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Posted

Around this time last year this thread was started by @Royal_Dutchman. I got my trip planned for April but by the look of the extended forecast it's not looking to promising, especially compared to where it was at last year on Feb 23rd. 

Posted

This warm weather has me itching for April. Anyone ice fish the river lately? How thick is the ice up there?

Posted

Ive got the itch too!!  long range forcasts arent looking too promising from the sounds of it. Price we have to pay after the amazing weather we had at the end of last Rainy season. 

Posted

Can someone explain what the new rule is about crossing over into canada?  as long as you dont go ashore or anchor you're good. But what else?  Just an Ontario fishing license? No remote border pass?  HELP!!!

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Posted

Never heard about this but I am listening.

Posted
1 hour ago, SPUD BAR said:

Can someone explain what the new rule is about crossing over into canada?  as long as you dont go ashore or anchor you're good. But what else?  Just an Ontario fishing license? No remote border pass?  HELP!!!

Correct .  There have been some law changes up there .On border waters with Canada you CAN now enter into the Canadian waters to fish and or sight see , but with restrictions, such as , you CAN'T go on to shore , you CAN'T anchor , you CAN'T hover with another boat . You CAN troll and/or drift . You do still need a Canadian fishing license. You must follow Canadian fish limits , and other regulations that are in place .You CAN'T cross and use live minnows , or leeches , or possess either of them ,but you CAN use nightcrawlers if they are in worm bedding ,  not black dirt...  There are some grey areas that I need to get clarification on pertaining to alcohol in the boat , and if one can possess fish that were legally caught in Minnesota waters , my guess is no alcohol , and no fish caught on our side are allowed in your boat if you cross over into the Canadian waters , and also not sure about entering back into our waters with walleye from the Canadian side , I would guess if your back on our side , one must follow our possession laws....................... It's eliminating the need to do the Customs thing , passports and such .. IMHO it's kind of a good thing , but definitely presents many drawbacks and potential issues. I do know if one gets caught breaking there laws , there definitely is some steep consequences , so be wise if entering there waters !

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Posted

That's awesome! Is this for all of LOW, Rainy River, and Rainy Lake?

Posted

In 2013 and 2014, the river didn't open up through Baudette until 4/16 & 4/17 respectively. Add a couple to a few days to that for 4 mile bay. This year seems like we are on a similar pace. 2014 was the coldest winter of my lifetime.

In 2013 around 3/15 the river was open about 7 miles east of the Birchdale landing. The average temp for the month of February that year was -7 and for March it was 29 degrees.

In 2014 around 3/15 the river was open about 23 miles east of the Birchdale landing so certainly further behind but it caught up in the end. The average temp for the month of February that year was -12 and for March it was 26 degrees.

Our February this year finished with an average temp of 15 degrees so I think we are actually a little ahead of schedule. It will all depend on if we can start getting into the 40's and 50's but I think those two years are good barometers to follow.

Can't wait for the first report of where it's open to.

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Posted
2 hours ago, rschmidty said:

In 2013 and 2014, the river didn't open up through Baudette until 4/16 & 4/17 respectively. Add a couple to a few days to that for 4 mile bay. This year seems like we are on a similar pace. 2014 was the coldest winter of my lifetime.

In 2013 around 3/15 the river was open about 7 miles east of the Birchdale landing. The average temp for the month of February that year was -7 and for March it was 29 degrees.

In 2014 around 3/15 the river was open about 23 miles east of the Birchdale landing so certainly further behind but it caught up in the end. The average temp for the month of February that year was -12 and for March it was 26 degrees.

Our February this year finished with an average temp of 15 degrees so I think we are actually a little ahead of schedule. It will all depend on if we can start getting into the 40's and 50's but I think those two years are good barometers to follow.

Can't wait for the first report of where it's open to.

Somebody's getting antsy!!!  I love it.

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Posted

I've got my first Rainy River trip booked for 4/12-4/15 so hopefully the ice will be in that sweet spot.

Posted

Thanks for the great info guys!  Ill be up fishing 4/11- 4/14.  cant come soon enough

Posted

I know we have a lot more ice this year than normal but does anyone know how much earlier the pelland access usually opens compared to the down stream ones? I would think it would be quite a bit earlier considering it's closer to the dam? 

Posted

Someone on a FB group I'm part of posted this link to daily satellite images. 

It isn't the easiest to see but if you remove the state borders from the settings, I think I'm seeing that the river is open to around Pelland.

http://ge.ssec.wisc.edu/modis-today/index.php?satellite=t1&product=true_color&date=2018_02_22_053&overlay_sector=false&overlay_state=true&overlay_coastline=true&sector=USA3&resolution=2000m

 

Posted (edited)

Rainy is open just past the Big Fork. The past two days opened from Pelland to the Big Fork

 

Edited by Mark Johnson
Added a line
  • Thumbs Up 2
Posted

Is there a lot of shore ice? Can u get a boat in at any of the landings or push them in? 

Posted

I am very interested and excited too! Does anyone know if the pelland access gets plowed out at all? There's nothing better than a day of fishing on the river and stopping across the road for a burger and a beer. Amazing food at the Junction!

Posted

Fins n' feathers, I realized no one including me answered your first question.

The river always opens up first in International falls and then moves west towards Lake of the Woods. The Rainy River is about 85 miles long. I usually start hearing about the River opening when it gets around Pelland which is 11 miles down the road from International Falls. From there, The river will open a different rates from year to year based on different factors but it usually takes about a month give or take a week on either side from there.The river can open up pretty quickly especially the last 30 miles where reports of the ice out moving 6-9 miles in a day. 

All the accesses will get plowed at some point. The counties usually wait until the shore ice receded enough to where plowing the ramp is worth while, but Pelland will be one of the first.

lastly, it looks like the river is starting to open close to the Black River which is a few miles past the Big Fork.

Posted
On 3/6/2018 at 6:53 AM, Luzaich said:

Is there a lot of shore ice? Can u get a boat in at any of the landings or push them in? 

Can anyone confirm or deny?

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Posted

I heard Ramps havnt been cleared yet around Pelland but river is open up to Lowman.

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Posted

I checked the ramp today by Pelland. It is not clear as of now.   Still a lot of shore ice but it's getting better. Ill post when I see  opened   

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Posted

Thanks for checking things out. I can't wait to get on the river!

Posted (edited)

looks to me like its open 4 miles or so north of loman this morning from the satellite image.......hopefully we will start seeing a few updates soon.  Somebody needs to keep the heat on overnight, these 10 degree nights are not helping things.

Edited by Uncle Rico
Posted

Uncle Rico - which satellite do you use.  The one I look at will not load an image. 

Posted

Modis.  Pick the appropriate region, 250m zoom, false color, remove state borders.

Posted

Thanks, for some reason the 12th still will not load for me.

Posted

I was getting to it a different way and wasnt working.  This one seems to work better, awesome! Thanks!

Posted

Welome to the site dnovak!

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  • Thanks 1
Posted

Hey Everyone,

   We have started our yearly thread.  It was a crazy winter and we finally had some spare time to check the river.  I will update the thread everytime we check the river.  We probably won't get to check it until this weekend again.  But I do try and share information that I get from friends and others.

Thanks and everyone will be fishing before we know it.

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Posted

Thanks R.D., your reports are always appreciated!

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • carlsonmn
      That was a better study compared to last winter when they setup the vertical tube nets and tried to release exhausted fish from being studied and expected them to be able to swim straight down a 3' hoop net.     That lake's crappie population from this latest video was pretty deep at 40-50', and no doubt from those depths that is barotrauma for most.  That is deeper than most crappie holes but certainly how some are. However from helping give fish a good release from the 35' and less range and tracking them with live sonar most of them swim at a shallow angle back to the depths and I watch them rejoin the school and be active.  Uncut Angling's video helped counter some of the initial narrow findings.  
    • SkunkedAgain
      If you fished with me more often, you'd never have to make this statement...   38" of ice - love it. I'm really going to have to dig around for my auger extension. I don't think that I've needed it in over a decade.   Too bad nobody has a locomotive chugging across the ice to do some logging, like the good old days.
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  Ice fishing remains strong across the south shore of Lake of the Woods out on Big Traverse Bay.  Resorts and outfitters on some parts of the lake have ice roads extending over 16 miles staying on nice schools of walleyes and saugers.  Many fish houses are over deep mud.  Some are on structure.  It is always fishing of course, but overall, February has been very productive for most anglers.   Extensions are being used on ice augers as the ice continues to thicken.  The thick ice this year will be good for the extended ice fishing season Lake of the Woods enjoys with fish houses out through March 31st, walleyes and saugers open through April 14th and a pike season that never closes. Most fishing activity is taking place in 26-32 feet of water.  Anglers are finding a healthy mix of walleyes and saugers, with a good number of jumbo perch in the mix this year.  Some big eelpout are also showing up.  Anglers are reporting plenty of fish for fresh fish frys and usually extra fish to bring home.   The one-two punch of a jigging line and deadstick is the way to go.  On the jigging line, jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head have been consistent.  Lipless crankbaits and jigging rap style lures also doing well.     Lures with a light have been working well in the stained water.  Please remember, in MN, lures with a light or water activated light can be used as long as the battery is mercury free and the hook is attached directly to the lure and not as a dropper line.     On the deadstick, a plain hook or a small jig with a live minnow 6 inches to a foot off of the bottom.    Some days, mornings are better, other days, it's the afternoons.  There is no distinct pattern, they could come through at any time. On the Rainy River...  The start of the day and end of the day have been best for those targeting walleyes on the river. A jig and minnow or a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head is also producing some fish. Some big sturgeon being iced by ice anglers targeting them.  It is a catch-and-release sturgeon season currently.   Although ice conditions on the river are good, they can vary significantly due to the current, so anglers should always consult local resorts or outfitters for the most up-to-date safety information and fishing advice. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing has been strong in the islands area of Lake of the Woods. Resorts continue to move their fish houses around, staying on the best schools of walleyes.     Anglers are catching a nice mix of walleyes, saugers, and jumbo perch with an occasional pike or tullibee as well.     Big crappies are still being caught just over the border.  Fish houses are available, check with a NW Angle resort for info on crappie fishing.   Lake of the Woods enjoys an extended ice fishing season with fish houses on the ice through March 31st and walleye and sauger seasons open through April 14th. Perch, crappie, and pike seasons remain open year-round.    
    • leech~~
      Maybe you should put rattle wheels down, if your going to sleep for 6hrs! 🤭 😆
    • JerkinLips
      Monday was my worst day of winter fishing on Vermilion in the last 4 years.  Caught only one 14" walleye in nearly 8 hours of fishing.  Missed two other bites and was marking very few fish.  Maybe the fish were taking Monday off after a big weekend.   No more water came up on the ice under my house.  Think it was because I haven't banked snow around it for a couple of weeks so the bare ice around the house is getting very thick.  I measured 38" of ice under my house and the Ion barely made it through even with the extension installed.  Needless to say I banked around the house this time.  Another lesson I learned today is don't drill holes if ice is frozen on your blades.  I did that on one hole and it didn't center properly and drilled at an angle on the edge of the opening.  Hope I can correct the location and angle on my next trip up.   Not much change in the surface lake surface conditions.  The drifts may be a little higher and are definitely harder.  There are still a few bare ice spots on the lake.  Very little activity on the lake today.  There are about 3 dozen houses from McKinley Park out to Birch Island.  Another person pulled there house off today, and I am sure many more will pull theirs off this coming weekend.  Only 13 days left of walleye season.    
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