With the low flow on the mighty Mississip I really struggle, nothing new but worse when flow is down. Would it behoove me to look at the river more like a lake enviroment? Mid river flats, drops etc. Will baitfish hold on mid river structure with low flow?
I have fished the river so much on lakes I really struggle, with out current to help me determine fish location. 
Whatcha fishing for? walleye?
When the river is low like the present I like to explore the larger secondary shoots and deep structure. First ice this season we got into gills in a place they were never in before and yes there was a little current,not much but a little. If the fish are’nt in their normal wintering back waters because of low water they’re usually not far away. This has been a different year to say the least and with all of this ice now A guy can hunt in alot of different areas
Tom, I like to look for areas that have some current, any current at all, when we have very low flows like we do right now. The other thing to keep in mind is that low flows are perfect for dragging. Some of my key areas for dragging at this time of year are shallow sand flats off the main channel that are adjacent to areas of current. It is my impression that active fish will hold in the shallow water waiting for something to get washed onto the flat by the current.
I look for wing dams that are close to the surface. This will produce a good flow over the wing dam. I also fish a lot more side channels with deep holes and structure. You will also find more flow on the outside bends of the main channel and the up river side of the inside bends, a wing dam or side channel that starts off the outside bend of the main channel, more flow yet. Narrow sloughs are another good spot to scope out for fish looking for some current.
Funny…I was just wondering the same thing and was going to come here to post and at the top of the list there’s my answer…kind of. This year we are lacking precip a little. Actually I’ve heard we have a 2 foot snowfall deficit. In the spring time when things start melting and the river starts to raise it’s not going to be as dramatic as years past right? So are the walleye going to be more concentrated? What will the lower water levels do to the spawn?
This is a very good question Tom. I will share the things I have learned in low water no flow situations on the Mississippi River.
First of all, the time of year and water temps play a big role in fish location in low flows. In summer, when the water temps are pushing upper 70′ on in to the 80’s, any area that will increase the flow of current will provide more oxygen and a good ambush area for the walleye to feed. Examples of areas to look for in this time frame are bottle neck areas like small cuts or chutes that funnel water making the flow faster, tips of main river wing dams and sand bars, a sharp outside bend with good rip rap and mid river clam beds. Any time you find good current in low flow and warm water you will find walleye’s.
Once late summer rolls around and the water temps fall in to the upper 60’s, walleyes are free to roam wherever they want. They will inhibit a wide array of areas throughout the river system in water anywhere from 1′ to the deepest water they can find. This makes it much harder to locate and target fish holding areas. My belief is those fish are everywhere in this time frame. Presentations that allow you to cover lots of water are going to be your best bet to stumble upon a fish holding area. Trolling cranks on main river rip rap, dragging jigs on main river sand and clam beds are all great presentations to locate active eyes.
My favorite big fish presentation once the water cools in to the upper 60’s is casting crank baits, hair jigs and jigs/plastics to shallow sand, natural rock, and rip rap/wingdams. Even though you do not need current to hold walleye in these kinds of water temps I am more confident in areas that have current to help the walleye feed.
I will primarily stick with the above paragraphs presentation until the water temps fall in to the upper 30’s. Once those water temps fall off in to the thirties the walleyes are well in to their winter mode. Once this happens they have more than enough food with shad dying off continually throughout the winter on in to spring time. Low water and low flow means huge bait fish populations to compete with on the river. It draws species that normally dwell in the backwaters in to the main river looking to survive.
There’s no doubt that it is much more difficult to catch eye’s in low flows versus high flow for us long time river rats. Low flow allows those gold fish to spread out an take up residence where ever they please when the water temps allow. Fishing in high flow is much easier for me………the river is like a road map to where the walleye live, being able to read that map in high water is key 
!
Where I am in Champlin it’s very much like a lake, after the spring run off the current in the middle of the river may be about 3 miles an hour, windy day on a lake without the wind, on the bank sides it’s like fishing a lake on a light breeze day. Above the Champlin/Anoka bridge last year it was much like a rocky stream, it could be all rapids this year if we don’t get more snow up north. 
Tom,
First off Dustin hit it on the head for seasonal movements and presentations IMO. Obviously thats time on the water speaking from Dustin.
One thing I noticed with this time up here on Pool 2 of the Miss is that the bigger females start slowly moving on a consistent basis to their pre-spawn haunts. That means some aggressive walleye activity to start taking shape. As Dustin mentioned about low flow, the fish can be just about anywhere. Main channel current breaks such as wingdams, rolling sand dunes, outside bends lined with rock and shallow sand shelfs all have a tendency to show fish this time of year. For the next 2-3 weeks, you can anticipate more walleyes on the move. Playing the intercept game is a good plan of attack for these walleyes. The deeper holes will congregate walleyes up and down the river as the fish find these holes as resting areas before they continue on and temporarily hold on main river ambush spots such as the ones that are listed above. The slight frustrating part about this time of year for me is the “here today gone tomorrow” scenario. So staying on the move for me has played a bigger role in being productive this time of year.
Either way, a good bite is just around the corner IMO!
Good to here from you Dustin thanks so much for the insight including others.
Why are clam beds mid river, along banks or breaks better then gravel, small rock in the same locations? Why the bigger attraction to the clam beds? 
Steve writes
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The deeper holes will congregate walleyes up and down the river as the fish find these holes as resting areas before they continue on and temporarily hold on main river ambush spots such as the ones that are listed above.
When searching for mid river rolling sand dunes what are we looking for big sharp drops, small rolling wide bottoms between dunes??? How would you search these type of spots for fish during prespawn? It seems when I find these types of spots they tend to cover a very large area.
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