Joe Banish of Grand Forks, N.D., caught this 27½-inch walleye Saturday, May 10, 2025, the opening day of Minnesota’s 2025 fishing season, on Lake of the Woods near Baudette, Minn.

Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, fishing pressure this past winter on Lake of the Woods didn’t set a record, despite ideal ice conditions and marginal snow cover that made it easy to get around ...

Fishing opener brought a lot of anglers to Lake of the Woods, and a lot of success for them as well. Enforcement action was taken for the use of an extra line and fishing without a license.

Meanwhile, the Lake of the Woods sauger population remains at a "high level of abundance," the DNR said, with an average catch of 21.7 saugers per gill net lift during the fall survey.