Sportsman's Lodge

This place was a complete HOOT! What fun, going out in -22 degree weather to slay the elusive Walleye! Guide staff was very professional and fun to work with and they knew their business. Bombardiers were cool to ride in and added to the adventure. Food in the restaurant (hey, I had fried Walleye all three nights I was there), was amazing. Nice little Salad Bar and the Beef Soup with Wild Rice was crazy good. Rooms are a little dated but very clean with views of the lake, provided you are on that side, that were awesome. Gift shop had tons of cool stuff and some of the items I got are amongst my favorite casual wear now. If debating whether or not to go, GO! You will not regret it.

2nd year going to Sportsman for MEA weekend. We chartered a boat for 1/2 day and totally lucked out: we got a great captain! His name was Joe and he was so experienced. Highly recommend him! Caught 24

We stayed in a small cabin (2 bedroom), it was perfect for the four of us - no frills, but had all we needed. Lodge staff here is always hit or miss, especially late in the season when everyone is tired and ready for the break between fall and ice fishing. Always great service over the phone though! Kids had fun at the arcade upstairs and adults had fun with the bar/pull tabs.

So it might even be five stars if you're the target market. I'm a little bit not. There's a lot to like here, though. The Lodge rooms are warm, pretty spacious, and come with a freezer to store your catch. There's a pool and hot tub, which could be a little bit warmer, but not bad. You can everThe on premise cooking is hearty meat and potatoes stuff, and will keep you well fueled for a day on the water. (They offer an included meals plan, but by my math, not worth it unless you eat a LOT.) There's wifi, it's spotty and would not be enough for streaming, but you can check email. Their fishing guides will definitely get you to where the walleye are. We came back just one shy of the legal limit for a boat of six, and two anglers were kids who barely fished.

Now, a few bads. First, the lodge rooms are comfy, but gosh those walls are thin. When the room above us was occupied, we heard every footstep, TV show, or discussion. Second, the property is really showing some age. The biggest sign is the microwave in the lobby, which trips the circuit breaker if you actually use it. But third, and this is where I think I'm just not their target market... the fishing charters are really designed for people who know exactly what they're doing. I'm not an experienced walleye angler, and I wanted to understand how to find the spots, where we were, what to watch for on the sonar, etc. Pretty much the guide service here is get driven to spot, get handed a rod, and jig in silence. I asked questions and learned a few things, but when you get two word answers, you learn not to ask too much.

So all in all, not a bad place, and definitely an inexpensive option, but I might've gotten what I paid for.

This is as our second time staying at the Villas at the Sportsman's Lodge in August. First time we stayed in a one bedroom and second time a two bedroom villa. Unfortunately, we had the same experience both stays, the units were not cleaned well. Especially, the kitchens were filthy. Dirty microwaves, ovens, stoves and fridges. We turned the ovens on both stays and in both units and they were extremely smoky from the filth inside and had to be turned off, essentially unusable. This year's stay, the floor in the living room had not been vacuumed, crumbs and popcorn on the floor. Most everything was dirty in both units, counters and bathrooms too were not cleaned well. Towels and bedding are old and worn. Mattresses were very uncomfortable. The Villas are new and could be a very nice place to stay, but the cleaning in between guests stays is extremely lacking. We will not be coming back, for the price you pay to stay in the new Villas we expect a clean unit when we check-in and two years in a row they have dropped the ball. Disappointing to say the least!

Will not be coming back anytime soon. Guide service was simply subpar and unprofessional. Guests had to compete with guides because guides were fishing alongside us while we were fishing. I had to help other guests with netting and baiting hooks while guide was fishing. Guide "TJ" was rude and threatening my wife if she dropped a cheap Ugly Stik combo rod and reel. Under new management and extremely poor customer service; staff needs some serious training in how to treat paying customers. Pool and spa do not work and you won't know this until after you arrive. All docks are now under water. Very disappointed in them.

We came here for lunch one day and the poutine fries were very yummy but not made the typical way using cheese curds (disappointing). We wanted to order a cheese pizza but was told they are frozen pizzas (not homemade as the menu states) and only had pepperoni or sausage. I don't eat either but figured I could pick off the meat but that is not possible as the meat is under the cheese. :-(

There are absolutely no vegan choices and other than a salad there is no vegetarian choices either.

This is our fourth year coming to Sportsmens lodge. We stay in the brand-new villas that they have built in the last few years. These are more like condos than cabins. Our particular unit had a two bedroom and two bathrooms. Both of the bathrooms were like master bathrooms because they were attached the bedrooms. One bedroom had two double beds and the other bedroom has a queen bed and a set of bunkbeds.

The living room had a couch that folds out into a bed it was more of a futon style. The cabin had a full kitchen and awesome view of the lake.

We stopped down and ate at the lodge twice the food was good the prices may be a little bit high however.

If you're heading to Lake of the Woods I would recommend staying at Sportsmens lodge. The boat slips are new and the location is great. It is right on rainy river so you have access to the river and the Biglake if you get fish for some reason on the Biglake you could easily fish the river for miles and miles.

Pretty cool place! The people there are super friendly, the views are amazing, and the fishing is unbelievable. Some of the beds aren't as soft as they prolly once were. The restaurant is pretty good with a few things that are absolutely amazing.

Overall, it's a great place to stay, hang out, and relax!

My dad first stayed at Sportsman's around 1977, and this past decade we siblings have been taking trips here with him. For the most part we have had decent experiences, always making the most of things and overlooking minor issues. We were just there the weekend of June 26th-28th. There were 5 of us in Cabin 3 for two nights and a full day charter fishing trip. Check-in was smooth, and we got settled into the cabin on a gorgeous afternoon. The first disappointment was that water smelled pretty bad, sewer like, to the point you wouldn't dare drink it. No problem, we had some bottled waters, and ran to the nearby store for some gallon jugs.

Saturday morning we were up at 5:30 to make some breakfast and slowly get ready for fishing. It was a beautiful morning, but as soon as we stepped outside we were hit by a strong chemical smell, like some kind of paint or stain, or plastics burning - something toxic. It did not go away, and my sister informed the desk that there was a strong toxic smell in the camp that could make people sick. She also requested a couple rolls of toiler paper since we only had one.

We fished and that was ok....experienced walleye anglers, all of us, relegated to nightcrawlers on harnesses after an hour long boat ride into the angle. We made the most of it, but noticed other boats having action using jigs. At one point my brother asked for a fresh worm, as his was banged up and he'd had it on for an hour or so and through a couple moves by the boat. The guide actually said, "What's wrong with the one you got?" No time to be a smart ass, especially when he didn't get us close to limits, and my sister outfished Him.

When we got back, in good spirits despite the lackluster fishing, the odor was still noticeable and caused some to feel nauseous or have headaches. We thought maybe the people in the cabin next door had been burning toxic stuff, but who knows. Still no toilet paper, no response about the odor. We made the most of it in the cabin away from the toxic air, playing poker and having a fish fry. I was woke up Saturday night around 2am by my dad and sister. The cabin was full of smoke from open windows, because the people in the cabin next door were pretty wild. Turns out they were the band, and who knows what they were burning, but the smoke was thick and made breathing difficult. We called but were ignored. We closed up the windows again and made it through the night.

In the morning we had to simply pack up right away and get out, for our health. We had requested to speak to the owners before leaving, but they were dismissive as well. They eventually gave us a 20% discount on lodging only. When they were reminded that they a $10 back guarantee for every fish under the limit, they scoffed at us, as if we were making it up. That guarantee was from their own website, and I notice now that it has been changed to only on 2 day trips. Just the way they scoffed at us instead of showing any concern told us all we need to know.

It's a beautiful facility, and the staff we have encountered have been great. The water is disgusting, and the owners apparently do not care if you have a legitimate, serious problem. There are other beautiful facilities with nice staff. Easy choice for us.

The moment I stepped in I was not greeted but rather for a minute just standing waiting to be seated. The waitress stared at me and said "what do you want?" After seating me it took her 35 minutes to take my order. I was about to leave when she finally came and she said "sorry I forgot about you!" I ordered the dinner special which was hot turkey sandwich. Also a side of walleye bites as this is walleye capital. When I got my plate I was extremely happy that it wasn't boxed mashed potatoes and it actually tasted amazing. The turkey sandwich was alright and the stuffing was crunchy. The walleye bites looked so delicious but was really surprised at how bad they tasted. The fish was watery and lacked taste as if it was previously frozen and thawed and the breading wasn't spiced. Very disappointed! Would absolutely not go back!