Rainy Lake Houseboat tips

Hello,

I am having my bachelor party fishing weekend at the end of July. When I get up there I am planning on heading straight for the brule narrows and going East. I have heard good things about fishing Saginaw Bay area. Does anyone have good suggestions on their favorite houseboat site on Rainy lake to park the boat for the night with a nice fire pit and view? It doesn’t need to be Saginaw bay as we are planning on moving around a little bit. Any advice in general is appreciated.

Cheers!

This time of year you might want to grab the first one you find open then go scouting other sites with your fishing boat. Lots of houseboats will be out. Most all sites are pretty nice east of the narrows.

-J.

Don’t you need a reservation or is that just for camping sites?

You do not need a reservation for houseboat sites. Only houseboat park permit.

Well, kinda depends on the wind. You may run into a situation where you might want to move. If the wind is pounding into your site it can make it uncomfortable in the houseboat. RLHB will be able to tell you what sites are taken before you depart. From RLHB to the Brule is a hike…good weather (no big waves) you’re looking at a couple hours just to get to the Brule Narrows.

I’m not sure if you’ve houseboated (is that a word?) before, but some suggestions:
1. A GPS with a detailed map chip for Rainy that can be in the pilothouse of the houseboat is a beautiful thing!
2. Use a small boat to scout ahead to a houseboat site before going in with the houseboat. This will let you evaluate the site and determine the best approach before coming in with the houseboat. There are rock hazards near some of the sites!
3. Beware of mice. You’ll tie up with big ropes and have a gangplank to walk off the boat and onto the island. The mice are smart enough to use both. A lot. They will get on the houseboat and on your fishing boat(s) – plan accordingly. They ate a full BIG bag of sunflower seeds in my boat years ago – made quite a mess.

Some links that will be very helpful:
Map of houseboat sites in VNP: https://www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/upload/VNP_Houseboats_Map.pdf
Pictures/descriptions of houseboat sites in VNP: https://www.nps.gov/voya/learn/photosmultimedia/houseboat-sites.htm

Good luck and have fun!

Scott

This past weekend I saw a guy in a rented Thunderbird pontoon go on the wrong side of the buoys at the east end entrance of the Brule Narrows. A number of boats were stopping to inform/help but he just kept going. Not sure if he lost his lower unit or not.

Just remember when heading east (toward Kettle Falls) the red buoys should be on the right (red-right return). Many people think Rainy flows from West to East. It *does not*, it flows East to West.

Otherwise, there are some really nice houseboat sites on the east end. If you can find one with coverage from west and north winds you’ll be mostly protected from winds and waves.