timing the river?

[Dahitman44]

The million dollar question -- i know.

I have never been up there and would like to do it this year.

I have heard that you really need to go when it is "on" and you will KILL 'em. Just the best time ever.

Many of us can't just drop what we are doing and go -- so how good is it when it is NOT "on" Is it even worth going?

thanks

Hit.

[PerchJrkr]

If the forks open, its not worth going unless your going to fish sturgeon.

[Dahitman44]

is that it?

[Dahitman44]

can't it almost always be "pretty good" or not?

[fishingchef]

simply put...to effectively fish the river one has to be able to drop everything and go, otherwise you sit and wait, which most years is fine, but others may not. If the forks blow out the fishing simply sucks, not pretty good, not o.k., just very sloooow. Most years there is a long enough window to work around, this year is looking like it may be very brief, but who knows, maybe it'll be on the verge for the next 5 days. To answer your question, blown out river does NOT equal pretty good. Sorry not what you want to hear, but the truth, wish we would have had the internet chatter we have now back then, would've saved a few wasted trips. if the river blows out wait til next year, you don't want to go for the 1st time and have it suck, just my two cents,there will be lot of guys out there tomorrow, there will be plenty of info to go around.

[Ray1]

The Forks are open and they are rising. I dont think the rainy is going to last long this year.

[hhguide]

I watch all these posts! I'm not heading up to the River but I have a few questions. Why dont guys pull leadcore, 3-ways and bottom bouncers, with spinners when the water "dirties up". WHen I have been down on pool 4 I cant see my lures 3 inches into the water sometimes but were still catching fish? I'm just wondering why it is so different? Thanks guys. Good luck to all those who are heading up there.

[computerboy]

Because when the forks break it's not just a little "dirty", it literally looks like chocolate milk. It's not that it is impossible to land a walleye in those conditions with the tecniques you describe, but you pretty much go from a 100+ fish day to a 2 or 3 fish day when the "mud" comes. For most Rainy River vets, it's not worth fishing the mud unless you're after dinosaurs.

[fishuhalik]

If I was going after sturgeon only, what do you think I should expect?

[PerchJrkr]

I cant believe how quiet this forum is... last year it was absolutely nuts!! Is everyone holding their breath or what?? T minus 12 hours and counting till take off!

[computerboy]

The best sturgeon holes are further down stream from where open water is now, but you can still get them. Most guys target them after the mud comes so they don't have to deal with all us crazy walleye fisherman. Just find a decent hole, anchor upstream, glob on a bunch of crawlers or cut up minnows (or both) and sit back and relax. Just make sure you have a good anchor to hold you.

[heartattack22]

I see there are 90 people viewing it right now. I think we are all waiting for the day's reports.

[bowhuntz]

Just remember, by the time you here a good fishing report it is normaly over. What I have learned is just make your own fishing report. Go fish

[Dahitman44]

Great info guys thanks --

still would like to go so will watch and see if the chocolate milk turns to, at least, half n half.

Thanks again to all.

Hitman

[fishingchef]

The forks rea NOT blown out yet....The river is runnibg very high and dirty, but not blown out. From those I talked to today who fished this afternoon water claity was 6 inches, keep in mind most evey year at first it starts at about a good 3 feet, The river is only going to settle down in the next couple of days, million dollar question is how long till the forks blow, and how much will river settle, and how good can the fishing be or improve for that matter, i don't go to the rainy river to work my butt off for 6-12 fish a day, I can do that in Red wing. just my two cents can't decide whether to wait, call or call it off. We'll see waht tomorrow brings. From those I've talked, coming from guys who have been fishing up there a lot of years, it was very slow, like a couple of fish slow. If water settles and clears a couple of inches more and fish begin to cooperate some more I am on the road and fishing sunday - thurs.

[icollectfrogs]

A 3 way rig would be full of debris within a minute

[Random guy]

That is the trouble. The Rainy river is in somewhat of a harder rock/loom area (rock n dirt guys know about this stuff I as a farm kid call it hard dirt) that does not send out much goo off the bottom. Trouble is the feeders coming into the Rainy such as the Forks, Rapid etc etc origanate in my neck of the woods in the heart Big Bog Country. These smaller rivers wind through bog country where an entire summer of gowth, bog mud (peat soil aka rotting vegatation) brush, aqautic vegatation is all breaking loose with the heavy spring flows. Not to mention a few thousand beaver dams letting loose, muskrat feed beds taking off like grass barges and every old Tamarac tree that died and tipped into the swamp is all headed for the Rainy river as it grinds all this stuff up into nicely sized line fouling chunks. Basicaly the gutters are plugged and need a litttle time flush it out the drain pipe.

Sometimes I wonder if a good hard flush is better then a longer drawn out trickle of debri for fishing...of course the last good hard flush alot of folks lost their homes and farms. So I guess all we can do is chalk it up as nature, even though she is screwing up our fishing she has her thing to get done also.

Maybe with the stronger currents we will luck out and have a short mud period without the bad run off scenerio.