FISHING THE BOWSTRING CHAIN OF LAKES
From the docks at Anchor Inn Resort anglers can explore the hundreds of miles of open water that make up The Bowstring Chain of Lakes. Anglers targeting any of these great Minnesota fishing lakes can expect to find excellent fishing for walleye, northern pike, jumbo perch, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie and bluegill.
BOWSTRING RIVER
The Bowstring River flows northwest first through Little Bowstring Lake then through Bowstring Lake, Sand Lake, Little Sand Lake, and Rice Lake. It joins the Popple River at the head of Dora Lake to form the Bigfork River. It is widely thought of as providing great fishing for walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill and bullhead. The clean and unspoiled waters of the Bowstring River flow past the docks of Anchor Inn providing guests with outstanding fishing from shore, from the “Anchor Inn Bridge” and from their boats!
LITTLE SAND LAKE
From the docks at Anchor Inn Resort anglers can explore the hundreds of miles of open water that make up The Bowstring Chain of Lakes. Anglers targeting any of these great Minnesota fishing lakes can expect to find excellent fishing for walleye, northern pike, jumbo perch, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie and bluegill.
Little Sand Lake is 361 acres and is located in northern Itasca County. Little Sand Lake is connected to Sand Lake to the south and to Rice Lake and the Bowstring River to the north. The lake has abundant aquatic vegetation and is generally shallow with a maximum depth of 19 ft. Because of its small size and shallow basin, Little Sand Lake would not be expected to provide a walleye fishery. However, Little Sand Lake has a good walleye fishery which likely results from walleye movement throughout the Bowstring River system.
SAND LAKE
Sand Lake is known as a tremendous walleye lake due to an aggressive stocking program through the DNR and the Sand Lake Property Owners Association as well as its plentiful natural reproduction. It also boasts an abundant supply of crappie, jumbo perch, northern pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass and panfish. Sand Lake is a 4,328 acre naturally fed lake with a maximum depth of 70 feet, a median depth of 17 feet, and 19.9 miles of beautiful shoreline, all nestled in the Chippewa National Forest. It offers anglers many types of bottom structure variations, bays, islands, rock piles and has direct access to Bowstring Lake, Little Sand Lake, the Bowstring River, Rice Lake, Birds’ Eye Lake, Portage Lake, Dora Lake and the Bigfork River.
BOWSTRING LAKE
Bass fishermen – get your nets and hold onto your hats!Bowstring Lake is approximately 9,200 acres of Minnesota’s top walleye, northern pike, crappie, bass, panfish and perch fishing. Most anglers find Bowstring a fairly easy lake to fish because its underwater structure tends to hold the walleye and crappie. The Minnesota DNR lists Bowstring Lake as one of the state’s top walleye fishing lakes. According to data from the DNR’s latest lake survey, Bowstring is managed primarily for walleye and secondarily for black crappie, northern pike and jumbo perch.
RICE LAKE
Rice Lake is an 817 acre lake with a maximum depth of 5 feet. This shallow, sun-warmed lake provides the Bowstring River system with an outstanding fish habitat great for natural reproduction of many species of Minnesota gamefish. Its thick cover of wild rice also make Rice Lake great hunting grounds for Minnesota waterfowl. Located just north of Anchor Inn Resort, anglers on the Bowstring River benefit greatly from the resort’s proximity to this natural fishery.
