Summer/Fall Fishing?

[pushbutton]

Had some "issues" getting up there for the sturgeon fishing this spring and have a reservation deposit to use up. Could anyone chime in as to what the fishing on the river is like during the summer or early fall. Might wait till the late fall and chase eyeballs, but might be pretty cold for Jr. Have a pretty small boat and not really looking to go far into the lake and would rather stay in the river. Do not care what species just would like advice as when is the best time to catch fish. Thanks.

[tacklejunkie]

My experience, the later the fall, the better.

If I was forced to pick one month, though, it would be in Oct.

The best advise is to watch these forums till you hear about the shiner run. That, and the colder water, will determine the run of walleyes in the fall.

The fishing style is basic. Jig and a minnow.

Bundle up jr. and head up. Oct is cold but not as cold as mid Nov. (as a rule).

[jwmiller33]

My experience, the later the fall, the better.

I couldn't agree more. I made 3 trips up last fall, two were in October and one was in November. The last trip, most of the resorts didn't even have their food service/bar open because they simply shut down for a few weeks from fall until the beginning of ice fishing (because lack of business for the most part). There were actually more deer hunters up there than fishermen, which was really nice not having to deal with much boat traffic out there on the river or at the launches. We launched and stayed around the Wheelers Point area and got into fish every day we were up. We mostly would anchor up at spots that looked good on the Lakemaster map and verticle jig with shiners. It was kind of weird as there would be waves of fish and bites every so often. We would sit there and then all of a sudden all 3 of us would get bites and reel in a couple fish, and then sit there with no bites for 10 minutes. The current was strong and we were using 1/2 - 3/4 ounce jigs, so you need to break out the big river jigs!

Timing the shiner run (if it happens) is huge. When the shiners run into the river from the lake, the walleyes follow close behind them. Most of the walleyes we caught in October/November were 15-24 inches, not too many over 5 LBS, but plenty of great eater size. I think part of the reason for the lack of the big fish was because the shiners never really had their big push last fall.

We would fish walleyes during the day and go out for a few hrs after dark and catch some sturgeon (all around the Wheelers Point area). We caught several sturgeon after dark but not any monsters. I got this sturgeon while jigging for walleyes around the corner from Wheerls Point.

You can monitor water temps online and I usually give JP @ Wigwam a call once a week to get a report on the fishing as well as an update on the shiner run. Other resorts like Adrians will also give you updates if you call.

These are a few pics of some 2-4 LB walleyes I all caught in November. All caught verticle jigging with bright colored jigs and shiners. Important reminder: Bring warm gear! I used my Ice Armor suit and it was perfect. It really isn't any colder than sitting in a deer stand

[JbuZZo]

awesome pics Jake...I'm jones'n for our trip up to the Wig Wam the 3rd week of Oct. We're usually jiggin' in 4 Mile Bay around that time. yeah, if you can time the shiner run, you are in for a good time. We usually do pretty good in the bay catching nice sized slot fish as well as eaters...

[pushbutton]

Forgot about this post. Thanks for the response guys! Still have yet to get up there. Was now flipping the coin between early ice and late Oct.......hmmnnn..... and after dark sturgeon bite to boot.....those pics are pretty sweet Miller!

Approximately what depth are the eyes that time of year?

[jwmiller33]

Forgot about this post. Thanks for the response guys! Still have yet to get up there. Was now flipping the coin between early ice and late Oct.......hmmnnn..... and after dark sturgeon bite to boot.....those pics are pretty sweet Miller!

Approximately what depth are the eyes that time of year?

PB, there is definitely an after dark sturgeon bite out there on the river, however, all the locals will tell you there is no such thing as a night bite out there. Let me tell you, that couldn't be any further from the truth. I had one night out there where I was fishing for 2 hrs and my rod never sat in the rod holder for longer than 2 minutes, just constant action all night. I would have stayed out there longer but you really need more than 5 hrs of sleep to be able to sit in the boat ALL day and walleye fish and hope to have energy left over after dinner to go out for sturgies.

I would use the lakemaster chip to find your typical sturgeon spots. For ex; the upriver side of deeper holes and the inside turn near a big pinch. Think like a fish. If you are swimming around down there, you want to find the path of least resistance to get upstream, so that means you want to find the spots that have the least amount of current down on the bottom. I was basically fishing a couple hundred feet down river from the Wheelers Point launch. There are a lot of really good sturgeon spots right around that area.

As for the depth for the walleyes, we would fish very similar spots to the sturgeon spots we fished at night. As you can see from some of those pics I posted, I wasn't more than 10-15 ft away from those docks, and I was anchored up in all of those pics. 15-25' mostly but definitely experiment outside of those depths as well.

[pikestabber]

@Jake... I will be up there Fri-Sun this weekend, just looking for Sturgeon. Do you fish the river after dark in the same spots you fish during the day? Have you tried Four Mile after dark, too? Any advice on bait/presentation after dark would be much appreciated.

I have sturgeon fished up there for 15+ years, so I know a few holes. Just wondering if these same holes hold fish after dark, or if the fish move shallower, etc.

Any other pointers would be appreciated, as well. Thanks.

[tacklejunkie]

I also agree with the 15-25 depth for walleye at that time of year but I also have caught them in 6 feet, also. If it's later and all the fisherman are deer hunting and the river crowd is down, a slowed drift is also good.

Never caught a sturgeon up there but see them jumping alot esp in the spring

[jwmiller33]

@Jake... I will be up there Fri-Sun this weekend, just looking for Sturgeon. Do you fish the river after dark in the same spots you fish during the day? Have you tried Four Mile after dark, too? Any advice on bait/presentation after dark would be much appreciated.

I have sturgeon fished up there for 15+ years, so I know a few holes. Just wondering if these same holes hold fish after dark, or if the fish move shallower, etc.

Any other pointers would be appreciated, as well. Thanks.

Pikestabber; for the most part, I fished the exact same holes at night that produced during the day as well. The majority of my fishing at night was from 20-30' and I even went deeper than that a few times. I wouldn't be surprised if you could catch them up shallow as well. When those fish are active, they move around and cover a lot of ground. I have never tried 4 Mile after dark but I am sure it would produce just as many fish as around the corner in the river around Wheelers Pt area.

When it comes to night fishing, the whole reason I wanted to try it on the Rainy is because for the sturgeon season on the St. Croix river down here in the metro, most of the people only fish at night. Which got me to thinking. Both rivers are stained water, so why would the sturgies feed at night on the Croix but not on the Rainy? Just because the walleyes don't feed at night on LOTW/Rainy certainly doesn't mean the sturgies don't, as they don't need light to follow a scent trail. The biggest plus of night fishing out there is you have the entire river and lake to yourself!

As for bait, I used the same stuff at night that produced during the day. My favorite sturgeon bait is to load up a circle hook in this order; First I thread a crawler on (usually putting it thru the hook about 4-5 times and let both the front and back end hang off the hook 1-2"), then a frozen shiner, then a fathead, topped off with another crawler to go on last (going on the same way as the first one). I call it a sturgeon sandwhich . My goal with bait is to go heavy. With strong currents, usually the frozen shiners and parts of the crawlers will get washed away if left on bottom long enough, so thats why I bait heavy. Also, getting a big scent trail going is the only way to go IMO. With night fishing and the lack of light, the only way sturgies are going to find your bait is via a scent trail.

Another note, I have caught some dandy burbot out there at night while targeting sturgies. I have never eaten one but I hear they are pretty good table fair

One more pointer is to sharpen your circle hooks if they aren't brand new. You can never have a sharp enough hook IMO, especially for that type of fishing

[pikestabber]

Thanks for the quick reply, Jake.

I was up a couple weeks ago near I-Falls and caught a 50" fish, plus or minus, but I won't ever know exact measurements, unfortunately... We got it up to the side of the boat and got a good look at her, but the hook popped out just then. I am very picky about my equipment, but in my excitement to get started, I hadn't checked my hook...dull and bent! Dang! Lesson learned.

That was the only fish of the day, so I know it's much slower than the spawn run in April, but I'll tell ya, I don't miss the zoo that April has become for Sturgies on the Rainy. 15 years ago it might have been 30 boats on a prime day. Now it's 300 on an average day! I love these fish, though. I will post a report after the weekend. Hopefully they are snacking on the sturg' sandwiches

[jwmiller33]

You are definitely right about it being a zoo out there in April!! 15 years ago, I was still running around in middle school, but I wish I could have been up there in those times before the boom. This past April before the forks broke loose was the best sturgeon fishing I have ever seen, and it was out in Four Mile Bay. All these pics were taken within 3 hrs of eachother...

[pushbutton]

Think like a fish.

[jwmiller33]

Since they have the brain the size of a pea, i got that one well covered.

Doesn't that make you feel even worse when you have a day when you can't figure out why the fish aren't biting?

You and JR should definitely make a trip up there if possible! If he gets into a sturgeon you might have to strap him into the chair like salt water charters do for marlin!

[pikestabber]

Awesome pics, Jake. It sure has been special up there and I can't complain about the fish I've caught by any means over the years, but to know there are NUMEROUS 100+ pound fish floating around down there keeps me up at night

Good luck the rest of the way, guys.

[jwmiller33]

Thanks PikeStabber. I definitely understand where you are coming from on your thoughts/feelings on the subject. However, I am an eternal optimist. With that said, it is also worth mentioning that the Lake Sturgeon was nearly extinct in these waters follwing the late 1800s caviar boom that devastated the sturgeon population. These fish take so long to grow to these lengths. Heck, they don't even breed until they are in their mid 20s and only spawn once every 4 to 8 years. Amazing prehistoric beasts indeed.

[jwmiller33]

Here is a pic of my "sturgeon sandwhich"

[tacklejunkie]

http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/file/userpics/2011/08/full-27725-11576-sturgeon.jpg

October and November cannot come soon enough!!!!

[pikestabber]

Fished Sat-Sun near 4 mile bay, and further down river on Monday. Not great by any means, but we caught 2 sturgeon, one was my sister-in-laws first (48") and we landed tons of redhorse suckers, walleyes, saugers, and some smallies. We also got a rare treat...my niece caught a Mooneye. I didn't know they were in the Rainy and had to check with the DNR to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but apparently there is a population of them in there. Overall, good company and a good trip. Always fun on the Rainy, even when it isn't peak season.

[jwmiller33]

I am headed up to Rainy on Friday to get a few days of fishing in. I have heard the shiners are running good right now. I'm hoping to focus on walleyes all morning/day/afternoon and then hit sturgies for a few hrs each night. I'll report back on how I do.

[Northlander]

Miller let me know how ya do because Im thinkin about heading up there Mon-Wed whenI get back from Mille Lacs.

[jwmiller33]

Will do. I'm debating whether or not to hit Mille Lacs on Friday evening for a few hours on the way up. The weekend before the October full moon should produce some great fishing all over the state this weekend. Its looking like temps are going to be in the 50s during the days this weekend up in Baudette. I'm predicting the shiner run, along with the [almost full] moon phase this weekend are going to produce a good after dark sturgeon bite. Oh wait... I forgot.... Theres no such thing as a night bite on Rainy!!!! SHHHHHH!!!!

[jwmiller33]

Just got back late last night from an awesome weekend of fishing. The walleyes aren't in the river yet in any type of numbers, but they are all stacked up outside the gap. Saturday was some unbelievable fishing! The wind was houling pretty good all day which made everything much more difficult with HUGE swells, but the fish were extremely active. On Saturday, we nailed them at 22 ft out from the gap, just off the border. We caught over 100 fish with 2 guys jigging all day, with the biggest fish being a 26, 23 and a 22. The majority of the fish were 15-19 inch walleyes, with tons of smaller saugers mixed in. Also did very well off "the Pine" on Pine Island in 26 ft that evening. Yesterday was not nearly as much wind and the fishing wasn't nearly as good as it was on Saturday, but we still managed 45 fish between 2 guys yesterday. We also spent half the day fishing in the river and Four Mile Bay to see if we could find any river fish. We caught a 18 inch walleye within the first 5 min of being on the river and thought we were onto something, but it turns out that was the only walleye we would get out of the river, but we did catch a few small saugers.

On the ride home back to Duluth, I stopped at Vidas, Frontier and Birchdale landing to stop and see what was going on. Quite a few boats out on the river by Vidas and that stretch of the river. I hardly saw anyone else the rest of the way. Boy, what a beautiful drive it is following the river all the way from Wigwam back to I Falls with the leaves changing!

[Northlander]

So what your saying is wait a week or 2 until I go up to hit the river?

[JRS1022]

Heading up the first weekend in November. Would it be more advantagous to stay down river by Clementson or closer to LOW like wheelers? Any help advice would be great, thanks.