As of October 8, 2024, the fishing scene on Lake of the Woods in Minnesota is buzzing with activity. Here’s what you need to know for a successful day on the water.

### Weather and Sunrise/Sunset
The weather is cooling down, which is perfect for fall fishing. Expect a high in the mid-50s to low 60s, with a gentle breeze. Sunrise is at around 7:30 AM, and sunset will be just after 6:30 PM.

### Fish Activity
Walleye and sauger fishing is exceptionally good on the south end of Lake of the Woods. Anglers are catching good numbers of fish, ranging from 24 to 31 feet deep. You can also expect to catch some nice perch and the occasional pike mixed in with the walleyes and saugers.

### Best Locations
The best areas to fish are right in front of the Lighthouse Gap, where the Rainy River enters Lake of the Woods, and westward to spots near Morris Point, Zippel Bay, and Long Point. These areas are producing fish consistently.

### Best Lures and Bait
Jigging with frozen or live emerald shiners is the go-to method right now. Successful jig colors in the stained waters include gold, glow white, glow red, chartreuse, orange, and pink. Combining gold with any of these colors often yields good results. Drifting spinners with night crawlers or trolling crankbaits is also effective.

### Additional Tips
Locate fish on your sonar, anchor up, and give it about 30 minutes. If you're not getting the results you want, relocate to different schools and repeat the process. The Rainy River is also producing some nice walleyes, especially with schools of shiners moving up and down the river.

### Other Species
Smallmouth bass fishing is strong on both the lake and the Rainy River. Sturgeon fishing is picking up as water temperatures cool, though it's catch-and-release from October 1, 2024, until April 2025.

For a mixed bag of fish, including walleyes, saugers, jumbo perch, crappies, pike, smallmouth bass, and muskies, Lake of the Woods is the place to be this fall. Enjoy your fishing trip