Early Ice Blitz on Lake of the Woods Walleyes, Saugers and Jumbo Perch

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake of the Woods fishing report. We’re in true early-ice mode now. According to Lake of the Woods Tourism’s December 9 report, resorts have houses out on the south shore and ice travel is on marked trails with organized operators leading the way. Ice thickness varies, so locals are still saying: stay on the staked roads, no freelance exploring yet. Weatherwise, the pattern is classic early winter: single digits to teens overnight, teens and low 20s during the day, a light northwest breeze and mostly cloudy skies. That’s just enough cold to keep building ice, but not so brutal that you can’t sit on a bucket for a while. Sunrise is right around 8 a.m. with sunset just after 4:20 p.m., so you’ve got a tight prime-time window at dawn and dusk. There’s no real tidal influence here, so think “feeding windows” instead of tides. The best bite has been that first hour of light and again the last hour before dark, with a slower but steady pick mid‑day. According to Lake of the Woods Tourism and Outdoor News’ December 9 Lake of the Woods report, early-ice action has been solid. Walleyes, saugers, and some jumbo perch are all in the mix, with eater-sized fish common and a few bonus slot walleyes showing up. Fish are running in that 18–24 foot range off the south shore, with some perch sliding a little deeper out on the mud. Best lures have been classic early‑ice walleye stuff: - **Jigging spoons** in gold, glow red, or glow pink tipped with a minnow head. - **Rattle spoons** for calling fish in when it’s a bit darker under the ice. - A **deadstick** with a plain red or glow hook and live shiner or fathead set a foot off bottom. Slow the cadence down: a couple pops, let it flutter, then long pauses. When they show up on the flasher, less is more. For bait, local resorts are pushing emerald shiners when available and fatheads as a solid backup. One or two fish per hole has been common before they move on, so be ready to hole‑hop within the house spread if things dry up. A couple of hot spots to think about: - Off **Pine Island and Lighthouse Gap** on the south end: classic early‑ice walleye water in that 18–22 foot range. - Out from **Long Point toward the first break**: good mix of walleyes and saugers with some perch roaming the basin edges. Up at the Northwest Angle, where access is more controlled, anglers are picking up a mixed bag over the deeper structure, but most folks are still keying on that south shore bite for now. That’s the word from Lake of the Woods. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.