Rainy Lake Camping Trip

Hey all, I am fairly new to the IDO forum, have looked at it in the past, but just made an account.

The meat of the post is I am planning a trip to camp on the lake at one of the sites. I am experienced camping and etc. as I do it for work quite a bit. But I don’t have much experience with boat camping trips. I have an older 17’Alumacraft. I am just wondering what folks do for their batteries, do you bring extra batteries or solar panels to charge it etc. I tend to use my trolling motor a ton. I know I tend to get a day and a half out of my batteries. Also do you bring extra fuel in portable cans or do you run back to a resort for fuel when needed? I am just trying to prepare myself as much as I can. I will be planning for June to do the trip. Any other recommendations on things to bring and etc. would be appreciated.

First off contact Voyageur National Park about site availability. You must have a permit. Second if you camp on Rainy it’s self pick protected areas, storms can and do blow up pretty good there. If you look at the Ash River Trail area there are more protected sites down there. You can go the solar panel or generator for charging. Just about all the resorts have gas pumps.

Be sure to bring bug dope and maybe even a head net as they can get a bit fierce in June.

Xplorer will chime in at some point, he’s real expierenced in camping the Park.

Have fun.

Dutch,
Thanks for the reply I didn’t know with them saying no chainsaws if I wasn’t allowed a generator either. I live a little to the west of Rainy so I know about the mosquitoes and storms. I was looking at the sites trying to pick one that would be protected the best. I spend majority of my time fishing LOTW so I have seen some storms and know what my boat can handle. I am fairly excited for the trip. My girlfriend wants to come with after I go for the first time that way I have some idea of what I need and should bring.

A lot depends on what you’re looking for. Kabetogama has resorts and lots of traffic, so in my opinion it’s not much of an outdoor experience. Namakan and Rainy have very little private property and less traffic, but it’s a longer boat ride hauling your gear in.
I ran an Alumacraft Classic 165, Yamaha 40 tiller, Minkkota Terrova bow mount, main battery and accessory battery (biggest batteries I could fit in the compartments) and MinnKota alternator charger which recharged batteries off the outboard when running at speed. I had a portable battery meter also. I found that I usually did enough running around that my batteries stayed charged pretty well, but I used the outboard for trolling some also.
Gas tank was 16 gallons and I brought a couple of 6-gallon cans, plus a 1-gallon can that was always in the boat.
Not all the rocks are marked.
Be careful, you’ll get addicted to VNP. I used to do 5 to 6 solo trips a year there, but age caught up with me about three years ago. I miss it a lot.

BF,
As Dutch said, find the site first, then you can figure logistics of what/how much you’ll need. If your set on Rainy, will you be west or east of Brule Narrows? How many days are you planning?
When I ran a 17’/90hp I had 17 gallons in the tank, and brought another 12 with me (I knew I averaged @6 mpg with the Honda on those trips). I have only camped on the east side of the Narrows, and most times portaged over at Kettle Falls to that end rather than run from black bay. My current boat has a 40 gallon tank and I do not take extra gas. If you have a generator then yes, you can use it there to charge TM batt’s. I just make do with what I have on our 5/7 day trips, but most of mine have been family trips so not all day every day on the TM. I use drift socks and the main sometimes in heavier wind instead of using the TM. I’m looking into the alternator charger that Ron has tho as a possibility.
I’ve been camping Voyageurs since 1997 with over 500 nights in the park, and the 1 thing I will not go without is a good screentent. I use a Clam hub right now. Makes time in camp so much nicer. On a solo trip I even slept in it and didnt even take a tent. Other items always with, axe/bowsaw, first aid kit (ive had to use a few times), extra tarps and rope. Coolers must be kept in the “bear lockers” at the site if you’re not there. I use coleman 70qt Extremes and they fit great and last me a week with ice blocks. Portable grill (the bear locker is great to grill on top of fyi).
When you pick a site let me know, and if your open to Namakan as a first trip (way less open “bigwater”) let me know and I can give you some site recommendations or info.

We do between 3 & 5 trips to Namakan every year. If I were you I’d bite the bullet and buy a small reliable generator for charging. We also take along a corded florescent trouble lite. It works well for cleaning fish and when cooking in the dark. We take a light weight screen tent for bugs and when it rains. Bring a fish cleaning board if you plan on cleaning fish… some people clean directly on the bear lockers and don’t wash them off!! Take note of the laws on cleaning fish from a lake that has a slot limit in the law book. The CO’s do enforce that rule! Also boat bumpers, most sites now have docks. The ones that don’t have sandy beaches. Were we usually stay is 15 mi from the access. There are lots of sites within a few miles of the visitor center, but then there’s a LOT more traffic also. The only extra gas we bring is for the generator as we have 40+ gallon fuel tank. Like Ron said the small gas can in the boat is really good idea. You can go to Recreation.gov to open an acct. and make reservations. It’s a requirement to get a site. The website is kinda hard to navigate till you get used to it. Just remember to leave minimal trace. Leave the campsite spotless even if the people before you left a mess. We have cleaned up after some real slobs. Most people clean up after themselves though!! It’s a truly awesome experience. Be safe and enjoy!

Brokefisherman
I forgot a couple of things If you have room. We take a popup hunting blind and set it over the toilet. A little bug spray inside and it makes it a LOT more pleasant than not having it. Also a coffee can to keep your TP so the red squirrels don’t rip it to shreds! Good Luck

Thanks for the replies. I am not completely set on Rainy, but it would be closer with me coming from the west. My boat is a 1998 Alumacraft Competitor sport side console with a 75hp merc. I do mostly day trips on LOTW, but I am home each night so I can charge batteries. I have killed my batteries for the trolling motor once but that was a day of spotlocking as well as trolling with the motor in fairly good wind. I do have a 23 gallon tank in the boat. I haven’t every really calculated what my fuel efficiency is. But I am experienced camping and etc. I am definitely used to the mosquitoes with my line of work. So I had planned around that. I was thinking I’d bring a pop up either fishhouse or ground blind for the privy.

Xplorer, I was planning west of Brule Narrows and was looking at staying either around the Cranberry Bay or the Lost Bay area, just gotta pick one of the sites. I also considered staying even closer to the access but didn’t decide on anything for sure yet. I was planning on the Black Bay access just based on it being closer for me to drive to.

I often saw fish carcasses on the shoreline rocks at campsites. That’s one of the most violated rules at VNP. Those plastic minnow or leech bags are good for holding carcasses when you clean fish. Then boat out to deep water, open the bag and empty it.
I crawled out of my tent one morning and noticed that the cutting board on my table was on the ground and my spotting scope on its tripod was lying on the ground. I went down to the dock and the butt seat at the bow was all the way up. There were rips in the seat that looked like bites. I’m guessing a bear came through the campsite, then jumped in the boat, hit the lift lever on the seat and snapped at it when it popped up. I slept through it. Thankfully he didn’t smell anything attractive in the tent.

20 gallon tank on my alumacraft. I worry about running out of gas so I always bring at least 10 – 12 gallons. Going through kettle falls this year so I’ll top off there. Made it back with an 1/8 tank to spare last year on Sand Point. I’ll bring a 3rd gas can from now on. Much cheaper bringing gas if you have the room.

I bring an extra battery and have an onboard alternator, although I’m never sure if the thing actually does any charging. With the younger kids I never run out of juice. Older kids I have ran out after 3 days of hard fishing.

From the NPS landing its 9 miles to the back end of Cranberry, 10 to the back of Lost bay, and 12 the west side of Brule Narrows. I think if you brought another 12 in cans with your 23 gallon tank you would have plenty. Once you get to camp in either Bay, you will have several years of water to “xplore” within a few/5 miles of camp. There are so many humps, reefs, islands and shorelines to fish its pretty overwhelming at first.
As far as fish guts, I use the Rapala fillet board that has a hole and fits over a 5 gallon bucket. Fill bucket half full with water, clean fish and drive out to deeper water and dump.
I really wouldn’t worry about bears, in 27 years I’ve had 1 problem bear in camp.
Like Ron’s, it did climb into my boat pulled up on shore at night, but I caught it and scared it off. Guessing it smelled a bait cooler on the boat floor.
Let me know if you have any other ?’s. Sounds like a generator will have to solve the TM battery charging issue if you’re there more than a couple days.

Hey folks thank you all for the replies.
I did book a site in lost bay. I am working on my list of everything I am gonna need for this trip. I have included a lot of your fine folks’ recommendations. I am definitely bringing extra fuel, I will throw in two extra batteries also. What’s the normal walleye bite on in mid-June? I don’t need spots am I searching for shoreline structure or main lake. Minnows, worms, leeches, hard baits? I know I will have to figure it out for myself. Just would like to know what I should bring and be looking for. I normally fish LOTW as previously said where I just normally drag spinners etc. I also wouldn’t be opposed to some crappies either. I am so ready for hardwater to be done. One or two more trips hardwater and I will be happy.

The south side of LOW fishes nothing like a shield lake such as Rainy. Typically during that timeframe the shallow bite should be in full swing and it is a blast. For me when they are shallow the wind is the structure. Wind blowing into a rocky shoreline or better yet a point is what you’re looking for. If there’s a couple days of the same wind you’ll be in for a treat. The best thing about the shallow bite is there’s lots of different species up there so you never know what the next hookset might be. As far as tackle we usually throw plastics and a jig. Seems like the boat is usually in 8-12 feet and you’ll be pitching into 2-4 feet working it back to the boat. If that’s not your cup of tea, bobbers with minnows or leeches can work too. Lost bay is a good area and there’s enough good stuff around there to stay busy for a summer plus some. As far as crappies go they should be wrapping up with the spawn and moving off their beds. We only target crappies in a few different places and all I’ll say is that area isn’t one of them. If you get a map, familiarize yourself with the back channel route, it starts by dove island and you can run very sheltered water all the way to Lost Bay and past there. Good luck! There’s no other place like Rainy Lake.

fins gave you all good info. Wind, rocks and shorelines are the go-to for us on Nam that time of year also. And don’t ignore early weeds if you find them, they can hold fish all year long and most skip right by them.

We also love to throw #5/6 Flicker Shads that time of year in those same places, and really pick up a nice mix of eyes, smallies and pike.

If your campsite allows, throw a slip bobber/leech off it in the evenings when you’re back at camp. We have caught a decent amount of fish this way over the years.

Take the time to check out other sites while you’re motoring around for future trips.
Enjoy your trip, I’m guessing you’ll enjoy it and return again.

There is a ton of great advice given in the posts above! This year will be our 9th year in voyageurs with the majority of them on rainy and we love it. Clam Screen tent was a great addition a couple years back (burning ban and feared the bugs). We use a 2kw generator to recharge the boat batteries plus coffee maker and phone chargers. We use a battery sawzall for firewood that saves a lot of work. We bring our boat has a 24 gallon tank and we bring another 20 gallons along but we do a lot of exploring on the Canadian side and I will say it is worth the price of admission, we have found some exceptional fishing on the N side of the border! We did Krantz Point in Lost bay a few years back and found plenty of walleye around Fox Island on mid lake structure. We usually go the 3rd week of June and find most walleye activity on mid lake structure, especially good for bobber fishing after supper.

X2 on the Canadian side. So much more fertile and flowing water over there.

Fins,
I was just putting that in there that I am spoiled and fish LOTW where you can catch fish without having to put work in. I know its a totally different style of fishing. I have fished shield lakes before with limited success. I appreciate everything.

scottaheller wrote:

We usually go the 3rd week of June and find most <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye activity on mid lake structure, especially good for bobber fishing after supper.

That’s the time I will be there. I figured there’s gonna be plenty of water to explore.

When the time comes closer, let me know and I can fill you in on what’s going on. I don’t let work get in the way of fun very much in the summer so we are pretty much always up here. There’s so much more than just fishing too if your into that stuff. Lots of hiking and really cool historic places to explore.