Pool 2 Report (2021)

Picked up 12 walleyes today 26″ being the biggest.Missed quite a few fish as well,the wind wasnt making things easy.Jig/fathead 7:30-2:30.

I was out at my spring shore spot which usually does well for me and got skunked. Only put in a couple hours but didn’t get a bite. I think it’s probably still a little too cold for the fish to be up close enough for a shore angler to reach.

mahtofire14 wrote:

I was out at my spring shore spot which usually does well for me and got skunked. Only put in a couple hours but didn’t get a bite. I think it’s probably still a little too cold for the fish to be up close enough for a shore angler to reach.

With a surf rod and a 6 ounce no roll you should be able to hit the main channel.
DT

deertracker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
I was out at my spring shore spot which usually does well for me and got skunked. Only put in a couple hours but didn’t get a bite. I think it’s probably still a little too cold for the fish to be up close enough for a shore angler to reach.

With a surf rod and a 6 ounce no roll you should be able to hit the main channel.
DT

Knew I should’ve been catfishing…… More fun anyway

All of the better sized fish I have gotten have been within easy casting distance of shore,the deeper I have gone the smaller the fish have been.Water temps dropped,barely touching 35° yesterday.Fish still biting,25 1/2″ biggest I could find yesterday.

matt wrote:

All of the better sized fish I have gotten have been within easy casting distance of shore,the deeper I have gone the smaller the fish have been.Water temps dropped,barely touching 35° yesterday.Fish still biting,25 1/2″ biggest I could find yesterday.

Seems to be the norm, more big fish up shallow tighter to shore usually. Are you fishing lower end of the pool? Sounds like you’re doing darn good.

Haven’t seen any pictures…..

From downtown up river to the dam is where I’ve been spending most of my time.Been catching enough fish to keep me interested but it’s been a slow spring overall for me.

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Fished the confluence Tuesday 3-7:15. Blanked. Didn’t see any fish get caught. I’m on the steep part of the learning curve!

My experience so far this spring is that if I’m not getting bit…I need to be moving. It’s easy to get stuck grinding out on known spots, especially when you know that fish get caught there. I have found that there are lawns with greener grass out there most days.

Cody Meyers wrote:

My experience so far this spring is that if I’m not getting bit…I need to be moving. It’s easy to get stuck grinding out on known spots, especially when you know that fish get caught there. I have found that there are lawns with greener grass out there most days.

This is spot on,the fish bite good when ya find them.Usually one or two passes thru an area is all it takes to figure out if theres anything there.The confluence has been hit or miss the few times I have stopped,there one day gone the next.Nothing of any size when they have been there,at least for me.Good Luck guys.

I was out last Sunday around pigseye and didn’t get anything. Does anyone fish just north of spring lake/by st paul park? I wanted to go down that way but just didn’t end up doing it.

From what I read, hear, and watch, it seems like the best spots are around the confluence and upstream.

Chart/Grn core or Chart/Org core? And Moxi or Pulse-R? Night/day make a difference? Glitter?

Dominick Winge wrote:

Chart/Grn core or Chart/Org core? And Moxi or Pulse-R? Night/day make a difference? Glitter?

I like the chartreuse with the orange core Pulse-R and I also like the purple with the chartreuse tail.

I’ll have to try the Purple w/ Chart.

They all work. Just have to figure out what they want that day. Don’t sleep on the solid white either.

Anything as long as it’s a moxi and as long as it has a chartreuse tail. Purple and firecracker have always been my go to.

Purple has always been my go to color on the river all seasons and all bait types.

Down at minnehaha creek mouth now. Man is it low and slow. Creek is just a shadow of what it was last spring as far as flow, same with the river itself. Not getting any bites or seeing anybody else get bites either. I wonder if this is as high as it’s going to get, or if there’s still enough snow up north to melt and bring it up. I sure hope so but not feeling too confident in it. Time to get the boat out and head to 494 I think… Soon as I get my motor back from the shop!

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Down at minnehaha creek mouth now. Man is it low and slow. Creek is just a shadow of what it was last spring as far as flow, same with the river itself. Not getting any bites or seeing anybody else get bites either. I wonder if this is as high as it’s going to get, or if there’s still enough snow up north to melt and bring it up. I sure hope so but not feeling too confident in it. Time to get the boat out and head to 494 I think… Soon as I get my motor back from the shop!

Just drove to roseau a week ago. No snow to be seen anywhere. So don’t count on that to much

But rain will bring the river up. Looks like its on the way to.

Mike W wrote:

But rain will bring the river up. Looks like its on the way to.

Yeah that is true. Can’t wait. Hope we get a TON! You been fishing much lately mike?

And bearcat, I figured as much. Oh well, what do you do

Looks like a 3′ rise forecasted over the next week. This will be the first time it’s over 5′ in St Paul since early last summer I think. Might make it a bit tough while she rises but guessing next week when it crests and falls the fishing should really turn on.

I waxed the boat yesterday so with my luck the water will be like pea soup the first time I get down there this year!

LabDaddy1 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mike W wrote:</div>
But rain will bring the river up. Looks like its on the way to.

Yeah that is true. Can’t wait. Hope we get a TON! You been fishing much lately mike?

And bearcat, I figured as much. Oh well, what do you do

Nope. Think Im done on pool 2 until next fall. Never know might try for some cats in a couple months.

She’s on the way up now, slowly but surly! Can’t believe we’re already at spawning temp… At least according to the USGS gauge at St. Paul

LabDaddy1 wrote:

She’s on the way up now, slowly but surly! Can’t believe we’re already at spawning temp… At least according to the USGS gauge at St. Paul

Water temp is a spawning factor but a relatively minor factor. The most significant factor is photoperiod. This makes sense when you think about it. Egg development starts in late fall and continues throughout the winter and into spring.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Down at minnehaha creek mouth now. Man is it low and slow. Creek is just a shadow of what it was last spring as far as flow, same with the river itself. Not getting any bites or seeing anybody else get bites either. I wonder if this is as high as it’s going to get, or if there’s still enough snow up north to melt and bring it up. I sure hope so but not feeling too confident in it. Time to get the boat out and head to 494 I think… Soon as I get my motor back from the shop!

Clown huskies after dark. Slow, slow, slow retrieve with slight pops.

I’d stick with that area. Just my 2 cents.

JasonP wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>LabDaddy1 wrote:</div>
She’s on the way up now, slowly but surly! Can’t believe we’re already at spawning temp… At least according to the USGS gauge at St. Paul

Water temp is a spawning factor but a relatively minor factor. The most significant factor is photoperiod. This makes sense when you think about it. Egg development starts in late fall and continues throughout the winter and into spring.

I agree that it’s not the only factor, but I am curious how the factors combine in this particular scenario. With the temps being in the zone but still being a little too early(debatable?) on the timeline, I wonder how it plays out… Does the spawn suffer?

Hopefully the conditions at least stay consistent through this year’s spawn- I do know that big swings in water temp are detrimental to spawning success.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JasonP wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>LabDaddy1 wrote:</div>
She’s on the way up now, slowly but surly! Can’t believe we’re already at spawning temp… At least according to the USGS gauge at St. Paul

Water temp is a spawning factor but a relatively minor factor. The most significant factor is photoperiod. This makes sense when you think about it. Egg development starts in late fall and continues throughout the winter and into spring.

I agree that it’s not the only factor, but I am curious how the factors combine in this particular scenario. With the temps being in the zone but still being a little too early(debatable?) on the timeline, I wonder how it plays out… Does the spawn suffer?

Hopefully the conditions at least stay consistent through this year’s spawn- I do know that big swings in water temp are detrimental to spawning success.

After sexy-time the fertilized eggs incubate for about 10-20 days if I remember right. That’s the critical time. Warming temps are fine but cooling temps can hurt a year-class. A big wind event can also hurt. Eggs get blown onto shore – though that’s prob rarely an issue in rivers.

Anybody ever do any spotlighting up by the dam or along the MN? The next week or two would be the time, especially with the moon coming full. 6-12″ over gravel is typically good enough and you can usually hear them splashing around. I once saw a guy standing in 10″ lay a net down. A 26″er in spawning mode swam between his legs and over the net and he simply lifted it up. We were just goofing around and the fish was quickly released but we were amazed at how “preoccupied” they were.

Took a walk on the S. St. Paul levee today and there were only 6 trailers in the lot at the 494 access about 1:00. Saw a couple boats fishing the entrance to Pigs Eye.

Any reports?

I’ve been going down to Red Wing and I’m catching some. Fishing deeper so nothing over 20”.

They were biting pretty good for me today.Biggest was a 23″,couple males made a mess in the boat.A couple calm days sure would be nice was tough to stay on the current seams.Pitching shallow,dragging,vertical all worked for me.