Outdoors: Solid ice, bountiful catches found.
Lake of the Woods still offers solid ice
ROOSEVELT, Minn. - Sitting on the frozen surface of Lake of the Woods north of Roosevelt, Minn., one has a temptation to study the horizon.
The tree line to the northwest is Manitoba. To the west, the islands of the Northwest Angle, a portion of Minnesota reachable only by traveling across water or through Canada, jut up from the expanse of white.
And to the northeast, well, that’s Ontario.
If your goal is to catch fish, however, it’s advisable to narrow your focus.
“You’ve got a fish coming up,” said Jean-Paul Tessier, a guide who lives in Baudette, Minn.
The flasher beside me showed an electronic vapor trail rising to my lure 25 feet below. A second later, I had no choice but to snap back to fishing. The rod tip twitched and I set the hook.
There was a time when Americans were urged to “go west” to find opportunity.
But if you’re an angler hoping to find solid ice and experience the late-season bite, a different compass heading is recommended.
Lake of the Woods, the northern-most lake in the contiguous United States, is as sure a bet as you can find.
“It’s game on,” said Joe Henry, executive director of Lake of the Woods Tourism, when asked in mid-March about the conditions on the huge lake that straddles the U.S.-Canada border.
Last week I joined a group of media members and outdoor industry representatives on an ice fishing trip to Lake of the Woods.
We fished Tuesday and Wednesday about 9 miles north of our base at Arnesen’s Rocky Point Lodge and Fishing Resort in Roosevelt.
Arnesen’s staff had placed a pair of permanent fish houses on the spot, which was a transition from a rocky reef to a mud flat over about 30 feet of water. We also fished from portable shelters and in the open air.
How was the ice? Suffice it to say the top 3 feet of water was frozen.
Our group of 16 included: Jerry Carlson, a radio host and freelance writer from Minnesota; Rob Drieslein, president of Outdoor News Publications in Minnesota; Greg Jones of Midwest Outdoors, based in Illinois; Dan Stefanich, marketing director of Clam Outdoors; Steve and Keith Worrall of Outdoor First Media in Rhinelander; and Tom Zenanko of Vexilar.
Henry, of Lake of the Woods Tourism, and pro anglers and guides Chris Granrud, Kelly Granrud, Tim Hill, Brian Lindberg, Terry Tuma and Tessier were also on hand, as was Kyle Stefanich, Dan’s son.
Kyle is a college freshman who decided to ice fish on his spring break rather than head to a southern beach like most of his classmates.
Henry, the ultimate promoter, said Lake of the Woods is a top “under the radar” spring break spot.
It certainly is a premier fishing destination with a healthy, native fish community including walleye, sauger, muskellunge, northern pike, yellow perch, lake sturgeon and tullibee (a cisco).
The area also offers an impressive infrastructure of lodging, equipment and guides to support visiting anglers in all seasons.
When it comes to hardwater season, Arnesen’s is the largest ice fishing resort in the U.S. On one day alone during the peak of the season it puts 350 anglers on the frozen surface of Lake of the Woods.
Arnesen’s runs 125 fish houses (including 48 sleepers) on the lake and hires 20 guides.
“We’re bigger than most,” allowed Mark Arnesen, part of the fourth generation of his family to earn a living from Lake of the Woods fishing.
The previous generation, including Ed, Jack and Steve Arnesen, had to make the transition from commercial fishers to resort owners and sport fishing guides when commercial netting was banned in Minnesota waters of the lake in the mid-1980s.
The family now runs a sprawling resort on the southern shore of the lake.
In winter, most of its customers are ferried in heated comfort to heated permanent fish houses set over productive water. Resort staff use bigtracked machines or tiny tricked-out Geo Tracker fourwheel-drive vehicles to pull trailers full of anglers. Some call it “tennis shoe” ice fishing; no insulated boots or other heavy winter clothing are needed.
The Arnesens own 30 Geos, which haven’t been produced since 2002.
The resort also acquired the first airboat in the area, which they use to access remote camps in the Northwest Angle. The craft has been used several times to rescue people (none guided by Arnesen’s staff) on Lake of the Woods.
Lake of the Woods has a reputation as a “working man’s lake.” It’s a reference to the dark, tannin-stained water that typically makes fishing best from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when the sun is up, said Tessier.
The lake is a vast and rich resource for the area.
Other than the five Great Lakes, it’s the largest lake in the U.S. It has more than 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline.
“This is our oilfield,” said Tessier.
The walleye population is currently at, or slightly above, the long-term average for abundance, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Catches in the 2016 gill net sampling averaged 25.2 walleye per net; the average from 1968-2015 was 15.1. Sauger numbers are also above the long-term average.
To help protect its valuable sport fishery, Lake of the Woods has a four-walleye daily bag limit; all walleye from 19.5 to 28 inches in length must be immediately returned to the water.
One walleye more than 28 inches long may be kept each day.
Using flashers to view our lures and fish activity, our group had very good action over two days. We kept limits of walleyes and saugers, as well as several eelpout and yellow perch. We also caught and released dozens of walleyes and tullibees and one large northern pike.
Even those with a penchant for vista viewing were able to catch fish.
Most of the action came on flutter spoons tipped with live minnows fished within a few feet of the bottom.
The walleye season runs until April 14 on Lake of the Woods.
Fish houses have to be removed from the lake Friday.
“We’ll be busy right to the end,” Mark Arnesen said. “The ice on our lake makes it all possible.”