Hi guys,

Five of us camped on Blueberry Island West from July 26-29th. We fished the main lake reefs in 24-35 fow. We had two boats. We averaged about 20 walleyes per day per boat-kept 10-12, 13″-16″ walleyes each day. Fishing was not fantastic, but ok. My boat fished more vertical with a jig/minnow and slip bobber. Our other boat fished lindy rigs exclusively with crawlers and leeches. Crawlers were a little better. They caught bigger walleyes-more 18″-25″, but they had trouble finding fish to eat. We had two big fish fries, which is always a highlight for me while camping. We had beautiful weather, but the mosquitos came out each night around 9:00, so bring a screen tent if you have one.

Good luck!

We had it pretty good in the past with not having to pay any fees to camp. There’s still campsites you can stay at that do not require reservations, but it seems that most of the nicer campsites on Rainy are included in those that require reservations. We just made our reservations and there are MANY openings at sites we consider to be the nicest. The maintenance staff for VNP does an excellent job of maintaining the sites. Be aware of the rules and know the Park Rangers will issue citations. I would be very hesitant to camp at a non-designated spot, as you would have to tie up all your food/beverages and I’m also not sure about the rules regarding campfires at a non-designated site.

Thanks for the report, Drew. Congratulations on icing some beautiful crappies!

Great report! Nice 28 incher! I was also camping on Rainy-the 13th thru 16th. We wanted to camp on Krantz Point in Lost Bay, but it was taken. Was that you? We ended up going back to Cranberry on Arden Island.

Our plan was to fish the west side of the Brule, but we couldn’t find many fish Tuesday evening. We fished past the Brule on the east end Wednesday and Thursday. Our best presentation was slow death. Lindy/leech and lindy/crawler were not nearly as effective. We fished the main lake reefs and struggled catching quality keepers. However, we did have enough walleyes for two big fish fries. The majority of our fish were 18-22″. Our biggest was only 23.5″. We also caught a lot of 10-12″ walleyes. Although our best depth was around 35′, we also caught some bigger walleyes in 25′.

I second deerdragger’s tip on the bottom bouncers with a slow death hook & 3/4crawler. I’ve always used a lindy rig with a 4′-6′ leader and a walking sinker. However, the bottom bouncer has been triggering more hits and has been very effective for catching Rainy Lake walleyes. Leeches with a bouncer have been very effective, too.