Looking back on our drive to International Falls a week ago we traveled past an event that, for many northeastern Minnesota residents permanently changed their lives.  After enduring the hail, feeling our way through torrential rain and dodging flooded roads we spent 6 days literally “on” Rainy Lake.  My intentions were to write daily about our trip but the reality of each day was Bob ‘n I up about 6 and fishing by 6:30.  Returning about noon briefly for lunch then back to a new stretch of Rainy probing rocks, drops, boulders ‘n ledges in search of smallies and well really anything willing to bite.  Walleyes seemed anxious to aggressively smash a chart/brown Rat-L-Trap in 6-8 feet of rocky water.  The fish fights were fun but most had to be released.  Too big to keep but that’s ok!  After emptying most of our tackle boxes looking for the Smallie keys it seemed to be perch colored Rapala minnow baits, primarily the X-Rap.  We really took on almost a pre-tournament style of searching.  Cover lots of water looking for areas and hopefully a pattern.  However, without the Humminbird 998 and the latest Lakemaster chips our days would have been more difficult on unfamiliar waters.  The rocks of Rainy Lake win 100% of the time if a lower unit is the opponent.

 Our Rainy Lake houseboat, the Gold Rush was 50’ in length and posed a certain intimidation when thoughts of driving and mooring came into play.  After Saturday Fan Outdoors we agreed to venture out from Harrison Bay, our initial stop.  Everything went according to plan until I offered the wrong directions to Capt’n Bob.  The black button on the side of the dual throttles did NOT engage the engines but rather put them in cold start idle mode resulting in a rather panic situation on my part.  As the wind pushed the prop end of the boat toward the rocky shore a call to “base” on the radio put me back on track and the engines in gear.  Solution = don’t push in the black buttons!  Simply push the throttles down to engage the reverse gear.  So back in control we were off but 50’ of Rainy Lake House Boat doesn’t respond the same as the Ranger when turned.  For a while we did the “House Boat Wiggle” down the lake just as Wendy predicted others do.  I know now that it really was a learning curve that we each had to master and master it we did!  Horseflys the size of small Humminbirds accompanied us as we traveled down the lake keeping an eye on the red and green channel bouys.  About an hour later we arrived at an open mooring spot, Olson Bay landing, tying off and finding a new home again.  After a quick lunch all 4 of us headed out for an afternoon of fishing, sightseeing and basking in the beauty of Rainy Lake and Voyageur’s National Park.  We spied a whitetail doe with fawn silently walking up an island hill surrounded by the lush green of summer vegetation.  An Eagle swooped down after a couple ducks flying their escape route wildly doing their best not to become the next item on the Eagle menu.  To their advantage it worked too!

 After a dinner cooked on the houseboat grill consisting of brats, corn on the cob ‘n fried potatos we settled into an evening routine of hot tubbing from the top of the houseboat under a cloudless star-filled sky.  I’ve not realized there could even be so many stars until that time – absolutely amazing!  The evening silence was only broken by the cry of a distant loon.  Sleep came easily to four tired and relaxed houseboaters.

  The morning dawn woke me before the rest but an American Merganser was first searching for food with newly hatched young in a neat line following behind.

 Fishing overall might have been better if I had done my job.  Don’t get me wrong either because Bob had planned 3 meals of fish and we accomplished that and more.  Wonderful meals over an open fire in a cast iron pan giving new meaning to fresh fish.  But I was guilty of fishing the calendar rather than the conditions.  Huh you say?  Well the end of June in my past experiences have fish embracing summer patterns but on Rainy Lake Billy Dougherty had written in his fishing report the day we left that Smallies were just moving up on beds to spawn.  I totally missed that and it would have made a difference if I had figured that out earlier but oh well – it’s fishing!

 Now, back in the Twin Cities our Rainy Lake Houseboats www.rainylakehouseboats.com  trip is a wonderful memory!  The big question you might be asking is “Would I do it again?”  Answer, “In a hot New York second!”  It was an unbelievable, unforgettable experience and one that I will never in my lifetime forget!  Everyone at Rainy Lake Houseboats exists to make your experience absolutely 1^st Class from arrival to departure!

 So I highly recommend you add a trip to Rainy Lake on a Rainy Lake Houseboats to your personal Bucket List!  I seriously don’t believe my life would have been the same without it and I absolutely Can’t Wait to go back!!!!

Make it your own and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

Capt’n