Anchor Inn Resort Blog - Home

Illinois Fish and Feather ExpoInterstate Center – Bloomington, Illinois

Friday January 27   Noon to 7PM
Saturday January 28    9AM to 7PM
Sunday January 29    10AM to 4PM

Cedar Rapids SportshowHawkeye Downs Expo Center,  Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Friday, February 10     2:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 11    10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Sunday, February 12      10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Adventure ShowQuad City Expo Center, Rock Island, Illinois

Thursday, February 16    4PM to 9PM
Friday, February 17   Noon to 8PM
Saturday, February 18   9AM to 8PM
Sunday, February 19   10AM to 4PM

Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel ShowIndiana State Fair Grounds, Indianapolis, Indiana

Friday, February 17   3PM to 9PM
Saturdays, February 18 & 25   10AM to 9PM
Sundays, February 19 & 26   10AM to 5PM
Monday, February 20   1PM to 9PM
Tuesday-Thursday, February 21-23   3PM to 9PM
Friday, February 24   1PM to 9PM

Elmwood All Outdoor Sport ShowElmwood High School, Elmwood, Illinois

Opening fishing season 2011

The Bowstring River on the north end of Little Sand Lake is a busy spot on opening day.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2010 FISHING CONTEST WINNERS

They will each receive a fishing combo rod and reel when they return to Anchor Inn Resort in 2011.

Dan A. – Bloomington, IL   32.5 inch Northern Pike

Gerald K. – South Barrington, IL  Crappie  1 Pound 8 oz.

Sid B. – Aledo, IL  Bluegill        1 Pound 12 oz

Matt H. – Galva, IL  Large Mouth Bass 6 pound 4 oz.

Bob H.     -  Fulton, IL  Walleye  6 Pound 12 oz.

This was a good year for fishing in the Sand Lake chain of  lakes.  The lakes experienced extremes in water levels and clarity.  In the Spring the water was very low.  Continued rains throughout the season brought water levels up (and kept the grass green). Record temperatures for October brought on several algae blooms.  Like most of the nation, we experienced unseasonable changes in the weather, warm April and October, cold May, weekly rain,  and numerous and frequent weather fronts.  Despite the frequent weather changes the fishing remained good.  The perch and pan fish fishing were exceptional this year with large numbers and sizes in the catches.

Pictures in the 2010 Guest photo album provide a good representation of the fishing season.

If you have not tried fishing in the Sand Lake chain you need to come try it out.  We believe you will find the accommodations at Anchor Inn relaxing, clean and reasonable.

The biggest catch of the week!!

This was a good year for fishing in the Sand Lake chain of  lakes.  The lakes experienced extremes in water levels and clarity.  In the Spring the water was very low.  Continued rains throughout the season brought water levels up (and kept the grass green). Record temperatures for October brought on several algae blooms.  Like most of the nation, we experienced unseasonable changes in the weather, warm April and October, cold May, weekly rain,  and numerous and frequent weather fronts.  Despite the frequent weather changes the fishing remained good.  The perch and pan fish fishing were exceptional this year with large numbers and sizes in the catches.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is considering implementing new limits of only five each on Sunfish, Perch and Crappie on the Sand Lake Chain.  You will have an opportunity to voice your opinion on their website www.dnr.state.mn.us during a public comment period next spring, summer and fall.  If this were enacted into the regulations it would take place in 2011.   Your opinions and comments make a great deal of difference.

The best hunting this year was the grouse.  Field and Stream has ranked the Chippewa National Forest as the Number 1 grouse hunting location in the United States.  We had several parties who were limiting out on a daily basis.  Hunting parties were from Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina as well as Minnesota.

Legendary Fishing

Anglers find a sportsman’s paradise at Anchor Inn Resort.  Our unique location on the shore of the Bowstring River offers our guests lake access to Minnesota fisheries like Bowstring Lake, Big Sand Lake, Little Sand Lake and the Bowstring River.  Walleye, northern pike, crappie, sunfish, rock bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and perch all thrive in the clean and unspoiled waters of the winding Bowstring River.  Anglers come from miles around to fish from the “Anchor Inn Bridge.”  Its walkway, just a few feet from our front door, produces everything from stingers of sunfish to buckets of bullhead as well as wall-mount walleye and trophy-size northern pike.  Our guests often find a shady spot under a tree and shore fish along the resort’s mile-long river frontage.  Just downstream is Rice Lake, a spectacular fish hatchery, with 817 acres of sun-warmed shallow water nearly covered with wild rice.