Hello Sportsfans — welcome to the weekly swoosh here on the south shore of L O Dub!

The latest and greatest?  Let’s start with a tale…  Or is it?

A question posed to you:  “How often in the winter, when fishing from a shack, is the same fish caught during the course of a single day?”

Answer:  Listen in.  I wasn’t in this fish house last weekend, but I’m guessing it went something like this!

THE STORY:  Your line runs circles around the hole, and we all sit tight lipped in wonder.  ‘Pout…  Walleye…  Northern…  What in the world is it?  And after about nine hundred more laps around the underside of the shack, the line PINGS!!!  And whatever the heck it was, is now gone.  Tough to keep that six pound test from rubbing raw against the ice.

Sure am glad NO-ONE reeled up.  Now we only have six lines to untangle.  Should only take about an hour!  Re-tie…  Re-bait…  Drop it down and go.  Jig jig jig.  Who’s next?  Boom!  Fish on.  Two holes to the right.  Big fish on!  What?  Same scenario?  Everyone reel up…  Seriously!!  REEL-UP!!  Everyone!!

The fish-fight ensues.  We wait.  We watch.  We lift a brew.  And we wait some more.  Now, not quite as long this time…  But same result…  Say it ain’t so…  PING!!!  He Gone.  And we ALL LAUGH!!  Wow.  Whatever it was, sure didn’t take long breaking the line.  Different fish?  Or, just getting smarter?  We keep fishing…

Next bite.  BAM!!  Three in a row.  What in gosh sakes name is down there!!!  Not sure.  Everyone reel up.  Let’s find out!!  And as the fight continues, there is actually ground being made.  A few cranks, less squealing of the drag, and we’re actually making headway.  Come on up baby!  Let’s see ya!

With the magnification of the ice, the fish’s head appears to be LARGER than a men’s basketball.  Is this possible?!  We’re all bumping elbows…  We all want to get a glimpse…  And then it happens.  The dreaded “swim-by” just beneath the ice…  Almost as if he is saying “yeah right, not gonna see me come thru that eight inch hole!”

And before he turns his head, and snaps the line like dental floss, WE ALL SEE IT!!  Jimmy’s gold-jig stuck in its right upper jaw…  Danny’s pinkNwhite-jig stuck right next to it in the right upper jaw…  And there goes Johnny’s chartreuse-jig, never to be seen again, cranked tightly into the left lower jaw of this HUGE NORTHERN PIKE!!!

Just like that…  It’s over.  No fish to hold for a picture.  But a TREMENDOUS story, and a TREMENDOUS fish.  Guess the same guy can be “caught”, or at least hooked, in the same day.  And it can happen three times consecutively…  How cool is that!  :END OF STORY

Come if you can.  Overall, the reef bite this past week was much improved.  Walleyes, saugers, and a few perch…  Hoping for more of the same as we move into mid-FEB.  It’s not dead stik bobber fishing…  You gotta jig ‘em.  And…

Set the hook!

Hello Sportfans and welcome to the weekly winter blast here at Ballard’s Resort.  “Trollin’ trollin’ trollin’, keep them walleyes goin’, WALLEYE!”  Remember that one?  Oh the days…

Well, let’s get to it, lots of chatter about the fishing this past week and we’ll put you in the know.  Up north.  That’s where it’s happening.

By snow or wind or changing weather…  To the opposite end of Big Traverse Bay…  That’s where we are taking you!

And hey.  It’s been goooooood.  A steady mix of walleyes, saugers, and the occasional perch.  Easily the best action we’ve seen since the start of the winter.

We’re working the mud, adjacent to the reefs, and the fish have been coming deep.  Maybe more comparable to a late January / early February bite, but either way we’ll take it.

Kudos again to the guides this past week.  So many “thanks” from you (our guests) for their efforts on the lake.  It means a great deal when they hear it first hand from you!

Your best bait?  Keep it light…  Go with a pink-white glow, or the all time standby gold.  A 1/8 ounce if you can get by with it.  Dead stick one rig with a bobber, and maybe bounce your other rod with a heavier 1/4 ounce (eyes on the vexi).  They are tight to the bottom.

Why are the fish up north?  Who knows…  Mer claims it could be the tilt of earth on its axis.  It’s a theory…  They are where they are…

It’s just like the emerald shiner run we usually get in the fall up the river.  Never know…  Sometimes it happens, and as was the case this past fall, it didn’t.  No explanation.  They are small, unpredictable, shiny bait-fish.  Funny in their own little way, shape and form.  Capable of driving Nick crazy when he runs his nightly route of netting locations.

Trailing thoughts…  To quote Henry David Thoreau…  “Many men go fishing their entire lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.”

Makes you wonder about our guides chasing around the lake every day!!

We’ll see you up here…

Set the hook.

Hello Sportsfans…  And welcome to the weekly gone-fishing here on Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods.

A return to winter.  Burrrrrrrrr.  As well it should be.

When the thermometer started to dip last Thursday…  The BITE accelerated ahead of the cold front.  And then it happened…

By weekend it had become “hold your breath outside”, “snot bubbles freezing”, “hurry up and put that thing away” ice fishing on the frozen tundra.  And then the sighting…

From a distance of mere miles…  Off in the horizon…  Came a report of a wondering man.  Now mind you we’re fishing “up north”.  Let’s make that “WAY UP NORTH”.  And in these parts it’s quite unlikely to see anyone hiking from house to house to house to house.

Baby it’s cold outside…

Yet, supposedly, that was the tale.  And then the question arose…  “Was this the ghost of Whistling Bill?”

Back in the day (circa early nineties) there was a man who often visited our establishment with rare inclinations.  Fishing?  No.  He never cared to ice fish.  Walking?  Yes.  He loved to track from shack to shack to shack…  Visiting…  Wondering…  Entertaining…  And basically enjoying all things cold, outdoorsy, and wintery on L O Dub.

It always seemed odd about Whistling Bill…  He dressed lightly…  Under-dressed more or less…  We worried about him getting frost bit, and for the most part lost in a white-out…  But basically, who was to question his actions?

Yes…  He did in fact whistle while he talked…  Yes…  He was an actual “ice fishing enthusiast” per say…

YES or NO ???  Inquiring minds want to know…  “Was this man, reportedly wondering from fish-house to fish-house to fish-house last Saturday, the ghost of Whistling Bill?”

We may never know.  But it did bring about fond memories of adventurer’s gone past.  Bill was a good dude.

As for the bite?  Yah…  That cold snap kinda bit us in the butt.  But we still saw plenty of action for the frying pan and quite a few stories about the ones that did NOT get away.  At least until they were photo’d and released.

What?!  Someone caught a 15-inch perch!!  Then someone caught an 18-inch sauger!!  Then someone caught a 29-inch walleye!!

We’re holding our own up on the reefs.  It’s February.  Life is good.  Come if you can.

Set the hook!!

Hello Sportsfans and welcome to the weekly blaze here on Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods.  We’re butter…  We’re butter…  We’re butter…  How so?  ‘Cause we’re on a roll!

Wow, have we almost clipped our way through January?  Yep.  Quickly approaching half-time of the ice fishing season.  What will FEB & MAR bring?  Can’t wait to find out!

Gosh, it seems like we’re actually starting to pop a few more big fish up north.  Last week we had the daily double on those couple of whoppers.  And so far this week, it’s been quite similar.  Check out Colleen’s pic of her NINE pounder.  Fantastic catch and release!!  Good hustle Colleen!!

Our mix of walleyes and saugers continues, adjacent to the reefs up north, and we’re also popping the occasional jumbo perch.  Pretty tough to target ‘em, but a bonus non the least when you get one tugging on your line.

Wow!  Is it almost FEB?  Did I already say that?!

Speaking of which…  A reminder from the OFFICE GANG…  Our FEB / MAR weekend ice fishing special…  (FOR OUR BALLARD’S REPEAT CUSTOMERS) Limited availability…  Actually getting quite full…
3 nights / 2 days ice fishing = $375pp (must have a group of six)…

Exciting hey!  We’re on ‘em!  Nick and the boys are busy again this week with more “fish house shuffle”.  Keep moving and don’t burn up fresh ice.

All is good on L O Dub…  Set the hook!