10-03-07
The fall walleye bite on the St. Croix is good. Usually in the fall when the bite turns from good to great many spots turn on up and down the river. I call the bite good because you can currently scratch up enough fish to keep you interested and with numbers enough for a fish fry or to release. I have watch various techniques catch fish from jigging minnows vertically (3/8th ounce) with without stingers and fatheads to jigging blade baits (1/2 ounce) silver, gold, red/white, and firetiger colored work well. I continue to rig with bait crawlers and minnows and that is working as well. I’ll vertical jig soon as well but the light livebait rig bite is fun for customers. Trolling three ways with rapala stickbaits is working as well. Best depths are from 16 6to 28 feet in the day and shallower in the early morning hours.
The river is on a slow and meager rise from 675.84 to 676.2 this will cloud water and fill the eddies with debris, and move some walleye and sauger. Minnows are still very important; unfortunately the shad are staying still for long.
The sturgeon bite is very good, and anglers continue to enjoy multiple memorable battles on their outings. Numerous reports of 45 to 52 inch fish are common.
Keep Catchin’
Turk