Walleye opener, rest of the season look productive on area lakes

Annual assessments on Rainy Lake last fall helps to predict a good fishing year on Rainy Lake, he said.

Strong year classes in 2006 and 2007, as well as in 2001, should provide above average numbers of fish in the 14-15 inch category and in the 17-inch plus categories, he said.

“The 14-15 inch walleye are about ideal for catching and eating,” said Peterson. “They are the size a lot of anglers like to see out there. I don’t think Rainy Lake will disappoint them.”

Rainy Lake has a protected slot limit which requires the immediate release of all walleye from 17 inches to 28 inches, with one walleye over 28 inches allowed in a daily and possession limit. The daily and possession limit is eight walleye and sauger combined, of which no more than four may be walleye. This regulation applies to all of Rainy Lake from the dam in International Falls to the dam at Kettle Falls, Black Bay, all of the Rat Root River, and Rat Root Lake.

Year classes help fish biologists anticipate the future, he said.

“Overall abundance on Rainy Lake is trending up and it’s the highest we’ve seen in the last five years,” said Peterson. “We are above the long-term average.”

Walleye abundance trending upwards and above average numbers present on Rainy Lake are based on fall assessments, he said.

“Rainy Lake fisheries continues to impress a lot of folks, by the quality fishing experience available out there and we are even somewhat surprised at the number of truly large walleye reported,” he said. “We are now documenting fish over 28 inches in our creel survey, and that’s pretty rare, in my experience. I don’t have any concerns whatsoever about the state of walleye fishing on Rainy Lake now. We are monitoring closely, keeping our eyes open for any potential red flags or bumps in the road, but I am just not seeing any. And that’s good news for all of us.”

Peterson credited the protected slot for walleye on Rainy Lake, noting that the lake was the first in the state to employ the regulation. “That goes back to 1994 and with our annual monitoring, we’ve got a really rich data base that others are using to review and evaluate walleye slot limits all over Minnesota, and I’m probably not exaggerating to say the Midwest and Canada as well.”

He commends anglers, the Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club, as well as businesses that are supported by the fishing and tourism industry, “all those who supported the experimental regulations on Rainy Lake and allowed this great fishery to develop.”

The warm spring and record April 6 ice out on Rainy Lake is about four weeks earlier than the long-term average.

Three things drive fish spawning, he said: length of day, flow and water temperature.

“When we have an early spring like this, it jump starts that temperature cue and gets everything in the whole system starting that much earlier; not only fish spawning but plankton growth, which provides food for young fish and the whole food business gets kicked into high gear, assuming we have warm temperatures after ice out,” he said. “This year has been a bit of a see saw back and forth: we had an early ice out and some what of a cold snap and then a return to more normal temperatures, which has slowed things down a bit.”

DNR work on the Rat Root River showed that the walleye spawning period stretched out over a longer period of time than in other more normal years, he said.

Generally, he said, walleye fishing is better as the year progresses. “Getting this early start on spawning sets up for a good opener on Rainy and other area lakes,” he said.

On Kabetogama, anglers can expect above average numbers of fish in the sizes that anglers like to harvest — 15-16 inches and up to 17-inch fish, he said. There is an above average of 20-23 inch fish on Kabetogama.

“Overall abundance on Kabetogama is lower than we’ve seen in years past, but still good compared to many lakes in the state,” said Peterson.

Other species

Peterson said he’s hearing reports of northern pike anglers doing well in catching large pike. “That doesn’t surprise me, based on the fish we see in our assessments,” he said.

Higher water levels in the spring on both Rainy Lake and the Namakan Reservoir are likely improving the pike population, he said.

“Northern pike spawn in flooded vegetation in the spring of the year,” he explained. “Under the 1970 rule curves (that guide water levels), on Namakan Lake especially, the over-the-winter draw down provided very little northern pike spawning habitat. They just couldn’t access the flooded vegetation they need to spawn. Changes made in 2000, which have less draw down on the Namakan Reservoir in winter, provide better access to those spawning areas.”

The IJC, when it changed the rule curves in 2000, said it would review the changes in 15 years.

Peterson said northern pike, especially on Kabetogama and the other lakes in the Namakan Reservoir, are experiencing increased abundance and increased size.

Smallmouth bass

Bass on Rainy Lake are doing well, said Peterson, noting that 10-15 years ago people asked him why bass fishing on the United States side of Rainy Lake wasn’t as good as it was on the Canadian side.

“I think this is one of the things the bass tournament on our side is showing — we do have high quality bass fishing available in our waters. It may have just been a matter of people learning how to catch them.”

Peterson credited the International Falls Bass Championship and the anglers that compete in it “for teaching us all how to find quality smallmouth that exist on Rainy Lake.”