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Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

by Chris Granrud on 05/13/2008
If you consider catching a trophy fish during your fishing trip "Up North" a high priority then imagine catching trophy fish literally one after another. Well that is just what James and I finished doing here on the MIGHTY Rainy Lake! 9 jacks 10lbs or greater in the first 4 hours on the water!!! With the water temps cooler than average for this time of year there is a silver lining that shouldn't be overlooked. With the inclimate conditions the Spawn is drawn out, and literally gives you extra at bats when taking swings at bruiser Pike! Is there such a thing as "Netters Elbow??????".

James and I made CPR the emphasis of the trip, and carefully thought out the most efficient way to Catch, Photo and Release these Girthy Gators. BIG NETS, Unhooking fish in the water, and timely photos/measurements made releasing these fish "healthy" 100% effective. We placed a special emphasis in limiting our photo/measurement timeframes to 45 seconds. I can't stress enough the importance of protecting these monsters as we continue to grow Trophy Pike on these waters for all to enjoy.

We found water temps at 49 degrees on the first day of the trip. We fished a very shallow water pattern long casting Bomber A's and RIPPING them very aggressive, stopping, Ripping, Stopping... This retrieval proved to be too much for these fish to handle. Our fish were averaging around 36 inches. Beautiful fish and a showstopping action on spinning tackle. We elected to use med power spinning tackle in a 7 foot length for a couple reasons. We were able to produce long casts, and this proved to be one of our keys to success. Big Fish in 2 f.o.w. will spook from your boat. Getting away from the boat is essential. Coupling the Long Casting ability with a proper braided line/med power spinning rod made this Flat out Heart pounding action, yet yielding efficient fight times being sure not to stress these trophy fish.

Rainy Lake is as James would say "A Mess of Structure". For those of you who are lucky enough to visit Rainy frequently you surely will understand that analogy. These cold stained waters are very vast. When glancing at a Lakemaster Map of the lake it is easy to feel overwelmed with all the seemingly perfect looking structure. Careful selection of what you are looking for WILL play a key role in the success of your outing. Rainy Lake IS the Destination of Trophy anglers!!! Good Fishing!!

Location : Minnesota
Water Body : Rainy Lake
Species : pike
Water Temp : 47
Technique : casting


--------------------
Chris Granrud - RainyDaze Guide Service
World-Class Walleye, Crappie, Pike & Smallmouth Bass Fishing!
Visit RainyDaze Guide Service to book your next adventure!




BriankAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673924 - 05/13/08 11:03 PM

Simply AWEsome!

That report made this big fish guy pay attention!

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Briank's Trophy Catfishing and Sturgeon Adventures
'09 Photo's<<

Mike Finke

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673931 - 05/13/08 11:09 PM

Nice report. Nothing like some big ol' gators!

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Mike Finke Outdoors.com/ 612-210-5937
Pure Fishing Ambassador
Otter Outdoors Pro Staff / OutKast Tackle Pro Staff Director
MnWalleye@aol.com

Baby Mallard

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673937 - 05/13/08 11:58 PM

Nice report! What was your biggest fish?

Jack Naylor

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673944 - 05/14/08 12:34 AM

Chris and James,
Awesome looking Pike, WOW....
Jack..

--------------------
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Chris Granrud

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673960 - 05/14/08 05:55 AM

Our Biggest Pike would have went about 14lbs. Didn't catch the 20lb fish, but neither of us had any doubt that she was there. I believe only one or two of the fish we caught were spawned out.

--------------------
Chris Granrud - RainyDaze Guide Service
World-Class Walleye, Crappie, Pike & Smallmouth Bass Fishing!
Visit RainyDaze Guide Service to book your next adventure!

trumar

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673975 - 05/14/08 07:07 AM

Quote:

Simply AWEsome!

That report made this big fish guy pay attention!



yes sir indeed those are some truly awesome fish ,you guys always make reading your post so enjoyable

Steve Krapfl

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673986 - 05/14/08 07:46 AM

WOW!! That looked like fun! Nice report and some nice fish!

Bob Bowman

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673991 - 05/14/08 07:58 AM

Nice fish guys

--------------------
Bob Bowman - Loan Officer
City - County Federal Credit Union
 "Get the lowest possible rate on your boat, ATV or vehicle!"


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Mike Stori

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673992 - 05/14/08 08:02 AM

What size and color were the Bomber "A"s? Thanks. MIKE

bigpike

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#673998 - 05/14/08 08:12 AM

I'm jealous

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674036 - 05/14/08 09:49 AM

Quote:

What size and color were the Bomber "A"s? Thanks. MIKE



Hi Mike,

We were throwing Bomber 15 Long A's.

http://www.lurenet.com/productdetail.aspx?id=b15axbbo

Our productive colors were perch patterns.... basically anything with a dark top and yellow or orange on the belly did the trick. I added an example photo of the Bomber pattern Yellow Perch.

These Bombers worked exceptionally well in this presentation because they were a large bait that would work in the top couple feet of the water column. Other baits would dive much too deep and instantly put you right into last year's weed growth.

1210776583_hhhhh.jpg


--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674041 - 05/14/08 09:54 AM

Hey Chris, don't forget to add your pics of that new "top secret" pike bait.

--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

Jeremy Liebig

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674050 - 05/14/08 10:23 AM

YeeeeeHAw!

Mike Stori

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674054 - 05/14/08 10:35 AM

Thanks for your answer James. I'm headed to Canada for a week of fishing next Friday. I'll try out a couple of those Bomber A(s) for some northerns while I'm up there.

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674059 - 05/14/08 10:42 AM

Mike

Make sure you fish them very aggressively from time to time. We caught a few fish on steady retrieves but once we started introducing hard pulls followed by a short pause the fish came unglued on these baits.

If I can make another suggestion... get some 30lb tyger wire and tie your own tooth-proof leaders. Tyger wire is very light and didn't impede the action of the baits like a regular steel leader.

--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

Mike Stori

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674063 - 05/14/08 10:57 AM

Sounds good... I will definately try the aggressive retrieve. Would titanium leaders be light enough to work well or do you still recommend the tyger wire? Thanks!

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674067 - 05/14/08 11:06 AM

Tyger Wire is a titanium leader material. I had some pre-fabbed titanium leaders that came with the snaps and swivel on the ends and that leader really messed with the action. Basically the leader was heavy enough to cause the front of the suspending model bomber to slowly sink "nose down" during a pause.

If you can find one that doesn't have monster sized snaps / swivels on the ends then you should be OK. Tyger Wire can be tied by hand like regular line so I was tying to the split ring on the bait and tying to a tiny o-ring or swivel on the other end to allow attachment to my main line going to the rod. That kept the weight to a minimum and allowed the bombers to maintain their action.

--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

plungepool

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674172 - 05/14/08 05:08 PM

Those are some absolutly sick lookin pike

Mike Stori

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674183 - 05/14/08 05:28 PM

Sounds good James. I just ordered some tyger wire from BassPro because the Mankato Gander MT and Scheels didn't carry any.

Jeremy Liebig

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674223 - 05/14/08 08:23 PM

Excellent tip on the Tyger wire for a nice light leader James! My brother uses the same for fly fishing pike and muskies..works like a charm. Can you demonstrate the type of knot you are using for this setup? I'm curious as well as it might transfer to early season muskies on smaller lures. Thanks!

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www.smokertackle.com

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674231 - 05/14/08 08:58 PM

You can use any knot you want when tying Tyger Wire but the one I use is a simplified version of the cinch knot so many of us already use when tying mono.

To tie this one go once through the eye of the hook, two wraps, and down through the loop created just above the eye of the hook. Cinch tight.

You can add more wraps but doing so tends to distort the leader material. Tyger Wire is coated in nylon so a way to further strengthen the knot is to hit the finished knot with a couple passes from a lighter to melt the nylon and fuse the knot.

I added a photo diagram of the "tyger knot" pulled from their website at http://www.tygerleader.com to elaborate further. This leader material is some darn good stuff that holds up very well when a light leader is needed to maintain the action of the bait.

1210816565_tyger.jpg


--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

sippi

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674332 - 05/15/08 08:07 AM

What type of locations seemed to hold fish? was it a day bite and how long do you think this pattern will hold up? Were they relating to weeds?

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674344 - 05/15/08 08:46 AM

Quote:

What type of locations seemed to hold fish? was it a day bite and how long do you think this pattern will hold up? Were they relating to weeds?



Shallow, weedy bays with 2' - 6' of water off the main lake / deeper water concentrated the fish. It was a day bite with the best action coming from 10 AM - 2 PM.

With the cooler weather we've had these fish haven't gone anywhere. This bite should last for another week or two. And given that there's not that many shallow, weedy bays on Rainy Lake finding the fish shouldn't be much trouble.

--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

Wade Kuehl

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674535 - 05/15/08 04:18 PM

Great report Chris! I appreciate the fact that you care enough about the resource that you stressed CPR and proper handling too. Great Job!

Quote:

James and I made CPR the emphasis of the trip, and carefully thought out the most efficient way to Catch, Photo and Release these Girthy Gators. BIG NETS, Unhooking fish in the water, and timely photos/measurements made releasing these fish "healthy" 100% effective. We placed a special emphasis in limiting our photo/measurement timeframes to 45 seconds. I can't stress enough the importance of protecting these monsters as we continue to grow Trophy Pike on these waters for all to enjoy.




--------------------
Wade Kuehl - Jolly Ann Marine & Outdoors
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Click on the Jolly Ann Marine Banner above to visit our website!

Sportsman's Whse

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674582 - 05/15/08 07:48 PM

I've noticed that in all of the reports Chris makes in the Rainy Lake forum, he's talking about CPR.

That can't be stressed enough!

Now, what about the "secret bait"?

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674604 - 05/15/08 09:02 PM

Quote:

I've noticed that in all of the reports Chris makes in the Rainy Lake forum, he's talking about CPR.

That can't be stressed enough!

Now, what about the "secret bait"?



I want to hold off until Chris is back to post the pics. Nobody will believe me without the pics. I'm sure he'll have them posted soon.

--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

Sportsman's Whse

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674626 - 05/15/08 09:38 PM

Can you send it to me though the pm system? I want to make sure we have it in stock.

James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674629 - 05/15/08 09:39 PM

Quote:

Can you send it to me though the pm system? I want to make sure we have it in stock.



Trust me, you don't have these in stock. Nobody does.

--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

Chris Granrud

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#674878 - 05/16/08 02:16 PM

Hey Boys,

Sorry for the delay in response. I've been out of town for a couple days nursing my sore netting elbow... LOL! I will post the secret of all secret baits tonight. As James Mentioned you likely will not have any. Got to get my pics loaded and you'll have a look for yourself.

In regards to the CPR. I truly hope our emphasis on keeping the Big fish in the fishery influences an angler or two. When it comes to Pike and Walleyes especially whom have the potential to live long lives and grow large it is very important to release the big fish. In all honesty 10lb fish are big fish, but those fish will live much longer and be your next 20-30lb MONSTER!!! Many fish in this fishery tip the scales between 20-25lbs. I hope to hold the next fish breaking the 25lb mark.

Rainy Lake boasts trophy fish across the board whether it be Pike, Eyes, Slabs or Smallies. James and I had the flat out pleasure of getting on the right pattern in the right area at the right time. This often times equals big fish after big fish. Good Times!!! Bomber A's WOW!!! Lights out!! Show Stoppers!! I'm here to tell ya.... GET SOME!! In fact buy them like you would stock up on Canned goods before a winter storm here on the border!! The ability to launch these baits, and the suspending feature is awesome. Besides being deadly on big pike you can bet the boat these versatile baits will lay the wood to our early season Walleyes as well.

--------------------
Chris Granrud - RainyDaze Guide Service
World-Class Walleye, Crappie, Pike & Smallmouth Bass Fishing!
Visit RainyDaze Guide Service to book your next adventure!

FishingQueen

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#675097 - 05/17/08 03:44 PM

Quote:

Hey Chris, don't forget to add your pics of that new "top secret" pike bait.





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James HolstAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#675098 - 05/17/08 03:53 PM

Thanks FishingQueen!

Chris and I decided to keep one 5 lb pike for supper. When the fish came to the boat we noticed it had a large object in its belly. Upon cleaning... we find a cleanly severed walleye head!

The head came from a pretty good sized walleye which we estimated at around 19" - 20". So that would put this unlucky walleye in the protected size range on Rainy Lake.

As best we can guess it, someone poached this walleye, cleaned it quickly then dumped the head into the water.

Along comes Mr. Pike... he snarfs up what must have been one heck of a meal to force down as the walleye head is darn near as big as the pike's whole head... and hours later he runs into a Bomber Long A that he wanted for desert!

--------------------
James Holst - In-Depth Outdoors TV Host
IDA Guides Guide Service
Ph. 507-271-0362

Chris Granrud

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#675124 - 05/17/08 05:24 PM

Yeah that was crazy!!! A Walleye head.... And people wonder if deadbaits work laid on the bottom fishing tip-ups... Well there is your answer.

Crazy stuff!!!!

Still have time to get into those big pike if you hurry!!!

--------------------
Chris Granrud - RainyDaze Guide Service
World-Class Walleye, Crappie, Pike & Smallmouth Bass Fishing!
Visit RainyDaze Guide Service to book your next adventure!

BriankAdministrator

Re: Pre-Spawn Bruiser Pike on Rainy Lake

#675125 - 05/17/08 05:26 PM

That's cool!

Just goes to show that it's not only flatheads that like walleye heads! J/K

Nothing goes to waste in nature.

--------------------
Briank's Trophy Catfishing and Sturgeon Adventures
'09 Photo's<<



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