Rainy trip

Just booked motel rooms for Wed. Thurs. Friday of this week in I-Falls.
Hired Woody for a guide trip for big Pike for Wed. afternoon.
Now I’m looking for info from anyone who has ever fished for big Pike up there. I’ve heard I should go deep on the reefs, they are hanging around and feeding on the Walleye’s.Last year I bought a Muskie trolling set-up from Thorne Brothers, it is spooled with heavy 80# or 90# power Pro line I think. Will I be able to get big cranks down to 30 feet (reef tops) with that or should I use my Fire Line set-up? Please don’t give me any tips for live baiting, it will ALL be done with artificial baits.

I know it’s not the best time of year, but I’ve got the time now, any help is apprieciated.

Also should mention I will be fishing the U.S. side only.

I know this isn’t your typical presentation for big pike, but the biggest ones I catch up there (a few over the 20# mark) have all come while jigging minnows for walleyes. One of the better locations, I think, is the tailrace area below Kettle Falls and the windy river section from there on down to the big lake itself. Casting spoons and hardware is fun, but it just seems like I get way more big pike by accident while fishing for walleyes up there. Years ago, while being guided by Laverne Oveson, I asked him what the best method was up there for big pike and that was his suggestion….”fish for walleyes and fish deep”.

Have fun with Woody, he looks to be a character!

I have to 2nd Slip’s comments. I was last on Rainy about 5 years ago and we were fishing Walleyes. I noticed some big “hooks” on the depth finder just off bottom. Later on I had one of those situations where the fish comes in easy, and then heads for Canada, then comes in easy again. Finally I got a 12 inch Walleye to the boat and the poor little guy had been skinned alive. Wasn’t his day: first I hook him then he gets chewed up on the way to the boat. I unhooked him and set him back in the water. Then 40 inches of Pike came out from under the boat and finished the job! Yes, I did count my fingers to see if they were all there yet.

After that episode I kept one rig set up with a big jig and either a Reaper tail or a Twister. If I saw hooks down there I’d drop the big jig and frequently connect. I never encountered another fish like that first one but did manage to catch some 35 inch class fish.

This isn’t anywhere near cover so the big heavy tackle isn’t mandatory. It might help get them to the boat quicker though.

Good luck and let us know how you did!

Rootski

I am planning my trip up there to camp in voyagers and fish rainy in mid Sept. Should be peacful and cool. Just hope the fish co-operate then. Any suggestions for patterns that time of year?

We were at Island View Lodge from 7/8/-7/15 and my son caught several northern over 30 inches, including one over 40. All the Northern were caught trolling over sunken rock piles in about 5-10 feet of water. I tried the same methods and caught only one over 30.

As an aside he hired Woody on our third day because he was having trouble catching Walleye. His luck did improve after that. Anyway, when you see Woody I am sure he will remember David and Shannon; say hi for them and let me know how you do.

You are on the right track for trolling big cranks on top of deep reefs for big pike!

That trolling combo from Thorne Bros is perfect for this presentation.

I would recommend getting some Bucher Depthraiders. These are AWESOME cranks for this presentation. Also, the Muskie Mania Ernie is another good choice for trolling deeper waters.

Even though that water is tea-stained, your more natural colors will prevail. Atleast that has been my experience deep, open water trolling on LOTW for muskies/pike.

Also, don’t just troll a reef just because it is a reef. Look for pods of baitfish while you search. Again, my experience on LOTW doing this is that when we found a pod of baitfish to plow through, we got hit…….

Good luck up there!

East end, jig-n-minnow, slow troll the edges of reefs where clay meets rock in about 25-35′ of water….you’ll get em! Saugers too!