What’s on your calendar?

FISHING REPORT MARCH 02, 2024 (What’s on your calendar?)

Hello Sportsfans… March is a transition month. Let’s hop on the stick!

– some of the highest catch rates of the ice fishing season were posted this week. Last chance… We will continue to offer packages for ice fishing anglers through the weekend of March 10th.

– anticipation for the traditional pre-spawn Rainy River walleye bite (boat fishing) is growing. Cold temps and low flow (minimal current) may delay the opening of the river. No predictions to date. Get your boat ready so you can head north with a day’s notice.

– dino lurge (sturgeon) opportunities are on our radar. If you have interest in catching something the size of a Hollywood mansion that pulls like a John Deere 9RX 640 give us a shout. We have the where-to-when-to intel, and we are more than willing to share. #CanCaptainTommyPowellBeBribed

– cabin rentals and guided fishing availability for the Minnesota Spring Walleye Opener (WE ARE ONLY TEN WEEKS AWAY FROM THIS MOST MOMENTOUS OF OCCASIONS) on Saturday MAY 11 are very close to being sold out.

What’s on your calendar?

Set the hook!

TALES OF RUSTY FLATHERS: https://ballardsresort.com/episode-5/

 

YES, we are still ice fishing!

Hello Sportfans!  It’s the last call on the last week of February here on Lake of the Woods.  YES, we are still ice fishing!

What is the latest and greatest as we move our fish houses into the month of MARCH?

 

– Full steam busy week ahead with Winter Walleye Connection visitors arriving from both Mason City and the greater Rochester regional area.  Love the hosted trips!

– It is also going to be an interesting week with the weather.  Tomorrow is a warm up…  Immediately followed by a cold blast accompanied with some snow.  Inquiring minds want to know how the walleyes will react.  So do we. 🙂

– Speaking with Big Kansas (one of our Ballard’s fishing guides) today…  I will interpret and elaborate on his words of wisdom: “fishin’ ain’t terrible” 

– The ice fishing houses remain 3-4 miles offshore near the west end of Pine.  This has been a familiar location for many of the past few days.  With such little fishing pressure on the south shore there remains no need to push.  A wise man (I believe his given name was Fisher) once told us, “never leave fish to find fish!”  Point duly noted.  We are seeing lots of fish below, on the electronic locators.

– Afternoon bites continue to outproduce mornings by a smidgen.  There are tales of more walleyes being landed during these afternoon hours.  Makes sense as we get warm-ups during the day with sunlight penetration on the ice.

– Slot sized fish?  Those 19″ to 28″ dandies?  YES…  Reportedly we are seeing a few.  Along with Captain Andy confirming there was a TROPHY 28″+ walleye iced and released earlier this past week.  NICE!

– Next on our radar is to continue our ice fishing season into the month of March.  YOU still have time to make last minute reservations with MARCH ICE FISHING DEALS.

In the meanwhile…  Stay tuned with our Rusty Flathers saga…  And more real-life adventures with Ballard’s Resort!

Set the hook.

TALES OF RUSTY FLATHERS: https://ballardsresort.com/episode-4/

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/