Walleye fishing open on Rainy Lake and Rainy River

​It’s that time of year, inland walleye waters will be closed, but our Minnesota Ontario border waters will remain open until the middle of April. That means some of the earliest open water walleye fishing on Rainy River and some of the latest ice fishing on Rainy Lake. Koochiching and Lake of the Woods County will open the boat launches as soon as it is safe to do so. It’s not just walleye that are the attraction, there are large northern pike lurking as well as smallmouth bass and crappie. Those species are open continuously here. There are also huge sturgeon in the Rainy River and while that is largely a catch-and-release thing, there are tag seasons.

Here’s a suggestion for a fun indoor event when the Rainy Lake Visitor Center hosts Mike Williams for some tales of growing up at Kettle Falls. For those that don’t know, Mike’s family ran the Hotel at Kettle Falls, an important waterways crossroads deep within Voyageurs National Park. Kettle Falls is accessible only by boat or by snowmobile in the winter and is the point where the Namakan reservoir pours into Rainy Lake. The treaty establishing the border followed the route of the Voyageurs west and the border snakes around so that a portion of Canada is directly below Kettle Falls, a part of Minnesota. Where else can you stand on US soil and look south into Canada? Mike knows the history of the area very well and spins some fun stories about his experiences growing up with the colorful and memorable peoples of Rainy Lake. The event is set for Sunday, March 5, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and you can contact the Rainy Lake Visitor Center at 218 286 5258 for more information. This is part of the winter program series presented by Voyageurs National Park Association. To see the full schedule, click on the events tab above.