Come late May, huge schools of postspawn walleyes drifting downcurrent in the Rainy River bordering Minnesota and Ontario hit shallow Four Mile Bay, gateway to the main basin of gigantic Lake of the Woods. Wave upon wave of walleyes flush out of the river mouth, triggering flurries of fish-catching pandemonium as boat after boat anchored along the river channel suddenly experiences bent rods and furious netting activity. Then, as the activity subsides, things revert back to relative stability until the next wave of walleyes washes through, repeating the pattern.

From there, walleyes run narrow gauntlets through nearby Morris Gap and Lighthouse Gap, pouring out across the tapering drop-off like a golden avalanche spilling in all directions. Fish spread out along the miles-long edge of the drop-off, out onto nearby subtle rock humps, and even across the soft basin.

Eventually, the bulk of the adult walleyes that spawned far up the Rainy River will hit the gaps and take up residence in Lake of the Woods. Until then, a mixture of river and lake patterns produce loads of walleyes in the lower river stretches and just outside the river mouth--the perfect setting for a spring tournament competition where the ability to fish both current and lake conditions weigh equally important at the scales. Some of those 'eyes run 8 to 10 pounds and more, and they have to pass right past the tournament takeoff.

As dependable as the walleye movement is, spring fishing can range from fantastic to frustrating, depending on water conditions. High, muddy water raising the Rainy above its banks flushes whole trees downstream, complicating navigation. More importantly, it tends to shut the fish down within the river, perhaps giving an edge to anglers fishing the bay and rim of the adjacent basin. Given these conditions, most Rainy veterans tend to anchor along the channel edge or rim of the drop-off to the main lake and bounce a jig & minnow combo slowly on and off bottom. The idea is to intercept passers-by with a relatively inactive presentation that the fish can hear and feel despite reduced water clarity. Rattling jigs such as the Northland Buck-Shot Rattler are accorded high praise for such conditions; Northland president and PWT pro John Peterson launched the Buck-Shot Rattler into prominence with his spring win here in 1996.

In the event of calm weather and warmer than usual water temperatures, rapidly dispersing walleyes may cause anglers to ply some distance out to reefs in the main portion of Lake of the Woods. Scott Fairbairn won here in 2000 using bottom-bouncer presentations with livebait.

Should the water remain cool and be of low to average flow, however, typically indicating water clarity ideal for a number of traditional river presentations, look for anglers to ply the stretch as much as 40 miles upriver in search of walleyes lingering within the flow. Classic drifting and vertically jigging jigs and minnows at the 10- to 15-foot levels along the perimeters of holes formed at river bends is the way to catch Rainy walleyes when the bite's on. But like all things in life, there are often better means to an end if you bother to look for them.

In recent years, trolling diving crankbaits on superline has produced serious tonnage of big walleyes within Rainy's relatively shallow basin. Select a deep diver that'll barely tick bottom in that same 10- to 15-foot range, run out enough FireLine or other nostretch line behind the boat to position the lure at the correct depth, and proceed to troll just fast enough downstream to barely wobble the lure, or spin around and troll upstream just barely fast enough to creep upstream, using the shoreline as a visual reference to your progress. Long, thin, deep-billed cranks like Storm Deep ThunderSticks, Rapala Deep Husky Jerks, or Smithwick Deep Rogues have proven their worth trolled both through holes and across the intervening stretches between--a great way to quickly check intermediate sections for the presence of fish. To that selection, we need to add Berkley Deep Frenzy Divers, both for their fish-catching ability, and their ability to put extra bucks in the winner's wallet.

Anglers fishing this initial event in the western division of the 2003 PWT season, as in the eastern division opener at Lake Erie, potentially can earn a $50,000 bonus if they win the event and catch all their fish on either Berkley Frenzy crankbaits or PowerBait, which is particularly doable here with either product. Substituting a Power Minnow or portion of a Power Crawler for a minnow, tipped on the back of a jighead, catches fish on the Rainy, particularly when the bite's going full scale.

PWT contestants will fish the U.S. waters of the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. The weigh-in and takeoff site are located at Wheeler's Point access adjacent to Border View Lodge, just upriver from the mouth of the Rainy River. The river is lined with numerous resorts catering to walleye anglers, and additional lodging and facilities are available in nearby Baudette. Contact: Lake of the Woods Tourism, 800/382-3474.