Lake of the Woods, Minnesota-Ontario Multispecies

Stretching from Baudette, Minnesota, in the south, some 60 miles north to Kenora, Ontario, 1-million-acre Lake of the Woods might well be the finest multispecies fishing lake in North America.

The vast south-basin fishery out of Baudette, justly lays claim to being The Walleye Capital of the World. As thousands of islands begin to dot the landscape to the north in Little Traverse Bay and the Northwest Angle, and to the east in Sabaskong Bay, smallmouths, pike, and muskies, mingle with walleyes.

Lake trout are an option in several sections, most notably Whitefish Bay, near the town of Sioux Narrows. Many sections also have teeming populations of big black crappies. And vast shallow weedflats in bays like Long Bay and Regina Bay have plentiful largemouth bass that grow to 6 pounds.

All around the lake, fishing camps and resorts cater to anglers, who want to use camp boats or fish with camp guides. Other anglers stay in motels in Baudette, Nester Falls, Sioux Narrows, or Kenora, and trailer boats to fish different sections of the big lake. Kenora is a particularly bustling community, with good restaurants, and plenty of other leisure options other than fishing.

Contacts: Lake of the Woods Tourism, lakeofthewoodsmn.com; Sunset Country, ontariossunsetcountry.ca.

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