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Northern Pike Fishing on Rainy Lake
Northern Pike fishing on Rainy Lake at Campfire Island
With all the pike concentrated in these shallow bays, it isn’t hard to
locate them. This is the ultimate time of year for fly-fishermen to
successfully target big northern pike.
As the water warms up in early June, northern pike will move towards the
cooler deeper water. At this time, it is safe for smallmouth bass to move from
the entrance of the bays and open water points to their shallow water
spawning areas. The pike move to the weedline entrances to the bays and
the shallow points entering the main basins, about 7-12 feet deep. By mid-
June, the pike start to feed very aggressively and seem to want more of a
‘fish-imitating’ bait, so baits that do not run too deep and look like a large
minnow will be successful.
Campfire Island Camp opens in
early May just as the ice is
leaving the main lake basins of
Rainy Lake. Northern pike have
finished spawning, and in the
post-spawn, they are still
cruising through the warm
shallow bays looking for an
easy meal before they move to
the open water.
Using large streamers, Bunny tails and Clowser minnows, the action can be
great, and it is usually not too windy for casting the fly. For the bait casting
and spinning rod fishermen, Mepps spinners, spinner baits, and shallow jerk
baits in bright colors seem to work very well. This is also a great time to try
top-water baits like Zara-Spooks and large poppers but they need to be
worked fairly fast and aggressively.
Campfire Island on Rainy Lake welcomes you to try your hand at landing some
of these giants! Call us today or email us anytime!
CAMPFIRE ISLAND - RAINY LAKE