How\'s POOL 2 looking after rain?

Any pics or fishing reports since all the rain?

I was out on Thursday afternoon for couple hours. MN River to the confluence and then up toward the dam. water is up, fast, and full of debris. 7 feet of water in some backwater areas that are usually not accessible in my boat.

pool2fool wrote:

I was out on Thursday afternoon for couple hours. MN River to the confluence and then up toward the dam. water is up, fast, and full of debris. 7 feet of water in some backwater areas that are usually not accessible in my boat.

Now the river is up a couple feet from Thursday plus it’s expected to crest another two feet by the weekend.

For all the P2’ers that like high flow we will sure have some this Fall again. Three years in a row we have had high flow like this in the Fall.

I was out at Hidden Falls yesterday, the water was nearly up to top of the ramp

I tried shore fishing watergate marina area Sunday night and could barely find a spot to stand amongst the trees. Extreeeeeeeemely high.

Here are a few pics from today at about 6pm. 494 the dock has been pulled out. First time I have ever seen a tuna boat tied off to the fishing pier! Two fishing boats out. Lions is still open. One boat out at Lions. River is expected to come another foot or so. Plan accordingly!

-J.

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I launched at 494 today. There was basically no grade to the “ramp.” It took. . . a while. Marked some fish on wing dams but no takers for me today.

Anyone know about Hastings? Might try to get down there later this week.

Hastings is fine.

Prescott is fine too if you don’t mind putting your whole truck in the water.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Hastings is fine.

Prescott is fine too if you don’t mind putting your whole truck in the water.

FWIW that was my experience at 494 yesterday as well. Like an Idiot I forgot boots. I drive an old Explorer, so I backed it in as far as I felt safe, climbed out the back hatch onto the trailer tongue, etc. It’s definitely a push off & crank up scenario.

With two guys it’d be a lot easier, obviously.

Prescott has dock. No need for boots. FYI

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Prescott is fine too if you don’t mind putting your whole truck in the water.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Prescott has dock. No need for boots. FYI

I’m not playing devil’s advocate, this is an honest question from an inexperienced guy:

So you’re loading back onto trailer. You tie your boat off at the dock and back the “whole truck” into the water. How do you get from the driver’s seat of your truck back to the boat without needing boots.

I ask because this was the point at which I got wet yesterday. I could’ve climbed out my window, up onto my hood and probably jumped far off enough to clear the water but. . .

Easy answer.

If your driver’s side is nearest the dock, open door and step from truck into dock.
If passenger side nearest to dock, crawl to passenger side, open door and step onto dock.

I almost always launch so my driver’s side is nearest dock unless someone is using that side.. For this reason only.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Easy answer.

If your driver’s side is nearest the dock, open door and step from truck into dock.
If passenger side nearest to dock, crawl to passenger side, open door and step onto dock.

I almost always launch so my driver’s side is nearest dock unless someone is using that side.. For this reason only.

Yeah, that makes sense. Sometimes I’m terrible at visualizing. I launch 95% of the time at Fort Snelling where the dock is on the passenger side, and the ramp gets worse the closer you get to the dock so I always stay toward the middle.

I launch alone quite often. I just attach a long rope to the boat. Back in far enough for the boat to float off. Feed out rope as you are pulling out. When back on dry land, just pull the boat up to shore. Also keep a pair of hip waders in the truck in case they are needed getting the boat back on trailer.

-J.

That might work good for bunk trailers but roller trailers that’s not possible Jon unless you go in water.

This time of year when the docks come out and waters typically lower and a guy has to back in quite far, open the rear hatch,and I’d remove a back seat or fold down prior to backing in and crawl through to get to tongue then balance beam to boat. If I had a truck id get a small ladder to climb into truck bed. If you have a topper then you’re SOL

Yeah, if I’d backed in far enough to float the boat off my roller trailer yesterday I think my truck would still be in the river. Even pushing it off was dicey. It was hard to get leverage. All the weight is in the back, push too hard and the stern wanted to go straight down. Had to take it very slowly.

Goose it off the trailer and have some speed when putting it back on… Sometimes you gotta run to the front or back of the boat to get the bow to drop or transom to fall. It can be touchy deal in high water with flat ramp.

Water is pretty high at Hidden Falls. Had a little time to waste and got a 15″ eye on my first cast from shore this morning.

Guys, the water is still close to 60. Strip down to your drawers and get wet!

Matt Moen wrote:

Guys, the water is still close to 60. Strip down to your drawers and get wet!

This would be fine for a lot of landings but some of them on pool 2 you are going to want to keep your pants on.

Has the water started to level off yet? Fishing should be getting good now.

I never “want” to keep my pants on. But yeah the families skipping rocks at Hidden Falls would probably not love to see me in my skivvies trying to coax the ol’ barge off my trailer. Although I have observed a homeless guy bathing on Pike Island and a sad old lady “changing” on shore near dowtown.

Looks like it’s set to continue to rise until at least Sunday. St. Paul River gauge has us currently at 10.3 with flow at 51.3 kcfs; Sunday’s forecasted for nearly 11 / 55. It’s crazy, the flow 5 days ago was 41.7

Seems like the water is really going to be moving this weekend. I had planned on going out but not sure if I want to risk it on my own. Had planned on P3 and launching from Hastings but that might be an adventure launching by myself. I think it might be time to hit the St Croix. I know it has risen but the flow never seems to be an issue.

Would you guys go it alone? I could launch at Watergate but was hoping to keep a couple for the frying pan so P2 is out.

Matt Moen wrote:

Would you guys go it alone?

Yup.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
Would you guys go it alone?

Yup.

Always. You know what you’re doing out there, Matt. Just be safe and smart and don’t be too stubborn to call it a day if conditions are making you uncomfortable. I drove to Mille Lacs this summer, caught 1 great fish on my first pass over Myr Mar reef, the rain and wind moved in and I was GONE.

The upper part of pool flow can really be cooking through there. When it’s rising the trees floating down made it a no-go for me. Once it settles out, which it should close here it’s game on. Cold fast water makes em much more predictable.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
Would you guys go it alone?

Wouldnt even give it a second thought.

You guys talked me into it…I’ll launch at Hastings and then I can shoot up to the Croix if I want to.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/boatwater/nowake/index.html

More like crawling along the Croix

Tough day out there….been a long time since I’ve been skunked. Pool 3 water is like pea soup with a ton of debris in the water. It’s moving fast but there was plenty of fishable water.

Hastings launch isn’t terrible but tough by yourself with no dock. No real good places to tie off the boat.

Talked to one other brave soul fighting the rain and he had no luck either.