Ok looking at the regulations no fishing on pool 2 but down stream about 1 mile down I can fish for walleyes? Last year landed boat at Hastings boat landing went south to a place where another stream appeared to be coming and lots of people fishing there would that be the Wisconsin side? Can you get a boat in on Hastings landing or any others? Thanks had a blast last year but just don’t understand how it works down there.
I think you are talking pool 3, Pool 2 is from the Ford dam down to US Lock and Dam No. 2 just north of the Hastings bridge.
Your question doesn’t really make sense and I’m not sure what you’re asking, but the entirety of pool
2 from ford dam to Hastings dam is open to fishing year round. Walleye and smb/lmb are 100% catch and release at all times. I also think that 100% of p2 is fully in MN so there is no such thing as the Wisconsin side.
I believe pool 2 runs between the Lock and Dam #1 located in Saint Paul to lock and Dam #2 in hastings. If I’m not mistaken all of this section of the Mississippi is open year around for catch and release only. Pool 3 is totally different.
Things may be different since I last fished pool 2 about 8 years ago. We use to start our bass fishing season way back in the Grey Cloud channel ( As far back as you could go ) we were often fishing it by early to mid April.
If you put in at Hastings, you are in pool 3. From today until the Mn opener pool 3 is closed from the dam down to Prescott where the St Croix dumps in. You can fish downstream from there. The St Croix is also closed, so once you go under the RR bridge, you are in closed water.
FWIW, that bite at the confluence is pretty slow until the St Croix ice goes out and the water warms up a bit. Not saying you wont catch anything, just typically slow.
Edit: It you intend to fish that area, put in at Prescott. There is a pay box there at the ramp. You can also get a season pass if you think you are going to fish there more often.
-J.
2 from ford dam to Hastings dam is open to fishing year round. Walleye and smb/lmb are 100% catch and release at all times. I also think that 100% of p2 is fully in MN so there is no such thing as the Wisconsin side.
Pool 2 is entirely inland waters as it does not share a border with another state. It has a special regulation that allows one to fish the entire year with no closed season for walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass but all of those species must be immediately released.
People often lump northern pike in with the walleye, sauger, smallmouth and largemouth but that is not true. You can keep northerns and there’s a closed season. It follows the state inland water rules. But it’s tricky because part of Pool 2 makes up the border between the North Central Pike Zone and the Southern Pike Zone. As I understand it, the part of Pool 2 downstream of the confluence with the Minnesota river follows the Southern Zone regulations which means a limit of 2 with a minimize size of 24″. But the portion of Pool 2 upstream of the confluence of the Minnesota river to the Ford Dam follows the North Central zones that has a limit of 10 with not more than 2 over 26″ and all from 22″-26″ must be immediately released. Seems like an enforcement headache.
SnipImage.jpg
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dirty Water wrote:</div>
2 from ford dam to Hastings dam is open to fishing year round. <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>Walleye and smb/lmb are 100% catch and release at all times. I also think that 100% of p2 is fully in MN so there is no such thing as the Wisconsin side.Pool 2 is entirely inland waters as it does not share a border with another state. It has a special regulation that allows one to fish the entire year with no closed season for walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, and largemouth <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass but all of those species must be immediately released.
People often lump northern pike in with the walleye, sauger, smallmouth and largemouth but that is not true. You can keep northerns and there’s a closed season. It follows the state inland water rules. But it’s tricky because part of Pool 2 makes up the border between the North Central <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>Pike Zone and the Southern <em class=”ido-tag-em”>Pike Zone. As I understand it, the part of Pool 2 downstream of the confluence with the Minnesota river follows the Southern Zone regulations which means a limit of 2 with a minimize size of 24″. But the portion of Pool 2 upstream of the confluence of the Minnesota river to the Ford Dam follows the North Central zones that has a limit of 10 with not more than 2 over 26″ and all from 22″-26″ must be immediately released. Seems like an enforcement headache.
Yes, all that is what I had in mind as well — but you did a better job explaining the details.
I only fish C&R in p2, period — but yeah, that Pike Zone business is pretty wild.
As long as the pike are aware of the rules and stay put, we should all be fine.
If Pool 2 floods, is Pickerel Lake Pool 2 or what???
This helps big time thank you Sorry for the confusion.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
