Rainy Lake is a very good northern pike lake for numbers and there are plenty of big pike in the system as well. Many anglers cross the border at Fort Frances and drive right by Rainy Lake, but if you are looking for northern pike, this lake is a very good option for action and quality fish.
The Minnesota side offers anglers plenty of options for pike, however, the Minnesota side is more open with lots of rocky shorelines, points and offshore structure. You will find a lot of pike around the rocks on the Minnesota side.
On the Canadian side, you will find plenty of pike around the rocks as well, but there are plenty of bays with weeds. These bays make it a lot easier to find active pike and they give you more options when the wind is blowing. Cast your favorite pike lure along the deep weed edges and hold on. The shallow weeds will hold smaller fish most of the year, so if you’re just looking for action, there’s plenty of that as well.
Rainy Lake in the Spring
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F Highs | Avg. Air Temps °F Lows |
| March | 34° | 15° |
| April | 50° | 29° |
| May | 66° | 42° |
Northern pike are open year-round, so you don’t have to wait for the opener to go fishing for pike. However, there are not as many places available for lodging early in the season, so you have to figure that part of the equation before doing an ice-out Rainy Lake pike fishing trip. However, the ice-out pike fishing can be very exciting as many large pike will move into the shallow bays to spawn. The fishing is very good early in the spring in Minnesota and Ontario.
Rainy Lake in the Summer
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F Highs | Avg. Air Temps °F Lows |
| June | 73° | 52° |
| July | 78° | 57° |
| August | 75° | 54° |
In the summer, anglers do much better by fishing the deeper water out on the main lake structure for larger northern pike. Some people also do really well by targeting the deeper weed edges in many of the bays throughout the lake. Water temperatures are going to dictate where the fish will be, so if you are here in the early summer or end of summer, don’t rule out some of the shallow water stuff as well as there may be good numbers of pike available. In the middle of the summer though, your best bet will usually be out around that main lake structure in deeper water.
Rainy Lake in the Fall
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F Highs | Avg. Air Temps °F Lows |
| September | 64° | 45° |
| October | 51° | 35° |
| November | 32° | 20° |
In the fall, good numbers of northern pike will follow baitfish back into the bays and you can also find good amounts of pike off the wind blown points out on the main lake. From the end of August through September, you can usually find some pike shallow and deep with some very nice fish available in the bays near the green weeds. As the temperatures cool from the end of September up until ice out, the better bite is usually going to be out on the main Lake structure in deeper water.
Fishing Rainy Lake in the Winter (Ice Fishing)
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F Highs | Avg. Air Temps °F Lows |
| December | 18° | 2° |
| January | 13° | -5° |
| February | 20° | 1° |
Ice fishing is available on Rainy Lake and there are some outfitters that provide these services. Some very big northern pike are caught through the ice each season.
More Fishing Tips
Catch Lots of Pike
With all the bays with weeds here, you have lots of places to target northern pike. It’s one of the better drive-to fishing lakes in Canada for northern pike. Anglers report having 30 to 40 fish days here all the time when fishing for pike.
Catch Big Pike
Rainy Lake is one of the better drive-to lakes for targeting big northern pike too. Fish up to and over 40″ are reported here quite frequently during the open water season. If you put in the time here with some bigger lures, your chances of catching a big pike in the upper 30 inch range to low 40 inch range is a lot better than many other drive to lakes in Canada.
Fish the Bays
There are numerous bays throughout the lake that offer weed growth and these bays will hold pike throughout the seasons. Find the deeper weed edge and you’ll most likely find some of the bigger pike in that bay.
Fish the Current
Rainy Lake has some creeks, spillways and waterfalls that flow into the lake. These areas of current will attract bait fish, which will then attract game fish. Northern pike can often be found in these areas, especially in the spring and fall when water temperatures are cooler.
Fish the Islands
There are so many islands to fish on Rainy Lake. Most anglers will target the islands for walleye and smallmouth bass, but northern pike will be found roaming these islands as well. The islands are not all equal out here. Some are small, some are large. Most will have rocks on them. Some will have some weeds mixed in. The islands that have some weeds mixed in along the shores will usually hold more pike. Rocky structures can be hit or miss out here. Some islands will hold a lot of fish and around some, you may not get a bite.
Fish the Points
You can always hit the points and have success here. Wind blown points hold bait fish, which attract walleye and smallmouth bass. Northern pike won’t be too far behind. Try fishing the points that have some weeds on them and you’ll usually catch more pike. The rocks hold pike too and if you can find points with access to deeper water nearby, you may find some bigger fish too.
Fish Reefs
The reefs hold a lot of the better pike in the summer and late fall. Cast, troll or jig and you’ll have a chance to catch a big pike. You will usually find pike right on the drop-offs or suspended just a little farther off the drop-off over deeper water. Pike may be 15 to 20 feet down over 30 to 40 feet of water, so make sure you search some of the deep water near these reefs with your electronics.
Fish the Rocks
Weeds hold a lot more pike than the rocks, but since there are so many rocks on Rainy Lake, you’re going to find plenty of pike around the rocks. With the smallmouth bass and walleye relating to the rocks, pike can usually be found close by as they search for something to eat.
Fish the Weeds
While most of the weeds will be in the bays, you can find some weeds on the points as well. These points with a mixture of rocks and weeds will usually hold a mixture of pike, bass and/or walleye. Find the deeper weed edges and that’s where you’ll usually find the bigger pike.
Fish the Wind Blown Structure
Rainy Lake is big and when the wind blows, it can definitely help position fish throughout the lake. The walleye and bass will often move around the offshore structure and the pike will often follow them around. In the summer and fall, try fishing the wind blown points, islands and reefs on the main lake and you can usually find numbers of pike combined with some big pike too.
