Osceola

Good to be back on the Croix. Hit the river about 7 this morning. Water levels are a very low for this time of year. Low water but a decent current this morning. They must of had the dam open this morning.
Water temps where upper 40’s when we put in and low 50’s by noon.
Went looking for some white bass but could not find a one. Thought we might of seen a couple hit the surface.
Even the rough fish where a little scarce today. Took a cruise threw one of the shallow back waters and we think there might of been one school of rough fish in the distince swimming away from us. Other wise nothing. I would of thought there would be a good number of fish in the backwaters by now.
If the weather holds I might have to give the taylors falls area a shot for some crappies and whitties on sunday afternoon.
It sure is nice to be back on this streach of water.

I shook the rust of my boat yesterday out of Hudson. Of course I threw in some crappie minnows. Didn’t get a bite in the 2.5 hrs I was out. Water is terribly low. Fished a little backwater cut just south the bridge and the marina.
Wish bass season was open. Nice day though and the motor ran like a champ. Saw a couple of people with the cowls of their motors off. Sure am glad I have pros winterize my boat. Saves a lot of hassle for the first trip out of the year. BRING ON THE OPENER!

Made it out again on sunday. That wind was crazy. It is not to often there gets to be white caps on the upper croix. Sunday was one of those days.
Tried my luck in the cliffs at Taylors falls. Not much going on there either. There where a few small eyes being caught by a couple of guys bank fishing. No crappies or whities. After that warm weather on sunday it shouldn’t be long before they start jumping.

What techniques were you trying Mike? I’m wondering if you looked for “warming pools” with nearby retreats and putting a slip bobber in there with a crappie minnow might be a good thing to try?

I’m thinking I’ll be breaking out the 12′ rod within a couple weeks for “reaching” a fish or two.

On sunday the areas I hit where chosen for lack of wind. Pitching jigs, slowly retrieveing them to the boat. A bobber might have worked in that area.

I’ve had NO results from movement yet. The line is always still when my bite comes……….. so far……… I’m sure this is a temporary condition! If the water warms another 5-8 degrees, I think the aggressive natures will begin to explode!

Good luck out there!

I was going to try fishing from shore underneath the osceola bridge. The question I have what works best for walleyes..northern..etc? Is it worth fishing catfish from shore here? Thanks for all advice

Hi Dave! Welcome to the best place for fishing info anywhere second only to hiring a guide!

Just wanted to welcome you to the board! We have a few guys up that way that can help you out. When they get back from fishing…I’m sure they’ll respond….

Looking forward to hearing your fishing reports!

You will find that underneath the bridge and down stream from there is a large shallow sand flat. Less than 5′. This might be a good spot for just throwing some bait out on the bottom and letting it sit. You will most likely catch a little of everything.
If you go to the south end of the park there is a fishing pier there. This area is also good for bottom fishing and I would think might be a little more productive than the sand flat. There should be a school of white bass in this area along with just about every thing else. It can be a little slow during the mid day but hang around a little after dark and it picks up. Throwing shallow cranks for walleyes. Bobber fishing for eyes and crappies. Bottom fishing for cats, eyes and stuergon can all be productive here. I think the key is the time of day in this area. Bring the lighted bobbers.
There is also some fishing spots just up stream of the bridge. This is where I landed my biggest cat to date. 45″ flat head. It was also this time of year. There is a small slack water area just north of the bridge. This area used to have a good evening walleye bite. Might be slow during the day. Big fish after dark. I never did try this area in the morning.
Good luck fishing this area. I spent about 2 years bank fishing here before buying a boat. You should have a good time.
Plan on bring bait with you because I dont believe there is anywhere in town to buy it.

Thanks for the invite! I’ll be down there next week and I was just curious if it’s worth shore fishing around the bridge? Should I use slip bobber..spoons..etc??

thanks i’ll let you know how it goes!

You just used cut up suckers for bait? Any other baits you recommend?