If you enjoy chasing trophy eyes the pre spawn Rainy River run is a must for you. I cannot think of anywhere in Minnesota where your odds of catching a trophy would be better.
It is very rare on a fishing trip for everything to come together, but on this trip they did. I felt good about it because I studied the River and did my homework this winter, and boy did it pay off. The weather, the company, the accommodations, and most importantly the fishing were all excellent. The nice thing about the trip is we brought back plenty of eaters but also had thrill of getting after some of the biggest eyes you will find anywhere. We fished long hours each day for only 25 fish per day, but the size made up for what some would consider a lack of action.
We arrived on Wednesday mid day and checked into our suite at the Americ Inn Hotel in Baudette. Based on the most recent reports we knew the big females had just started to move into the river a couple days prior to our arrival. Therefore, we decided to stick around the mouth of the river fishing by Adrians, Ballards, and Sportsmans. On Wed. we only fished half a day with 12 eyes coming to the boat. The thrill this afternoon was the last fish boated. As the day and the bite was winding down I felt something slam my quarter ounce firetiger jig tipped with a neon green ringworm. The drag started to sing and I knew I had a good fish. I didn’t know just how good until the three of us got our first look at this giant. After a few minutes of staying down like a bowling ball the pig came to the surface and Brian scooped her up. The three of us could only laugh as we measured a 32.5 inch walleye. After weighing her in at 11.8 lbs she was dumped back into the river to swim another day. The rules on the river would not allow me to keep her, but I plan to have a replica made for the new cabin.
I won’t bore you with details on every fish the rest of the way, but I do want to share we ended up catching 6 fish 28 inches or more. Thursday belonged to my dad as he caught a 28 inch fish and a 29 inch fish that we guessed weighed 10 lbs. Unfortunately we forgot the scale at the hotel that day. Friday belonged to Brian as he boated to 28 inchers, one of which we did weigh and it came in at 8.98 lbs.
The key to the trip was covering ground by slip drifting down the river. I am convinced this was the key to our success. Many guys around us were anchored but the guys slip drifting out fished them at least 2 to 1.
The humor of the trip was provided by my dad hooking into a 40 inch sturgeon on a med light walleye rod. After a 15 min fight we wrestled with this slimy pig in the boat for a good 5 min. This brought a good laugh for all involved!
Next report will be after opener and tourney number one. Attached is the pig and a few others from the trip.
