rainy lake Rainy Lake Fishing Reports by Capt John

[CaptJohnWI]

2020 Rainy Lake Fishing Reports-Click Here.

 

Rainy Lake Fishing Reports

Got a buddy to go with me today so have some pictures. Ended up with 35 fish. Got my biggest bass ever on Rainy so well worth the trip. All caught on soft plastic lures.

Could not have been nicer out. By end of day I had to take off my coat, sweater and hat. Got a nice November Canadian tan.

 

[Bigtrout]

Those are some beauties! Say hi to my old friend Dave E. for me. He's a hell of a guy. I don't see to much of him anymore. I used to help him pull his boat lift out of the lake at around this time of the year.

[bassin]

Nice fish. How deep were you catching those smallies?

[CaptJohnWI]

20-25 feet. I went yesterday and the bite was much slower - only got 20 bass and one walleye and no hogs. Fish were 10 feet deeper. Windy, colder and rainy most of time. You can keep yer "walleye chop". I'll take dead calm and sunny any time.

[Northlander]

Where can I find Lindy Steelhead Jigs?

[Casaloma]

Hey Steve, looks like cabalas online has em. I'll email the link to ya.

Kinda surprising when you don't have a jig in your box though...

Later -CLoma

[Jim Hudson]

John

Great photos and report!!! Nice to see those Lindy jigs and plastics getting a work out up in your neck of the woods!!

[mr fishfry]

Hello CaptainJohn,,,Allsome fish. Beautiful catch. I am so glad you told the people you catch your fish on soft plastics. I have been doing the same for over 15 years up here, too. I agree leave the minnows at home. The lakes & rivers up here have enough minnows in them.Give the fish something different. Again, allsome catch...

[fishmeister_86]

HI,

WHILE PLASTICS MAY WORK ALOT OF THE TIME, THEY DON'T ALWAYS WORK & HAVE FISHED MANY TIMES WHERE THEY WON'T BITE UNLESS YOU HAVE LIVE BAIT...PERIOD...SO GUESS WHAT SOMETIMES YOU NEED THOSE STINKIN MINNOWS., SO I GUESS I WOULD RATHER BE SMART & BRING BOTH.

SINCERELY,

FISHMEISTER

[mr fishfry]

Hello me again,,,I just love fishing with soft plastics. I have lots of fun with them. I hope every one else loves fishing their own way too. Thank-You., very much for your time. Its just fun beening fishing all the time.

[winterse]

Can someone give me some insight into the soft plastics? Everytime I try them I get skunked. I always hear about how they can catch fish and wonder what on earth I am doing wrong.

[CaptJohnWI]

You are probably getting more bites than you realize. I fish jigs about 80% of the time. Either with soft plastic trailer or plain marabou. Most of the hits are nothing more than a slight twitch. You must always be ready to set the hook, and you should do so often. Better to set the hook on nothing than not set it when that 10-pounder hits. You rarely feel the bite, you must watch the line for any indication that something different has happened. I use gold line to make watching easier.

The biggest advantage of using artificials is covering ground quickly. Somebody dragging a Lindy rig around will cover only a small portion of the area that I can cover in the same time.

When I was guiding many of my customers would insist on using minnows so I would bring some along. But I would bet them that I could catch more using one rod and a jig with no bait than they could catch using three rods with minnows (legal in Wisconsin). I never lost such bets.

I do use bait ice fishing. I also might use a minnow if I have already caught some fish on jigs and think there are more around but being fussy. But when I am on the move, I do not use bait.

Here are some more fish caught this fall with lures. My buddy Herb came up from Northern Wisconsin where he is a full time guide. I had to kid him about my guiding.

[CaptJohnWI]

[TN Rick]

We are going to be fishing the NW Arm area the last week of June and would appreciate any suggestions on colors to use. Fishing for both Smallmouth and Eyes.

Thanks

[CaptJohnWI]

I would always have one rod rigged with a Husky Jerk or X-Rap. This can be cast along likely looking shorelines or trolled when exploring for new spots. Another rod always has a jig head with a wiggly plastic tail like a Munchie Worm for fishing bottom in deeper water.

In NW Bay I would also keep a rod riged with a 1/8 ounce marabou crappie jig. If you spot suspended fish on the sonar give it a try. It is great for crappie but all species will hit these - especially when they are fussy. NO minnows! Set the hook at the slightest pause or twitch. WATCH your line, you see 10 times more hits than you feel with this lure.

If you are really lucky, smallmouths will be hitting surface lures. Nothing more fun than that so toss them around likely looking spots under low light and mild wind conditions. I prefer prop baits worked slowly or Zara Spooks worked fast.

I don't fish NW Bay much so no real spots to recommend. Fish will probably still be along shore lines then so try deeper weeds and points. If nothing happening there you should start hump hopping. All species start moving to the humps in July.

I have no preference when it comes to color. Everything seems to work. Location and presentation are far more important.

[TN Rick]

Thanks for the input

[CaptJohnWI]

No minnows allowed!

[CaptJohnWI]

Mayflies were hatching thick but fish were still biting. Got most on Lindy marabou jigs or Munchie Worms (without live bait of course). Bass liked X-Raps too.

OK, OK - so I tried one nitecrawler. Had gotten two walleyes over 20" in one spot on a plain Lindy Steelhead (marabou) jig and felt there were more on this reef. Tried one nitecrawler but caught nothing else.

[Super Black]

Hey Capt, How long have those mayflies been hatching? Heading up to the cabin next monday... Thanks, SB

[CaptJohnWI]

They have been hatching on Rainy for several weeks already. Most of the time not in big numbers. Shallower bays on Rainy & smaller nearby lakes now getting heavier hatches.

We actually saw fish feeding on mayflies on the windy side of lake where they were piled up thick. Couldn't get any hits on surface lures there as too much of the real thing but plain marabou or twister tail jigs still got strikes under the mayfly rafts.

Darker color marabous seemed to work best. I got fish on purple, black, & the orange head/brown one in the picture above. Didn't try brighter colors much though so they might have been eating those as well. Presentation far more important than jig color in my opinion. I use gold line to help me detect light hits.

[CaptJohnWI]

Had to sneak off to a different lake for some surface action.

[Rainydaze]

Looks just like Jimmy Houston and Roland Martin! Largemouths eh! Nice fish boys! OOOH SON! Theres one! OOH Son! You guys didn't happen to get into any nice crappies on that lake did you?

RD

[CaptJohnWI]

There were hoards of little crappies where rocky shores met the weed line but all small. We got none bigger than 9". Tried deep water and same thing.

[CaptJohnWI]

Went with Uffda Pete for a couple hours today before gitten blowed off lake.

Got this here beauty on Lindy Shadlyn.

[CaptJohnWI]

Got this here beauty on All Saints Day, 2007. Thanks to Kelly for meeting me at the landing to take some pictures.

Ended up with only 19 fish but some dandies two bass at 19-1/2" and biggest walleye 27".

[Ranckenstuff]

That's a phatty

Dimensions?

[CaptJohnWI]

Only about 40-41 inches long. I did not take a girth measurement. 22 pounds 10 oz - the fattest pike I have ever caught.

[pznak]

Really love the pictures that you often post. Trying to get up again after deer season for some late season fishing. Been 4 weeks since my last trip up, October's tough running around shooting pheasants doesn't leave much time for fishing, my loss. Thanks again for the pictures.

[CaptJohnWI]

I had the lake all to myself Saturday and were they snapping. Five pike over 35 inches, biggest walleye 29-1/2" 10 lb 2 oz. and some bass but biggest of those only 17 inches. No pictures cause as usual couldn't find anybody to go along. All fish released.

Pike are finally showing up again so I hope I can squeeze in a day or two more before ramp ices up.

[CaptJohnWI]

Oooh son!