Great Fishing at
Iowana Beach Resort
 Location!
Location! Location! Iowana Beach Resort gives guests
the convenience and manageability of a small lake along with easy access to
larger challenging lakes. Its location on the ever-productive
Portage Lake is ideally situated between two world-renown
Minnesota fisheries - Lake Winnie and Leech Lake. Few Minnesota
fishing resorts can offer anglers similar proximity to three outstanding
fisheries.
Lake Winnibigoshish:
When talk turns to walleye fishing in
Minnesota, few lakes enjoy the reputation Lake Winnie has as one of
Minnesota's premier walleye fishing lakes. Lake Winnibigoshish
offers great fishing for walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, muskie,
crappie, perch and panfish.
Leech Lake:
Leech Lake is famous for its outstanding
fishing for nearly all species. In
addition to excellent walleye fishing angler's can find
trophy muskies and
abundant northern pike.
Fisherman also find some of the best bass
fishing anywhere in Minnesota in addition to crappie, perch and panfish.
Portage Lake:
We'll let you in on a well-kept secret...Portage Lake offers great
Minnesota fishing opportunities! The lake receives relatively little
fishing pressure due to its proximity to well-known fisheries and its
largely undeveloped shoreline. Although managed by the DNR primarily
for walleye, anglers will find great northern, slab crappies and fantastic
panfish just waiting for your hook!
Words of Wisdom About Fishing
Portage Lake
 Portage
Lake is approximately 1,500 acres with a maximum
depth of 53 feet. The median depth is 15 feet with a good variety of
bottom structure. It harbors a large variety of species for the
serious and recreational angler. Good numbers of walleye, perch,
bass, crappie, northern pike and sunfish can be found.
Walleye can
be found along the drop-offs, sunken islands, and center bar. The
majority are caught in late May and early June as well as late in the
season. Depending on the time of year Lindy Rigs and leeches, bottom
bouncers and Shad Raps work well. Jigs tipped with minnows are also
a "must try."
Perch are
everywhere from around the docks to deeper water and around the weeds &
reeds. If the kids want to "catch fish" this is the species of choice!
Jig and a minnow or a hook, minnow and a bobber are usually sure bets.
 A
large crappie population swim the waters of Portage Lake. We
had a 14 inch crappie caught this 05 winter season and have a record 17 inch caught in 2003.
12-13 inch crappie are a regular site in the fish cleaning house.
Try using small crappie jigs and minnows in the weeds early in the season.
They move out to 12 to 20 feet of water as the weather warms.
Locators help locate the schools of crappie. We also have some
"crappie cribs" just out from the resort which hold a lot of fish all
summer. Sunnies can be picked up when fished in pockets in the weeds
as well as the reed edges.
A pretty good northern pike
population can be found in Portage Lake. Because of the high perch
population the northerns don't lack for bait fish and can be finicky at
times. You might try casting around weeds as well as trolling
Rapalas; spinnerbaits can work well also. The color scheme of choice
is in the yellow/green/orange family to replicate perch - their main
forage food.
 Largemouth
bass are an under-fished commodity and their
numbers and size make them a fish to target. You'll usually have to
"go in the weeds" for them. Go into the reeds quietly and cast
spinnerbaits and weedless top water lures.
For the family who wants fish to eat,
you should have no problem filling the skillet! We encourage anglers
practice Catch & Release. Releasing the bigger "spawners"
keeps the Minnesota fishing tradition alive for future generations.
The trophy fish you catch is likely the "spawner" released years before!
Happy Casting!
Mark Your Calendar
Walleye & Northern Pike: May 10,
2008
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: May
24, 2008
Questions? Please feel free to call
us at 1-877-665-2311. |
