Had the boat at Watergate few years ago and got to fish that section and was nice, but not a fan of getting thru the no wake in St Paul, and the lack of fish come summertime in those parts especially if we get some dry conditions. Might shack it up again this year and curious to where you fellas would think of keeping yours if looking for one. Fishing as important as recreational cruising.
Don’t want to get to far from the metro.
Any recommendations?
I’m no help for suggestions up that way, but what kind of boat do you slip?
My wife and I are currently doing battle over slipping the tritoon down here on the Mississippi or trailering it the whopping 1.8 miles to the launch.
1994 crestliner phantom 186.
Put in an auto bilge and made new some other things to worry a lil less for being in the water all the time. PIA the cover but it is what it is.
I thought you had a 1994 Crestliner Tree Crusher Phantom or was that a different boat?
This marina is on the same channel as Lions Levee boat ramp, about a city block down stream.
http://www.thehiddenharbor.com
Nice bar/restaurant there too:
http://www.willieshiddenharbor.com/menu/
-J.
I thought you had a 1994 Crestliner Tree Crusher Phantom or was that a different boat?
Keep er in the water this time away from 60′ cottonwoods
I’ve stayed at Willies. Met the owner and seemed like a great guy.
If you rent a slip from him for a year, he will GIVE you one of many abandoned houseboats he has on dry dock. My neighbor at the Harbor Marina has one of the giveaways. You won’t be getting much, but it is free.
Stay away from the river lake marina…it’s south of Lions Levee on the opposite side of the river.
Kind of a dilemma…fishing is better south of downtown but cruising is nicer and quieter north. Problem south is you deal with barges and more big boats. North of downtown is quiet with great places to tie up and chill. It can also smell kinda rotten down south sometimes.
If it was me I’d stick with Watergate because my family doesn’t enjoy the south end at all. We usually tie up at the dam or Snelling and chill.
Good info Matt, grass is always greener on the other side of the no wake….
Good part of my boating is for R and R. But I sure would like to get on better catfishing come summertime. Or do I get a slip on the croix for purposeful day trips w family and friends and accept the 14′ boat for weekday trips to local spots…..
Twin city marina looks decent. Haven’t called around yet for availability which very well could make all this a fruitless conversation
Good info Matt, grass is always greener on the other side of the no wake….
Good part of my boating is for R and R. But I sure would like to get on better catfishing come summertime. Or do I get a slip on the croix for purposeful day trips w family and friends and accept the 14′ boat for weekday trips to local spots…..
Twin city marina looks decent. Haven’t called around yet for availability which very well could make all this a fruitless conversation
Of the 2 nearest marinas by us, one is booked with a 30-40 boat waiting list (8-10 come open per year on average) and the other has usually only a 1 year wait. The one with less of a wait has a public access which is a “negative” for most people who slip boats as it brings substantially more traffic. The one with a longer wait is quieter and more expensive.
Watergate used to just offer parking spots for smaller boats. I think you could do it monthly. That could be a good option cuz it’s about 2 minutes to dump in or hook up and then drive a few miles to 494 or lions.
That’s what I had at Watergate, just slipped er in each time. Very easy. But I’d pay for the convenience of a slip this time if I can find one. Made some calls and there is limited availability.
Your initial comments now have me waffling on the croix or miss tho, kids love swimming and gonna be a hard one in the miss that far south and if it’s a dry year again , blah.
If it was me I’d stick with Watergate because my family doesn’t enjoy the south end at all. We usually tie up at the dam or Snelling and chill.
Matt, my family is the opposite.. They love it down south!!
Beads.. If you ever wanted a tour of this section and the marinas let me know. I could take you for a boat ride and show you what options are there and what is on this end of the river. The offer is out there if you were interested.
Lots of good swimming down that way Busch?
Kiddos love to hang on a beach, don’t want to worry about em getting dragged away in current honestly.
Anytime you are on the river bank or an island fishing/swimming make sure you position your boat/self further down stream than your kids/clients in case someone goes in. As always have your throwable handy (at the front of the boat in this case) so you can grab quickly and don’t pull your boat up so far it’s a struggle to get off and of course always put your anchor on land no matter what. Any big wave/wind/tide can float your boat and it’s gone before you know it.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
If it was me I’d stick with Watergate because my family doesn’t enjoy the south end at all. We usually tie up at the dam or Snelling and chill.Matt, my family is the opposite.. They love it down south!!
Beads.. If you ever wanted a tour of this section and the marinas let me know. I could take you for a boat ride and show you what options are there and what is on this end of the river. The offer is out there if you were interested.
Same. We love the lower half. Plenty of good swimming beaches. Not as much traffic (or just more room). Great fishing. Its the “lazy” half of the pool.
What about River Heights?
Lots of good swimming down that way Busch?
Kiddos love to hang on a beach, don’t want to worry about em getting dragged away in current honestly.
Beads, it all depends when you go. Its the river. The current is no different on the south end than you see up north. If anything its less in some areas.
The best part about down south is you can find a beach or some shoreline to pull the boat up, catch fish, cook some food and be by yourself. There are a few areas that get lots of shore traffic but is always an option to get away and by yourself. Also, you do not see large developments with people and cars everywhere. It still feels like you are “away” from the cities when you get south of the levee. There are a few houses and some industrial facilities but no high rise buildings, bridges or crackheads walking around. There might be some crazies in their boats (including myself) but everyone is pretty good down here. It has been busier the last two years but would say its pretty quiet most the time. Nothing compared to the Croix and P3.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mr.Beads wrote:</div>
Lots of good swimming down that way Busch?Kiddos love to hang on a beach, don’t want to worry about em getting dragged away in current honestly.
Beads, it all depends when you go. Its the river. The current is no different on the south end than you see up north. If anything its less in some areas.
The best part about down south is you can find a beach or some shoreline to pull the boat up, catch fish, cook some food and be by yourself. There are a few areas that get lots of shore traffic but is always an option to get away and by yourself. Also, you do not see large developments with people and cars everywhere. It still feels like you are “away” from the cities when you get south of the levee. There are a few houses and some industrial facilities but no high rise buildings, bridges or crackheads walking around. There might be some crazies in their boats (including myself) but everyone is pretty good down here. It has been busier the last two years but would say its pretty quiet most the time. Nothing compared to the Croix and P3.
Different strokes for different folks. I will take the upper pool and its crackheads over the oil refinery 10 times outta 10. Yes, the upper end is more densely populated, but there are plenty of places to pull up on a sandy shoreline and see nobody at all. On the southern end I feel like the man-made infrastructure is more in your face with the docks and houses right on the water. I see a lot more wildlife up top as well — deer swimming across the river, coyotes, turkeys, beavers. Down south I see a ton of eagles but not much else. But mostly I prefer the upper end because I have more success fishing. Different strokes for different folks.
Dirty Water, not to argue but truth is the refinery is right in the middle of the pool. Once you get south of lions levee there is not much man made infrastructure. Nothing compared to the upper end?? Not sure what you are comparing it to anyways. I do agree that everyone has their preferences and there is nothing wrong with that.
Anytime you are on the river bank or an island fishing/swimming make sure you position your boat/self further down stream than your kids/clients in case someone goes in. As always have your throwable handy (at the front of the boat in this case) so you can grab quickly and don’t pull your boat up so far it’s a struggle to get off and of course always put your anchor on land no matter what. Any big wave/wind/tide can float your boat and it’s gone before you know it.
Yourself downstream? Yes. I’d agree. We’ve always got a couple adults downstream of any kids.
Your boat downstream? Ideally not. You don’t want kids, toys, inflatables, or anything else swept under a boat. All it takes is one unknown hole or a large wave and moving water to have someone swept under it.
We generally park the tritoon on the upriver side of where we want to swim and keep all the action on only one side of the boat. We also make it a point to take the coolers chairs, etc. downstream on shore so adults are always beneath anyone swimming.
We’ll have to agree to disagree there Bucky. How could that even happen??? If like you said “We’ve always got a couple adults downstream of any kids”. If you’re still worried about it then they must not be doing their job.
There’s also no way every time I stop for a stretch I’m parking on the top of the bar and walking all of our crap to the bottom when it can otherwise just stay in/near the boat. Not to mention I like using the rod holders in the boat to throw out a few lines (below, not in the swimming area).
But, whatever works best as long as the kids are safe.
I agree with Dirty water. No wildlife in the lower pool, no fish, ugly, polluted, crazies, etc.
Dirty Water, not to argue but truth is the refinery is right in the middle of the pool. Once you get south of lions levee there is not much man made infrastructure. Nothing compared to the upper end?? Not sure what you are comparing it to anyways. I do agree that everyone has their preferences and there is nothing wrong with that.
Definitely not trying to pick a fight. By the pics of some of the fish you guys pull out of lower p2 it’s clear that I am missing out on something. And if I knew how to be that successful down there I’d probably spend more time on it. I lack patience so I tend to stick to what I know which is catching lots of fish up to 23-24 inches or on crankbaits on the upper end.
To clarify what I mean about shoreline development and manmade infrastructure. The vast majority of the shoreline from the Ford dam to downtown Saint Paul is undeveloped. Yes you get the bridges (same on the lower end), and you can see buildings high up on the bluffs, but the amount of development right on the shore line is minimal. Pull up google maps and Zoom in. There’s a pretty great tree/sand buffer on that entire stretch. Huge amount of parkland — Minnehaha park, Hidden Falls, Crosby Farm, Fort Snelling State Park, Lilydale Regional park. Those take a massive amount of shoreline on the upper pool. In contrast, the lower pool you have a bunch of barge terminals, the refinery, union pacific railyard, a sand/gravel quarry, and the stretch south of Lion’s where there are bunch of houses very near the water with docks. Just not my cup o tea.
Dirty Water, I am very familiar with the section of river you are talking about.
Like you said. Different folks. That’s ok!
Lower pool 2 offers more than many know and I don’t mind that. I prefer it.
I believe Beads is looking for some input on the marinas specifically. I worked at the Hidden Harbor for a few years and can answer about that location but do not know much about River Heights, Twin Cities or River Lake marina. I drive by them all the time but have no experience with keep a boat at the facility.
What I do have experience with is navigating and fishing P2 and just offered a tour of it if Mr Beads wanted to see the lower end. I am down there all the time. I grew up on here and have put more miles on this section of river than I want to admit. I don’t mind sharing some of the info if someone needs it.
Basically, the stretch north of lions to downtown is pretty ugly. The further north or south you go is better.
For family time, I like fort snelling along the confluence, the area under hwy 5, and by the dam for family chilling. The pursuit of big fish is better south. Numbers are better north.
Watergate is the only option though north. But, puttering through downtown if you are at a marina like Buschman pointed out isn’t a terrible option.
I appreciate the offer Busch, and everyones input is greatly appreciated as well.
Boat tour would be hard to not be thinking about all the prespawn fatties in the upper stretch, perhaps after the spawn if I haven’t made a decision yet. My boats getting out starting next week.
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