The walleye bite in Rainy River has picked up considerably. Using shiner minnows and slow trolling or drifting in about 15 to 18 feet of water is working very well. In the swifter waters around the rapids and below the dam at International Falls you will pull in some walleye and some smallmouth bass. On Rainy Lake, the walleye are still congregating around the submerged humps, but also near some of the rocky shorelines and islands. The depths have varied greatly with the spells of quite warm weather followed by spells of more seasonal temperatures. On the lake, the walleye are responding to both minnows and leeches. The crappie bite is picking up, especially around the west end of Black Bay and up into the Rat Root River.
Fall colors are starting to show, but have not peaked yet so it might be an excellent weekend to get out for a scenic drive or hike. If you decide to do some hiking, wear some blaze orange as this will be the opening weekend for small game hunting. Koochiching County is blessed with vast tracts of excellent habitat for ruffed and spruce grouse and the grouse populations are in pretty good shape. Some gold and yellow patches are starting to pop out of the deep green of the forest, it won’t be long and all the brilliant fall colors will be showing. The spectacular scenery of Rainy Lake is just a bit better with the splash of bright colors. Fall also brings a pretty good walleye, crappie and smallmouth bite. Right now, the walleye are pretty active all over Rainy Lake. You need not go further than Sand Bay to find a good bite. Walleye are hitting on minnows when slow trolling or drifting in anywhere from 18 to 30 feet of water. The smallmouth are hitting from the rock shorelines and the crappie bite has been best in the bays, especially Black Bay.
You can get up close and personal with fall colors by exploring any of the hunter walking trails in Koochiching County. After September 19, bring along a shotgun because there will be grouse flushing along these trails. The drumming counts in the spring indicated a stable grouse population at least on par with last year. Spring and summer weather was good for brood success and some forest products workers have reported seeing broods of grouse throughout the summer. Hunter walking trails are developed through areas with excellent habitat and reasonably good walking. It will likely be a good season. However, even if you don’t see a single bird, there’s nothing better than a nice hike in the fall woods. Some gold and yellow patches are starting to pop out of the deep green of the forest, it won’t be long and all the brilliant fall colors will be showing. The spectacular scenery of Rainy Lake is just a bit better with the splash of bright colors. Fall also brings a pretty good walleye, crappie and smallmouth bite. Right now, the walleye are pretty active all over Rainy Lake. You need not go further than Sand Bay to find a good bite. Walleye are hitting on minnows when slow trolling or drifting in anywhere from 18 to 30 feet of water. The smallmouth are hitting from the rock shorelines and the crappie bite has been best in the bays, especially Black Bay.
You can get up close and personal with fall colors by exploring any of the hunter walking trails in Koochiching County. After September 19, bring along a shotgun because there will be grouse flushing along these trails. The drumming counts in the spring indicated a stable grouse population at least on par with last year. Spring and summer weather was good for brood success and some forest products workers have reported seeing broods of grouse throughout the summer. Hunter walking trails are developed through areas with excellent habitat and reasonably good walking. It will likely be a good season. However, even if you don’t see a single bird, there’s nothing better than a nice hike in the fall woods |
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