Lake of the Woods November 18 Fishing Report - Walleye & Sauger Bites Strong, Ice Forming at Edges

Good morning from Lake of the Woods—this is Artificial Lure bringing you the latest bite for Tuesday, November 18, 2025. The mercury’s hovering around that 30-degree mark, and we’re waking up to a mostly cloudy sky with a light west-northwest breeze clipping along at about 10 mph. Expect a high near 34°F today, so layer up but don’t let it keep you off the water. We saw sunrise this morning at 7:31 a.m., and you’ll get daylight until sunset at 4:38 p.m. Tidal reports aren’t relevant for freshwater bodies like Lake of the Woods, but with a steady falling barometer and overcast conditions, fish often get pretty active. According to this week’s update from local outlets like KQ92 and KQ13, walleye and sauger remain the hot tickets along the south shore and into the Rainy River, with fish staging nicely in various depths—from 12 up to about 27 feet. Anglers are consistently reporting solid numbers of “eaters” in that sweet 14-to-18-inch range, plus a healthy mix of slot fish to keep things interesting. Folks are icing out limits of sauger and walleye most days, with a few big perch, small pike, the odd tullibee, and even an occasional crappie in the catch mix. Most boats are finding the best action vertical jigging with a gold, glow-red, or chartreuse jig tipped with a shiner or fathead minnow. The Lake of the Woods Tourism Board notes that frozen shiners are the must-have bait this week, and a stinger hook can save the day for those short biters. If you’re more of a troller, crankbaits like the Rapala Shad Rap or Salmo Hornet in perch or fire tiger patterns are producing, especially when worked slow just off the bottom. Drifting with live bait rigs on sand breaks and transition lines is still picking up scattered walleyes. Ice is starting to tease the shorelines in back bays, but the main basin is still wide open. Locals are prepping for walk-on ice, usually by December 10, but right now you’ll be launching from the usual ramps—so keep things safe and always check with local resorts. The Northwest Angle bite is still reliable, though pressure is lighter with a lot of folks in the deer stand. Those who are wetting a line are working classic spots like Oak Island’s adjacent reefs or Little Traverse Bay. Best success here comes with the same gold jig-and-minnow combos, but don’t sleep on a deadstick set up nearby—those bigger, lazier walleyes are picking up minnows just off bottom. For those after something toothy, pike are active on shallow weed edges in the bays; flashy spoons and big sucker minnows are your best bet. Musky reports have tailed off, with most sport anglers wrapping up their season due to cooling water temps and focus shifting to ice prep. As for hot spots, the mouth of the Rainy River and Four Mile Bay are local favorites this week—steady sauger and walleye action on current breaks and channel edges. Over on the Angle, try Garden Island reefs and the mud flats off Oak Island. Conservation officers from the Baudette area remind This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.