Hints of Spring have been showing its face all winter, even though Mother Nature blanketed us with 6 inches of snow this past Tuesday. Temperatures have been above average all winter with episodes of below zero temps at night, so this makes for a very interesting winter to spring season.  With the warmer winter temps, spring Rainy River anglers are thinking ahead!

There is still lots of ice on the lake and resorts / outfitters still providing some great ice fishing.   Fish houses can remain on the lake through March 31st (depending on Mother Nature), anglers are already getting their boats and their gear ready for the spring run of walleyes on the Rainy.

Walleyes go up river in the fall chasing shiner minnows and then again in the spring to do their spawning. Here’s when the trophies show up. Whether there area ice burg size chunks of ice floating on the river or it’s totally clear, anglers line up along roads and access points waiting to dawn the beautiful waters of the Rainy River.

Rainy River flows out of Rainy Lake near International Falls and forms the border between the United States and Canada at the top of Minnesota. It flows into the famous Lake of the Woods known as the Walleye Capital of the World.

Each spring anglers and local residents watch this body of water for the signs of liquid water to show up. Each year this “ice opener” is documented by the local newspaper and has been recorded since 1934.  The recording place is near the International Bridge connecting the United States and Canada between the towns of Rainy River, Ontario and Baudette, MN.   This early ice out is a welcomed sight for anglers chomping at the bit to get their boats out into the open water. The Northern Light Region is the official reporter of first “ice-out” over the years.

The most current report at the time of this writing is that the River is open just east of Birchdale which is located 25 miles to the east of Baudette. That’s exciting!!! This is usually reported as resort owners to east of Baudette keep checking daily for spring updates. Usually the report is recorded as whether the river is open shore to shore or not.

Koochiching County to the east of Baudette is a great neighbor that works at clearing the first river accesses available for fishing. They use their county machines to clear the ice and snow off so that anglers are able to back down the accesses to launch their boats. Anglers are usually dressed in the appropriate gear as they don’t know what temperatures they will meet when fishing. It could be a sunny day to fish with just a hoodie, but when watching the skies, they might see a snow storm coming on the horizon. What an adventure!!!

This writer has seen scores and scores of fishing rigs lined up to launch their boats and even having to anchor them to small icebergs along the shoreline. This year looks like the land will be free of that scene.

River accesses open up from east to west with Franz Jevne, a primitive state park area, being opened first with only one lane. The next larger access point is at Birchdale where there is also a beautiful campground and lots of space to park rigs and hang out. When visiting that area, be sure to stop into the one store in Birchdale which is one of the last general stores to be open in this area. It’s amazing!! And a Must-Stop location!!!

The next access moving west is at Frontier Landing. There is parking there for about 10 rigs and signs are posted for other parking places along designated roads. Moving again to the west you come to Vidas Landing. Again, a pretty large area to park your rig up and down the road approaching the landing. These landings open as the open water moves towards town. Of course it’s all up to warmth and current increasing as spring arrives.

Minnesota’s state fish, the walleye, is a good fighter, tastes excellent and is common throughout most of Minnesota. Effective Mar. 1 – Apr. 14, Walleye/Sauger catch and release fishing is allowed during this time period in Four Mile Bay and the Rainy River. All Walleye and Sauger must be returned to the water immediately. There is no closed season for northern pike on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. The possession limit for northern pike is three. All northern pike from 30 through 40 inches must be immediately released; only one northern pike over 40 inches may be possessed.

The Sturgeon is a pre-historic fish that inhabits these waters. Sturgeon is a unique catch and fights to the finish! Often times taking over an hour to land the fish in the boat. The spring sturgeon season shifts from catch and release, to a keep season and eventually is closed for spawning.  Spring fishing details can be found here.

Local bait shops and resorts have the necessary bait and tackle used to fish the river this time of the year.  Much of the sturgeon tackle, like the sturgeon rig referenced, is made by the local company Tom’s Tackle. Regardless of what species you are interested, know that the opportunity for a fish of a lifetime exists in these waters.

So plan your spring fishing trip soon! Come to Lake of the Woods area and experience the beauty of the famous waters of the Rainy River!!

For lodging see: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging

Seasons and regulations are also found on this site.

Also see our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsmn

MN DNR: www.dnr.state.mn.us