Ice Fishing Blues

Can’t complain about the summer temps being too high but the bugs have been down right brutal after a soggy June. River (Mississippi) level has been high all summer. We nearly hit the 17′ foot mark in Lansing last week. Fishing has been all but impossible as the majority of finned critters have been on vacation on the flooded islands and marshes. Many of the landings on both sides of the river were flooded out. With the water level so high ~ the landings that dumped into small bays or river chutes were channel locked by the railroad bridges themselves. Some of the RR bridges were mere feet from the top of the water level.

December can’t come soon enough.

bosman wrote:

Can’t complain about the summer temps being too high but the bugs have been down right brutal after a soggy June. River (Mississippi) level has been high all summer. We nearly hit the 17′ foot mark in Lansing last week. Fishing has been all but impossible as the majority of finned critters have been on vacation on the flooded islands and marshes. Many of the landings on both sides of the river were flooded out. With the water level so high ~ the landings that dumped into small bays or river chutes were channel locked by the railroad bridges themselves. Some of the RR bridges were mere feet from the top of the water level.

December can’t come soon enough.

Guys that fish the river exclusively have had a tough go of it this spring and summer, no doubt. At the current rate of drop how long will it be before your stretch is fishable?

bosman wrote:

December can’t come soon enough.

Never thought I would hear that from anyone after last winter….

The gates will go back in early this week at Genoa James.
River is dropping like a rock. Once she stabilizes a bit and the fish re-orientate it will be pretty good fishing for most species. I’m hoping by next weekend.

Never thought I would hear that from anyone after last winter….
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It was in fact a long winter last year. Only irritating part (to me) was the price of propane. The ice fishing was spectacular last year. With the river being as high as it has been for as long as it has been this summer will only improve the quality of fishing late this Fall and come this Winter on the ice!

With putting in 60-70 hrs a week now and running my business mostly on the weekends there has been very little time to fish so thoughts are on first ice and hopefully a walleye bonanza as last winter.