Fishing MEA weekend

[CrappieDave]

I have never fished Lake of the Woods on open water before.   I am thinking of bringing the boy up for some late season walleye fishing Oct 15-17 but have no idea what to expect or where to start.  Should I expect to find fish in the river or the main lake?  Is it mostly jig and minnow time or slip bobber?  Do the accesses still have the docks in?  It can be challenging loading and unloading the boat with just myself and a 12yr old boy.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Dave

[MrGolfwrench]

Great time to goto LOW.  I've been making the trip for the last 12 years MEA weekend.  Docks are still available in the river resorts.  Fishing can be in the river or lake depending on the water temp.  We have fished in water temps in upper 50's all the way down to 32.0 during that weekend.

Very easy fishing.  Anchor and jig with shiners...

Couple of other things.

The colder the water the more you fish in the river.  I like fishing in the lake if the weather allows.  Dress like you are ice fishing.  I remember one year it snowed the whole trip and the highs were near 40.  Lows about 15...:^)   This year looks nice.

[CANOPY SAM]

MrGolfwrench is spot on with his advice.  I would only add this.  If you're having some trouble putting in, or taking out your boat, just ask someone on shore to give you a hand.  There are people launching and landing boats at the river accesses all day, pretty much every day, so you really don't have to do it by yourself.  Ask for help and someone will almost certainly be willing to help you.

Make sure your kids are really well bundled up, with plenty of layers available if the weather turns nasty.  It can get brutal up here in October.  Warm, still, windless days are rare, so be prepared.  Just like golf says above, bring your ice-fishing clothes.  That's NO joke.  You'll be glad you have them if you need them.

You'll have to watch the reports here to see how the river bite is progressing.  Right now the lake temps are still hovering around 60 degrees.  We really need a string of cold nights, and cooler days to kick the fall bite into high gear, and get the shiners moving into the river.

There are always some fish in the river, but if we can get a solid shiner run into the Rainy this year the walleyes should flood into the river with them.  A good shiner run will make river fishing for you and your boys really fun.  If the weather cooperates, and the fish haven't yet moved into the river, you can always run out to one of the "gaps" and catch nice fish there.

Best of luck to you, and please report back on how you do!