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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

thats a dandy ! ! 

5ad21bcdda4f4_41118rainy30.5incher.thumb.JPEG.abebac2b64a39a1795dccf4ac66c8dd3.jpg

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

Nice Rainy River walleye!

  • Official Fishing Report Team - MN
Posted

Nice fish guys best place and time to catch a true trophy!

Posted

Well that's a wrap. Was a great time this year fishing sounds like everyone did very well. But hopefully next year the river is open for all boat launches. Good luck this summer and tight lines.

Posted

How far is the river open now?

Posted

Last Saturday it was very close to Clementson.

Posted

With the late river season and late ice out this year, would the rainy be a better than normal option for opener???

Posted
1 hour ago, Rocky said:

With the late river season and late ice out this year, would the rainy be a better than normal option for opener???

Indeed !!

Posted

Might be one of the few areas with open water for this seasons opener ,,, The St Louis River here in Duluth will probably be real busy this opener 

Posted

Are the Littlefork and Bigfork Rivers open and free of ice?  

Posted

We drove over them on Sunday, and they were still locked up.

Posted

Fished yesterday, river low and clear. Caught a few sturgeon. Launched out of Frontier, ice is out past Clementson but I don’t think the launch is open yet. Not 100% on that though. Forks and dam still locked down.

Posted

Anyone know if Vidas is open?

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

Last I heard there is an ice shelf that needs to be cleared away at Vidas.  Hopefully they get that taken care of soon.

Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, Surface Tension said:

Last I heard there is an ice shelf that needs to be cleared away at Vidas.  Hopefully they get that taken care of soon.

Given all the money brought into the area from spring fishing it is really pathetic that this wasn't done a couple days ago.  Sturgeon fishing has got more popular and there are a lot of people up there spending money!

Edited by holmsvc
Posted

Vidas rarely if ever is mechanically cleared.  Over the years of going up there, I have unloaded on the ice shelf and loaded out of water everytime.  Usually clears itself within a day, being it is on a point. That being said, maybe water levels and current prevented that this year.

I also do not find it pathetic, to not waste tax payer money to open something up that will do it itself, when other accesses are already open.  I do not live in Koochiching Cty, they need not cater to me.  If there is shore ice before I leave, I bring my small boat to land over ice!  I am responsible, to have gear and plan accordingly to the conditions I my encounter, not any one else.  The entire community Along the river and lake take great care of the fisherman day in and day out, if one access is not open, I guess you could just use one of the other 2 and just enjoy fishing sturgeon!!

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

Vidas is.now open. The self of ice on the ramp would have taken a long time to melt.

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Posted

Are crawlers readily available up there?

Posted

Lucky Steve's had a decent amount Monday, Outdoors Again had sold out in the morning.

Posted
On 4/19/2018 at 10:49 AM, holmsvc said:

Given all the money brought into the area from spring fishing it is really pathetic that this wasn't done a couple days ago.  Sturgeon fishing has got more popular and there are a lot of people up there spending money!

That might be oversimplifying it. The county usually doesn't open the Upper Sault access cause it's risky. I'm not a backhoe or heavy equipment operator but have talked to county maintenance and if they say it's too risky I trust their judgement. Not sure but that might be the case with Vidas too.

 

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

Timber Mill is open.  I think Wheeler's Point could be open by the weekend.   Getting the landings open is advantageous to anglers coming up and more so to the businesses in Baudette and Wheeler's Point. 

Posted

Vidas landing is in the very northwestern part of Koochiching county.  There is no  county shop near by and the county does not benefit a lot from that landing so that is why they probably don't clear it like the others.  Birchdale has a shop and they benefit from having the landing open.  Don't know that for a fact but that is my perception.

Posted
On 4/19/2018 at 5:42 PM, ANYFISH2 said:

I also do not find it pathetic, to not waste tax payer money to open something up that will do it itself, when other accesses are already open.  I do not live in Koochiching Cty, they need not cater to me.  If there is shore ice before I leave, I bring my small boat to land over ice!  I am responsible, to have gear and plan accordingly to the conditions I my encounter, not any one else.  The entire community Along the river and lake take great care of the fisherman day in and day out, if one access is not open, I guess you could just use one of the other 2 and just enjoy fishing sturgeon!!

How much money is brought into that area from people coming up to fish?  People spend an awful lot of on gas, lodging, food, beer, and bait!  So yes when people are up there spending money they do need to do a little catering or they may find less people at the lodges, hotels, gas stations, bait shops, bars, and restaurants.    

Posted

Wheelers access was opened today so all launches are now open.

Any word on the forks? They have to be getting close to letting loose.

Posted
4 hours ago, holmsvc said:

How much money is brought into that area from people coming up to fish?  People spend an awful lot of on gas, lodging, food, beer, and bait!  So yes when people are up there spending money they do need to do a little catering or they may find less people at the lodges, hotels, gas stations, bait shops, bars, and restaurants.    

They do! Every spring since about 2003.  We should thank them and not criticise when they dont get to it on our time frame! They need not do it at all.  

I remember when we started going in the 90's we would chisel the ice free if it was close to going out.  sometimes it close to 2 ft thick 20 ft out from the ramp.

I am just happy, the opportunity fish up there is available me.  I am also Happy I need not fish just in the comforts of my big boat.  I have a small 14ft boat I can load over ice and fish if need be.

As a side note, they financial benefit Koochiching cty gets is a drop in the bucket compared to Lake of the Woods cty as the vast majority of people stay in Baudette and on Wheelers point.  

I apologize if I offend you, I really dont agree it is PATHETIC that the vidas access wasnt cleared the day it opened or at all.  There were still 2 accesses open to all sized boats.  Access was not a problem.  Boating down river from Frontier is not a bad ride.

Have a great spring, I wish you the best of luck.  Look forward to your reports.

Posted

I was up fishing last week from T-TH, I will second that although it would have been nice for the Vidas Access to be open it really wasn't a bad ride from Frontier and if you didn't want to make the run from Frontier, fish were being caught up there as well.

Overall, sturgeon fishing was slow for us with very few fish using the holes. We ended up finding our fish up on flats in much shallower water than we are used to fishing. But, we talked to a few guys over the weekend that caught fish in the same holes we tried so maybe it was just our bad timing. Biggest fish were 61" and 62".

Lastly, I will say I was disappointed and frustrated at the number of people fishing blatantly fishing walleyes even though the season was closed. There must have been 6-8 boats in a group around Pinewood jigging for walleyes and then a few random boats here and there pitching jigs through the rest of the river. Several would put their rods down as we would come boating by and then when they realized we were not the CO they would pick them up and start jigging again. Saw several boat/net walleyes with a walleye sized net so clearly they came up to target them. Pretty crappy that they can't just come up a couple days early and follow the rules.

Will be back up for sturgies in 1.5 weeks, good luck! 

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Posted

Our group of 6 fished this past weekend, Sat-Mon.  Fishing was good for us with a couple of 63" fish as our biggest.  Fished off of Vidas Landing  Saturday, Timber Mill on Sunday.  Monday morning while getting ready to head back to Timber Mill, the fine people at Adrian's Resort cleared the access at Wheeler's Point (we were the first to launch there).   A BIG THANK YOU to Adrian's Resort folks.  Apparently we hit the "sweet spot" of timing this year to fish many areas of the river just before the Big and Little Fork rivers let go.

Posted
On 4/25/2018 at 8:42 AM, ducksnbucks said:

Lastly, I will say I was disappointed and frustrated at the number of people fishing blatantly fishing walleyes even though the season was closed. There must have been 6-8 boats in a group around Pinewood jigging for walleyes and then a few random boats here and there pitching jigs through the rest of the river. Several would put their rods down as we would come boating by and then when they realized we were not the CO they would pick them up and start jigging again. Saw several boat/net walleyes with a walleye sized net so clearly they came up to target them. Pretty crappy that they can't just come up a couple days early and follow the rules.

Had some buddies up there and they noticed the same thing.  I think the problem is caused because they have the out of tell the CO they are fishing for smallmouth or pike since they are open to fishing year round.  It would be really tough to tickets someone pitching plastics, but it would be interesting to hear how the conversation would go with the boats vertical jigging. 

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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.    
    • leech~~
      A good start for never picking up a bow!   IMG_1910.mp4
    • leech~~
      Um, #metoo   leech~~ Author 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders Posted January 26 My whole goal for the rest of this season.  Is to watch KC lose and Taylor cry!  🥳
    • smurfy
    • Wanderer
      Smurfy is happy.
    • Dash 1
      Great looking food. So far not much of a game and I thought the halftime show was worse I've seen. 
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