Just a brief report… We found plenty of walleye and white bass that were willing to hit firetiger and black gold sunset #5 flicker shad Sunday night. #5 shad raps also produced. We trolled about 2.5 MPH in 5 to 8 FOW from 7pm to dark off the rip rap shoreline on the SD side. The wind was a beast this weekend!
Did you notice if the water on the lake was down some? I had one report that by the time you got up the lake to Springfield there was dry land between the waters edge and the cattails. When the lake’s at normal pool those cattails are usually standing in the water. They must have drawn down the lake to leave them high and dry.
We had good water last weekend on up the river from Verdell to Running Water. I didn’t get all the way to Springfield but hope to make that run this weekend. Have you heard anything about the lake levels from tomorrow on?
The lake was down a little. I didn’t run up to the west end at all. I spent more family time on this trip so I just did a little trolling near the SD Park. I haven’t heard anything about upcoming lake levels.
Thanks, I’ll post after this weekend but sure seems like they can’t find a happy medium this year. Its up and down like a yoyo.
Cool, good post Wade! I’m hoping to make it up there sometime to check it all out, never seen the place. But I know there are some nice fish to be caught there!
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Cool, good post Wade! I’m hoping to make it up there sometime to check it all out, never seen the place. But I know there are some nice fish to be caught there!
There is some excellent catfishing here Brian. Holler when you come this way.
Water level was down I would guess at least a foot from last week.
You know I’ll definitely do that, Wade!
I’ve been told by locals on the river they are running the turbines wide open from about 2-10 PM, maybe half at night then about shut-off in the AM. That’s why the river is nuts. I haven’t looked up the outflows personally.
In other words, be careful if you venture into backwaters or use shallow ramps.
For cats, go to the extreme west end and fish north of the south shore about 1/4 mile in the 2-4′ water in the low light hours. You should be able to get quality channels and bonus walleye. Get relatively close to the reeds, say within 50-400 yards depending on your depth. Be careful up there, old snags, new logs, dropping water, etc. You’ll have to idle in quite a ways.
If you are an explorer, be aware that as you enter the marsh on the Nebraska side there is a channel RIGHT on the bluff that is very narrow. But just off the bank there is a buffer island that can be quite long that parallels the channel/bluff. Sometimes it will have cattails on it depending on what they’ve been doing with water levels. You will see boats fly in and out of this chute occasionally, unless you’ve done it yourself be careful! If you want to go up the river, take the 2nd right channel, not the first.
Todd
I spent last weekend up there, found my way out into the lake from Springfield down the SD side. Sounds like you’ve got a route down the NE side past Santee, is that right? Have you used the Santee ramp? Do you run the NE side through all the stumps past Devels Nest to Miller Creek? I saw where someone has bouyed the trail into the swamp from the lake with milk jugs on the SD side. Is there anything marking the route from the lake into the river on the NE side or threw those stumps along Devels Nest?
I fished from Running Water down to the lake. Didn’t have too bad a day Saturday down to Springfield but there into the lake on Sunday was slow. Most of the channels back through the swamp were short on water and any chutes off of them hardley had enough to float a boat. I’ve heard about some great largemouth fishing in that Santee/Springfield area but you couldn’t prove it by me. The only one I caught had a 5 pound head but was so skinny hardly weighed 3.
If there’s a route out the Santee side down the NE shore, I’d like to find it too. The way the wind gets on the lake at times it makes a big difference in your ride if you can pick which shore you run.
Fluff
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=santee,+ne&ie=UTF8&ll=42.849541,-97.814884&spn=0.070855,0.137672&t=k&z=13&om=1
See if this link works for you fluff. It’s a satellite view of the area. You will notice there is a small channel on the bluff and two bare sandbars I believe roughly. There ARE stumps, snags and everything else in the area. I, nor no one else, would ever claim to give someone directions on the marsh because of this. From the marsh down the Nebraska side there are quite a few stump fields actually that people don’t realize are there – me included. I just put every new one I see as a Skull & Crossbones in my GPS.
I have driven all the way from the lake above Verdel, but not often. Usually I go from Verdel to the mouth of the Niobrara. Running Water down to Lost Creek and Springfield or Santee up to Lost Creek. The Lost Creek area and the Niobrara-Bridge area are the toughest for me usually to navigate.
I’m certainly no expert. Most of my time on the river is in the fall and spring for walleyes and ducks.
The Santee Boat ramp is nice enough but very low water dependent.
One thing I always tell people is to explore going up river, not downriver. It’s a lot easier to push off a bar with the current helping.
Every year people get stranded in the marsh and on the river. Many times due to unexpected water lowering, sometimes due to just getting a little lost and not finding the way out.
Thanks for the help. Sounds about like I expected going down that Nebraska side. Lots of stumpsdown past Devels Nest and the only safe way to run them is go mark every one. I may be stuck running up the SD side where they don’t seem to be a problem.
I did check out the satellite view and have some aerial photos of the area but nothing works like time on the water. I’ve got that on the river from Running Water up, now I’ll burn some gas from there down to the lake.
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