We are truly lucky at Rainy lake Houseboats. We have wonderful guests every year from start to finish. This was the first time we had Jim Anderson’s family with us for their annual family vacation. We left from Rainy lake Houseboats about 1:00 PM and headed out on a gorgeous afternoon. We moored at an old favorite site of Chef Bernie Lessards called the Bear Slide. We had nine guests on board, our guides would be Billy Dougherty, Jon Balaski, Kevin Erickson, and Tony Snyder.
We began fishing Sunday morning, the fish were a little sluggish in the beginning. They did cooperate allowing us enough fish for a shore lunch for fourteen people. The afternoon fishing heat up more. We fished jigs and minnows, slow death, tail hooked shiners and jigs and leeches.
On Sunday morning Bernie made a big French toast along with homemade wild rice sausage before hitting the water. Sunday was dead flat calm but the walleyes paid no attention. Ashley fished a jig and a shiner, Jim a tail hooked shiner on a Lindy Rig. The walleyes were right on top of the reefs and aggressive. Lunch to day was burgers and brats. The evening meal would be fresh caught walleyes using my Grandmother Blanche William’s walleye recipe rom the famous Kettle Falls Hotel. After lunch the group wanted to visit the historic Kettle Falls Hotel. The hotel was restored by Nor-Son Construction of Brainerd, Minnesota. The bar room floor is still as heaved and crooked as ever. Lumber jack spike marks still in the floor.
After Kettle Halls it was off to Anderson Bay for some swimming and cliff jumping. Anderson Nay is beautiful with it’s towering Ridges and unique rock wall. We went back to the Chairman, some went fishing, and some opted for R&R, and Jim and Linae went out to a reef and the walleyes were absolutely crushing the tail hooked minnows for an hour and one half straight. If it was not for supper who knows how many we would have caught.
Tuesday morning was another whole morning of unreal walleye fishing. Eric went with Kevin Erickson to catch smallmouth bass. The smallies were hungry as they usually are. They used plastics for the smallmouth.
After one last walleye shore lunch we headed for Hitchcock Bay and swimming and jumping off of the Chairman II. We anchored the boat and watched the daredevils jump and swim until it was time to make our way back to Rainy Lake Houseboats.
