March Update

Hello winter fishermen!

The countdown to season’s end has commenced here at Ballard’s Resort.
As we speak…  Nick and the guys are moving fish houses closer to the south shore.  We are pulling off the reefs, moving more toward the flats, and getting closer to home.
Fishing locations are now changing from day to day.
This weekend and next week are “A GO”, for those of you that have reservations for ice fishing with us.
We do have some extra lodging and fishing openings still available…  If you’re looking for one last winter visit…  Let us know asap.
Tentatively, we are targeting Friday March 17th, as our last day on the ice with customers for this winter.
If that changes, we will let you know right away.  Best we can.  Thanks.
As soon as the guides get the fish houses reset…  We will know more as far as the actual fishing goes…
Set the hook!
Get your boats ready for spring river fishing…

HEADLINE: Old-Man Winter Breathes A Collective Sigh

Hello entrusted sportfans…  And welcome to the weekly beat here at Ballard’s Resort.
Ah yes.  It appears as though we’ve made it.  Or, at least it appears as though we’ve made it over the hump, and we are in for AT LEAST ANOTHER TWO-WEEKS OF ICE FISHING ADVENTURES!
 
That is correct…  March is not exactly coming in like a lion…  But it’s certainly cold and “normal” enough here, for us to continue our hard-water adventures.  FIFTEEN-DAY FORECAST looks good.  Ice conditions are at par.  Fish houses are still on the reefs.  Catching is quantitatively productive 🙂
This coming weekend should bode well for visiting anglers.  The guides still have the shacks posted west of Big Island, and the mixed results of walleyes and saugers have been rewarding.  Honestly, these past three to four weeks, have been some of the best fishing days we’ve seen in recent memory.
How long will the bite sustain itself?  That seems to be the million-dollar question.  But, for now, the areas we’re banging away at, just continue to produce.  From a fisheries standpoint it’s truly been amazing.  LOW: Walleye Capital.
What else is on the radar?
We’ve got a busy week and weekend coming here at the resort.  Lots of visitors (thankful) and lots of fun.  After that…  By the looks of the calendar…  Quite a few openings for us, from MARCH 6th thru the remainder of the month.
The way the last couple of winter seasons have gone, it’s been somewhat predictable.  When you get chased off the ice early, for a couple years in a row, (like last year and the year before) it makes it hard for folks to plan a mid-March or late-March ice fishing trip.
HEADS UP: This year, an early ending, does not appear to be the case.  Bets, current conditions and forecasts are telling us, we will be out there thru the middle of the month, and possibly beyond!
If you’re still thinking about ONE MORE WINTER ADVENTURE…  Give us a shout.  Would love to have you join us…  Put an ice rod in your grasp…
And Set The Hook!

Marching On…

Marching on with more hard-water adventures…

Hello Sportster’s and welcome to the weekly buzz here at Ballard’s Resort.  Late February has brought a mix and match of activities to Minnesota’s LOW.  Mostly, by the way of walleyes and saugers. HA!

This past weekend we continued to “push-limits” and enjoy what’s shaping up to be a record setting month by way of fish numbers.  Hate to sound like a broken record…  But hey…  It (the ice fishing) has been good.  Good as in action…  Good as in numbers…  Good as in good fun.

With today’s precip we are losing some snow-pack on the main basin.  Light and scattered (unseasonable weather) showers are depleting the white snow cover.  But overall, ice conditions remain favorable.

By the looks of the extended forecast…  Cold in the single digit temps / Highs in the teens and twenties…  We will continue ice fishing per the usual as we move into the month of March.

The western haunts of the “near-reef-flats” continue to produce.  In the foreseeable future, we will remain north as long as fishing stays hot.

Tradition would tell us, there will be a push-south in our future…  But for now…  As mentioned…  We’re still way out (15 to 18 miles by Bombardier) on the rock piles.  Walleyes.  Saugers.  The occasional perch.

Can you catch fifty fish in a day?  Yes sir.  Some shacks are producing quite nicely.  Obviously, sometimes it’s the anglers…  Sometimes it’s the luck of the draw.

The guides are keeping an EXCEPTIONAL handle on the bite.  Kudos for their efforts.  The compliments being received are very gratifying.  Thanks Much!

Another eventful week lies ahead…  Don’t miss out on the merriment…

Set the hook!

Keep Fishing…

Tuesday February 14th

The whistling of the NW wind stirs clouds of snow and frosty chills.  Outside the lodge…  The ground rumbles as the smokestacks on the idling Bombardiers puff a perfect white.

 Last minute flight schedules are checked…  Bombardier colors confirmed…  And as the green-flag drops on another winter morning, bundled ice fishermen shuffle off for the day’s adventure.

 And lately?  LOW (Lake of the Woods) has been shining like gold on the back of a trophy walleye!

 Good ice thickness…  Good snow conditions…  Good fish numbers…  GOOD-FUN-TIMES.

 The guides have us “on-the-reefs”.  And this past Friday / Saturday we literally “caught-a-thousand”.  No stretch by any means.  The two-day fish count was actually higher than that.  From the guides standpoint, this pushed the numbers of walleyes and saugers released to more than double that mark.  Wow!  Thousands!

 What else?  KEEP FISHING.

 As we move through FEB and into MAR:

 1)     Second time winter 2017 visitors enjoy 20% DISCOUNTS.

 2)     Or…  If you have not yet visited…  Go to BallardsResort.com and click on Winter Fishing Specials, to take advantage of more late-season package offers that carry us through the month of March.

 With current conditions, we hope to take ice fishing late into the season this year.

 Set the hook!

The Ballard Gang