January 2nd, 2026

Happy New Year from the Ballard’s Team! It is Jan 2, 2026 and we are now full steam ahead!

Currently we are fishing 3-4 miles out in front of Morris point gap. We are jigging around 30’ of water and seeing the best results with a pink, white or gold lure. The bite has overall been consistent with many fish fry’s taking place nightly!

We are still hauling people out in the geo trackers and trailers as we are waiting for enough snow to fire up the bombardiers! We are hoping within the next few days we will make the transition, weather pending. We are measuring 18-22” of ice on the lake and we’ve started grooming the river where we are seeing anywhere from 10-15”.

Overall it’s been a great start to our 25-26 winter season, and we look forward to seeing you up here! As always, “SET THE HOOK!”

DECEMBER 28

Hey Sportsfans,

We hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Christmas—now it’s time to hit the lake!

Friday, December 26th, the resort finally felt like itself again. The main lodge was buzzing, and we were thrilled to have all of our cabins full once more. There’s nothing better than seeing the resort alive and busy.

And man… the fishing has been good.

Just before the Christmas break, our guides moved the fleet of day houses north. Here’s the latest report from the fresh houses:

  • We are currently fishing in 20–22 feet of water

  • Along our trail, we’re measuring 15”+ of ice

  • Bright colors—especially pink—are producing best

  • Bring your ice cleats! There’s good snow cover on land, but much of the snow on the lake has blown away

Despite some classic winter conditions—rainy, cold, and windy—the bite has been on. Anglers who braved the weather were rewarded, with limits reached early in the day. A few mighty fishers even pulled up some impressive perch that were described as “March perch.”

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to get back out on the ice, this is it. The lake is producing, and the action is well worth layering up for.

Tight lines, and we’ll see you at Ballard’s Resort.
#218.634.1849

Set the Hook!

DECEMBER 14

HEY SPORTSFANS!

Have you missed us? Because WOW—we’ve missed YOU!

We know you’ve all been counting down the days, watching the weather, and wondering when Mother Nature would finally give us the green light to get back out on the lake…

Well, guess what? The wait is OVER! 

We are beyond excited to officially announce that Lake of the Woods is ready for ice fishing! Our guides are reporting 10-12″ of ice where our fish houses are located (16-20′ of water).
As of today, Thursday, December 11, our very first ice fishers have officially hit the ice for the winter season! 

We kicked things off with an awesome group of guests and even sent out some of our own employees to enjoy that first ice of the season.

Get those rods ready… it’s time to fish! 

OCTOBER 22ND FISHING REPORT

Hey Sportsfans, 

63 years of summer fishing out on the Lake of the Woods, and we couldn’t be more happier with the outcome. 

Before our opener back in May, our team had a meeting to discuss how the summer would go. In this meeting, we made it a goal to accomplish 2,000 trips out to the lake. 

I am proud to announce that we accomplished this goal by 4. This summer, we hit 2,004 fishing trips!! Beating last year’s record of 1905, with the hard work of this amazing crew, we added 99 more trips than last year. 

Would you believe me if I told you that in 2002, we had only taken out a total of 605? The amount that this resort has grown is incredible, and we owe a lot of that to you. 

This summer, we added a few new members to our crew, from the dining room, to the office, and even out on the waters. Speaking of guides, our very own Mer Rolin hit his 29th year of fishing for us.

These past 2 weeks, we have still been making it out to the lake and fishing on the south side. 

What is even crazier is we are still finding good fishing on the lake. Good spots seem to be in the 16-19 foot area, we have had some success in the river also. A major thing that hasn’t happened is the shiner run, hopeful to see that happen soon. 

Hoping for early ice in December so we can be back on the lake as soon as possible. 

From the Ballard’s crew, we want to send a huge thank-you to all of our hosts who help organize and plan their trips here this summer. We also want to send a huge thank you to the Walleye Connections group hosts and the involvement they have here. 

See you December!

SET THE HOOK