Well I can tell you first hand that there was plenty of ice out there yesterday. I did get to the Brule Narrows and beyond, but you had to stay in and around the islands to do it. The east basin had tons of ice as well. The wind is blowing hard today and I am sure there is damage being done to the ice sheet. Travel was fairly limited as of yesterday. You could get places but if the wind pushed the ice your way you were not getting home.

That said the walleyes are going like crazy in current areas! The ice should be gone soon.

Pamo,

I agree with Patk. I think you will be ok. I have not been in the N. Arm recently, but I have been on the ice from Sand Bay to Browns Bay in the last 3 days. I would not advise a trip to the eastern basin right now btw… It was a bit sketchy in spots on Monday. Huge Pike will be available on Rainy for a few days as long as you can get access right now.

Anyway, the ice is pulling away from shore in a few areas as of today. Shorelines where the sun does not beat in on it remain fine. The main ice sheet out east is about 16 to 18 but honeycombed and dark. Sand Bay is better but deteriorating. The N. Arms seems to run a bit later for ice out, but based on what I see out there ice out will be earlier then last year. IF it stays reasonably warm it should go in time for your trip.

Good Luck!

Deron

Cook13,

Good info. I didn’t mean to create a panic. I did notice a fair number of dates booked already and wanted to get a positive message out about the Park’s new system.

Poor choice of words on my part. Obviously,you don’t “need” to reserve a site. However, if you are looking for a specific site because you have been there in the past it would be prudent to check it out. Also, if it’s your 1st camping trip here it might make solid sense to reserve your site in advance so that you can button everything up before your arrival.

Thanks for clarifying though!

More of the same from Rainy Lake. The walleye bite is improving and BIG pike are starting to show up on tip ups as well. The crappie bite remains consistent. Make sure you check on ice travel conditions before you come up to Rainy….we have a lot of snow and a quick warm up may change things on the lake fast. Travel by snow machine is critical to success and slush can stop that on a day to day basis. For those ready for an awesome ice fishing experience, Rainy Lake is your spot.

Onestout,

Make no mistake, I don’t get ’em every day either! Rainy Lake is big water and it takes time to learn what to look for under certain conditions and during different calendar periods. Once you start putting it together it is an awesome lake to fish for multiple species!

Oh…and DaveB was right on! In fact, it may have been colder than -32 this morning. It has been a dog gone cold month!

Oooops! There are Crappies for Christmas too…

QB,

No kidding! The color of the walleyes here is definitely pretty cool. You see a lot of variance depending on what part of the lake you are on.

Colors and lure choices…hmmm… This is what I’ll say about that, go with your “confidence” baits for starters. My confidence bait just happens to be jigging raps or the Nils Master. Old habits die hard I guess, but day in and day out all winter long they will eat these baits. There are days where I end up using a spoon but not very often. Anything glow works well, maybe a little orange in there. Anyway, my point is go with what you are confident with and you will score. I always have a set line with a minnow down as well. Some days I end up with 2 set lines down if you know what I mean!

Vikefan,

Good eye! I see what you see….that is not a chubby darter. I use couple different rigs that some may scoff at, but I will explain.

The chubby darter you see is actually one of those “keel” weight type sinkers that looks like a gold side black back minnow. They also come in a white shiner looking minnow in various weights. I like them even though they are off set a bit because they look “real”…well sort of…how about they look natural. I usually combo that up with a hand tied 7 strand leader about 3 to 4 feet long with a circle hook and that’s it. I just started using circle hooks a couple years ago, but they work and the fish can be released unharmed. It also is a much better finesse looking presentation. These pike don’t get to be 40 to dare I say 50 inches in length by being stupid or ignoring ridiculous tangles of hooks and kinked wire with a smallish sucker attached to it… That said, the second pic is just the keel weight with a Northland Tackle quick strike rig…yes the spinners add some flash! Nice Taz! The other reason I like the “keel” weight is the weight. When using BIG baits I want to pin that bait as much as I can without going to heavy. In other words, decrease its ability to evade a curious monster pike! If the minnow can shoot up 10 feet because it’s only got a couple slit shot nearby, the pike might decide to pass…as in Oh well I wasn’t that hungry anyway. I Know, I know, plenty of big pike are caught on basic rigs. I also know that quick strike rigs can be effective at hooking and releasing fish unharmed IF you can get to them quick. Lots of ways to do it…I am just a guy who like to fish too much.

Shoot, I am rambling…sorry. These are only my thoughts as I approach catching these beauties! I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’ve caught a few.

Onestout,

I didn’t mean to mislead! I did not catch those today. I should have said that in my post. Just a couple past examples of what early ice can mean here. I hope to post some fresh pics of larger specimens later this week!

The current scoop here is use extreme caution. The wind has really broken up the ice in some spots. In most open basin areas there is no ice. The waves I could see yesterday were BIG out there. If you know where to travel and what to look for there are some beasts waiting to be caught. Serious ice travel is probably a couple weeks out but I will be on some fish long before then!

Be safe.

Toxic,

Shouldn’t run like that. I tested those engines hard on Rainy Lake before they hit the streets. They should idle smoothly and consistently. The key to the 4 stroke Honda was starting. They all have a little subtle starting procedure, but once you dial that in they will run like tops…even in bitter cold. I am not saying I am an expert, but I have drilled thousands of holes with them.

Get the idle situation figured out…doesn’t sound “normal”.

Fancaster,

You got it goin on down there! Good job. Don’t be afraid to go BIG and bold with the baits. Sometimes the “whitefish” look is the ticket and other days it is a stark contrast they prefer! Stay at it until it freezes…in fact I may come down for some Walker Bay action next week. If I can get the boat in it could be huge Musky time.

Sinister,

No doubt! Their heads are huge when they get over that 20 pound mark…and yes really gnarly lower jaws!! My boat is still in the water. Fished yesterday and the day before looking for another giant pike…nothing huge, but some solid fish. Of course the one that got away was hefty! How hefty we’ll never know. Didn’t get a glimpse, but she was BIG.

There is a little ice in the west end of Jackfish Bay. A little ice in Cranberry. Black Bay narrows had ice a couple days ago, but I would guess it blew out. For the most part you can travel wherever you want to go right now. I plan on a couple more days, but it looks like the weather will get a little dicey by the end of the week.

Take care and good fishing.

Riverbottoms,

I would say you are onto something there! Experiment with time and tactics and it will likely produce results. You may find yourself on a pattern worthy of keeping to yourself!! I would not say I am an expert, but I do fish in creeks and shallow smallish rivers in the fall. Up here in my neck of the woods it seems to be more of an “early” fall type deal. I would say from mid September to mid October. As November rolls around the fish seem to get a little tougher to locate until they end up in their wintering locations. I am not sure if that is related to the shiner migrations or not, but the numbers of fish I get during an outing declines as fall wears on. Size may not decline however…

Go get ’em and good thinking.

Deron DoRight
Rainy Lake, MN

Ooops,sorry Pat K…Rainy is pretty awesome. These were just “little” fellas today. More to follow – no ice in sight.

Huh? Sorry Pat K…not following ya? Anyway, there was a little ice out on the lake today. A little ice was it! Should be a good few days left. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t easily nail these fish every time you go out, but if you pick your calendar periods and days correctly…you will score!