues at the Northwest Angle! Walleyes are being found in 12-24 feet of water, particularly off shoreline structure, points, and shallow reefs. The jig and minnow bite remains strong, with most anglers anchoring up and working rock or sand transitions. In addition to jigging, trolling crankbaits along shallow shoreline structure in 6 to 9 feet of water is producing walleyes as well as a mixed bag. Points, underwater points and rock rubble areas are holding good numbers of fish. Trolling is a great way to cover water and locate active, feeding fish. Muskie anglers, the muskie opener is June 21st for both Minnesota and Ontario’s Zone 5. As most muskie anglers know, the lake is healthy for muskies right now. With 14,552 islands, there are plenty of places to spread out and fish. For more information on resorts, guides, charters, and trip planning, visit: LakeoftheWoodsMN.com
