Pool 4 4/2/22

Holy double dam Batman!!

As I crossed the Red Wing bridge coming back from the Spam Museum on Saturday afternoon, First Cut looked like the dam area!!
Someone must have caught a fish there! LOL!

I didn’t get to Colvill or Bay Point but the WI Back Channel had rigs 3/4 of the way to the Woodshed.
I didn’t get a chance to talk to anyone that was fishing either, but it wasn’t a bad day to get out if out of the cold breeze.

Water is dropping to 6.5′ in Red Wing this morning with the flow around 42,000 cfs.

I made a trip down to the head of the lake and there were plenty of boat fishing (near) Point No Point. Kinda looked like there was still some ice down further, but couldn’t tell for sure.

Saturday morning I got down to red wing around 7. On the water and at first cut by 7:30. Only a couple other boats there. 15 fish and 1.5 hours later it was combat fishing. People coming within 5ft of the boat to try and see what we were doing… It was getting ridiculous. I would catch a fish on the east side of the cut, and every boat would converge on us. Then I would slide over to the west side of the cut, and catch another 1 or 2 and all the boats moved over there. It was definitely the color and action of the bait that was catching fish for us. People began doing exactly what we were doing, but couldn’t get the same results. Picking the bait up about 4″ off bottom and letting it drop back down. .3 to .4 mph keeping the bait back behind the boat a ways.

I put in at Covill Saturday and Sunday. Sunday morning my buddy caught what appeared to be a 50″ or so sturgeon. It came completely out of the water about 15ft from the boat. Fought it for 2 hours before it broke off 3 miles downstream from where he hooked up!

Combat fishing

Must have been a bunch of noobs! I keep binoculars in my boat and watch from a far before moving in! The covid cough not working anymore these days?

eyeguy507 wrote:

Combat fishing

Must have been a bunch of noobs! I keep binoculars in my boat and watch from a far before moving in! The covid cough not working anymore these days?

Ironically enough, my buddy I brought with had a cough. So I guess no, it wasn’t working! LOL

If I needed a fish that bad……. I would buy shrimp!

rjthehunter wrote:

Saturday morning I got down to red wing around 7. On the water and at first cut by 7:30. Only a couple other boats there. 15 fish and 1.5 hours later it was combat fishing. People coming within 5ft of the boat to try and see what we were doing… It was getting ridiculous. I would catch a fish on the east side of the cut, and every boat would converge on us. Then I would slide over to the west side of the cut, and catch another 1 or 2 and all the boats moved over there. It was definitely the color and action of the bait that was catching fish for us. People began doing exactly what we were doing, but couldn’t get the same results. Picking the bait up about 4″ off bottom and letting it drop back down. .3 to .4 mph keeping the bait back behind the boat a ways.

I put in at Covill Saturday and Sunday. Sunday morning my buddy caught what appeared to be a 50″ or so sturgeon. It came completely out of the water about 15ft from the boat. Fought it for 2 hours before it broke off 3 miles downstream from where he hooked up!

Fairly certain we saw you hooked up on that. We launched about 930ish out of covhill and saw a warrior out in the main channel hooked into something that seemed to be heading down river. Was wondering what was on the other line as we went by. Thanks for answering the unknown.

Have to learn the James Holst transom slide he taught me first time I ever fished with him ( think Fish The River ), and never get a net out unless absolutely necessary.

Tom P. wrote:

Have to learn the James Holst transom slide he taught me first time I ever fished with him ( think Fish The River ), and never get a net out unless absolutely necessary.

boat flips work too if you feel you got a good hookset? a lot of guys want all the other boats to see you catching them

Transom Slide™

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Transom Slide™

Yes Sir when fish is on keep rod low like your just reeling in your bait and just slide it over the transom next to the motor, with out raising your rod much..

Tom P. wrote:

Have to learn the James Holst transom slide he taught me first time I ever fished with him ( think Fish The River ), and never get a net out unless absolutely necessary.

It bring me some measure of pride to talk to someone at the landing at the end of the day that says they never saw my boat land a fish.

James Holst wrote:

Have to learn the James Holst transom slide

Come to think of it, the second to last time you and I fished together, if my memory serves me, we had similar conditions to what the river is seeing now. High water. Cold. Very tough conditions and a challenging bite. I can’t remember all the details but I think we had three big-bigger fish snapping ringworms on heavy heads and a total of nine fish?? It doesn’t sound like much but there was a tournament going on that day and the weights were really low. I can recall the fish you caught downstream from Everts and telling you to not move a muscle as the boats ran past us after you had hooked that fish up. But that’s just the way I remember it after 20 years.

I miss those days on the river.

Amazed at your memory of that day it was a tough bite, high totally muddy water we marked a ton of fish in some areas but could not hardly buy a bite, live bait never brought a fish to the boat. I still remember after the boats went by and actually started to fight that fish and you realizing how big it was you would of never told me to just sit still she was 28 inches.

That was the first time I ever fished Walleyes seriously I had been a Bass guy before that, what a bad bad influence you were on me Mr Holst.

Tom P. wrote:

and actually started to fight that fish and you realizing how big it was you would of never told me to just sit still she was 28 inches.

Great Fish Story!!

Tom P. wrote:

Amazed at your memory of that day it was a tough bite, high totally muddy water we marked a ton of fish in some areas but could not hardly buy a bite, live bait never brought a fish to the boat. I still remember after the boats went by and actually started to fight that fish and you realizing how big it was you would of never told me to just sit still she was 28 inches.

That was the first time I ever fished Walleyes seriously I had been a Bass guy before that, what a bad bad influence you were on me Mr Holst.

I always remember the details of the tough bites a lot better than the days when the fish come easy. Plus you and I have had some memorable trips together. I think you and Doc were on one of the last if not THE very last guide trip I ever ran when we did that wing dam trip down near Wabasha. Now that was a fun day on the water.

Yes it was you put a spanking on them on that one wingdam while Jeremy and I never caught a fish there. We made a move and I learned something watching you and came up with my 27 7/8 inch Walleye, not 28 but 27 7/8 inch. LOL

I am making a return to the sacred waters next week with a few Yoopers
Last time I saw Brian it was a tasty Polish beer…Last time I fished with James we had a ball chucking little green hair jigs…caught some tankers
17′ Blue n Silver G-3 with a Yammy 115 SHO.

Toot when you go by the Ella J (unless you have some Polish beer!!)