Brave the weather, catch fish

​Yes, there have been reports from people getting out to fish Rainy Lake at the end of October, and yes, they are catching fish. They also report that when they catch fish they are stuffed full of various bait fish. In the late fall, there are lots of minnows and other smaller fish hanging in anywhere from 10 to 30 feet of water, so they are relying on electronics more than any known structures. The fish are feeding on minnows, so the best bet to catch fish is going to be minnows. Try jigging if it’s relitvely calm and slow trolling if there’s a bit of wind. Anglers report they have pulled in quite a few walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike and sometimes from the same general areas.

Those that aren’t fishing are paying attention to the hunting seasons. Some are trying to flush a bird or two and some are preparing for the firearms deer season. Bird hunters are providing quite different reports, some are flushing a lot of birds, others claim there are no grouse left in the woods. That’s probably due to the feeding situation, right now, more grouse are picking buds from tree branches rather than foraging the forest floor for food. If you’re not looking in the generally right place, you won’t see any birds.

If you want to stay toasty warm and have something fun to do, head for the Backus Community Center for the Borealis Bards performance of “The Wizard of Oz” a fun musical production presented Friday and Saturday evening with a Sunday afternoon matinee. The information is posted on our events page, along with many other fun events throughout the year. Just scroll to the top of the page and click on the events tab on the top tool bar.