Welcome to another edition of the Wigwam Fisherman’s Blog. Well midweek is upon us and we are looking for the fishing to start picking up here in the next few days. The temperature is staying pretty constant and the Barometric Pressure is falling, which is a sign of good fishing on the
horizon. We have started offering some great midweek specials during January and February, on our website @ http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/, so take advantage of the best freshwater fishing in the world and come and visit us at the Wigwam Resort on Lake of the Woods…don’t wait till it’s to late!Yesterday I went fishing with Doug Van Stone aka “Dougie Bear” and once again we seemed to find where the fish were hiding. We took a snowmobile ride a little further out than we wanted to, but we made it to 34 feet of water and started fishing. The crazy thing is that we were catching Saugers and Walleyes mixed on the bottom and Walleyes 20 feet off the bottom…it was awesome. The only way we knew that there were suspended fish, was the fact that we were using Vexilars, which in my personal opinion is the only way to fish, but that is only my opinion. The Walleyes that were suspended were biting hot and heavy for 15 minute increments about every half hour…it was an awesome experience. The big fish for the day was a 23” Walleye…it was a great fight and I can’t wait for the next one.
I talked about this in the last blog, but it is so important when fishing Lake of the Woods that I would like to bring it up again. What I would like to touch on today is jigging when ice fishing. I’ve had the great opportunity to fish with many very experienced Lake of the Woods fishermen
during my years on Lake of the Woods, and I just have one little piece of advice that they have taught me and I wish to share with you, which hopefully will be very beneficial to any level angler. The advice is this, when you first drop your jig/lure down the holes; try to bounce your jig/lure off the bottom for a few minutes. What this is doing is turning up the bottom of the lake, which in turn will bring in smaller bait fish to see what’s going on, and they will feed. After the bait fish move there way into your little honey hole, then like clock work you will start attracting the keepers, which we all look for, when fishing Lake of the Woods. This tactic has worked for me more times than not. It’s not a guarantee, but it will give you another option to lure them in…best of luck to all!As I alluded to in the last blog, the fishing on the south side of Lake of the Woods has still been fantastic. People are still catching high quantities along with the occasional MONSTER Walleye and Northern Pike…proof is in the Wigwam Resort Photo Gallery.
The lures that have been working well are the “Gold Disco Ball Jigs”, “Stop Signs (Pink or White)” and “Chubby Darters/Rapala Rattling Jigs”. You want to be using anything that glows right now to get the best success possible…white and pink have been the best!
Announcements…If you’re looking for some great ice fishing deals, checkout the current January specials we are offering on our website http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/. We are running a January special that will give you a discount on packages purchased for January and February 2010. The specials will only last through the rest of January…you can’t beat them!
Daily Fishing Report: Today we should have sunshine and clouds mixed high 32F with winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight should be overcast with flurries or freezing drizzle possible, low 23F with winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Tomorrow we should see a few snow showers around in the morning, otherwise mostly cloudy; high around 25F with winds NW at 10 to 15 mph…there will be a 30% chance of snow. Tomorrow night should be mostly cloudy, low 11F with winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Friday it should be cloudy with occasional flurries, highs in the upper 20s and lows
in the upper teens. Saturday we should have morning clouds followed by afternoon sun, highs in the low 30s and lows in the upper teens. Sunday we should see a mix of sun and clouds, highs in the upper 20s and lows in the upper teens. Today’s fishing report will come from me and our guides. All the action is still taking place, west of Pine Island and north of Morris Point Gap. I just heard that the bit has slowed a bit in the past few days, but with the warm weather that we should be getting here the next 4 days in a row, it should speed up the bite nicely. We have been doing well in our houses, which are only accessible by fishing with the Wigwam Resort…they are located on west side of Pine Island straight out from the “Big Pine”. Our houses are currently in 22 to 34 feet of water, and as of this morning 28 -34 feet has been the magic depth. Another place to keep on the radar is Lighthouse Gap, right on the US/Canadian line in 16 to 18 feet of water in the morning (7 – 9:30 AM) and 30 - 34 feet after 10 AM. The lures showing the greatest success rates are the “Stop Sign”, “Gold 
Disco Ball”, the Pink Florescent “Stop Sign” and “Chubby Darter/Rapala Rattling Jig” (all can be purchased at the Log Cabin Bait store approximately ¾ of a mile before the Wigwam on 172). Also, we did find some suspended Walleyes yesterday while doing a little exploratory fishing and they were about 20 feet off the bottom in 32 -34 feet of water. The only way we knew that they were there, was the fact that we were using Vexilars…embrace technology. As of yesterday the bite was slow in certain spots, but be sure to be patient when you’re fishing. The fish are on the move and hopefully they are nice and hungry tomorrow morning…we anticipate it to pick up here in the next few days. You will want to get anything that glows right now, whether it is pink or white. Also give the plain gold jigs/disco balls a try. The ice thickness out there is currently 22-24 inches. Adrian’s road is open for business…trucks are going out everyday. Just a little reminder though, if you want to fish by the Wigwam’s houses, you have to come with us. The only types of transportation that will get you out to our houses are track vehicles and snowmobiles…no trucks. Don’t miss out on this great fishing that we’re having on Lake of the Woods…come visit us today at the Wigwam Resort on Lake of the Woods!
My shout out today will go to Mr. Truman Olson. Mr. Olson was a gentleman that stayed with us this past week and caught the biggest Walleye he has ever caught…a beautiful 26” Walleye (pictured). Mr. Olson was in the ice house all by himself and wasn’t able to get a picture with the fish, but he said it was so worth it anyway. I just wanted to give you a quick shout out and tell you Congratulations! Next time we’ll try to get you one even bigger! Thanks again and we are all looking forward to your return.
Happy Fishing to all, and to all a good day!
Wigwam Fisherman aka Jean-Paul Tessier
Wigwam Resort
http://www.wigwamresortlow.com/
Jean-Paul,
ReplyDeleteI see you're fishing in the ol' Nicklas Lidstrom #55. That was the same house you put my buddy John and I in. Had a great time and the fishing was outstanding. Too bad Tom didn't have an extra seat at the crappie table for me but maybe next time. Thanks again to everyone at Wigwam.
Keith