“A lot of them will fish Minnesota waters, but there’s a lot of them that will slide just over the border and fish Ontario waters,” said Lake of the Woods Executive Director Joe Henry. “Those darn fish over there have not seen a lure in about two years.”

Back on August 9, the Canadian border reopened to U.S. citizens for the first time since March of 2020. If you plan on going across the border, Henry says you need to download the “ArriveCAN” app to upload your vaccination card. You will also need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test that is less than 72 hours old.

“We have plenty of openings if people are interested in coming up,” said Henry. “Normally September and October are really busy months, not right now. It’s just taken a while to ramp up.”

Henry recommends anglers bring artificial lures or bait because Canada no longer allows any live or dead bait to be brought over the border.

By — Nick Ursini