Ice Fishing in Warroad, Minnesota

Lake of the Woods

Warroad is at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods. The lake is 344,227 acres with a maximum depth of 36 feet. It provides year-round fishing for anglers including ice fishing during the winter months. The lake occupies not only Warroad but also parts of Canadian provinces. The lake can be accessed from Warroad Point Park. The park has a public boat access, fishing pier and heated fish cleaning houses for winter ice fishing. Ice fishing at Lake of the Woods takes full swing every year with anglers setting up ice fishing shelters and ice fishing houses over frozen water. The lake is big enough to accommodate thousands of ice shelters without overcrowding. Fishing guides and resorts often have ice fishing packages that include ice houses with heat along with fishing gear and transportation.

Warroad Point Park
Warroad, MN 56763
800-328-4455
warroad.org

Fish Species

Winter anglers can expect to catch walleye, sauger, northern pike, jumbo perch, and white fish at the lake. Depending on the weather, many anglers start as early as December 1 to cast lines in the frozen bays and shoreline spots. The Lake of the Woods Chamber of Commerce advises that walleye fishing is especially productive at dawn and dusk, while sauger can be caught throughout the day. Dark house spearing is common among Warroad anglers when it comes to the northern pikes, especially during the first 10 days of December through February.

Regulations

A fishing license is required at the lake and ice fishing season starts in January and ends in March. As of March 2010, Lake of the Woods has a possession limit of three northern pike and a limit of eight walleye and sauger (either or combined). Weight restrictions are also imposed. Two fishing lines may be used when ice fishing at the lake. Take A Kid Ice Fishing Weekend is an annual event that occurs at the lake in February where Minnesota residents age 16 and over can take children younger than age 16 and fish for free.