Pressure
29.61inHg
falling fast · -3.05 hPa/12h
NOAA KINL updated 7:40 AM
Waters · Lakes · MN · Tue, Sep 15
How's the bite at Rainy Lake today? Biting — get there by six.
Worth a cast.
Built from solunar, pressure, wind. This water has no live gauge for every reading — see the sources below.
6/10
Biting
Today's bite windows
12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
10Peak 9 8Strong 7 6Good 5 4Slow 3 2 1Dead
Major
3:15 AM–5:15 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
11:52 AM–12:52 PM
Moonrise
Major
3:39 PM–5:39 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
8:19 PM–9:19 PM
Moonset
Sunrise 6:50 AM · sunset 7:26 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:04 AM–6:04 AM · windows on every water
Solunar · computed updated 7:58 AM
Conditions right now
Water temp estimated
≈56.8°F
7-day mean of air temperature, ±4.5°F typical
computed from NOAA KINL updated 7:40 AM
Wind
12mph WSW
NOAA KINL updated 7:40 AM
Moon
22% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 7:58 AM
Nearby gauges
These sit on connected water, not on Rainy Lake itself.
- Outflow — 3780 cfs USGS 05129515 updated 7:00 AM
What this means
Walleye
This gauge reports level but no water temperature, so depth calls stay open. Read the windows and the pressure trend instead.
The week ahead
| Wed | 5 | Picky | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | 6 | Biting | |
| Fri | 7 | Biting | |
| Sat | 6 | Biting | |
| Sun | 5 | Picky | |
| Mon | 5 | Picky | |
| Tue | 6 | Biting |
Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.
Rainy Lake boat ramps and public fishing access
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources lists 4 public access points on Rainy Lake.
- Rainy Lake, Frank Bohman Memorial Public Water Access Site 7.3 miRamps: 2Docks: 1Trailer parking: 25Toilets: 1Ramp surface: Concrete Plank
- Rainy Lake, Tilson Public Water Access Site 9.7 miRamps: 2Docks: 1Trailer parking: 20Toilets: 1Ramp surface: Concrete Slab
- Rainy Lake, Dove Island Public Water Access Site 13 miRamps: 1Docks: 1Trailer parking: 6Toilets: 1Ramp surface: Concrete Slab
- Rainy Lake, Black Bay Narrows Rainy Lake Visitor Center Public Water Access Site 13 miRamps: 1Docks: 4Trailer parking: 40Toilets: 2Ramp surface: Concrete Slab
Access data from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Distances are straight-line from our gauge, not driving distance.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources · public access inventory
Before you go
A Minnesota fishing license covers this water — $25 a year for residents. DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.
What it costs, and who is exempt →Nearby waters today
- 6 Biting Lake Winnibigoshish MN · 137 km
- 5 Picky Leech Lake MN · 170 km
- 4 Picky Gull Lake MN · 252 km
- 4 Picky Strawberry Reservoir UT · 1683 km
- 5 Picky Sam Rayburn Reservoir TX · 1950 km
Questions people ask about Rainy Lake
Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Rainy Lake.
- Is it worth fishing Rainy Lake today?
- 6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 3:15 AM–5:15 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend.
- What time should you fish Rainy Lake?
- Today's major windows run 3:15 AM–5:15 AM and 3:39 PM–5:39 PM, with minor windows at 11:52 AM–12:52 PM and 8:19 PM–9:19 PM. Sunrise is 6:50 AM and sunset 7:26 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
- What is the water temperature at Rainy Lake?
- No gauge on Rainy Lake measures it, so this is an estimate: roughly 56.8°F, worked out from the 7-day mean of air temperature at NOAA weather station KINL (Falls International Airport). Checked against the lakes that do have a thermometer, that method lands within about 4.5°F of the real reading and was off by 8.3°F at worst. Treat it as a ballpark, not a measurement — and note the bite index above ignores it entirely, because an error that size would move the verdict as often as it would fix it.
- Can you eat the fish you catch in Rainy Lake?
- That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Minnesota Department of Health publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where updated in March 2026 with new length-based limits for walleye and northern pike. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.
- Do you need a licence to fish Rainy Lake?
- Yes. A Minnesota fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.
- What size fish can you keep in Minnesota?
- It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: walleye and sauger, northern pike, muskellunge (muskie), white and black crappie. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.
Walleye and sauger limits · Northern pike limits · Muskellunge (muskie) limits · White and black crappie limits · Check a length against the rules
Where these numbers come from
- Solunar computed 7:58 AM
- NOAA KINL Falls International Airport 7:40 AM
- NOAA DLH gridded forecast 5:46 AM
The lake itself has no gauge. The outflow at International Falls shows how the lake is regulated, but it is no substitute for a lake level.
No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.