The Famous Rainy River is open and is definitely producing plenty of quality Walleye!
After last year’s closures in lieu of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and having a brand new boat this year, we (along with many) certainly were anxious to hit the river!
Finally the FISHING IS ON!
The water temp is currently reading in the mid-40’s and is reaching ideal spawning conditions! The water is low and we do not anticipate any inconvenience from the “Forks” this year. Our efforts over the course of the last week has paid off, leading to great numbers of fish being boated. Many at the present time are smaller males, however more than a few dandy’s were being caught, and the numbers (as well as size of fish) are increasing each and every day as more of the larger females begin to move in!
What to Expect:
Extreme caution is to be advised for anglers and boaters navigating the Rainy River. As stated the water levels are very low currently exposing many boulders, shallow structure, as well as the usual floating debris. Keep in mind the Canadian side of the fishery is still off limits to non-residents as the borders still remain to be closed. Find out more information from Canadian Border Services here. Many people were confused by this as you are still able to purchase your non-resident Ontario fishing license. However you still cannot fish these waters. Disappointing of course as we all are wanting things to go back to normal, but there is still plenty of good fishing to be had on the US side.
What to Try:
Key areas to focus while fishing the Rainy River would include deep trenches, as well as the head or tail ends of the runs. We have been having our best luck on using 1/4oz to 3/8oz jigs colored Gold, Pink, Silver or White tipped with paddle tail plastics. Our “tried and true” favorite of course are the BfishN AuthentX Pulse-R Swimbaits. Hot colors have been Fire Ice White, Stewarts Pro Blue, and the Great White. Preferred method has been jigging, slow trolling up river at .3 to .6 mph or pitching jigs cross-current and slowly jigging back in.
We are excited to see what the remaining weeks will bring! And hope to see you out there!
Get the little ones out there too, and make some memories!
Good luck to all the fellow anglers heading up to catch the last few weeks of the season!
Cheers,
Captain Justin
If you are interested in a Guided Rainy River Fishing Adventure with Captain Justin Wiese Click here!