POOLS 5A and 6

After complaining last year about the board almost exclusively containing reports on only Pool 4 one of the guides suggested I provide updates on the pools I fish. Unfotunately, in 2004 I had two major floods on the river I live so the reports were few and far between. This year, good or bad I promise to do better.

On Thursday morning (4/21) I fished Pool 6 between Winona and Trempleau. The gates were wide open so I was hoping to pick up some decent Walleye in the sloughs with some current. Trolling for the most part I only caught two decent Walleye, but ended up with six of the nicest SM Bass I have seen in a long time.

That afternoon I put in on Pool 5A at Merrick Park. I didn’t try the dam and probably should have, but every slough I trollled produced at least One Walleye or Sauger.

Most were on the small side, but I did manage a few decent Walleyes for dinner.

During my sandwich and coke break time I caught a few really nice Channel Cat on crawlers, along with the usual carp, suckers and a few sheepshead.

Bottom line, is you will catch fsh on these pools, but nothing exceptional at this point aside from the early smallie run.

Thanks for the report! We’re starting to see the beginnings of a summer pattern up here on 4 as well with fish coming on crawlers and leeches. No trolling bite to speak of yet and the cold weather this weekend won’t help that one bit either.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your findings and hope to see more from your neck of the woods.

great to see a report from these pools. hope to see more.
as a new resident of the area and trying to learn the waters any reports are great to see.
Thanks

Thanks for reporting on pools 5a, and 6. I hope to make it to 5a several times this summer and will do my best to also share my findings. Good fishing.
Don

Don,

5A is clearly my favorite. The dam area is so much bigger and there are also many more side channels for Walleye fishing as we get into May/June. In a sense I thing I lucked up a bit on Thursday with the Smallies I caught on Pool 6.

Thanks for the report! Pool 5A is my “home” water too. I was there today near Whitman and found many smaller walleye and sauger on the WI side of the channel along with a few decent walleye mixed in. There is a real mixed bag of fish in the area with crappie, perch, white bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, sauger, bluegills, and of course your seemingly endless variety of rough fish. At least it keeps the kids happy .

I tried to get back into Merrick Park area a little but I did not find much. There were a few other boats working the channel and side cuts but I did not see much action from them either.

Good luck and keep the pool 5A and 6 reports coming.

I lived in Winona for seven years, and put in a lot of time fishing pools 5a and 6. There is definitely a good bite this time of year–like someone said, by now the fish are starting to go in to summer patterns: by the end of April, crawlers and Shad Raps outfish jigs and minnows.

Now I live just under forty miles from Pool 17; I’m hoping to hear something about what is going on there…

The Merrick Park area was not great, but for whatever reason I managed a single Walleye in each little slough, aside from the Keiselhorse. I wanted to try the Dam but my Dad is 87 years old and when he says it is dinner time I head back.

Beyond that, as we roll into summertime I promised myself I would spend more time on the water between Trempleau and Dresbach, including Lake Onalaska. Being a mult-species CPR guy my hunch is that may be the best of the pools I fish.

I will try and keep everyone posted.