From Our Family To Yours …. River Bend Resort would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas (Fishmas)!! And a Happy New Year!!
Lake of The Woods, MN Ice Fishing Report December 22, 2022. With the continued lower temperatures ice is thickening (14” – 18”), and overall conditions are improving. Fishing continues to be nothing less than awesome.
As ice thickens, cracks are popping up in areas. This naturally happens every year. Some sleeper houses are beginning to be put out and with the cold weather, weight limits have been naturally increasing along with the thickening ice.
Check with each ice road operator for specifics. As a reminder, please remember to Keep It Clean, pack out what you packed in. It’s appreciated.
Daily numbers of fish being caught remains in the high double digits pushing into the low triple digits. Mixed bag catch reported across all anglers.
Fishing over the past week has continued to be exceptional. River Bend Resort fleet is located approx. ¾ of a mile out in front of Pine Island over 26 – 28 feet of water on 18” of ice. Anglers are reporting 50 to 60 fish days with a few groups bragging of 100. In the mix have been walleye, sauger, eelpout, perch, northern pike, and sturgeon.
With such a great catch ratio there’s a fair amount of sorting going on. Good numbers of slot fish (19.5” – 28”) being reeled up for a quick photo and then promptly released. Trophy walleye over the 28” slot limit are being landed with good consistency. Hot colors are the standard pink, green, and glow.
The action is staying strong along the entire southern shoreline. Please keep in mind that ice conditions can and will vary across each area. Even though the ice has been thickening and resorts are increasing weight limits for transportation (ATV’s, snowmobiles, side by sides, small vehicles), if you are going it alone keep to the marked roads/trails and adhere to the weight restrictions.
For those of you who are choosing to be mobile, there has been reported a good morning and evening bite in 9’ – 18’ along the same southern shoreline. Not as many fish, but larger fish are being found in these areas.
One jigging setup and one dead stick setup is getting it done. For the jigging rod set up, the “go-to” jig head colors currently reported are glow colors, pink, green, and rattling lures (same colors). All tipped with a frozen minnow. The dead stick setup is as easy as a plain red hook and a live minnow. Don’t touch it. Let he live minnow do the work for you.
We are finding the best presentation is inches off the bottom. There seems to be something in the mud that is keeping all the fish currently glued to the bottom. Trust your flasher. You never know when a big walleye will come from higher up in the water column.
River Bend Resort can set you up with just one call to our booking agents. We offer a variety of ice fishing packages that will suit any level of ice fishing experience and will fit any budget. You can find our offerings as well as pricing by clicking this link. What You Need – Everything in One Call – The only thing missing is you! Early ice is where the magic happens on Lake of The Woods. Book Now.
We will be running a mid-week package special after January 9th, 2023. Pick any River Bend Resort or Walleye Inn ice fishing package, then choose any mid-week dates (Sun – Thursday) and receive a 10% discount. If you add a meal plan to your package, you will receive a 15% discount off the listed package price. This offer may not be used with any other discount. Minimum number of guest requirements must also be met to receive this special offer.
Until next week … Keep a Tight Line! Bugs & Fishes ≤º))~{
