This year's annual trip to the Rainy River definitely had its ups and downs but when it was all said and done it was pretty great.
Usually I focus on fishing sturgeon out in Four Mile Bay or close to there. After so many years of doing it I’ve got some favorite spots that usually pay off, but not this year. After hours and hours waiting for one of the many fish that were swimming under the boat to bite, it just wasn’t happening.
The only thing left to do was to load up the boat and head east and try to find some cleaner water, and this decision would save the trip. It didn’t take long once we figured out what the fish wanted. Once that happened it turned into an amazing trip very quickly. They were holding so tight to the bottom even after catching fish after fish while anchored, not one showed up on the locator. The presentation had to be very slow and steady, using frozen shiners with a 3/8 jig was the ticket. It was so fast and furious. I really don’t know the fish count but when you empty two bags of minnows in a couple of hours you know it’s good.
Hopefully the sturgeon decide to cooperate next time, but when the walleyes are biting this good, that’s OK, too.
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JAMIE DIETMAN, What’s Up Outdoors, may be reached at 218-820-7757.
