Been able to get out a couple times with this high water last few days and all I can say is minnows everywhere!! Good grief, any good eddy with some back current and cover, you toss in your lure and theres minnows jumping. Makes for a tougher bite, but the fish are still there.
This year’s goal is being even more aggressive, so after striking out with the typical current seams jig drifting, some crawler action and deep cranking, I set my eyes on wood. Get your chainsaws boys and start picking them logs apart. Never got on a bite like this one but fun sticking your presentation under logjams, trees, brushpiles and pulling out eyes. Don’t get me wrong it aint fast and furious but it provides for some fish, especially on the prime feeding windows. Paddletails were hot Saturday, ringworms did the trick tonight. All lighter in color, these walleyes are superlight this spring, and id imagine that the bait is the same so mimmick that with whites, light blues and softer greens with blue or chart/white jigheads. Would be curious how tubes might work, or even dropshotting. Certainly made me aware I need to practice my casting, that jig needs to be right on the cover.
The river is on the fall, with us right away pulling couple eyes off a log with a current seam about 3′ from shore, then when we went back later that evening the seam moved out about several feet and the eyes moved with it. Not sure how much longer this bite might last, would assume once that seam reaches out further the fish will be gone.
Not all logs are created equal. Need to have deeper water nearby, 10′ or so, and rocks. Not manmade riprap, or old road debris rock, natural. Big overhanging trees are good, brushpiles can be good, and even some long grass right at dusk. Eyes were hanging on the seam associated with cover, and some saugers were hanging in the deeper water farther out in the seam(only caught a couple sauger so speculating).
The MN was spitting out all kinds of crap when we shot down, not sure if that’s normal for this flow but what a PIA. Water temps 55 today. FYI, the Hidden Falls boatramp has some good current running through right now, another PIA to load a small boat.
This girls belly was full and firm with nothing spitting out. Id assume most fish are post spawn right now in the system but ???, perhaps they did spawn and this is indicative of how much forage is in the system? Fat and happy bloated pigs. Anyways good luck to those getting out, my daughter is itching for a sucker so different species next couple outings!!
Nice night to be on the water.
