Do any of you fish or boat on the lower Chippewa? Is there another river gauge besides the one in Eau Claire? I looked at before we left it read 2500cfs but it sure seemed like alot more water than that. We ran down there yesterday but did not bring any fishing gear just went for a boat ride and some swimming.
Fish down towards Dunnville Bottoms. Near the bike trail and big railroad bridge. Where did you launch town or maybe off of HWY H?
Yes, there’s a river gauge in Durand. I’d download an app to monitor it if you’re serious about fishing the river. Use extreme caution out there. In over 20 years of fishing it in my youth there were constant unforeseen dangers. You can be in 18” of water or 12’ in a matter of a few feet in some areas. Take your time, wear a PFD, and use a reliable boat as the current really moves out there.
There are some fairly productive spots just North of Durand. If you’re into catching mid-sized smallies, the lower Chippewa is tough to beat for numbers from now through early Fall.
There is a population of ‘eyes but it takes some pretty good knowledge of the area or a lot of blind luck to stay over the fish.
Other species I’ve caught in my younger years in that area include: drum, crappies, bluegill, carp, longnose gar, muskie, perch, channel cats, flatheads, pike, buffalo, red horse, shovelnose sturgeon, and paddlefish.
I’d say normal flow out there for this time of year is well under 10k cfs. Probably somewhere closer to 4K-5k. Gauge height in Durand for this time of year is on average anywhere from 3.5 – 5.5 feet. It will be nearly 3x that in a couple days as it surpasses flood stage.
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We put in at Tiffany bottoms and ran up to Holtes landing.
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