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Lake Of The Woods Fishing Report

On the south end... Fish houses can be left overnight on Lake of the Woods through March 31st. This year, ice is holding nicely. A few ice roads are still open, some have closed for the season. There is still some good ice fishing to be had if you have the bug, but contact the resort or outfitter operating the ice road prior to travel.

The walleye and sauger season extends through April 14 and the pike season never closes. Perch, eelpout, tullibees and crappies are also in season.

Varied reports this week for walleyes. It seems the fish are on the move. For those who moved around and got on fish, they caught. Some good reports off of Pine Island in shallower water, 14 - 20 feet. Also good reports from the Rocky Point, Long Point, Zippel Bay and Morris Point areas.

Huge pike continue to be active with good reports this week. Setting up in 5 - 15 feet of water is the depth most anglers are targeting. Using a quick strike rig with a live sucker, dead smelt, tullibee, herring or fatty hot dog have been catching some big pike.

On the Rainy River... Open water fishing on the river has begun. The Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale is open to all boats. The next access downstream is Frontier and as of Tuesday morning (3-28-23), the open water was almost there.

A big thanks to Koochiching County for doing a nice job of clearing the accesses of snow and ice at the boat ramp. It extends the short window of spring fishing on the river and makes dropping a boat into the river safer.

Mainly three techniques being used to catch walleyes on the river. Jigging with a plastic, jigging with a minnow and trolling crankbaits slowly upstream.

Bright colored jigs and larger plastics with twister tail or paddle tail. Best colors chartreuse, orange, pink and white.

Halfway across the river is Ontario. Boaters can navigate into Ontario waters for safety reasons, such as avoiding hazardous structure, a pack of boats, etc.

If you plan to fish Ontario waters, many different rules apply. Must have an Ontario fishing license, no live, dead or frozen bait, no alcohol, etc. Anglers can boat into Ontario waters without checking into Canada Border Services Agency if they don't touch land, a dock, another boat, or exchange goods or services. No walleyes or saugers from the Ontario side of the river are allowed to be transported across U.S. waters as it is a catch and release season only in the U.S. side. This is for informational purposes only, please check official regs.

Four Mile Bay and the Rainy River, catch and release only for walleyes and saugers through April 14th. The big lake is still open for harvesting walleyes and saugers through April 14th.

Please take good care of the walleyes. Have a camera, needle nose, etc ready to go. Be quick on taking pics. Handle walleyes with care and release quickly.

Up at the NW Angle... Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle. The fish are biting and those who are still getting out are being rewarded. With fish houses having to be off the lake by March 31st, some locals and those with their own equipment are taking advantage of the late season ice.

This is the time of year fish houses get put away for the year, bombardiers and other winter equipment gets summerized and stored. Most operating resorts take a well deserved break and start gearing up for the MN Fishing Opener May 13th.

For those looking to access the NW Angle while avoiding customs, the Lake of the Woods Passenger (charter boat) Service transports you to your favorite Angle resort and keeps you in Minnesota.

A complete list of lodging, fish house rentals and sleeper fish house rentals at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging.


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Classic cocktails, with variations, for summer entertaining

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By J.M. HIRSCH, Christopher Kimball's Milk Street


The arrival of spring means summer entertaining season isn’t far behind, which is an excellent excuse for a home bartending refresher. Because like changing a tire and ironing a shirt, crafting a cocktail is one of those skills adults should have at least a passing familiarity with.

Equipping yourself is simple. Mid-shelf bottles of the basics — vodka, bourbon, rye, gin, white and aged rums, and blanco tequila — will get you on your way. Add some inexpensive dry and sweet vermouths, maybe an orange liqueur and a bottle of Angostura bitters, and you’ll be set.

The gear is minimal and affordable. A shaker, a stirring glass, a long-necked spoon, a strainer and a 2-ounce measuring cup are all you need. The whole lot can be had for under $50.

As for the recipes? Try a two-for-one approach that iterates on the classics. This means learning a few classic cocktails as they traditionally are made, but also mastering an easy twist on each, a simple way to show some creative chops without having to learn a new recipe.

Where to start? A gin martini, bourbon old fashioned, rum daiquiri, tequila margarita and rye Manhattan are popular classics that also readily lend themselves to innovation.

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, it’s easy to experiment and craft ideas of your own. 


OLD FASHIONED

The Old Fashioned began life at least 150 years ago as little more than whiskey with a sugar cube and cocktail bitters, sometimes a splash of water. Things went sideways during Prohibition, when the poor-quality liquor Americans were able to drink no longer could be appreciated in such simple form. Cue the addition of fruit to the Old Fashioned. Luckily, in recent years there has been a renewed reverence for the pre-Prohibition-style Old Fashioned. This is the drink for people who like whiskey and like it strong.

Servings: 1 Start to finish: 5 minutes

3 ounces bourbon ⅛ ounce (¾ teaspoon) agave or simple syrup Dash Angostura bitters 1 small ice cube in a rocks glass, stir the bourbon, syrup, bitters and ice cube.

RUM OLD FASHIONED

The Rum Old Fashioned is a warm weather take on the classic. Just substitute 2½ ounces white rum and ½ ounce aged rum for the bourbon in the classic Old Fashioned. If you have orange bitters, they are a delicious addition.


MANHATTAN

There are numerous origin stories for the Manhattan, but all of them place its birth in the late 1800s and in the New York City borough for which it is named. From the start, it has been a simple mix of rye (bourbon’s slightly peppery cousin), sweet vermouth and bitters. Somewhere along the line, the maraschino cherry became a must-have, taking the place of the simple syrup sometimes added. People who like the sweeter side of whiskey will love a Manhattan.

Servings: 1 Start to finish: 5 minutes

2½ ounces rye ½ ounce sweet vermouth 1 maraschino cherry 2 dashes Angostura bitters Ice cubes

In a stirring glass, combine the rye, sweet vermouth and bitters. Stir with ice cubes, then strain into a rocks glass. Add the cherry.


POKER COCKTAIL

The Poker Cocktail is rum’s answer to the Manhattan, delivering unexpectedly warm, strong and lightly sweet flavor. To make it, substitute 2 ounces white rum for the rye, increase the sweet vermouth to 1 ounce and replace the cherry with ¼ ounce agave or simple syrup.

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GIN MARTINI

Created during the late 1800s, the Gin Martini is the original martini, though it has worn many masks over the years. Most agree that the basic recipe should be a simple stir of gin, dry vermouth and orange bitters. Making it dirty means adding a green olive and a spoonful or so of the olive brine from the jar. This is for anyone who likes cocktails strong, clean and herbal.

Servings: 1 Start to finish: 5 minutes

2 ounces gin ¾ ounce dry vermouth Dash orange bitters 1 green olive (such as Castelvetrano), plus brine 6 to 10 granules kosher salt Ice cubes

In a stirring glass, combine the gin, dry vermouth, bitters, 1 to 2 spoonsful olive brine and salt. Stir for 10 seconds with ice. Strain into a coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with the olive on a cocktail skewer.

VODKA MARTINI

A classic in its own right, the Vodka Martini often is maligned by purists who prefer its gin sibling. But the vodka martini is a lovely cocktail with ample clean, bright flavors. To make it, replace the gin with 3 ounces of vodka and reduce the dry vermouth to ½ ounce.

DAIQUIRI

The basic Daiquiri is a model of simplicity and balance. Variations date to at least the late 1880s, but it was during the early 1900s in Havana that the drink became the icon of white rum, lime juice and sugar we know today. This is for fans of sweet and sour.

Servings: 1 Start to finish: 5 minutes

3 ounces white rum ½ ounce lime juice ¼ ounce agave or simple syrup Dash Angostura bitters Ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker, combine the rum, lime juice, syrup and bitters. Shake with ice cubes, then strain into a coupe.

WHISKEY SOUR

Consider the Whiskey Sour sort of a bourbon Daiquiri. Swapping a brown liquor for white delivers a huge difference in flavor. What was tropical and refreshing becomes rich, though still bright. To make it, substitute an equal amount of bourbon for the rum, and an equal amount of lemon juice for the lime.

MARGARITA

The classic Margarita is part of the Daisy family, referring to drinks made from a mix of a primary liquor, orange liqueur, citrus juice and soda water. Leave out the soda water and you get a Margarita. A note about salt: All the flavors at play here love a little salt. But don’t put it on the rim of your glass, where it blows out your ability to taste anything else. Instead, add just a few granules to the drink itself to heighten and highlight all the other flavors.

Servings: 1 Start to finish: 5 minutes

2½ ounces blanco tequila 1 ounce lime juice ¾ ounce orange liqueur ¼ ounce agave syrup 6 to 10 granules kosher salt Ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, syrup and salt. Shake with ice cubes, then strain into a rocks glass with 1 large or 2 standard ice cubes.

NAVY GROG

The original grog, introduced to the British Royal Navy back in the 1700s, wasn’t much more than rum, lemon and lime juices, cinnamon and sugar. Jump to the 1950s and it was reinvented as a tiki classic. This simplified version was inspired by that. To make it, substitute 1½ ounces white rum and 1½ ounces aged rum for the tequila and use lemon instead of lime juice.



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