Rainy Lake Fishing Report: Go Deep for Big fish!

Jim Hartje proves there are big walleye in Rainy Lake by sharing his photo of a 12 pound 10 ounce walleye. The Rainy Lake Guide Association says "Go deep" here's their tip of the week and latest fishing report.

Tip of the week: Deep water fishing often requires the use of a marker buoy. Placement of this simple tool can make a big difference in your success and fishing experience. First; make sure you throw the buoy far enough away from the fish you intend to catch so that it won’t become entangled in your lines. There is nothing worse than a marker buoy placed right on top of the fish you are trying to catch. Second; take note of the wind direction. Most people work their boat back and forth over the fish by powering up into the wind and maintaining a controlled drift back again over the fish. Place your buoy so that you can easily look up from your fishing location in the boat and see the buoy without having to turn around. This will help you maximize your time directly over the fish and save you from a stiff neck at the end of the day.

Walleye: Deep water fishing continues to be the key in recent weeks. This trend, as expected, continues. Mid-lake hump fishing on most of Rainy Lakes reefs have been producing fish. People are having good success catching fish anywhere from 20 to 40 feet depending on the day and weather patterns. Fishing with a ¼ oz jig tipped with a chub or shiner have been the consistent favorite. Lindy rigs with leeches have also been a strong producer. Lindy rigs with a tail hooked minnow are sometimes a good trick when fish become a little finicky.

Crappie: Crappies continue to hold in deeper water in the 15 o 30 foot range. Electronics is the key to finding them. Jigs and minnows or slip bobber presentations have been most successful.

Smallmouth Bass: Top water, spinner baits, twitch baits and plastics continue to catch fish holding in the 3 to 10 foot range. Rocky structures as well as weeds are a good bet. Some bass are beginning to hold in slightly deeper water. Shallow humps and break-lines have produced a few fish in the 10 to 25 foot range

Northern Pike: Trolling large crank baits on and around deeper structures continues to be a good technique for catching larger pike. Patience is the key in this game. That being said, windblown points and deeper weed structures are holding pike as well. Casting spinner baits and larger jerkbaits or twitch baits have brought success.