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

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

Nate B.  -  Omaha, NE   Large Mouth Bass  6 Pound

Bill W.     -  Racine, MN  Walleye  6 Pound 8 oz.

After a May Fly hatch in early June the walleye bite slowed, but they are now being caught again.  Crappie and pan fish have been caught in water depths of 4 to 10 feet.  Pan fish and crappie are being caught in the lakes and off the bridge.  Most on jigs with live bait.   Large jumbo perch and northern continue to be caught.  The water temperature has been recorded at mid 70′s.  Crappie are being caught in Little Sand.

A nice start for the bass season!!  The vegetation has completely covered Rice Lake leaving no place to navigate into this natural fish hatchery until Fall.

Small and large mouth bass are being harvested in good numbers.  Good eating size of 2.5 to 3 pound range.    Weather fronts continue to move in with isolated rain showers.  Last weekend a cloud burst totaled 2.6 inches.   Bring your rain gear, just in case, and enjoy the fishing, moderate temperatures, and cool evenings.

Keep an eye on the pictures in the 2010 Guest photo album and updates on the fishing reports.

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!!

Over 40 pounds

No one entered their walleye in the contest, but there were a lot of nice walleye.   There was an abundance of small walleye which indicates there is a strong class of fish coming up.   The stocking of Sand  and Little Sand Lakes continue through the combined efforts of the Sand Lake Property Owners Association and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  This Fall a total of 1,897 pounds of fingerings were stocked.  The cool summer and abnormally warm September did impact some of the usual patterns of fishing and hunting.

Check out the Leader Board for this years, 2010, contest leaders.

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 flushing better than 20 birds a day.   The Whitetail deer herd is down.  The DNR just reported that the  statewide harvest is down 19% from last year and the Grand Rapids area is down 26%.

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.