Lake Pepin

I’ll be heading to Lake Pepin for the weekend. We are staying in the Nelson area. Anyone have thoughts on the best place to launch? or with the high water is there any place to launch? Hoping to drag leadcore and planer boards but it may be more of a scouting mission for future trips.

Thanks,
Nate

I launched out of lake city saturday, high water in the parking lot, but had no problems at all. Watch out around the pepin marina there are rocks under water that are usually sticking out at least 5 feet.

We tried trolling pepin a week ago before the water came up and the weeds made it impossible, weeds floating on top. Water was thicker than pea soup too…..and that was before all the high water. Good luck. Please report back on how you do. I haven’t been out since. This report shows the water level dropping like a rock by this weekend.

You can use the ramp at the town of pepin. But you will have too back up in some water to launch. As of yesterday there were boats launching there. . rrr

I’ve been out once on the lake in the high water this week. There are a lot of variables that can factor into success, or at least mine, during this time of year.

-water level (very high)

-shad schools (if you find some big ones, fish will be close by)

-boat traffic (will be exponential once waters recede with people itching to get out)

-visibility of water (currently bad, less than 6”)

-bug hatches (can be lights out fishing when it’s immediately happening, followed by a tough bite for a few days)

I’d avoid launching in the channel areas downstream of the lake due to debris. Pulling lead is my go to approach to locate fish from now for the next couple months. We did ok earlier this week, but could not troll due to weeds floating in the high waters. We found some fish willing to hit pitched plastics up shallow, nearly on shore. In a couple weeks a solid wingdam bite with leeches, crawlers, or willowcats will likely take off (if the water ever drops). Best of luck. Wear your PFDs.

Thanks for the help everyone. I will provide a follow-up report when I return…pretty low pressure trip so will have fun regardless.

Don’t know about pepin, but if you find some nice seems right against shore on the river they will be full of bait. Pitching blade baits yesterday in those conditions was excellent walleye bite. Naturally the white bass will be harassing minnows as well and also easy to catch.

Looking for a place to water ski tomorrow.

Is pepin too full of debris right now?

Thinking of using launch in lake City

Might fish too

Thanks

Follow up on my trip to Pepin.

I put in at Parkside in Wabasha (in the parking lot, literally). Took my wife and daughter and her boyfriend on a boat ride for much of the day…just marked spots to fish on my GPS between there and Pepin (MN and WI sides). After I dropped them off at the dock I went back out and fished one flat downstream of Pepin for about 20 minutes before the black cloud moved me off the water! Did catch a sauger and a walleye (both small) in 15 fow! Marked a lot of fish anywhere there was a depth change.

What a great body of water! I will be back!