rainy river

[JohnWester]

anyone planning on hitting it here?  I'll be making the trip sometime during the week, either next week or early the week after.  I will avoid weekends up there.  The ice is nearing the launches, should be able to get out on a boat this weekend the way the ice is receding.

Who fishes it?

[Bobby Bass]

Fished it a few years ago, 170+ boats out, to many for me.. besides there just walleyes!

[UncleDave]

JUST walleye?  You must be from Iowa. 

[Bobby Bass]

I got a 10# 4oz walleye hanging on my wall caught with an ultra lite rod with 4# line...Ain't going to beat that...Iowa?   

[DarterGuy]

They may just be walleyes, but I make the trip every year. More than once actually. I try to get up as soon as boats are do-able, and again when things slow down, and once more for sturgeon in mid-April. 150 2-9 lb. 'eyes a day is something I can't see myself missing...

Tip: fish the Canadian side, it's far less busy.

I have friends up on the river as I type this. It's a bit early, but they had ants in their pants and wanted to go.

I never go until it's open up to or past Birchdale landing. Should be within the next week or so...

[Woody]

I have never been up there, only heard or read stories of the enourmous and gorgeous Walleye that come out of there.  I'd gladly go, but the gas prices will keep me around home unless things change.  But a fella can dream can't he? 

[Fawkinnae]

So DarterGuy question for you?

Do you go up there with a remote border crossing pass and fish the Canadian side or do you just go over there and hope you don't get checked. Or do you check in with customs everyday? As I'm sure you know they can be pretty ruthless. My experience has been that it is so tricky to figure out when to go - you almost have to be available on a day to day basis. Especially in a short season like I believe this year will be.  I've hit it when it's good (lucky) and bad twice (muddy water and no fish).

But it's a unique trip.

[Bobby Bass]

So DarterGuy question for you?

Do you go up there with a remote border crossing pass and fish the Canadian side or do you just go over there and hope you don't get checked. .

It is very well staffed on both sides of the river. You will get checked, it's not an if.. 

[Fawkinnae]

So DarterGuy question for you?

Do you go up there with a remote border crossing pass and fish the Canadian side or do you just go over there and hope you don't get checked. .

It is very well staffed on both sides of the river. You will get checked, it's not an if.. 

I agree. Although the first time I was up there - probably about 10-12 years ago I fished a fair amount on the Canadian side thinking it was like Wisconsin as long as I had a MN license I could be anywhere and be legal. Duh.  We were very lucky. But I never hear anyone talking about remote border crossing passes while fishing the RainyR.

[DarterGuy]

I wouldn't dream of doing it illegally! I have my remote border crossing permit as well as my Canadian fishing license. We've always gone this route, as the traffic is so much less.

If you're planning a trip up in the future, make sure you get it all ahead of time, as it's a hassle trying to get it close to the time you go up.

It's funny when patrol comes through, the middle of the river parts like the red sea. I've only been checked a handful of times while up walleye fishing, but I know others who have never been up without being checked.

As for going up on a dime, I'm lucky and live roughly 2 hours from the River, and we have a cabin on Zippel Bay, so I can go up and be on the water at the drop of a hat, and don't have to worry about driving back or trying to find a place to stay.

If you don't have up to the minute info and you can't be up there on short notice, it's a wasted trip a lot of times. I wait to hear that they're going, and I get up there NOW!

As for muddy season, I don't think it'll be that short of a window this year. Last year we were thinking we would have a short window as well, and it stayed clean for a long time, muddied up for a couple of days, then got good again. It's a guessing game yearly!

[Fawkinnae]

Nice program Darter Guy. I'm guessing you fish it hard in the fall too.

[DarterGuy]

Faw,

Nope, I don't hit it much in the Fall at all. Usually just the one or 2 trips in the Spring for the run, then again for sturgeon in mid-April. Fall can be great on the river however, and you're able to keep a trophy if you catch one!

The river is now opened up pretty well, and the fish are beginning to really bite. A lot of medium sized females are now in the river up where there's open water, and they're starting to feed pretty well. In the next 3-5 days fishing on the river will really heat up, as the big girls and big numbers flood the river and things melt up past Frontier landing....

I'm predicting Thurs. or Fri. as the "motherload" day of fishing this Spring on the Rainy. Which is why I'll be there with my boat in tow. If you see a Team Crestliner boat with Vexilar and Salmo logo's plastered on it, stop over and say hello!