Pool 2 Report (2023)

Super slow with a deep diver.If it isn’t ticking bottom all the time, the current is too fast or you need to switch to a different lure that will get down there. Went out this morning with a friend. Water temp yesterday in the morning was 75 degrees. This morning at 8:30 it was 77. By the time we left at 12:30 it hit 79. Only scratched out a few fish in spots that were gangbusters a few days ago.
It is time to fish slow and deep,(15 – 16 fow) following the counters with a 3 oz bottom bouncer with a crawler and spinner. Not my favorite technique, but it has been my go-to when the water temp hits 80.
Good Luck

Who is ready for two lines? Anyone have a game plan for best way to take advantage?!!!

I might play around with a 1/2 ounce jig w/ big plastic on a 3 way with stick bait out the back or run a crawler/bottom bouncer and crank using 2 rods.

Looking forward to it, Dave! I’ll probably do one of 3 things…
1. Wing dams – I’ll use a dork rig and a 1/2 crawler or leech in a rod holder while I’m casting cranks with another.
2. Trolling – can’t wait to have 2 rods out to play with more colors
3. Denver rigs – deep crank on the bottom and jig and plastic on the top – can’t wait to try them on P2.

On the Mississippi? I see it passed for the MN river.

I’m looking forward to pulling Dubuque rigs in the fall and winter.
From the Star Tribune:
Two lines also may be used in the Minnesota River downstream from the Granite Falls Dam and in the Mississippi downstream of St. Anthony Falls.

Come July 1, anglers can legally use two lines during the open water season while fishing the Minnesota River downstream of the Granite Falls dam to Pool 2 on the Mississippi River.

This implies that you can use 2 lines only while on the Minnesota, not on the Mississippi.

It appears all the articles I’ve read are copy/pastes of eachother; does anyone know the bill number? Need to check the actual text to provide clarity.

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/60/laws.4.63.0#laws.4.63.0

Sec. 63. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 97C.315, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
Subdivision 1. Lines. An angler may not use more than one line, except that:
(1) two lines may be used to take fish through the ice; and

(2) the commissioner may, by rule, authorize the use of two lines in areas designated by the commissioner in Lake Superior.; and

(3)two lines may be used in the Minnesota River downstream of the Granite Falls Dam and in the Mississippi River downstream of St. Anthony Falls.

Thank you very much!

I have a question for people fishing pool 2. I’ve had fairly good success on pool 2 catching nice sized walleyes, with a 28 1/2” being my PB. If someone wanted to catch a 28-30” walleye, would you recommend pool 2 or Mille Lacs?

walleyewizard wrote:

I have a question for people fishing pool 2. I’ve had fairly good success on pool 2 catching nice sized walleyes, with a 28 1/2” being my PB. If someone wanted to catch a 28-30” walleye, would you recommend pool 2 or Mille Lacs?

Wait, I thought you were a walleye wizard though!

Joking aside, I’d recommend pool 2, but they do exist in Mille lacs as well.

I have caught 28″+ fish on both but without a doubt I would vote for the River…

It isn’t even close in my opinion.

Rainy river would be my top suggestion, but between those 2, pool 2. With it being all CR and the much lower pressure definitely opportunity to catch big fish.

Road construction update: Hardman Avenue is open again.

About a dozen trailers in the parking lot and shore fishers all over the place. Good to see so many people out enjoying the river on a beautiful afternoon.

SR

Access to launch was a breeze last night. Fishing was tough. We only managed a handful of fish but it was nice getting out. No pig eyes. Some on jig/minnow and some on cranks. Mostly fished wing dams. We snagged a flathead that circled the boat for 10 min before the lure popped out. Barely got to see it but it was a dude.

We had good action Wednesday AM. 3 biggest walleyes were 21-23”. Jig and 1/2 crawler and trolling cranks worked.

I was out Monday and pulled cranks all over the place. Never had a bump. There are a lot of places Walleyes can be, and apparently I’m pretty good at finding the places they aren’t.

SR

Been having mixed luck with jig and crawlers. One day slow couple days later really good. big fish are hard for me to find. Can we fish with multiple lines on P2 yet?

fishdale wrote:

Can we fish with multiple lines on P2 yet?

yes. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/news/2023/06/06/fish-and-wildlife-almanac-june-6

if you only catch one walleye…..

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DaveB, awesome walleye!
We had good action this afternoon/evening. Biggest was 26.5”.

Is the Pool 2 guy who pulled a jet ski rider out of the river after a crash here on IDO? (Dead head crash near Wacouta on Saturday afternoon/evening) His father is looking to find you and thank you for the assistance.

Posting here in case you don’t have a FB account.

-J.

From the FB post:
If anyone knows the fisherman who pulled our son out of the river after he hit the dead head on the jetski by Wacouta Sat around 7 pm please let me know who they are so we can thank them for helping so quickly! He was conscious but bleeding from his chin pretty bad.
He got out of the hospital this morning with a jaw broken on both sides, 5 stitches in his chin and some broken teeth and minor internal bleeding in his abdomen. He’s pretty beat up but is going to make a full recovery.

There was a fish kill in the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge, which some people call Chemical Creek. Steve Root and I fished this AM and noticed some dead fish upriver from the 494 landing. Later we noticed a lot of dead fish at the discharge. The creek had a lot of dead fish. We were guessing around 100. Some had floated down to the 494 bridge when we came in about noon.
They were mostly carp and suckers, but we did see some walleyes and northerns.
I reported it to the DNR and will add a comment if I hear anything.

New to the area… Looking for some advice for fishing from the bank around the Minnehaha Creek mouth. Most of my river fishing experience is from the Maumee River in OH, where slow retrieval of jigs (either standard leadhead or Carolina rigged floating head) with twister tails was the standard. Would this be a good technique for this area as well?

Jim wrote:

There was a fish kill in the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge, which some people call Chemical Creek. Steve Root and I fished this AM and noticed some dead fish upriver from the 494 landing. Later we noticed a lot of dead fish at the discharge. The creek had a lot of dead fish. We were guessing around 100. Some had floated down to the 494 bridge when we came in about noon.
They were mostly carp and suckers, but we did see some <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleyes and northerns.
I reported it to the DNR and will add a comment if I hear anything.

We call it the turd swirler.

EG wrote:

New to the area… Looking for some advice for fishing from the bank around the Minnehaha Creek mouth. Most of my river fishing experience is from the Maumee River in OH, where slow retrieval of jigs (either standard leadhead or Carolina rigged floating head) with twister tails was the standard. Would this be a good technique for this area as well?

That would work, but you might donate a lot of them to rocks/snags. Another option would be casting a shallow running crank bait around sunrise/sunset parallel to shore and crank it in slowly. Good number of fish on those rocks in 2-3′ of water.

Thanks, I know on the Maumee, the riverbed seemed to be a little less rocky than what Pool 2 appears to be. Once, I figured out casting directly perpendicular to, or slight downstream, of the current, my snag rate went way down. I might make a few jig casts and see how many snags I get. I’ll definitely try a slow crank bait.

DaveB wrote:

That would work, but you might donate a lot of them to rocks/snags. Another option would be casting a shallow running crank bait around sunrise/sunset parallel to shore and crank it in slowly. Good number of fish on those rocks in 2-3′ of water.

EG wrote:

Thanks, I know on the Maumee, the riverbed seemed to be a little less rocky than what Pool 2 appears to be. Once, I figured out casting directly perpendicular to, or slight downstream, of the current, my snag rate went way down. I might make a few jig casts and see how many snags I get. I’ll definitely try a slow crank bait.

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

That would work, but you might donate a lot of them to rocks/snags. Another option would be casting a shallow running crank bait around sunrise/sunset parallel to shore and crank it in slowly. Good number of fish on those rocks in 2-3′ of water.

I was just in the boat fishing that area and used to shore fish it a lot. There isn’t really any water coming out of the creek so not sure that would be my first choice. Maybe if we get rain this weekend that will change. If there is water coming out of the creek there will be fish up and down the shorelines. Smallmouth are pretty active right now.

If I was shore fishing now I’d be fishing just south of the hidden falls boat launch in the morning. There is flow all along that shoreline. Your technique will work but a crank bait as Dave mentioned might be a better bet.

Good luck out there.

It’s been quiet on here for awhile so I thought I would throw this one up. Bangin dams was the name of the game!

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Hunter wrote:

It’s been quiet on here for awhile so I thought I would throw this one up. Bangin dams was the name of the game!

Nice ol’ muddy marble-eye!

I just finally last year started dedicating some time to figuring out wing dams— it’s an interesting game and somewhat of a science for sure! Got a lot to learn.