Walleye’s & Saugers

Do all Walleyes and Saugers from Lake Pepin head up towards the Red Wing dam in the Fall and Winter ? If not,how would you catch them and on what type of structure would you look for ?

While the dam is a common place, no all the fish do not move up. According to the DNR telemetry data anyhow.

2001 Report of Interest<<

As one cookie lover put it…”the dam area is only 5% of the area that holds fish” referring to the 11 miles of open water between Pepin and the dam.

From what I’ve seen, “most” of the large fish come from other places than the dam.

People catch fish on the lake all winter through the ice. The dam is just popular because it’s the farthest north the fish can go until their path is obstructed.

Main lake points and deep drop offs near sand flats should hold fish in the winter on the lake just like any other lake.

Down south here, you can count on the vast majority of fish being in the upper 1/2 to 1/3 of the pool. There are always the 5% that defy the norm.

Good Question.