Lake of The Woods MN Fishing Report 05/05/2022. The Rainy River continues to run swiftly with high water levels. The winter runoff combined with some good rains has feeder rivers opening sending debris downstream. The spring flush has anglers on high navigational alert.
Nevertheless, the fishing has picked up over the past week. A very good bite has continued with many larger sturgeon being brought up for photo ops. With the heavy spring flow, some sturgeon anglers are fishing deep holes in the main channel using 12-ounce weights to keep baits on the bottom. Some anglers shifted to fishing eddies and current break areas using 5 – 6-ounce weights.
Using heavy equipment, like a good musky or salmon rod, set yourself up with a glob of nightcrawlers on a 3/0 – 5/0 circle hook at the end of an 18-inch leader (60 lb. test). Use a flat “no roll” sinker – and you will be in business.
With the late spring, there are a lot of walleyes in the Rainy River. They will continue to be there, wrapping up their spawning activities, for the fishing opener May 14. The river being small water allows boats of all sizes to experience great fishing. Keep that in mind while worrying about the ice chunks on the big water.
Sturgeon season dates…April 24 – May 7, 2022… 1 per calendar year. Fish must be 45″-50″ inclusive or over 75″. Fish must be immediately tagged and registered within 48 hours. No tag needed for catch and release
May 8 – May 15, 2022… Catch and Release only, no tag needed
May 16 – June 30… Sturgeon fishing closed
Out on the big water of Lake of The Woods, the ice is slowly melting. There is still plenty of ice but with temps over the next couple of weeks in the high 60’s, a warm spring sun, and strong outflow from the Rainy River and other rivers and streams, ice will be deteriorating fast.
Open water is spreading on the lake outside of the Lighthouse Gap where the Rainy River enters Lake of the Woods and near the Morris Point Gap where Bostic Creek enters the lake. For the opener, these areas, whether there is still some ice or not, are traditionally excellent for walleyes.
Walleye and sauger season is closed and opens again on the MN fishing opener May 14th.
We look forward to helping you enjoy your next fishing trip. You certainly don’t want to miss out on all the action.
We are running a spring sale on our nightly cabin rate starting right now and running until May 13th, 2022. Give us a call and book your trophy season trip today. We do have a couple of spots available for the walleye opener. Give us a call.
In addition, we do offer online booking for those who wish to do so. Please keep in mind that if you should experience any difficulty with our online system, we are a simple phone call away from getting you set up and fishing with us on beautiful Lake of The Woods.
Until next week … Keep a Tight Line! Bugs & Fishes ≤º))~{
