Rainy Lake MN

[RickK]

Can anyone share some info and fishing expierence on this lake, a few of us from ny are thinking about renting a houseboat from Rainy lake
houseboats for a vacation this coming summer. also are there any other good places worth checking out in MN. we have never been up there. We do practice catch and release, keep a few small ones for a meal or two. thanks for any info.

[Gil]

Timber Bay Resorts and Houseboats is located on Birch Lake - www.timberbay.com/ - by Babbitt, MN - NNE of Duluth - nice, quiet, remote, shield lake and not very busy - except manybe on a holiday weekend - and the
TimberBay folks are good resort/houseboat operators - it is worth a look see.

[Gary B]

I highly recommend houseboat vacations! They are a lot of fun! Get the right group and it is a blast.

If you haven't already, check www.rainylakehouseboats.com for Rainy Lake, or www.ebels.com or voyagaire.com for the Kabetogama-Namakan-Sand Point chain of lakes. There are at least a couple other companies, I just don't recall the names at the moment. Prices are usually fairly close when all details are factored in, and with the cost split up between several people, it might even be cheaper than a cabin or room at a resort. Try 1-800-FallsMn for the Chamber of commerce. They'll send an info packetif you like. Try www.up-north.com , www.dnr.state.mn.us/ (license and info/regs/lakemaps/etc,etc,etc), www.fishingminnesota.com. If you consider a guide on Rainy Lake, either Rainy Lake Houseboats can fix you up, or you might take a look at www.fairlyreliable.com. This is Woody's Fairly Reliable Guide Service. He knows the lake and he is pretty entertaining! Fishing is excellent for walleye, smallmouth, northern pike, and panfish. Have fun. Hope this helps.

[Schnauzer]

I visited Rainy Lake for the first time this past summer. I was only there for a couple days but my wife and I really liked it and we are going to try to return every year. For this year, we'll probably just spend a couple days at a resort again but as soon as our kids are a little bigger, we hope to take houseboat trips every year or so. Good fishing and great scenery.

I didn't know the lake at all but just using the hot spots map to check out a couple reefs got me started catching walleyes right away. I was impressed with the lake to be able to find fish that fast. I caught quite a few but they were running small. I figured with some more time on the water, I could get the average size up and maintain the numbers. I was impressed. A houseboat trip will give me that time.

[AquaMan]

You have some great info already. Gary's advise on the boat rentals is on the mark. I have done Rainy Lake Houseboats before and it was spectacular. Good people and great boats. One word of caution. WATCH the rocks. Never try to navigate at night. We towed my and my buddies fishing boat around and found a secluded harbor over in Swell Bay. This became our "base" that we ran from. Most everything was done with the little boats till we moved to the next area.

The bay was excellent for big northers, small mouths, largemouths and a couple insane muskies. We moved to the channel at Bear Pass for some excellent walleye fishing. Weather was great all but one day and we were glad to have the atrium on the boat at that point. We (5) went with another couple and thier kids (4) and had a blast. There are quite a few public areas to beach and have a picnic, swim, etc. My wife loved having the kitchen set up and really liked the upper deck for sun bathing. Kids had a blast. We put a tent up on that deck for the 11-13 year olds to sleep in and they loved. My 2 year old daughter slept with us.

Plan ahead and work with the rental place for the best experience. They know that lake inside out and can tell you some great areas to work in. I will say that the Canadian side offers more seclusion then the US, but depending on your visit, both are worth the trip.

Enjoy.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all begins and ends at the water's edge...

[mnjimcarp]

www.rainylakehouseboats.com has some advantages for fishermen and women. they do daily updates and fishing reports that are very reliable. just watched a midwest outdoors program yesterday that once again showed how dialed in the guides are at www.rainylakehouseboats.com.