Frigid weather brings thicker ice, and people are getting out on Rainy Lake around the usual hot-spots. Walleye are being caught in 20 to 25 feet of water in Sand Bay and also around Black Bay. Black Bay is also yielding some good sized northern pike. For walleye word is a glow jig tipped with a minnow will work. Well-known Rainy Lake guide William "Billy" Dougherty will be inducted into the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame this coming March. Billy started guiding in 1965, and knows the lake and multiple species that roam the waters very well. Billy has been featured on most all of your favorite fishing shows. Congratulations are in order. Meanwhile, the snowmobile trail from Black Bay to Kabetogama and Ash River has been staked and is open. The overland trails have been groomed and are in good shape. If you're more into skiing or snowshoeing, the Rainy Lake Visitor Center has skis and snowshoes available. The center is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Starting January 3rd, they will be open until 4:30 pm. A return of summer-like weather brought out more anglers on Rainy River. I was able to check with a group pulling out their boat at the Ron Hall access on Shorewood Drive in International Falls and they had done well fishing for walleye in the current and structure below the dam. Grouse hunters say they have been seeing more birds now that much of the cover has come down. The DNR has speculated this might be the peak population year for grouse this decade. Koochiching County has miles of hunter walking trails and we could send you a map. Use the information request form on the website and mention you'd like the walking trails map. Walleye run upstream on Rainy River in the fall, chasing an annual run of emerald shiner minnows. You can find walleye lurking on the weedy edges and below the confluence of feeder streams. Naturally, you should use an emerald shiner minnow. Spinner rigs are usually best for river fishing because of the current. The sturgeon tag season ended Sunday, but catch-and-release is still an option.
We have had some wet weather that has kept anglers off the lake, but there have been some sunny days too. Word is walleye on the reefs and points, northern pike at the mouths of bays and crappie in the west end of Black Bay and up into Rat Root Lake. Fall colors are probably peaking in most of Koochiching County. There are still some green leaves, but the mix of colors has probably reached the maximum as the leaves have been coming down with the winds we've had. Leaves coming down are the desired effect for the grouse hunting crowd, with thinning cover, it's easier to spot and flush the birds. Koochiching County has vast tracts of excellent habitat open to the public and sprinkled with hunter walking trails. If you'd like a map, just send me your mailing address. E-mail me at cvb@rainylake.org |
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