open water

hey guys,

just had a quick question. does the river ever freeze over?? if it does, will be it be un-frozen by the first week in april?? hows the fishing around that time??

As of now, they are still driving trucks on the river. If things don’t heat up in a hurry we may not see open water until near the end of the season (April 15th). The latest Outdoor News has an article that says it the thickest ice in 5-6 years. I went the first week in April last year and pushed in our boat over shore ice. We caught alot of small fish and one 8 pounder. The big fish just weren’t there yet. Actually opening weekend of Minnesota found some giant walleyes at the mouth of the river, with many still not spawned out. I would delay your trip to the last open week in April or to the MN opener in May if size is your game. If numbers is your game, stay home and fish the Mississippi, it’s one of the best walleye factories in the nation, and it’s in our backyard. With that said, when the big fish bite is going on the Rainy, it’s tough to beat.