Tips for Your 2023 Fishing Excursion

Certain fish are more abundant during different times of the year, and depending on the month, are more concentrated in certain areas. If you’ve booked a houseboat and a Rainy Lake fishing trip in June, you can find Northerns in shallow bays, reed beds, rock piles and areas where there are plenty of walleye and crappie. If you come in September, you can find walleye near sunken islands, reefs, and mud flats. No matter what, we have tips and tricks you can use from May to September.

Take a look at our 2023 fishing calendar below to make sure your Rainy Lake fishing outing and houseboat excursion align with your trip. We’ve also included some Rainy Lake fishing tips and tricks on which bait to use depending on what type of fish you’re looking to catch and the season of your visit.

A MN Fishing Calendar: 2023

Northern

Baits: Johnson Silver Minnow, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, Mepps Spinners, Stickbaits, jigs, bucktails, Daredevils, Jerkbaits Steel leaders.

14 lbs. monofilament or 20 lbs. super line.

May

Shallow bays, points in shallow bays, reed beds, neck down areas, rock piles, and the area walleye and crappie are using.

June

Shallow bays, points in shallow bays, reed beds, neck down areas, rock piles, and the area walleye and crappie are using. Rock piles outside of spawning bays close to deep water.

July

Cabbage beds, standing reeds, points on outside of bays on main lake, sunken islands and reefs, current and river areas.

August

Cabbage beds, standing reeds, points on outside of bays on main lake, sunken islands and reefs, current and river areas, beaver houses.

September

Cabbage beds, points, rock piles, and sunken islands.

Walleye

Baits: Jigs – 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2; Lindy rigs 48-72 inch snells 1/4-3/4 oz.; Plastics 3″ and 4″ tails both scented and non in smelt, chartreuse colors. Hammered gold spinners and crawler harnesses, stick baits, Rattlin Rogue, Rapala, slip bobbers.

6 lbs. monofilament

May

Shallow bays 3-8 ft., 30-48 ft.; break lines outside spawning bays, current areas in narrows and rivers. Jig and minnow, Lindy Rigs, artificial stick baits.

June

Shallow bays 3-8 ft.; break lines 10-20ft. Points, shallow reefs, Crawler harness, Lindy Rig with leech, stick baits, scented plastics on a jig, jig and minnow.

July

Shallow bays 6-10 ft. along weed lines, spinner and minnow or crawler harness points 15-25 ft., reefs 10-30 ft., lindy and leech, jig and minnow, bottom bouncers with spinner or crawler harness.

August

Sunken islands, reefs and mud flats 25-48 ft. Leeches, minnows, crawlers and Lindy's or jig and minnow, current area in narrows of rivers.

September

Sunken islands, reefs and mud flats 25-48 ft. Leeches, minnows, crawlers and Lindy's or jig and minnow, current area in narrows or rivers, current can be spectacular.

Smallmouth

Baits: #3 Mepps, Beetle spins, Tiny Torpedo, Tube Jigs, Jigs with 3″ and 4″ plastic tails, Hair Jigs, Rattle Traps, Shad Raps, Stick Baits, Chug Bugs, Pop “R”, Skitter Pops, Skitter Props, Spinner baits, Buzz Baits.

8 lbs. monofilament

May

Large spawning bays; concentrate on the points and gravel rocky shoreline. Jerk baits, plastic, #3 Mepps, Vibrax spinner.

June

Similar to May, but they move to the gravel, sand, and rocky areas to spawn. They remain after the spawn, topwater, Mepps, Shad Rap, spinner baits, 3" and 4" plastic tubes and tails.

July

Rocky boulder strewn points, cabbage beds, islands, underwater points, topwater, Mepps, Shad Rap, spinnerbaits, 3" and 4" plastic tubes and tails.

August

Rocky boulder strewn points, cabbage beds, islands, underwater points, topwater, Mepps, Shad Rap, spinnerbaits, 3" and 4" plastic tubes and tails.

September

Points with access to deep water, islands, underwater bars protruding into deepwater, rocky points and reefs in the bays.

Crappie

Baits: 1/16, 1/8 oz. jig heads; tube jigs, twister tails, road runners, bobbers, slip bobbers.

4-6 lbs. monofilement

May

Black Bay, water temp 60-70 degrees, reed beds, rock piles both exposed and sunken. 1/16 jig tipped with minnow, tun jigs on bobbers set at 1-1/2 to 2 ft.

June

Black Bay, early June same as May. Once spawning is over, look for cabbage beds, reed beds, structure such as sunken trees in the Rat Root River, crappie cribs in Black Bay.

July

Cabbage beds, reed beds, structures such as sunken trees in the Rat Root River, crappie cribs in Black Bay.

August

Cabbage beds, reed beds, structures such as sunken trees in the Rat Root River. Crappie cribs in Black Bay, towards the end of month they will move to deep water by Dryweed and Grindstone Islands.

September

Break lines on the north side of Grindstone Island 20-35 ft. Grindstone to Dryweed break line 20-35 ft.

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