Rod and Reel Resort (Sioux Narrows area) - http://www.rodandreelresort.com/
Crawfords Camp (Sioux Narrows area) - http://www.crawfordscamp.com/
Tomahawk Resort (Sioux Narrows area) - http://www.tomahawkresort.com/
Sunset Lodge (Northwest Angle) - http://www.sunsetlodgeresort.com/
Witch Bay Camp (Kenora area) - http://www.witchbay.com/
Darcy's Guide Service - http://www.darcysguideservice.com/
Lake of the Woods Guide Service - 807-407-3474
We returned once again to Sioux Narrows area for our regularly scheduled spring trip and the once again fishing was very good. We were met with record breaking water levels and by the middle of the week it appeared we had surpassed the 2014 water levels. The other issue in the early week was one had to be very careful navigating as there was much floating debris. By midweek, the rains and higher winds had returned which created a further challenge for the resorts and well as more difficult fishing conditions. In the end, we ended up with a variety of fish including walleye, lake perch, smallmouth bass, lake trout, pike and sauger with many being caught in more early spring type locations including as close as 100 yards from the camps docks. Honestly, it was more like fishing the season opener as many of the walleye appeared to not have spawned yet and they were scattered shallow and deep.
I have to commend the areas resorts for making the best of the high water conditions as there was a point where one has to accept the conditions as what they are and simply try and make the best of it. The Rod & Reel did there best to make things work, but one could also see a sense of helplessness as the waters rose beyond what was there in 2014. Luckily for us, the docks where most of us docked our boats were floating, but one had to walk through about 4-5 inches of water to get to them at most points. So if you are planning on going to LOTW in the near future, just remember to bring you rubber boots and you should be fine
So my plan is to return to LOTW in September with a group of friends along with my youngest daughter Emily, who we have been trying to get to Canada for a few years (but has been an issue because of Covid restrictions). My hope is that the water levels will return to a normal level and the areas resorts can once again recover for the high water levels and continue on.
Returned to Sioux Narrows area for our regularly scheduled fall trip and the fishing did not disappoint. It was a great week of fishing the Whitefish Bay area as well as out in the Yellow Girl and Sunset Channel areas. Best fishing was in the Whitefish area and during the week we caught walleye, lake trout, pike, smallmouth bass, perch, sauger and even some cisco and tulibee (hmmm).
I think my daughter and son-in-law were both very intrigued by the way I fish for lake trout, basically sight fishing using my Lowrance units. Our best success for lake trout was in the 80-100 depth ranges with one ounce jigging spoons.
We would trout fish in the morning and end of day, but the bulk of our fishing was spent chasing walleyes, which did not disappoint. We found them primarily on reefs and points in varied depths ranging from 12 feet to 32 feet. While we caught a lot of fish in Yellow Girl and Sunset Channel, the better quality fish all came out of Whitefish Bay.
And of course we had to do a shore lunch.....
So my 2021 Canadian season has come to a close, the time spend fishing was great and at this point I am just happy to have been back. So for now, just looking forward to a hopefully great 2022 season.
Well after 23 months, I returned to Sioux Narrows, ON with the Canadian border now being opened once again. It was great to see some of my old Canadian friends at the Rod & Reel Resort and catch up.
This was the first time I have ever fished LOTW in August, but it did not take me long to get caught up (I had my first fish in the boat in 5 seconds)
Fishing was excellent and most times, I simply put the minnows away and just fished plastics on my 1/8 ounce jigs which worked out great as I had days with 100+ fish in the boat by myself.
Highlights of the time spent on LOTW included when I was fishing and catching walleye and perch and was bringing one in and all of a sudden the rod got heavy. Well in the end, a musky hit my walleye. Normally, when this happens you may never get either fish as the musky either spits out the walleye by the boat or he runs and breaks the line. Well, for whatever reason this time I got both in the net. Musky normally t-bone their prey, but keep in mind, my jig was in the walleyes mouth, so somehow when the musky hit the walleye, my line ended up going through the walleyes lip and the jig ended up in the side of the musky's mouth, so when I was fighting the musky, the walleye was along for the ride. In the end when I netted the musky, I got the walleye, musky and my 1/8 ounce jig, all done while using 6# line.
The reason I choose to fish the Whitefish Bay area is it is very centralized on the lake. The result is we can fish for multiple species with great success. An example would be one day we started the day off with catching a few nice eater size Lake Trout for the smoker (24-26 inch), and then did some Smallmouth fishing and then onto some nice quality Walleye fishing. Lake of the Woods is still the most versatile fishery I have ever fished, without a doubt!
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