Rainy Lake, Ontario: ice fishing

Rainy Lake is a lake in Ontario, about 826 km² in size, near Fort Frances, about 288 km W of Thunder Bay (straight-line distance). Sport fish recorded here: Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie and Smallmouth Bass.

What fish are in Rainy Lake?

Sport fish recorded in Rainy Lake: Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie, Smallmouth Bass.

Guides: Walleye ice fishing guide · Northern Pike ice fishing guide

Is the ice safe on Rainy Lake?

Nobody has reported ice thickness on Rainy Lake yet this season. Do not assume the ice is safe: drill and measure it yourself. Ice thickness guidance.

What are the fishing regulations for Rainy Lake?

Regulation zone: Northwest Ontario — Fisheries Management Zone 5 border water with Minnesota; each jurisdiction's rules apply on its side

Season: Ontario sets species seasons, not an ice season. Walleye, pike and crappie seasons and border-waters rules for Rainy Lake are in the Ontario summary — check which side of the border you are fishing.

Limits: Sport and Conservation licences carry different catch-and-keep limits by species and zone — read this lake's zone table in the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary before keeping fish. Never target a species in its closed season, even for release.

Licence: Outdoors Card + Ontario fishing licence required for most anglers 18–64. Ontario's Family Fishing Weekend in mid-February is licence-free for Canadian residents; all seasons and limits still apply.

Official regulations (Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary (zone tables)). Always confirm against the current official guide before you fish. This summary may be out of date or incomplete: you are responsible for reading and following the current regulations, and Ice Fish Canada is not responsible for any violation or illegal harvest (poaching) that results from relying on it.

Catches and lures

No catches logged on Rainy Lake yet. Sign in to log yours and see what's catching as the reports come in.

Other lakes near Rainy Lake

Updated 2026-11-06. Lake names and locations: Canadian Geographical Names Data Base (Natural Resources Canada). Lake sizes: HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016, CC BY 4.0). Nearest towns: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). About these data.