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RAINY RIVER Walleyes
The Rainy River flows from Rainy Lake by International Falls to Lake of The Woods. This walleye highway also forms the border between Minnesota and Canada. While there is a local population of walleyes in the river all year, by far the heaviest concentrations occur in the spring during the spawning run and again in the fall when walleyes follow massive schools of shiner minnows up the river. Due to special regulations, walleyes can be fished on the Rainy until April 15th. These are pre-spawn fish and special regulations apply, so be sure to check the regulations before you go. If you hit the weather right, you will be in for the one of the best bites anywhere. The fall bite is excellent as well and offers the angler the chance for a true trophy fish breaking the 10-pound barrier. Fishing the Rainy River differs from a lake because anglers have to learn how to fish in the current. Different equipment and tactics are needed to fish in a river.
RAINY RIVER WALLEYES – WHEN AND WHERE
Most of the walleyes in the Rainy River are migrating m Lake of the Woods fish. When the ice leaves the river usually in late March, big schools of pre-spawn walleyes are already in the river. The fishing is excellent as soon as one can get a boat launched. The rapids by Birchdale are an excellent place to start, but this is a community spot that gets heavy pressure. Further upriver, the Manitou Rapids have excellent fishing with much less pressure. Schools of walleyes are also staged in nearly every hole in the river from Birchdale, downriver to the mouth where it dumps into Lake of the Woods. Use your locator to find the deeper holes in the river and fish the front, sides and back of the hole. Shallow, flat, sections of the river have fish moving through them, but seldom do the fish hold in these sections for any length of time. Fall location is very similar to the spots that are productive in the spring, but the fish often are a little deeper. In the spring 6-12 foot depths are most productive, where in fall, the fish often are in 10-20 feet of water. These depths are general guidelines; don't be afraid to experiment.
RAINY RIVER WALLEYES-PRESENTATION METHODS
The two best presentations for Rainy River walleyes are jigs and crankbaits.
Jigs are by far the most popular method, but don't overlook crankbaits. At certain times, they will outproduce jigs and can catch bigger fish as well. Because of the stained water on the Rainy, jigs with vibration or
noise work best. Northland's Whistler Jig and Buckshot Rattle Jig meet these requirements. It is important to use as light a jig as possible as cold water walleyes are often sluggish and can inhale a lighter jig much easier. Stinger hooks area must on the days when walleyes are hitting light. Tip the jig with either fathead or rainbow minnows. Drift slowly downstream with the bowmount trolling motor facing into the current to slow you down allowing you to slip with the current. On tough bite days, such as during a cold front or when the water is dirtier than normal, anchor. Anchoring allows one to catch fish that a drifting presentation would pass by. If jigs aren't working well, dig out the crankbaits. While trolling deep diving crankbaits is effective; nothing works better than using a three way rig with a crankbait. River walleyes seldom get further than one foot off the bottom and a three-way rig keeps the crankbait in the fish zone. This year, why not extend your walleye season, by making a spring or fall trip to the Rainy and cash in on some of the best fishing anyplace?
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