WINTER IN THE NORTHWOODS

Hey Sportsfans!

An update from LOTW… It’s been a jam-packed week at Ballard’s Resort, so there is a lot to catch up on:

– Monday & Tuesday, we hosted a large corporate crew… those guys were a hoot

– Wednesday & Thursday, a whole handful of folks from Fargo joined us for a few nights of lodging, fishing, and fun

– Tonight, we have a Walleye Connection bus wheeling in from Rogers, MN 

– Reports from fishing seem to be unanimous… the afternoon bite is out producing the morning (fishing in roughly 29′ of water)

– Houses were bumped around this week (fishing past Pine Island 3-4 miles). Best part… a short ride = more fishing time!

– Ice conditions remain favorable. The cold temperatures this past week have us measuring 20″+ of ice.

 It’s still WINTER here in the northwoods and we are having a grand time! Give us a shout if you want to sneak up and join in on the fun.

 

That’s all for this week!

 

SET THE HOOK

TALES OF RUSTY FLATHERS: https://ballardsresort.com/episode-3/

 

Ice + Fishing = Ice Fishing

HELLO SPORTSFANS!

Ice + Fishing = Ice Fishing

It’s a super duper Sunday (FEB 11) on Lake of the Woods and here are a few updates with the latest and greatest:

– twas a BIG weekend at Ballard’s Resort.  Caught fish…  Had way TOO MUCH fun…  And hosted Bridget’s bachelorette party!

– a return of snow and cold has gripped the northwoods…  We will find out soon how the fish react.

– currently our fish houses are now 4 to 5 miles offshore…  The bite is being dominated by saugers, but there has been a return of walleyes with a higher percentage in the mix.

– fishing depths vary depending on location, but for the most part we are fishing 28-30ft of water.

– the past few days our guides have actually been sneaking closer to the south shore (shhhhhhhhhhh…  keep this on the down low…)

– downtown ZB says shallower has been more consistent.  #DontLeaveFishToFindFish

What else?  Lots of WINTER ahead in our forecast.  More cold.  More snow.  More FISH.  Come join the fun!  (weekend and midweek availability)

SET THE HOOK

TALES OF RUSTY FLATHERS: https://ballardsresort.com/episode-2/

FISH ON!

Hello Sportfans!  The latest and greatest from Lake of the Woods?  YES, we are #OnEm.

Anna and I spoke with downtown ZB (Zach Brown) this morning…  And here’s the down low:

–  our fish houses are 3.5 miles offshore.  Closer now to Zippel than we are from Morris.
–  the morning bite has been dominated by smaller saugers…  And then comes a lull.
–  per reports the better action has now been during the afternoons.  Specifically with more walleyes being caught during this timeframe.
–  with a short ride out to the fish houses, we continue to use the small jeeps and passenger wagons to transport our guests.

–  numbers wise…  Obviously some huts produce better than others…  But a 20-30 fish day has been possible for a group of 3-4 anglers occupying a house.

Until next week…  Set the hook!

TALES OF RUSTY FLATHERS: https://ballardsresort.com/episode-1/

Prioritize Your Day To Day Activities

There was an article that came out last week suggesting how to prioritize your day to day activities (will get to the fishing report).
Listed in order were FIVE suggestions:
– Family
– Spouse
– Physical and Mental wellness
– Career
– Friends
The basic concept addressed “balancing” each of these categories to create a better sense of wholeness.  If you are doing too much of one…  And not enough of the other…  Then it might be time to pump the breaks and concentrate on balance.
This might not be an earth shattering concept but it does make sense.  We see people accomplish “BALANCE” here at Ballard’s Resort every day.  And it’s called FISHING!
For sure you can check 2-3 of the boxes listed above by simply wetting a line.  So if it is time for you to prioritize…  Let’s set the hook!
THE FISHING…  This past week was once again respectably consistent on the ice.  Honestly, much improved from last season.
We have been able to find fish closer to home on the south shore.  Right now the shacks are split east to west with one cluster north of the Morris Gap and the second grouping north of the Lighthouse Gap.
It’s been a horse a piece from day to day, but west has been slightly out producing catch and keep numbers.
We are using a combo of the jeeps / people wagons to transport fishermen…  Along with starting to use the Bombardiers.  Eighteen to twenty inches of ice…  Thirty feet of water.
HEY!!!  We turn the calendar into February this week!!!  Time to keep moving and keep ice fishing.  Join us if you can.