Awesome! That wind was brutal last weekend up on Snowbank for us in the boat, can’t imagine those rollers in a canoe. Guessing you had a solid tailwind on the paddle up from Moose?

Donnie is a close friend of the family and 100 percent the best guide up on Rainy. A day in his boat is something you will never forget. He’s probably all booked up for the summer but I would not hesitate to book a trip for next year.

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Gonna get up around Marine and chase some smallies. I have never really fished north of the Taylor Falls. Is that better water for smallmouth fishing or not? I have a 16 ft so should be fine if the water is higher.

Great info, Thanks for all the responses!

I work in Ely during the summer, If I were you I would spend the first part of your trip make the push up the river and spend a few nights on Clear. Then go back down and spend a of couple nights on Gabbro. Both are good walleye lakes, The river is awesome for smallies. Another option would be just to do the full triangle river loop. I’m 99 percent sure if you go down to Bald Eagle that’s all still barren wasteland from the fires. Bring two rods, Pike will be easy to find, walleye will really vary at that time depending on what happens with the weather this spring. Anything 6-8 windblown is a good bet. Bugs will most likely be awful at that time, you get used to it after a while.

Consider Ely area as an option, Small boats only and little pressure compared to Vermillion. About an hour drive north of Vermillion to reach the good lakes. This will be my second year working up there. When I did target smallies last year it was truly world class. Some lakes have numbers others have size. Couldn’t even count how many 22″+ inch fish were caught, most I had in one night out of my boat was 5. Sag is great and you can spread out but it’s a haul for sure. Happy to help if you want some lake reccomndations.

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Got it, Thanks for the clarification. Got a chance to read through the info a little more. Wondering what is in it for them to do a full shutdown Instead of catch and release?

I was out on the pond the last three weekends. Crazy how quiet it was out there. The south end for sure had some crowds at times but I was fishing the Northwest side and every time I was out I saw 4-5 other groups max from where I could see. These fish were very unpressured for the majority of the winter. Contrary to the report of underfed/skinny fish you can see from the pictures it is quite the opposite actually. Every fish I caught was very well-fed. I caught less perch than typical for me this year but there usually isn’t lots of small perch on the mud anyways. The lack of pressure this season definitely did not hurt the fishery.

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I ran my Garmin 73sv off my cranking battery last year and had no problems but I only have a 25 Suzuki so probably less power used to start. I am adding one more 73sv this year and some interior lights. Planning to connect it all to a rocker panel and power that all off the cranking battery. Assuming this should work? I have separate deep cycles for both trolling motors and assume accessories should not be run off of those. The big motor is running a good amount of the time on my boat so my cranking battery should be staying topped off even when powering other stuff I would think?

I work at Cliff Wolds Outfitting in Ely, This will be my second season up there. I fished the area almost every day last summer. Shoot me a PM and I will get you pointed in the right direction. The fishing is lights out in May!

I’ve done a fair amount of camping in my otter but haven’t made it out yet this year. I like having a good layer of snow rather than glare ice so it doesn’t get super wet inside. The system I found best for me was packing the snow down real good, putting down a tarp and mats on top of that. Also using a lipped rubber floor mat for boots. With this setup, we were able to walk around inside with socks on because of how dry it was. Crazy how much more heat you hold in with the floor.

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I have a 6″ 1-year-old Strikemaster Lazer bit with the clam drill plate extension. Has brand new blades as well that were $40. I’ve been thinking about selling it but would trade for another 8-inch. Located around Forest Lake.

Not an owner but I have fished in a pro fab 5×6 skid shack and was super impressed. Thing only weighs 390 pounds and is short enough to fit in an enclosed trailer. Very basic yet functional layout, it’s basically like fishing with a flipover. The one big downside is not having enough height to stand.

What’s the actual possibility of them allowing 2 lines during open water? Having a slip bobber in the rod holder while jigging would be a game changer. Even better yet go to 3 lines during ice fishing. I would think if you did this along with lowering the statewide limit it would not have any negative impact on the lakes. Only thing it would result in is everyone having more fun on the water. Another idea create an add-on license for 10 or 15 bucks that gives you one extra line open water and hard water.

Agree that Indian Point is a good option. That the whole west side is pretty safe at this point for foot traffic, I was there two weeks ago and consistently saw 5 inches everywhere, Fishing was good as well. Will be up in the cold on Monday. Biggest thing out there at this time is getting away from the crowds, which usually requires blazing your own trail. Be safe!

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Just terrible timing with this one, The team was just turning the corner I still think we have a much better team than last year. But who knows maybe Tom Brady wants to come out of retirement to play with Jefferson and Addison? A more likely scenario is trading for someone like Keenum or just starting Hall. The scenario here I feel is different than 2017 because this team is way more reliant on Kirk than they were on Bradford in 2017. Hopefully, Kirk can get whatever Rodgers is on and come back on a 2-year deal next year.

There are a good amount of spots in I-falls the Nomad was a decent place when I stayed there. A lot of the traffic you will see will be guys with boats staying there from my experience this time of year. I was just up on Rainy two weeks ago but didn’t stay in town.

The tilt is hydraulic assisted however so you do not have to use much strength to get it tilted. Is this the case with most manual tilt/trim motors or is it not as common?

crossin_eyes wrote:

Aboxy, does your 25hp Suzuki have power trim? I had a mid-90s Alumacraft with a 25 Suzuki at one point, and I didn’t have power trim. I just ran a bungee across the back of the transom so the motor wouldn’t swing back and forth, but I never used a transom saver.

It does not no, Manuel Tilt/Trim. However, I do have a lever that locks in the steering so it doesn’t swing back and forth while driving.

Thanks for all the help guys, My understanding was the transom saver reduced strain on the transom caused by the weight of the motor when hitting bumps and things like that. I’m a new boat owner so still getting used to everything. Thanks for the help again.

I find myself doing more and more hammock camping. Unless there is rain or terrible bugs hammocks are much easier and enjoyable to sleep in. BWCA trips most of us end up in the hammocks every night.

Does anyone have experience with the Simms Bugstopper hoodie? They get very good reviews and I am considering picking one up.

Hammered the fish on Rainy this weekend. We caught well over 60 pike in one day most smaller but some fish over 35″. No giant walleye biggest was 26″ but over 30 fish in one day all over 19″ We also picked up 15 or so big smallies. All fish were caught on jerk baits in 4-5 feet of water near the shoreline. The key was to focus on windblown areas that had a warmer water temp. Water is much lower than last year.

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Considering how my phone works when I have used it for mapping it would not be ideal but could work. Are you considering connecting it to one of the portable sonar balls you throw over the side of the boat? I’ve connected one of those to an iPad in the winter in a wheel house and it worked well but that’s about the only situation I would use it in.

Suffix advanced is what I use also. I pretty much use Suffix for everything. The only time I use Mono anymore if slip bobbers for walleye.

I like the Deep V jigs a lot they are my go too. The VMC catches just as many fish but the Northland paint seems to hold up much better.

I like the VMC but the paint on the VMC jigs just doesn’t hold up well enough for me. I like the Northland deep v hair jigs a little better.

The Garmin 93sv is $699 right now at Scheels I would get one or two while you can. I love my 73sv but am looking to upgrade to the 93. Mapping on the Garmin is very very good I used it all winter.

Would you at all consider selling just the motor? I have been searching for a decent 25hp 4-stroke everywhere. Not a lot of options right now.

I was debating the Rapala Bibs or the Simms Challenger. I went with the Rapala because I got them for $115 at Scheels and WOW they have been great so far. No problems and have stayed very dry. Highly recommend.