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Lake of the woods Walleyes
Lake of the Woods is indeed an impressive body of water. Over 350,000 acres of water exist on the  Minnesota side alone. Because the
water has a stain that is tea colored, walleye fishing on Lake of the Woods is mainly a daytime affair. Also, because of the darker water, Lake of the Woods doesn't experience the "Dog Days" of
summer that most natural lakes have. Indeed, the bite on Lake of the Woods is often best in July and August! The Minnesota part of the lake is mainly a mud basin with a maximum depth of
about 35 feet. Rock reefs rise up out of the basin in various parts of the lake, attracting walleyes at certain times of the year. Miles of sandy shoreline
abound, with walleyes using these areas in the spring. The Rainy River enters the lake flowing between Pine and Sable Island, creating another important location for walleyes to gather. In addition to millions of
walleyes and a huge sauger population, Lake of the Woods is also one of the best places to land a trophy walleye. Lake of the Woods is indeed a walleye fisherman's paradise. |
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Lake of the woods Walleyes
LAKE OF THE WOODS LOCATIONAL
AND SEASONAL PATTERNS
When the walleye season opens in mid May on Lake of the Woods, the walleyes have filtered out of the Rainy River and are holding at the mouth of the lake at "The Gap" between Pine and Sable island. The area between Pine Island and Zippel bay is another narrowed down area that concentrates fish. These areas have are heavily fished the first few weeks of the season. These are classic spots that bottleneck and concentrate walleyes during this time frame. Don't overlook the shoreline spots from Zippel Bay to Long Point however, as there are walleyes here as well and they don't receive as much pressure. As spring turns into summer walleyes leave the rivermouth area and the shorelines and head to the basin of lake and the rock reefs to chase their forage of choice, ciscoes. The basin will produce fish all summer as large schools of walleye roam chasing forage fish. The hot, calm weather of July and August finds walleyes on the rock reefs and results in one of the best bites of the year. This is a key pattern for big fish. As summer turns to fall, the fish again start to migrate towards shore and the rivermouth.
LAKE OF THE WOODS
PRESENTATION PATTERNS
During the spring of the year, Lake of the Woods walleyes feed on minnows, which make jig and minnows or spinners and minnows the key presentation. Because of the stained water that Lake of the Woods has the presentation needs vibration and flash to attract walleyes. This makes Northland Whistler Jigs and Rainbow spinners effective presentations. Due to the sluggish nature of early season walleyes, anchoring will be an effective method when all else fails. When summertime rolls around and walleyes have moved into the basin of the lake, crankbaits are the ticket. Lake of the Woods is well-known for using downriggers and crankbaits for walleyes and this is effective for these basin fish. If you don't have downriggers all is not lost as Offshore Snapweights can be attached ahead of your crankbaits to get lures to the bottom. Some deep diving crankbaits such as the Reef Runner Ripstick will get to the bottom by using Fireline. Catching these basin fish requires finding them and then getting a crankbait to the proper depth. When the hot, calm, weather of summer arrives, walleyes will school up on rock reefs. By far the most effective presentation is a bottom bouncer with either a plain snell or a spinner rig. Both leeches and crawlers will work effectively to help an angler catch that trophy of a lifetime on Lake of the Woods.
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