Rainbow lake

[Dave200516]

Does anyone fish Rainbow lake at all. I was wondering if it is all private or can you get in without a pass. A buddy of mine invited my out to do some fishing, but I have no clue on where to start to fish. :help: I went with my neighbor a few years and got quite a few jumbos out of there (in the summer). I would love to get a mess of those tasty buggers again. I was also wondering how the ice was.
thanks for the help everyone

[Splitshot]

Rainbow is a pretty good lake but it is all private. The rules state that you must be accompanied by a land owner in order to fish. As far as I know there is no such thing as a pass.

We had an outing last year and everyone caught a few gills. A couple of guys got limits.

The lake has big crappie if you can find them and lots of mid sized bass.

[tommy-n]

It's very private, about 8 years ago I was checking it out during the winter, after driving around the whole lake 3 times I saw 2 cop cars parked side by side talking. I walked up to them and asked is there any acess all, they said, do you know anyone living on the lake I replied no. The police men said you do not belong here then and if you try and park somewhere you will probally get in trouble. I gave up trying to get on the lake after that.

[doogster]

My inlaws own a place on Rainbow. The others are correct, private lake and they give each owner 2 passes and you MUST have them. In the summer, the association hires a security company to check everyone on the boats and beaches. GOOD fishing lake. Caught some real nice perch, gills, and crappie in there in the spring. 6 walleye also, fishing off their dock. Nice deep hole out from their place that produces all species. Tried it last winter (first year there) and couldn't get anything going. Anybody have any advice on how to catch those panfish in the winter???

[tommy-n]

Wait a minute, the lake is a dammed up river and people get dropped off on the far south end and go up the lake with canoes. Pass or no pass you could be on the water this way and nobody has any right to kick you out. Where and how you enter the water would be the problem as well as parking. All that pass does is give you a right to park at the lake association parks,pinic area or whatever. :D

[Splitshot]

Tommy,

Your right except you cannot take a canoe up stream because you must traspass by going over the dam property which is owned by the association.

You could however float from the upstream side or walk in when it freezes on Pine Creek. I'm not sure that the creek is nagivable however.

They wouldn't let me on one day last year because I forgot my card. I had to call a freind to bring his card over and that was in winter.

Since then I have been considering selling my lot there. I don't go there enough anyway. I took my boat out only once this summer just to locate some spots to try this winter.

[tommy-n]

There is alot of better lakes a half hour to 45 minutes to the north west anyway :D

[just ducky]

I know the area well (friend owns property on the lake). It's not a "navigable" stream, thus...private property and you have no right to trespass. No different than me putting a dam on the creek on my property. It's private.

[tommy-n]

Like I said it's nothing that great anyway, the size of fish are only average, not worth my time. If I really wanted to fish it I could, my sisters boyfreinds parents live on it. :D

[doogster]

Great Tommy, I guess i must have got lucky catching the nice size panfish!!! Splitshot, any pointers for the winter fishing there? I know you are quite proficient at getting the gills and crappies through the ice. Thanks!!

[Splitshot]

Find the river channel and look for brush piles or timber where the channel runs close to shore. It is important if you find weeds too.

There are lots of fish and when you can find them away from the crowds you can catch them all winter.

I have been fishing where I see small groups and search from there. This year I took my boat out and marked a half dozen places with my GPS so I expect this to be a better season on the ice.

Be mobile and move often. I use yellow high vis 2 lb and tight line it. Hard to do if its windy but I use a portable. A depth finder is important but you can do it the old fashoned way too and find depths with a big sinker.

This year I am hoping to find those 2 lb crappies. Good luck.

[doogster]

Splitshot, forgive me for this stupid question, but what is "tight-lining?"

[Splitshot]

When you tightline, you do not use a bobber of any kind but watch the line for movement. In the old days before high visibility line, we used to put a little kink in our line so we could see movement in the line to indicate a bite.

Today a lot of guys use the high visibility lines that you can see much better. Once you get used to tightlining you might fine it the most productive way to ice fish. If it is windy it is almost impossible to use this method unless you are in an ice shanty of some kind. Hope that helps.

Any time you ask a question you don't know the answer to it is not stupid but a good way to learn. Of course if you ask the wrong person, you might get a wrong answer so it is a good idea to double check it with someone else. What I'm saying is don't take my word for it.

[doogster]

Thanks for the reply. What I'm getting out of your last post is gills and crappie bight extremely light in the winter and watching your line is the only way you can tell if you got a strike??

We use those very light flexible ice fishing poles when we go to Simcoe with 4 lb test and a demon with a waxie. Would I just use that and change to 2lb yellow? At simcoe, you just watch the end of your rod and can see when something is biting.

Again, thanks for your help. I would love to start catching them in the winter. The perch fishing stinks lately in Saginaw Bay so I'd like to make the drive to Rainbow to hopefully catch a meal.

By the way, we are on the East side of the lake across from the beach. Not the beach where the public launch is, the smaller one. Know where I'm talking about?

[Splitshot]

When I tightline I use small 1/80 oz jigs with no additional weight. Sometimes they bite so light they don't move the rod tip but you can see the line move or if you are dropping it down you get a little slack line.

Then you have to be fast and snap your wrist up. If you go toward Goldust point there is some good structure about 150 feet from the end and about 20' off shore.

yes I know where that beach is.

[Rat City Hooker]

Dont know who you guys are but you are fishing in my backyard.
If you need a fishing partner send me a pm.
Have fished it for years.
Larry

[patcheroo]

We gonna have an outing there again this year?............Patch

[Splitshot]

Sounds like a plan Patch, since you caught all the fish there last time your a shoe in. I'll bring my card this time.lol On top of that, Rat City Hooker can be our guide.

I'll take suggestions for dates then post it in the Outings Forum. I'll try to find out what the ice conditions are too.

[Craig M]

I'd be up for that idea.