Just out of curiosity do people think that the walleye numbers are dropping on pool 4? I fished this last Saturday and never caught a fish but last May I fished lake Pepin 3 times and all 3 times I probably boated 40 plus fish. The majority of those fish being that 12-14″ range. There seemed to be a pretty good year class of fish last summer. To me it seems like pool 4 is holding a healthy walleye population.
Just out of curiosity do people think that the walleye numbers are dropping on pool 4? I fished this last Saturday and never caught a fish but last May I fished lake Pepin 3 times and all 3 times I probably boated 40 plus fish. The majority of those fish being that 12-14″ range. There seemed to be a pretty good year class of fish last summer. To me it doesn’t seem like pool 4 isn’t holding a healthy <strong class=”ido-tag-strong” abp=”214″>walleye population.
This is not a Pool 4 issue. This has been an issue down the river as well. I fish pools 5-7 and the size and numbers have been going down substantially the last 7 years.
shawn
Fish being fish they’re there.
Fish are picky this time of year but are still there. Have confidence you are on them and work on fine tuning the presentation. You could also fish often and hope to be there when they turn on.
I haven’t caught a walleye in over a year on P-4. 
Here’s some fact posted by the MN DNR from the Walleye Searcher seminar. (Free seminars by the way and VERY informative)
“I’ll do my best to get some form of the presentation with explanatory notes posted here by the end of the week. The short answer to your question about the Pool 4 Walleye population are as follows:
-2015 Gill net catch rates were up from 2014 and above the long term (1984-2014) average for Pool 4. This is mostly due to a strong contribution from the 2013 year class that is 14-18.5″ as of the beginning of October.
-Good numbers of Age-1 fish from 2014 (12″-15″) should continue to provide numbers of legal fish for anglers through 2016.
Nick
Nick Schlesser Large Lake Specialist (Lake Pepin) Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 1801 S. Oak Street Lake City, MN 55041 651-345-3365 x235 [email protected]”
And here’s a link to Nick’s graph…
Did you really come up with this thread off 4 fishing trips? 
I was just reading the other posts about how some people thought there isn’t the numbers of walleyes that there use to be in the river and I was just looking for more information and opinions. From my overall fishing expierience on the river the fishing seems to be good.
To me it doesn’t seem like pool 4 isn’t holding a healthy walleye population.
From my overall fishing expierience on the river the fishing seems to be good.
I understand now, but don’t talk out both sides of your face please 
time of year,Time of day, current, water clarity or just fishing in the wrong spots could of been reason why you didn’t catch a single fish Saturday.. Its not always HOT fish jumping in the boat down on pool 4.. just like any other place.
Like most places with great walleye fishing they are still there but I don’t believe they are in the same numbers they used to be. Pool 4 use to be a water that river rats and and fair amount of north suburb residents would come down to and give it a shot. Seemed like a lot of fisherman were intimidated by “the river” and very cold water and weather. This has changed pool 4 has more traffic now a days then Ever seen before and everyone has better electronics to find structure and fish. With that being said the one fishery that just won’t be fished down or out is pool 4 there are so many great backwater areas for those big females and spots the average boat can’t even get to without high water. The population of pool 4 is safe that’s for sure. I think the biggest challenge right now is cold water and the reactor down. With warm temps next week and if the reactor gets turned on the fishing will get hot!
Thanks for the link Brian, as a guy that primarily fishes Canadian shield lakes the growth rates of river fish always amazes me. 2103 year class fish that are already up to 18.5″, that is some fast growth!
Yep no fish in Pool 4. Probably best to just stay home this spring.
Fish being fish they’re there.
…OK Who Told You My Favorite Line.? Lol. But Butt it is TRUE.!! … rrr
that is some fast growth!
It’s been said many times before.
Pool 4 walleyes grow fast and die young.
I think the biggest challenge right now is cold water and the reactor down. With warm temps next week and if the reactor gets turned on the fishing will get hot!
Bow, the reactor has been up for a week although a person wouldn’t know it by watching the water temp.
You should really take a look at the DNR info and link posted above.
I get the better electronics piece but really, 90% (pulled that number out of my butt) of the fisherpeople head directly to the dam and fish the same location they did last year at this same time.
Not calling anyone out… just dropping in my .02 that’s not worth .01.
BK do you know if Nick has any info on how the 2015 Low Water Spawn went.? Good Bad or Ok.? … rrr
I understand the reactor being back up but it takes a week to get back to full capacity and like you said it doesn’t make a big difference until the water temp makes a jump. I haven’t been down there yet this spring I’ve stuck with pool 2. My post was mostly just to reiterate that pool 4 is far from fished out and won’t be in the foreseeable future. And the lack of good fishing reports correlates directly to the lower water temps we have had this spring. I looked at the charts I believe you posted a few weeks ago and pool 4 has been 3-6 degrees below regular temps for February in the past.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>bowtecmike wrote:</div>
I think the biggest challenge right now is cold water and the reactor down. With warm temps next week and if the reactor gets turned on the fishing will get hot!Bow, the reactor has been up for a week although a person wouldn’t know it by watching the water temp.
You should really take a look at the DNR info and link posted above.
I get the better electronics piece but really, 90% (pulled that number out of my butt) of the fisherpeople head directly to the dam and fish the same location they did last year at this same time.
Not calling anyone out… just dropping in my .02 that’s not worth .01.
The lack of good fishing reports at this time of year
always
correlates to the anticipation of the FYBO
and the protection of the good spots that are pre-fished.
Were in the same page but might not be on the same paragraph. 
I’ve attach graphs for the last few years for February.
2012 was another warm winter comparatively speaking.
Either way, it’s pretty cool to look at the history and match it up to how I and others did fishing in the past.
boromir-2011-1.png
boromir-2012.png
boromir-2013.png
boromir-2012-1.png
boromir-2011.png
How come nobody is blaming the abundance of bait for the slower than normal bite? Maybe I’m just getting better at reading my graphs but it seems there has been more baitfish in the system than ever before these last couple years.
How come nobody is blaming the abundance of bait for the slower than normal bite? Maybe I’m just getting better at reading my graphs but it seems there has been more baitfish in the system than ever before these last couple years.
Just last Saturday I seen an abundance of bait fish. Shad and minnows
Did good last week on pool 2 where there hasn’t been a reactor down.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishermatt wrote:</div>
How come nobody is blaming the abundance of bait for the slower than normal bite? Maybe I’m just getting better at reading my graphs but it seems there has been more baitfish in the system than ever before these last couple years.Just last Saturday I seen an abundance of bait fish. Shad and minnows
Exactly. There are plenty of fish in the river, they just have their bellies full and aren’t on a feeding frenzy. A couple more weeks and their metabolism will increase with the spawn and warmer water and the bite will be on fire.
Did you really come up with this thread off 4 fishing trips? 
[/
I remember not that long ago on this very site someone could ask a simple question and you didn’t get bombarded with smart A** comments right and left…. I read these forums daily and I don’t remember folks lipping off to you like you do to others when you make a post…back off!!! 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>nhamm wrote:</div>
Did you really come up with this thread off 4 fishing trips?
[/
I remember not that long ago on this very site someone could ask a simple question and you didn’t get bombarded with smart A** comments right and left…. I read these forums daily and I don’t remember folks lipping off to you like you do to others when you make a post…back off!!!
I suspect it is due to the influx of what is called a “troll”… Troll’s also make great bait.
Thank you Woody. All I was looking for was opinions and information on how everyone thought the walleye population was doing in pool 4. From what I have seen it seems to be doing well.
I remember not that long ago on this very site someone could ask a simple question and you didn’t get bombarded with smart A** comments right and left…. I read these forums daily and I don’t remember folks lipping off to you like you do to others when you make a post…back off!!!
If someone wants to ask a question, go ahead and ask it. Good grief I certainly post enough newbie questions myself. Nobody appreciates blanket statements from guys who don’t have the experience to back it up. And then fall back on em, edit their original posts to better suit them.
I call it out as I would in person. bayedup92, 40 fish days on pool 4 is awesome, and something I certainly haven’t yet accomplished. If you stick around as we all hope here’s to future threads
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