Haven’t seen much for Pool 4 reports lately. Son and I fished about 5 hours yesterday (Sunday, April 3) and had no luck. Mostly from Bay Point north toward dam. Lots of boats out – didn’t see anyone else catching anything either, though I assume someone was given the large number of guys out.
Any techniques working better than others for those who ventured out last few days?
I haven’t been there to fish much but I think you should have gone down river.
Just one of those inklings but I think they’re pretty much done up-hill from Baypoint.
Friday was slow for us by the Y. Windy! Picked up a dozen saugers. Hair and meat caught our fish. Saw nothing of size come boatside.
I was out all day Saturday sun up to sun down and all day Sunday. Let me tell ya, Sunday wwas much more pleasant than fishing the Dirty 30 (30deg/30mph wind) on Saturday.
I had some guests up from Iowa and we really worked hard for the few fish we caught. I didn’t hear much of anything for people catching fish either days. Even with all the boats too we only saw a half dozen fish caught between both days.
We caught maybe 15 saugers and 1 short walleye in two LONG full days. Only 4 of the saugers were big enough to keep with the two biggest at about 16-17″.
Those fish were tricked slowly dragging Dubuque Rigs up stream. 1/2oz to 5/8oz with a plastic for the dropper and 1/16oz jig on top with a fathead. Tried pulling 3-way cranks and lost one fish doing that, but otherwise nothing.
Big thanks to Evert’s for letting me charge my trolling motor batteries for a few hours at the dock 
I didn’t hear of or see any bigger females caught but I know of two separate guys who lost one at the boat….just a bunch of fish stories.
I attached some pics, the second pic was requested so we could have the option to photo shop some hog females into the pic 
Any one else have any luck at all?
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I also was there sunday for about 4 hours and nothing, too much pressure. if I were a walleye in that river I wouldn’t bite either with all that pressure. started the day on pepin and water was much colder there.
Yesterday (Sunday) was an awesome day on the water!!! Just not for catching fish lol. We fished about 6 hours and tried everywhere from the Y, up a tributary, and down to the head of the lake. One sheepshead, 0 target species. I’m sure I’ve been out there when the current was moving as fast as it was yesterday, I just don’t remember when! Water temps we saw were from 46-49 degrees.
I posted this yesterday – Sunday the 3rd – on Everts Facebook page:
My buddy and I had six 14 -15 inch saugers that we kept. I think that was far above average. Threw back 4 undersized walleyes. Fished from 11am to 5pm. Fish caught mostly on jig & fathead, 19 to 21 FOW. Saw maybe a dozen other keepers from other boats. SLOW.
Great info. Thanks guys! Well, glad I wasn’t the only one skunked yesterday. Can’t quite figure out the go-to pattern.
As to Tom’s point….yeah, maybe they are downstream more. I did try downstream around can line a week or so ago but had no better luck for the most part.
Haven’t tried cranks/3-ways, though, so I may try that next time out. Though, dang. This week’s forecast doesn’t exactly seem spring-like. So much for a rise in water temps.
And yeah…it was crazy busy yesterday for sure.
To really make me feel better I watched the latest IDO episode with James catching all those walleyes from shore/waders over by Green Bay. Sigh.
That sure made me feel better about not catching anything. heh, heh.
Somebody is always on them, but it does seem like the bite has been pretty poor this spring.
Went out on 3/31 had a good afternoon from Bayport up to dam. 8 walleye 4 keepers. 12 or so white bass everything on blades. Cold and windy Saturday was only good for 1 walleye, but got a great wind burn. All day today caught 1 keeper sauger, with 8 dinks eyes/sauger, 5 sheephead. Most came on blades, keeper and one other came on jig and chartreuse paddle tale. Current edges worked today. Seen some fish come in pulling dubuque rigs upstream on the current edges.
We caught 8 on Sunday, 5 keepers. Perhaps the fish are busy doing other things? It has slowed down for sure
Somebody is always on them, but it does seem like the bite has been pretty poor this spring.
Yes although I haven’t been out, normally I could even catch them. 
Soaked hair and meat today with no results. Saw barely anyone on the river, no one catching anything. Did see one silver river boat, silver, with almost no bow and a flat windshield, he was driving seemingly at random, literally up and down the river all day, doing circles, for apparently no reason. The best my buddy and I could come up with was that he lost his power steering or something. lol
Soaked hair and meat today with no results. Saw barely anyone on the river, no one catching anything. Did see one silver river boat, silver, with almost no bow and a flat windshield, he was driving seemingly at random, literally up and down the river all day, doing circles, for apparently no reason. The best my buddy and I could come up with was that he lost his power steering or something. lol
We talked to him and he was doing some mapping of the river and backwaters
Soaked hair and meat today with no results. Saw barely anyone on the river, no one catching anything. Did see one silver river boat, silver, with almost no bow and a flat windshield, he was driving seemingly at random, literally up and down the river all day, doing circles, for apparently no reason. The best my buddy and I could come up with was that he lost his power steering or something. lol
Sounds like someone picked up a unit with Autochart Live and wanted to see what it’s all about! 
I’m not going to Poo Poo the “autochart” features.
I used the Navionics Sonar Chart last year and found some pretty sweet location for Sturgeon and had I been fishing for them, walleyes that are not on the regular maps. I had an old LakeMaster chip and an updated Navionics chip.
Since the river changes “mostly” in the spring with flooding and the movement of trees and other wood, a regular chip is somewhat accurate until the first spring. After that, were seeing old data.
By updating your map every time out gives me the below average angler a little edge, making me Joe Average.
I’m making me Joe Average.
…Not Sure I would go that 
FAR. 
… rrr
Granted I’m fairly new to being a regular on the river but I question how much the major features of the commerce river really change. With wing dams Truely controlling the current for the most part I see very few differences from map to actual until I get to areas out of main flow control factors that can have chabge from high water events.
You might spend all day mapping the slight differences and maybe that’ll help you tomorrow and the next day… But I’d rather spend that time looking FOR FISH that day since they move daily. Vs detailing a map.
There are huge changes once you start getting into backwaters and sloughs. That’s where that technology comes in handy. I’ve seen entire sandbars washed out, and new ones created (making navigation impossible). This time of year, it’s not nearly as important to me as say in May.
If I have high water in May, that’s when I want to know what every nook and cranny of backwaters look like. Most of my chips don’t even have contours in them, and if they do they’re 3 or 6′ contours.
Yeah I guess that’s what I was trying to say. On the sippi if you spend lots of time in back waters auto chart probably priceless… Where no map exists and is not an area of commercial traffic where flow is controlled
FBRM…I think you might be surprised, not so much a dam area but in other areas you’ll be venturing into from where you launch.
As much as you fish, tomorrows information is only 24 hours away. 
For the guy that goes out a couple three times a year (on the river), I wouldn’t bother. The base maps are fine.
Thanks brian. Still a local noob IMO always looking to learn.
Tried again yesterday (Thursday).
No better luck unless you count a sheepshead and white bass.
Water is up higher than last week.
Still about 43-44 water temp.
Didn’t take long to pick up a few with my daughter yesterday on p3.
Chart orange core moxy
Nothing big but she had fun
She had a little less fun in the wind yesterday but fish were caught nasty out
Tough kid!
Fish come on plastics?
I made the mistake of coming back up here again today. Cold and the bite is awful. Haven’t seen one fish caught today
Plastics, yes
No better luck for me today (Sunday).
Dang. Tough bite.
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