Rainy Lake near Enos Island

Hi again,

My last post asked whether it would be better for me to buy a retirement home on Rainy River or Rainy Lake, based solely on the quality of the fishing. I was told overwhelmingly that the lake was the best choice. I’ve been researching the area for a few months, and have found a few places on the lake I think we can afford. Now I want to know if there are certain areas of the lake that are better than others. More importantly, are there any areas that are downright poor. I’m guessing I’ll be thrilled with anywhere on the lake, because of the great fishing. But, I’d still like to get your expertise. I found a couple of places near Enos Island and the Rainy Lake Marina. Is that area good for fishing, and does it allow me decent access to fishing the Canadian side of the lake? One of the responses to my last post said the Canadian side was really great for fishing. Thanks much for any help you can give me.

I don’t think there is a bad place on Rainy, there is so much structure you should be able to find fish nearby most places. My .02 is make sure you have enough boat for the lake, as it gets downright nasty when the wind and lake kicks up. And you will want something you can take all the way to Kettle Falls every once in a while, along with into Canada. Living on an island sounds majestic, but remember that means every trip to the store requires a boat or snowmobile ride. If I were you, and serious about this move, I would rent a cabin/houseboat/hotel for a week + and venture around. Hire a guide (RainyDaze and Chris Granrud are awesome, among many other options up there) and get their input, not only on the fishing but on everyday life.

Thanks for the info BigWerm. I didn’t mean we were looking at a place on an island, just that the couple of places available are somewhat near Enos Island. The places are actually in a little inlet / cove type thing behind the Rainy Lake Marina. I don’t know if my boat is big enough. It’s a 17 foot low riding flat bass boat type with a 150 hp motor on it. Is that sufficient, or do most people go with a deeper, larger boat?

You will want a deep V boat. Rainy is a big body of water and when it gets windy it gets nasty. The bigger the boat the better. Just my .02.

I have fished Rainy Lake for the last 5 years and after the first year upgraded to a SuperHawk 1850 deep V boat. I wouldn’t feel safe in anything less. If money isn’t a problem a 19 to 21 glass deep V would be perfect. It’s a big lake and runs of up to a hour are not uncommon. When the winds blows hard slow and steady is the most comfortable ride. Great place to have a cabin / house, good luck on your search.

Thanks much for the info. I am definitely going to need to re-think my plan regarding my boat. We currently live in Nevada and the majority of my fishing is on a reservoir which is about 10 miles long, but only 1 mile wide. My boat is a 17 foot, 1989 Quantum Fish / Ski, which is a flat top, low riding bass boat looking thing. It has a 150 hp motor, which gets me up to around 45 mph. After seeing the responses I got here, I think I’m going to definitely have to upgrade big time. Unfortunately, money is a factor, I can’t just go out and pick up a $30k (or more!) boat. I’m pretty sure I can get $5-5k for my boat, and I’ll start saving money to add to that. It looks like I’m going to need at least $20k to get a boat that will be safe, and allow me to have the fun I desire on a big lake like Rainy. Please keep your responses coming, especially regarding what types of boat you use and what I should be looking at, including how much I need to have as far as cash to purchase one. My guess is I’m going to be looking for a used boat when the time comes.

Wayne Daul – What sized motor are you running on your boat?

Definitely will need a deep V, preferably glass, but aluminum works fine too. And you don’t need 30k, you can find plenty of boat in the 10-15k range that will do just fine up there.

Here’s the boat I have now. Would it be useable on Rainy at all? I’d kind of like to fish the lake for a bit and then decide what type of boat I’d like to get. If this one is just too small and sits too low, I’ll need to start looking now for an acceptable, deeper boat.

Here

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You can fish Rainy in a canoe. The quality of the boat is what determines where and when you can travel the lake. Your boat is fine for the area you are looking at. However to run to the East end or over on North Arm you will want something that handles the big water when the wind blows.

I have to ask you a few questions.

1) Have you ever been on Rainy?
2) How long before you retire and plan on moving?
3) Will this be a summer home or a year round thing?

Dutchboy, no, I’ve never been to Rainy. I grew up near Minneapolis but moved away in the 80’s. I’ve always wanted a cabin / home on a lake, and I prefer to fish for the species that reside in Minnesota (especially Northern Pike). From the research I’ve done, we really can’t afford a home on a lake in the populated areas. Also, we really want to be in a small town with lots of nature and animals to see. Rainy looks like one of the best fishing lakes, and although there aren’t many, there are some homes on Rainy that we can afford.

I can retire anywhere from next April to six years after that. My guess is that it will be between 3-6 years away. We might wait until I retire to purchase a place, but if we can find the right place with the right price, we could purchase as soon as next summer.

As far as year around or summer only, we also plan to have a home in Florida, so the Rainy place will most-likely be a seasonal place, like May to October, or something like that. We would prefer to get something that is built for year around living, because the first couple of years we might live there full time.

Thanks. Reason I asked is Rainy (I-Falls) is great in the summer but pretty much a ghost town in the winter. Little bit of culture shock if you have never lived it.

If you are waiting that long to retire start looking for a bigger deep V boat, you will be much happier. Actually you should spend 2 weeks in the area so you have a idea what you are getting into. A bit of digging will produce cabins / homes that can be rented. You can then run around and see for yourself what your boat requirements will be.

I can’t think of one female in my family that would move to Rainy no matter how beautiful it might be.

I think we are going to try to take a week or two next May and check out the Int’l Falls area. I agree that winter there is not something we want to deal with. We are hoping that we will be able to get the MN and Fl properties upon retirement so we never need to spend winter in MN. I’m pretty sure we could work that out if I waited the entire 6 years, but I’m really getting the fever to get out and spend my days fishing, not working. I’ll be checking out the deep bow boats, but I am kind of planning to bring the one I currently have and using that for a while. I figure my first summer there will have me thrilled simply by fishing the lake. I can do that without having to travel too far. Once the novelty wears off, I’ll get the urge for more distance and a bigger boat. One of the things I liked about Rainy was that there are a lot of coves and islands, which should help me avoid the major wind problem. At least I hope so. I was just on a Skeeter boat dealer site in Ramsey. I noticed they have bass boats there,as well as the deeper ones. I’m going to google search for a dealer in Int’l Falls right now.

When you live here you do not normally go out on windy days.
BB2

I have a 20 ft triton X pro bass boat and have zero problems in any kind of weather on Rainy .Big bass boats take rough water as good as any deep v.The last boat I had here was a 21 ft alumacraft deep v,so I have had a lot of experience with both.Iam not trying to start a debate either. Lol ,When you really get to know the lake you can find ways to go anywhere on the lake in most weather.
BB2

Thanks for the input BB2. I’m glad to hear that a bass boat is useable on Rainy. I may need to get one that is a bit larger than my 17 footer, but I can decide that after I settle in and have some experience in the area.

The reason I bought the bass boat in the first place was because my dog is my fishing buddy. I wanted something with a flat surface which allows her to roam around easily.

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I’ve been up to Rainy a couple of times and think that the question surrounding the boat is less one of “what will work?” and more one of “what is ideal?” With a 17 ft bass boat you’re going to need to exercise some judgement and keep an eye on the weather. Last June I set out with some of my family late in the afternoon under sunny skies and worked the lee side of dryweed island until just after sunset at which point visibility was starting to become a factor. There was a fair amount of chop building and I knew the ride back was going to be a little bumpy. In short, it was a pretty slow ride home, the likes of which, the wind was whistling over the wind shield the entire time and I was catching a face full of spray here an there even with the bow trimmed up. I have a 18.5′ Lund deep V. I doubt I would have swamped in a bass boat but it would have been one heck of a miserable ride versus the “mostly” dry one I experienced.

Rainy lake is serious open water in places and if you want to get the most from the lake you’ll need a reliable craft, one that you can put your faith in and that will be able to handle heavy chop when the conditions call for it. Once you enter Voyager’s National Park (VNP) you’re in god’s country but there aren’t a lot of places to turn for help if you encounter issues. Get the best and most appropriate equipment you can afford and respect whatever limitations are manifest by your budget.

Thanks Dan, very helpful info. I’ve been looking at boats online just to get an idea of what it’s going to cost me. It looks like I’m looking at around $20k minimum to get something that will allow me to deal with everything Rainy will throw at me. I am still thinking my current boat will have to do when I initially get there. After a summer of running around the lake, I’ll have a much better idea exactly what I want. I understand I’ll need to be careful with my little 17 footer, but I have no problem with that.

I just returned from Rainy and have an Alumacraft Dominator 165 Sport. I have been going there for in early October for the past 4 yrs and we haven’t had to stay off the water for a day yet. When the wind blows, there are certainly big waves, you just have to know when to take it slow. I have found that going slow (10 to 13mph) with the bow up is the best way to go when the waves are big. I don’t feel unsafe, it just takes longer to get where I’m going. I’m sure there are days that nobody goes out, I just haven’t seen one that bad yet

That being said, there may not be too many places where fish can be caught in those conditions

Thanks much for the info. Have you fished in the SW section of the lake, around the Rainy Lake marina?

I have a 150 4 st Mercury outboard. I very happy with this boat and motor. Less then half the price of similar glass boat. Although prices are much higher now then 4 years ago when I bought mine.

Thanks Wayne. Have you fished the SW side of the lake? The places I have found that I can afford are kind of near the marina,and the river.

Are you talking about the marina East on Hwy 11 out towards the Park?

You could certainly get by with what you have for awhile. I wasn’t trying to insinuate you need 18′ but it’s a nice size for the lake. The style of boat is probably a bigger factor than the shear length. 20K would buy a pretty nice used boat. You could probably find something workable for 13K – 17K if you shop around.

Dutchboy,
I only know about the marina from using Google Earth and looking around the area where a couple of properties are. If you came up the river, and then stayed on the right side of the shoreline once you got into Rainy Lake, it appears to be a fairly short way from where the river meets the lake. It’s near County Road 125. The sign on the building says Rainy Lake Marina, Inc. Hopefully that explains it well enough for you to know where I’m referencing. I’d really like to hear how the fishing is around the many islands in that area.

Thanks Dan. I’m now motivated to fix up my current boat a bit. I am honestly obsessing on learning as much as I can about Rainy Lake. Watching YouTube videos, reading everything I can find on the ‘net, anything I can think of. I really appreciate the help I’m getting on these forums as well.