Walleyes in the Rainy River

[lakeofthewoodsmn]

On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics.

Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers.

Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.   

Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water. 

As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always.

Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends.

On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.

Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.

Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.

Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.

Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners.

Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.

The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well. 

Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.

Lodging, fish house rentals, small boat guide trips on the river and meal packages are available.  Go to www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging for more info.