Rainy Lake is full of wonder, but half of the fun is pointing out that you’re looking into a different country. “That’s Canda, eh?” You don’t have to be on the lake to experience this. When you visit International Falls, be sure to include the Voyageurs National Park Headquarters in your list of places to see.
Just a mile from our office, the Voyageurs National Park (VNP) Headquarters offers a large green space to walk your dog or stretch your legs. There are several picnic tables to enjoy a lunch. Walk on the pier, the largest in town, where you will be able to clearly see Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. In sight will be its old paper mill, the historic Hallet tug boat, and the town’s lookout tower. You will be directly across the Sorting Gap Marina where there’s usually a Canadian flag flying, making it a perfect photo opportunity. If you aren’t able to cross the border, the Headquarters is a great spot to view Canada. If you visit the Headquarters during office hours, you can tour the building. There is a public library inside focused on ecological information. If you bring a boat, the Headquarters is also the Pat Roche boat access, providing a place to launch a boat in the upper river, above the dam and below the Ranier rapids. The Headquarters also sits near the bike path. Take a ride to the VNP Rainy Lake Visitor’s Center, which is less than 10 miles away. Here you will be able to view Rainy Lake, historical artifacts, learn about the life of a Voyageur, and hop on the tour boat and experience even more. Have you stopped here before? What did you think? Share your comments below. Need help planning your trip? Help us plan it for you by clicking here or call the International Falls, Ranier and Rainy Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau at (218) 283-9400. ![]() Current Report July 26, 2017 It looks like some warmer weather in the forecast which should result in walleyes transitioning to the submerged reefs in the main lake. The best presentations will be jigs tipped with live bait and kept a foot or two off the bottom. There are several submerged reefs between the Jackfish Bay area and Brule Narrows. Smallmouth Bass can be found around the edges of weed beds and it’s also possible to pull in a large northern pike. Crappie are hitting on light jigs and minnows around Black Bay. On Rainy River, the walleye and bass are both hanging in areas of stronger current, like below the dam or below any of the rapids or large tributaries. There have been good reports of large sturgeon now that the tag season has opened. Sturgeon tend to stay in the deeper waters and venture downstream to forage so the popular tactic is to graph a deep spot then anchor downstream and keep a large hook with several crawlers near the bottom with a heavy sinker. For the most up-to-date information you can call the International Falls, Ranier and Rainy Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1 800 325 5766. Current Report July 12, 2017
Weather has kept anglers close to the boat launches, but that’s been okay, they are finding walleye in Black Bay in the area of Skunk Island and Gold Portage with crappie around the various cribs in the bay. Those areas are fairly close to the big boat ramp at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Walleye are also being pulled from Cranberry and Lost Bay. Try leeches or crawlers on a light jig or trolled with a spinner for the walleye. Crappie are more likely to respond to smaller minnows on a jig. Anglers are expecting the walleye to transition to the deeper waters of the submerged reefs soon. There have been some good reports of sturgeon from Rainy River now that the tag season is open. You can keep one of these monster fish per year with a tag and it must be between 45 and 50 inches or larger than 75 inches as a trophy. The common sturgeon method is a well weighted line with a large circle hook baited with several worms or minnows. Sturgeon tend to scout the bottom of the riverbed in 12 to 15 feet of water. For the most up-to-date information you can call the International Falls, Ranier and Rainy Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1 800 325 5766. |
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