Rainy Lake

Just a post to tell anyone who wants to know more about Rainy, feel free to ask,I will do my best to answer any question honestly. An as accurately as I can.I do fish a lot,I don’t post everyday.But I will try to give a weekly report.

Bb2

Here’s one for you
With current conditions and you had the chance of coming the week of 9/16 or week of 9/23, which would you prefer. Sooner or later and hope water temps continue to drop.
Not that 1 week makes that much difference, but others thoughts can be helpful.

Thank you for the kind offering about sharing info.
Mike

I am headed to Northeast bay next weekend for 4 days, first time on that part of lake. I know that is a ways into Canada from the falls, but any info you can give would be great. I am mainly going to be in search of Crappies and Walleyes.

I am guessing jigs will be the ticket?

Feel free to PM me if you want.

Thanks in advance!

If it was me I would come later ,the fish really start to feed as we move further into the Fall.,With that being said weather also becomes an issue,But with only a week differance probally wont matter.
BB2

I have never caught any crappies in NE bay.The walleye fishing is very good in that area, it fishes like the rest of Rainy,work the windy sides of points,search the humps with your locater,after today we are expecting a bit of a cool down,2 weeks ago the wallyes were biting real good in NE bay on the shorelines,they have seemed to pulled off and be staging in 18 to 22 fow. Hope that help.
BB 2

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If it was me I would come later ,the fish really start to feed as we move further into the Fall.,With that being said weather also becomes an issue,But with only a week differance probally wont matter.
BB2

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Thank you!
Ends up with my work situations going on, I’ll be splitting it.
Arriving 9/19, leaving 9/26.
Be at Thunderbird if they still have available what they told me they had a couple days ago.
Maybe we can swap some insight while being there.
I only fish MN waters and this has been aprox same time of September I’ve came up for last 5 years.
Hoping I can still find them out on main lake humps.

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If it was me I would come later ,the fish really start to feed as we move further into the Fall.,With that being said weather also becomes an issue,But with only a week differance probally wont matter.
BB2

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X2 since we had that heatwave the the other week I would wait a week if I had the flexibility

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Just a post to tell anyone who wants to know more about Rainy, feel free to ask,I will do my best to answer any question honestly. An as accurately as I can.I do fish a lot,I don’t post everyday.But I will try to give a weekly report.
Bb2

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Thanks for helping out in this forum. I can live vicariously through you. Today should have been the start of my 9th annual fall trip but work is very much in the way. No fishing for me but I might look at pics from last year.

Thanks for the report. Heading to Thunderbird Saturday the 13. Second trip this year, hoping to connect on Walleyes and Crapies. Bringing wife along but may have a day with just my buddy as our wife’s may golf one day. Pm me if you want to join us for a day of fishing or can offer us some tips. Be glad to sponsor a couple drinks to discuss fishing locations.

The fishing on Rainy has been spotty,I heard guys were getting walleyes on the American side deep around 40 fow.One day they are biting like mad the next you cant buy a bite.The eyes are in there full fall pattern hanging around the deeper humps moving up on top of them in low light conditions.The big pike are in the same places as the walleye’s. Bass in the North arm are on the humps too,seems like they are a lttle bit shallower than the eye’s, we have been getting them on plastics along with a few eater walleye.
The leaves are falling and the grouse hunting is starting to get better.
BB2

Thanks for the report. What has the water temperatures been at? It looks like that temp will be dropping fast with the weather you got coming?

Upper fifties
BB2

BB2 – i’m going up for two nights 10-25 and 10-26. Can you still get shiners at the one stop, or are you using strictly artificial? Fishing the MN side, around American Narrows and East to Fox Islands.

i called the outdoorsman all they have is big shiners….pike size.
BB2

Plastics….flukes…..white

I’ve had great luck with white moxies on 1/4 gold jig heads. I jig fast, quick snaps in the fall on rainy.

Thanks guys! Looks like wind and rain/snow so will be working where we can and close to home base. Fish/weather gods have been working against me all season but we’re going to give it hell. Will post a picture of the fall pigs upon my return next week.

Well… no pictures to post, unless you’d like to see your daily limits of 15 inch walleye and 3-6 pound Northern.

I am curious to get any/all feedback with respect to the MN side of Rainy Lake. We worked our tails off in big winds, snow and sleet to get some fat walleye in the boat and they simply would not bite. We found reefs with fish all over the place in good structure, but simply would not feed. We used gold jigs, purple jigs, lindy rigs, phelps floaters, bottom bouncers, 4 inch white moxies, and every damn thing possible and couldn’t get walleye to bite.

We found a few spots where we could count on a 13-15 inch walleye every 5-10 minutes, so our consolation was taking enough home for a fresh fish fry during the drubbing of the vikings.

There were probably a dozen times where we set the hook and finally had some weight on the other end. Each and every time it was a northern. Frustration ran high, as we were convinced that this would be a trip where we raised multiple 24 inch+ goldenboys.

I said goodbye to my favorite body of water and gave it the middle finger as we drove away. Open water 2014 will be here soon enough…

Rainy is a fickle lover… this I understand. That said, if there are any words of wisdom out there – fishing the MN side from Grindstone all the way east to Kettle I am here to listen and learn.

I will post a video we took as we got hung up in a sleet storm on Saturday about 11am. Wild stuff…

Rainy is a really fun lake, but I am someone who is able to spend minimal time fishing the lake and like you have have found it fickle. I think that is what makes it fun.

The only thing I would add is that I get a Remote Border Pass online. I also get my Ontario Lisence the same way. I don’t know if fishing the Canadian side is “better” but it does expand the options. When I go to the Kettle Falls the Canadian side offers some really nice deep bays. If I stay on the western part of the lake access to Canada offers several really nice neck down areas.
Given that I don’t have a big boat I need to fish smaller water which I get being able to fish Canda. Also, lots less people. Surprizingly less.

The best way to get ahold of Rainy is to share information. I hope this help next next year.

Thanks F.Bart. We did discuss this on the long drive home. My counterpart often fishes the NW bay and is convinced that it is better there, and based on his results not only this year, but every year I would have to agree.

I don’t know if there is a difference in water/current, or perhaps the one fish slot regulation but it will be a good option as fishing simply seems to shut down somedays on MN side.

Its all about timing too! I have fished both sides and if those big gals don’t want to bite, there not going to. No matter what side your on. I’ve been there before when one day there hammering and the next day there not even a bite. That’s fishingand why we love it! Right?

You know damn right Sinister. I felt that I should be rewarded with a big girl fishing in 32 degrees, 15 mph winds, with sleet and rain. I think that the violent changes in wind direction, and temps and low pressure turned them off. It was a timing issue, and we still had a great time.

From what I hear there’s ice starting to form in some of the bays. I can’t wait for the ice season. I got the snowmachine ready to go and I can’t wait to hit rainy through the ice!