Rainy Lake fishing report 4/17-11

OK Gentleman!! As many of us are currently in the planning stages for our summer fishing trips I hope this may be of some help. Rainy Lake sprawls over 225,000 acres and is home to over 2500 pine studded islands. This world class fishery is deemed by many to be the most beautiful body of water within the United States boundaries. International Falls located only a short 5 hour drive from the Twin Cities acts as a gateway to endless fishing opportunities. The vast portion of Rainy Lake on the US side of the border lies within the confines of Voyageurs National park. This means instead of cabins dotting the miles of shorelines the backdrop of your fishing will resemble the Boundary Water Canoe Area. You also have the luxury of your powerboat instead of paddle!!! Best of both worlds in many anglers opinon. Experience untamed wilderness with wildlife abound and drop the hammer on magnificent fish!!

Whether anglers want the luxury of a Rainy Lake Houseboat, Land based resorts, or a simple tent camping experience you’ll be sure to enjoy your trip. Many visitors to our areas enjoy the variety of experiences and frankly there isn’t a bad way to experience this fishery. I do suggest that if your planning a Houseboat experience or want to stay in a resort cabin you had best get your reservations put together shortly. Rainy Lake has limited lodging compared to other big fisheries in large part due to the untamed wilderness protected by the worlds only National Park only accessible via water. Most people agree this is a great benefit not having the hoards of people and pressure on the water. My family and I spend a lot of time at both Sha-Sha resort and Thunderbird resort. We also take at least one trip a summer with Rainy lake Houseboats. I assure you the owners of these operations look forward to your call!!

Lets talk fishing team!! Truth be told I of course love the solitudes in which I slide my big skeeter through everyday, but the fishing is why I’m here. Angling for monster walleyes, Pike, Crappies and Smallmouth bass filters fishing families into “Borderlad” from across the world. Rainy Lake has a protective slot and was the first big fishery to take pro-active steps ensuring the protection of our large breeding fish for future generations. This measure has proven to be a very effective management tool employed by our big lake fisheries Biologists. More and more anglers are becoming conservation minded and undertsand how rare it is to find such tremendous fish in large numbers. Walleyes in the 17-28 inch slot must be immediately released. This leaves the best eating walleyes under 17 inches available for shorelunch. There are very few places in the world where you are offered a legitimate chance on each trip to land a trophy walleye, pike, smallmouth and Crappie. I believe it is this quality of fish that continues to make Rainy lake the “GO TO” destination for many anglers. Each season I am fortunate enough to help anglers get on the right pattern at the start of a trip or introduce new anglers to this magnificent body of water. Anglers are always welcome to bring a GPS in our guide boat and save safe routes into and out of our fishing destinations. We also do a detailed map study for the rest of your trip to ensure you have the best chance to put a hammer down on these elite fish.

Many of our customers ask the million dollar question. WHEN is the BEST time to fish Rainy Lake? I assure you there is never a bad time, but for numbers of quality fish many of our guests love July and August. Big walleyes are schooled up tightly and it is common to get into big numbers of 20-26 inch fish. Bigger fish are also caught by many guests up to 30+ inches. Weather of course is typically more stable decreasing the chances of a major cold front effecting the moods of fish. Both Spring and Fall offers anglers better odds at that trophy fish. During the spring the big females are locating themselves around spawning grounds and in the fall these monster fish are putting on the feedbag before ice forms!! We look forward to sharing the all new “Skeet Retreat” 2011 WX2100 Skeeter powered by the 300hp Yamaha Off shore motor with our customers this year. First to the spot with incredible comfort!! We’ll be the boat with the net out!!