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Posts: 337
Location: Watersmeet, Michigan | A buddy and I are making preliminary plans for a trip to Lake of the Woods. We're tentatively thinking of Sandy's Blackhawk Island Resort. (Good reputation, reasonable prices.)
But it's a long way up there, and I'm wondering if there is other great musky water on the lake a little farther south. At the same time, this will probably be the only chance I'll ever have to do something like this, so I really want to make the best of it.
Any input would be welcome.
Fr. K |
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Posts: 580
| You could shave off some drive/travel time by looking at a resort in Sabaskong Bay. Take a look at Mylies Place. |
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Posts: 483
Location: NE PA | This is a once in a lifetime trip? Do it exactly how you want to. You won't regret it later. JMO |
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Posts: 62
Location: Minnetonka MN | I highly recommend Tamarack Island Wilderness Lodge. Todd and his family are awesome hosts and they are in the middle of amazing Musky, Walleye, Pike and Smally water!
http://www.tamarackislandwildernesslodge.com/
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Posts: 33
| I second Tamarack Island, Great Hosts!! and Great Fishing!! just booked my annual trip with him this last weekend, I look forward to it every year. Very Reasonable Prices, for fishing Musky Paradise!! |
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Posts: 25
| X2 for Mylie's. Justin is a great host. Convenient location, great prices and access to incredible water in every direction. |
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Posts: 150
Location: Appleton, WI | There are so many great places to stay on LOTW. I would figure out what you want out of your trip and call around to the resorts to find a place that meets your needs. If it is your trip of a lifetime then make sure you get it right. LOTW is a very special place even on the bad weeks up there you will do better then most anywhere else. Also if it is your first time up there I would hire a guide at least for the first day and tell them it is your first time up there and show you some spots and what to look for. Good luck on your choice. |
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Posts: 256
Location: plant earth | If you do the sabaskong Bay Area I would have a gps after you have been around a couple of islands everything looks the same till u get a good feel for it. Like everyone said it is a truly awesome place. A guide would be a wise choice too they will have a fishing pattern (hopefully) determined. Blueberry island area has been good to my fishing group. Enjoy it as it will fly by.
Edited by jdeezay74 1/19/2015 4:22 PM
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Posts: 42
Location: Ontario | Wiley Point Lodge has great cabins food boats and in sheltered area. Has lots of guides on staff. Fishing is second to none.
www.totemresorts.com |
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Posts: 337
Location: Watersmeet, Michigan | Thanks to all for your replies here, and in messages. Lots to think about as we continue to make plans.
Hope you're having a good winter and are able to get out on the ice.
Fr. K
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Posts: 470
| Anyone have any experience with Young's Wilderness Camp?
RandalB |
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Posts: 120
| I have never stayed at Tamarack island but have been cosidering it. Looks like a nice place and it is in a great spot. I dont think you could go wrong with Sandy's either. Many good resorts that will have openings if you are willing to stay on an island also. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | The only drawback for staying at the Angle is dealing with the gravel road which can be pretty tough on your towing vehicle and boat. Nothing wrong with Sandy's, but not dealing with Canadian taxes and Canadian gas prices would always have me opt to stay on one of the US Islands instead. |
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Posts: 337
Location: Watersmeet, Michigan | Musky Brian - 1/20/2015 12:01 PM
The only drawback for staying at the Angle is dealing with the gravel road which can be pretty tough on your towing vehicle and boat. Nothing wrong with Sandy's, but not dealing with Canadian taxes and Canadian gas prices would always have me opt to stay on one of the US Islands instead.
Are the roads really that bad? (Definitely don't want my boat damaged, again.)
If so, which more easily accessible U.S. locations should we look at?
Fr. K |
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Posts: 164
Location: Twin Cities | We stay at Angle Outpost and really enjoy it. Nice cabins, great owners and it's in the US. |
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Posts: 296
| It's roughly 25 miles of gravel to Angle Inlet. The road is well maintained but it's still gravel. If I was doing a one time musky trip to Sandy's from michigan I would just take it a bit easy on the speed in the 1 stretch of gravel with the windows down and just enjoy it. Plan it for the morning when the early birds have already headed back to the US and the take their timers aren't quite on the way yet.
If gravel is a deal breaker go to Sabaskong. All pavement. |
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Posts: 153
| I have been fishing LOTW for 28 years and enjoy all sections of the lake. The Angle road is not that bad, but can be wash boarded, dusty or muddy. If one takes there time it's no big deal. I have had a place at the Angle since 1997, mostly due to the fact the I guided there and have connections to the community. If I had to do it all over, I probably would have bought a cabin in Morson. It's an hour closer to my home and love that area of the lake.
All resorts mentioned are well managed. I like the location of Tamarack and Mylies. If I was to do a once in a lifetime trip, I would consider Sandy's and hire him to guide. It's obvious we all can learn from his time on the water. Also if money was no object I would hire a guide for the whole trip and leave my boat at home. That way all you have to do is fish and enjoy the scenery. By the time you invest in gas to and from, it could be a wash.
One other thing, if you are using a map chip to navigate they are not entirely accurate. Watch out for rocks.
Good luck
Dan
Edited by Dan Klis 1/20/2015 3:41 PM
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Yooper Padre - 1/20/2015 2:27 PM
Musky Brian - 1/20/2015 12:01 PM
The only drawback for staying at the Angle is dealing with the gravel road which can be pretty tough on your towing vehicle and boat. Nothing wrong with Sandy's, but not dealing with Canadian taxes and Canadian gas prices would always have me opt to stay on one of the US Islands instead.
Are the roads really that bad? (Definitely don't want my boat damaged, again. )
If so, which more easily accessible U.S. locations should we look at?
Fr. K
are they that bad, like axel breaking bad? def. not
will you have little mark rocks on your trailer and the underside of your boat that maybe were not there before? possible for sure. I know my last 2 boats clearly lost value when it came to sell them from it
Check out that Tamarack place in Sabaskong if you want to avoid gravel |
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Posts: 483
Location: NE PA | The roads really aren't bad. Drive at a moderate speed and you will be fine. If you are really worried, pick up a set of mud flaps. Problem solved.
Edited by lennyg3 1/22/2015 12:49 PM
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Location: Hayward, WI | I'll start out by saying if this is your once in a lifetime trip, go where you have your heart set on.
However, if you aren't glued to Sandy's, I stayed at Mylies place last year and was very pleased. We didn't catch a lot of fish that week, or see any really big fish, but it was tough on LOTW for many last year, and it was my first time fishing it.
Mylies was very nice to stay at and priced well. Justin is a great host and very willing to help point his guests towards fish. I bought a Navionics North map chip, and after a day or so was very comfortable navigating. I used my head and went slow in shallow spots, but out in the big parts of the lake, the travel routes "seemed" very safe to us (still always kept my eyes peeled).
The road to Mylies was all paved and driving to it was easy as could be.
Last year was my first trip (me and my wife). I thought it might be a once in forever thing, or maybe once every several years. My wife was already talking about going back on our way home, and we re-booked at the first chace we had. |
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Posts: 335
Location: Minnesota | IMO - the real benefit of going to Sandy's is Bill himself. If you aren't going to fish with him or pick his brain a ton..... then I would probably stay somewhere in the Morson area. It will save you a little time. Good location with options to fish good waters no matter what the weather conditions (WIND) present you with. If you are going to hire Bill as a guide or pick his brain about muskies in his area of the lake it would definitely be worth going there - he is one of the best on that lake.
I am not a fan of the US side of the NW Angle simply because of the border crossing requirements. If you stay in the US you are supposed to call in to get permission to cross the border and call in when you get back to the US. RABC permits might get you out of that hassle but it is another thing to deal with. Staying in Canada and fishing in Canada is simpler IMO. |
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Posts: 52
| Thanks for the plugs guys, sure appreciate it. Give us a call or check out our Facebook page, we would love to have you. We do have a great location.
Good luck with wherever you decide to go.
Tight lines.
Todd |
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Posts: 291
Location: Madison, WI | Go to Tamarack!
And you will find out that your going to make time to do it again. |
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Posts: 98
| All depends on what's important to you in this trip. If you want to gain knowledge and learn from the best, you can't go wrong with Sandy's or Frank Walsh's Baystore Camp. If you want 5 star accomodations/great bar/seclusion and are willing to pay for it, go for Wiley Point. If you want nice cabins with a great bar at a lower price, Sunset Lodge or Flag Island would be my vote. And if you want to avoid the gravel, I'd go with either Mylies or Tamarack. Anyway you cut it, it'll be a trip that gives you memories you'll never forget, that much is certain.
Edited by Reggie54 1/30/2015 12:50 PM
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Posts: 153
Location: Antigo Wi. | I have stayed at Mylies and Tamarack as well as a couple of places in the angle. I prefer fishing the sabaskong and Morson area better. Last year was first year at tamarack and we rebooked for this year before we even left.Love the area,easy to fish for walleyes and muskies and saw a couple of pigs. Wherever you go ,invest in good paper maps and a gps chip, well worth it.
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Posts: 337
Location: Watersmeet, Michigan | Thanks for all the suggestions guys. The hospital Doc works at isn't very good about letting their employees schedule vacations very far ahead of time, so we can't book yet. That being the case, it's good to have a selection of different lodges to choose from in case our preferred location doesn't have an opening for us.
We really aren't looking for a whole lot from a cabin. Clean and comfortable, nice looking is a plus, but to us it's really just a place to eat, sleep, shower, and dock the boat, as well as getting some good advice on fishing.
Fr. K |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | I have fished both areas A LOT and the Morson area has SIGNIFICANTLY more boat traffic than anywhere out of the Angle. It's not uncommon to go to a spot only to have someone on it already, particularly the evenings with a moon phase. I can't say that happens out of the Angle. |
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