I have been spending my time fishing Leech Lake and the Rainy River. Leech lake has had a great walleye bite as normal in the fall. I have been catching fish in 8-12 feet of water in Portage Bay Federal dam area. In my mind the easiest walleye fishing happens in the fall.
To catch my walleyes, I am pitching a 1/8 oz gold TG jig tipped with a fathead. Fishing the wind blow side of the lake is key to catching fish.
I always spend 3-4 weekends fishing the rainy river in October hoping for a 30 inch plus fish. This year we didn’t catch any giants, but we caught a bunch of fish in the 15–23-inch class. On the river I will fish a 1/4 or 3/8oz TG Tungsten jig and fathead or live emerald shiners. What I like about Tungsten is the smaller diameter will sink faster in the river currant so you can downsize your jig. We are fishing in as little as 4 feet of water up to 14 feet of water.
I have been fishing the areas from the Baudette bridge to Birchdale access, following the shiner run.
I really like the Birchdale access because of the campgrounds it has if you want to send a few days on the Rainy River fishing.
Scott Seibert
sksguides.com