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Rainy river boundry question


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[Whoa... Where are these pylons?

Just a little west of Birchdale, almost straight out from the submergerged boulder closer to the Canadian side there is a string of 4-5. They stuck up about 4 inches out of the water the last 2 Falls with the low water, but I could see them as being under in the Spring. You definitely would not want to hit those things.

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Quote:
Just a little west of Birchdale, almost straight out from the submergerged boulder closer to the Canadian side there is a string of 4-5. They stuck up about 4 inches out of the water the last 2 Falls with the low water, but I could see them as being under in the Spring. You definitely would not want to hit those things.

Wow, this is news to me. I've been there in high and low water and never seen them.

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I have fished those areas for over 20 year, I know where the boulder is about a mile west of Birchdale on the south side of the river, but I have never seen rocks sticking out on the north side, there is a sandbar in front of the house on the Canada side and it gets pretty shallow over there but never any rocks. Sure your in the right spot? or maybe it was a sunken log at the time you seen it?

Mark

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So I take it you have never driven your boat through the gap out into the lake?

Whe I have sturgeon fished that area, I have always stayed way to the left to avoid that line. I would guess when the water is low, one may not go where I have gone.

It has been a few years but I believe I was always on the US side. least that is how I remember it.

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I have fished those areas for over 20 year, I know where the boulder is about a mile west of Birchdale on the south side of the river, but I have never seen rocks sticking out on the north side, there is a sandbar in front of the house on the Canada side and it gets pretty shallow over there but never any rocks. Sure your in the right spot? or maybe it was a sunken log at the time you seen it?

Mark

Yep, I'm sure. They are wood, not rocks. They were there this past November and the November of 2011. They would be a little towards birchdale from the big boulder. If you've fished in the Fall the last 2 years, I don't know how you couldn't see them.

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I think I know the log you are talking about, it was as big as a telephone pole, and if you took a line to the rock 1 mile west of Birchdale landing it's just about 300 yards from the landing, I cant tell you how many times I almost ran over it.... I think its gone now?

Mark

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Now you have me nervous. I've been there many times, but in my mind I can't picture the rock you're talking about. Is this pylon 300 yards from Birchdale landing? Is it one pylon or several? Is the pylon/pylons on the US side?

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At 300-500 yards west of Birchdale there was a log floating and pointing down river for several years. At about 1 mile there is a rock on the USA side I would guess about 75 feet from the south shore, it is not on my pro lake master chip, it usually is about a foot out of the water. It is just as you get past the wide spot to the west of the Birchdale landing, or about a mile

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Someone should mark these someway. Maybe a laundry detergent bottle or something. Hate to see anyone wreck their trip or worse…

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Someone should mark these someway. Maybe a laundry detergent bottle or something. Hate to see anyone wreck their trip or worse…

Or worse is right... If you hit one of those that are just a few inches under the water at 30+mph, you could sink your boat and suffer serious injury, if not even die in that cold water. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but that is a serious problem there. I don't even want to think about how many times I've went past there, unaware of this.

Is it just one pylon or are there several? Does anyone know?

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Just a thought... by any wild chance does anyone have the GPS coordinates for these pylons? When I see a hazard in the water thats not marked on my chip, I always put a skull and crossbones waypoint.

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I've fished the river for a long time (since the river was seriously dirty and the wait on weekends was just a few minutes to launch, yeah, I'm old) and have spent lots of time on the Canada side. I've seen many U.S. guys get pinched, sometimes having to follow the Canadian LEO's boat out of sight...bad deal I'm sure. I've mentioned to dozens of anglers over the years they are over the line and it always amazes us how many people don't know the regs. Or figure it's ok to fudge a little or a lot. We were drifting not far from a boat getting checked well over the line with the boater arguing with the warden. The warden asked the guy "If you fell out of your boat, what shore would you try to swim to"? THe guy quit arguing and his crew got tickets for no license and minnows. When there is a brisk south wind, business is especially good for the LEO's. I've gotten to know a couple of them from getting checked and they have always seemed pleasant and respectful.

A few times an immigration guy has been in the boat with the warden. Not sure, but I expect the fines for illegally entering is stiffer than fish violations.

Fishing is great on both sides....it isn't worth it to tempt fate.

Wonder how long it well be before our Border Patrol gets involved. If you entered Canada illegally, unless you are carrying your passport/card, you are entering the U.S. illegally too.

Sure hope we get a few days on the river this year.

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Fish, the the string of ones that I am referring to I would consider to be in Canadian water, so if you are on the the US side, you wouldn't hit them. I have seen one simliar on the US side that had a fresh gouge on it from someones boat, but I could not pinpoint that one.

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Wonder how long it well be before our Border Patrol gets involved. If you entered Canada illegally, unless you are carrying your passport/card, you are entering the U.S. illegally too.

You don't make entry into Canada while navigating the Rainy river unless you touch dry land or dock on their side. You also don't need a passport to fish on the river. BP can monitor the river all they want to but their enforcement options are limited unless you dock or go ashore on the Ontario side. If a fisherman driving his truck northbound gets refused entry into Canada due to a DUI or some other type of criminal history he technically never left the U.S. since he wasn't admitted into Canada. If someones boat drifts over to the Canadian side and they are stupid enough to just sit there while a Canadian game warden approaches their boat then they probably deserve to be fined. Ah... hey you Americans!! can you just stay put for a little bit and not move your boat 10 feet so I can come over there and write you a bunch of really expensive tickets? Please?

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I will be heading up to the Birchdale area in a couple weeks for my first Rainy River trip. Just how congested does the river get? I will be there Friday and Saturday, April 5 & 6. Are there times that the only way to move up or down stream is by crossing over to the Canadian side? The IDO Fishing show o n Rainy a month ago made it look like there were just a few boats on the river.

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"The IDO Fishing show on Rainy a month ago made it look like there were just a few boats on the river.

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I will be heading up to the Birchdale area in a couple weeks for my first Rainy River trip. Just how congested does the river get? I will be there Friday and Saturday, April 5 & 6. Are there times that the only way to move up or down stream is by crossing over to the Canadian side? The IDO Fishing show o n Rainy a month ago made it look like there were just a few boats on the river.

This year, if it works out, the river is going to nuts. Near impassable on the US side in some places. There will be no more than 1 or 2 landings open, so every aspect will be absolute mayhem.

Good luck.

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This year, if it works out, the river is going to nuts. Near impassable on the US side in some places. There will be no more than 1 or 2 landings open, so every aspect will be absolute mayhem.

Key is to bring a set of rollar blades with so if you have to mark a mile down the road, just strap them on and consider it a workout for the day lol! Thats how I will roll!

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Key is to bring a set of rollar blades with so if you have to mark a mile down the road, just strap them on and consider it a workout for the day lol! Thats how I will roll!

That's not too far off and not a bad idea. Since there will be such a short season and few ramps open, it will be absoutely crazy this year.

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James_R

You have stated a few different times that U.S. citizens can go anywhere on the river and don't actually enter Canada til they set foot on shore or dock their boat. But you also say that if you're a U.S. citizen on the Canadian side and a Canadian official wants to pull up to you and question/fine/etc. you all you have to do is cross back to the "U.S." side and they can't follow. I'm wondering why the imaginary boundary down the middle doesn't apply to U.S. citizens crossing it but it does apply to Canadian officials trying to apprehend someone?

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James_R

You have stated a few different times that U.S. citizens can go anywhere on the river and don't actually enter Canada til they set foot on shore or dock their boat. But you also say that if you're a U.S. citizen on the Canadian side and a Canadian official wants to pull up to you and question/fine/etc. you all you have to do is cross back to the "U.S." side and they can't follow. I'm wondering why the imaginary boundary down the middle doesn't apply to U.S. citizens crossing it but it does apply to Canadian officials trying to apprehend someone?

I did exactly what you are describing. I got a funny look from them as they went by, but they did just that. Went right on by.

I'm not confirming the statment, but its evidence to think so.

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James_R

You have stated a few different times that U.S. citizens can go anywhere on the river and don't actually enter Canada til they set foot on shore or dock their boat. But you also say that if you're a U.S. citizen on the Canadian side and a Canadian official wants to pull up to you and question/fine/etc. you all you have to do is cross back to the "U.S." side and they can't follow. I'm wondering why the imaginary boundary down the middle doesn't apply to U.S. citizens crossing it but it does apply to Canadian officials trying to apprehend someone?

Your right to free travel on the river differs from the jurisdiction limitations placed on state and provincial LEOs when enforcing the law. They too are able to navigate both country's halves of the river like we are but that doesn't mean they can enforce Canadian laws on Minnesotan waters or vice versa.

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Is the US/Canada border typically equal distance from both shorelines on the river? or does the boundary wander?

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It's right down the middle. If you are not sure I would err on the safe side if you don't purchase a Canadian license. The ticket can be quite expensive. I never got one but I know a couple people that have.

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Check out my post from last year. I can verify it is not right down the middle. Out of town CO's that come to help out use their gps. There are many places on the river like this, as I paid closer attention to the graph last year.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...int#Post2806906

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The border does not run down the middle of the river. If you use that as your reference, judging from one side to the other or whatever, you will be fishing in Canada in MANY locations on the river. Anyone with a gps and chip/mmc card knows this. The border is shown on lakemater and navionics chips as a red line on my Lowrance.

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The border does not run down the middle of the river. If you use that as your reference, judging from one side to the other or whatever, you will be fishing in Canada in MANY locations on the river. Anyone with a gps and chip/mmc card knows this. The border is shown on lakemater and navionics chips as a red line on my Lowrance.

no question about it. If you don't have a GPS chip, you don't know where that border is.

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Quote:
The border does not run down the middle of the river. If you use that as your reference, judging from one side to the other or whatever, you will be fishing in Canada in MANY locations on the river. Anyone with a gps and chip/mmc card knows this. The border is shown on lakemater and navionics chips as a red line on my Lowrance.

I guess you learn something new everyday. I have a few questions though. Is this something new? What did they do before the new technology (chips)? I haven't made the trip in many years but I know the last time I was up there I didn't have a graph with a chip and always erred on the side of caution and never had any troubles. It's a moot point now that I have a graph with a chip but just wondering how it was done before this newer technology.

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Maybe the first question they ask is "what chip do you have in that GPS". If you answer, "I don't have a GPS", then they may give you a warning and tell you that you are over the line. If you say "2013 LakeMaster", then they will ask you why you are in Canadian water and give you a ticket.

Just hypothetical scenario.

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