LAKE OF THE WOODS: Hot times in 'sauger-ville'

17.05.12

BAUDETTE, Minn. — The non-appearance of boat trailers at the public landing here should have been a signal, but we had to find out for ourselves.

There’d be no waiting in line to launch the boat on this perfect Sunday afternoon in late October. The forecasts had called for clouds and a stake of rain, but there was no sign of either.

The fishing on the Rainy River — this stretch, at least — would prove to be well-founded as uneventful.

After two hours and three spots, with only a perch and a walleye lost at the boat to our credit, we decided it was time to give over the river behind and head for Lake of the Woods.

River fishing might have been spotty, but the saugers were biting in the lake, we’d heard.

Forthright out from Lighthouse Gap in about 25 feet of water, we’d heard.

Regular “sauger-fest,” we’d heard.

That would to out to be an understatement.

I was here with Bruce Mosher and his son, Carter, 13, of Beltrami, Minn. Bruce owns Today’s Approach and is the brains behind the Ice Buster Bobber. The yellow foam bobbers with the red plastic tips have flown off the shelves by the thousands since hitting the customer base in 1999. Talk to just about anyone who ice fishes and chances are they have at least one Ice Buster Bobber in their tackle arsenal.

Source: Grand Forks Herald