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Minnesota Fishing Report Archive

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Subject: Ballards Fishing Reports - Winter 2006
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justnorth
Posts:3733

1/26/2006 3:25 PM  

Hello Sportsfans. Welcome to the weekly line here on good ol' Lake of the Woods.

Ice fishing... Ice fishing... Ice fishing... Yes, the great adventure continues, as we move into the mid-January festivities.

What's on the table? Well, hopefully for most, fresh walleyes! And with a rather challenging pursuit, this is sometimes no easy task...

To date, (minus zero degrees this a.m.), it certainly feels like winter outside. It's the three "C's"... Clear, calm, and cold. Something we haven't experienced a great deal of since the beginning of January. But, we'll certainly take the cold, and it's a blessing to see that sunshine again.

Ice conditions on the south shore remain very favorable. We now have 20 some inches of ice, and with more fresh powder on the ground, it's a veritable winter wonderland.

What new? Well, for starters, we are about to unveil a new version of the Bombardier. Very exciting...

For those familiar with our mode of winter transportation, we have taken a standard Bombardier rig, and converted the model by extending the passenger and cargo areas. It's still in the works, but we're anxious to get it out of the shop, and on the ice.

This new form of Bombardier, (I'm not quite sure what to call it yet), has a similar design pattern as the original, but will be capable of transporting more passengers. By lengthening the tracks, and extending the body, we should be able to comfortably transport an additional four to six people. Once we get moving with the new rig I'll try to get some pics posted on the site. 

Fishing wise? As mentioned in the title "every cast", this is certainly our goal for visiting anglers. The reality of the bite continues to track like a kid on a pogo-stick. Up and down... Up and down... Up and down... Up and down...

The good news is that we have shown more signs of life in the past week to ten days. Our guides have made another push north on Big Traverse and we've now settled in thirty-two to thirty three feet of water.

Our per person catch ratio has varied. Some houses doing quite well, and others very "so-so". With that... There have also been some trophy sized fish iced in the past few days. Which is nice.

It's still a mix of walleye and sauger. And from day to day you just never know which shacks will outproduce the others. Again, more of that unpreditable, predictability that we've been blessed with this winter.

Bottom line... I'm still seeing lots of folks having a good time, and that's what measures highest on our scale. Hopefully along with some fish to eat and a few to take home.

Whether it's time to spend a couple days with the wife and fam, some buddies from home, or that business group on the annual outing, there's plenty of ice fishing yet to be had. And with our never ending pursuits we'll continue to do our best to put you on the fish.

Set the hook!


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Buck
Posts:1108

1/30/2006 10:22 PM  
Big week on the pond...
Hello sportsfans... Welcome to the weekly fishing update here on Lake of the Woods.

Wow, it's been another week gone by. And here we are in late January. Hard to believe.

This past week we enjoyed and especially fun filled adventure when the folks from Cedar Rapids visited on their annual Walleye Connection ice fishing crusade. Again, just a super turn out, and a great group of folks. We certainly enjoy the comraderie and fishing activities that take place.

Also, a special thanks to our friends at Great Outdoor Traditions. Just another fantastic event, and we look forward to more of the same.

As realized by most, fishing could obviously be better, but the overall experience was a success. There were rave reviews for the guides, the restraunt, and the accommodations. For this... Again, many thanks to all that participated. We enjoy having you here with us.

As for our next move? Well, there's certainly been lots of discussion every morning at the coffee cluth, with our guide staff. As mentioned, the catching results are not yet where we'd like to see them for winter action, but at times it is beyond our control. That's fishing...

Based on what we've experienced in the past week it looks like it once again is time for more movement and more exploration. The talk at the table is leaning toward a shallower walleye attempt. And possible stretching further north in search of more sauger activity.

Right now, the shacks are stretched from four to nine miles offshore, and we've also got a few huts sprinkled to the west. With travel in about every direction we're still looking for some sort of pattern to take shape.

Fishing success remains mixed. We have forty-five houses spread far and wide. From day to day it seems like our average is about one in five houses that will fair well. Others register at below par...

So with the luck of the draw and some fishing expertise hopefully your visit will put you in one of the five shacks that puts up a decent score. Again, sometimes tis better to be lucky than good.

One thing we have been hearing repeatedly is that most folks are marking good numbers of fish with their locators. Whether or not they can trigger the bite is another thing...

Big fish for the week was a 27" walleye that was caught and released. I didn't hear any reports of trophy sized northern pike being landed, but it seems like at least one angler per week has been doing battle with a sharp toothed monster.

Walleye and sauger activity will hopefully pick up as we move into February. As you all know, fish can stay in funky patterns for extended periods during the winter, and we're due to break loose. Hopefully sooner than later.

Ice conditions and snow conditions remain very favorable. And again, as we move into February, we'll see what type of weather patterns we're greeted with. Consistent weather is a huge key to consistent fishing in the winter season.

Til next time... Again, many thanks to all that have visited, and a gi-hugic welcome to those planning to visit. We're at about the mid-point of our ice fishing season (fish houses on the lake until April 1st) and look forward to continuing the great chase.

Set the hook!

Ballards Resort
3314 Bur Oak Rd NW - Baudette, MN 56623
218-634-1849 or 800-776-2675

Robb "Buck" Anderson
President
JustNorth Outdoors
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Forums > Minnesota Fishing and Hunting Reports > Lake of the Woods > Ballards Fishing Reports - Winter 2006



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