Turk Gierke and myself hit the river on Saturday for some early December fishing! Ofcourse, expectations for walleye are there, but after experiencing the bite on Saturday, we soon didn’t care if we caught a walleye!
TOO often, we get caught up in walleye, walleye, walleye! Yes, a great fish to be had, but let’s not over look all of the other great opportunities to be had on the Great Mississippi river! First and foremost, “sandpike”!!!
If you love fishing, especially catching, Redwing was amazing Saturday!!! Turk put me on some of the biggest sauger I have ever personally caught.
We began joking, “oh just another 18 incher”!!! There were a few that reached the 20 inch barrier as well!
Turk and I had our limit of saugdogs in less than a half an hour!!!!!
We found them in all depths!!!! Most came out of 14-20 ft. of water, some shallower and some deeper!!!
All in all we boated 50 60 fish that day, everything from walleye to crappie!
Then in the middle of this fantastic sauger bite, I get snagged, so I think! Turk started the boat upstream to assist me in getting my “snag” out. When all of a sudden, hey this ain’ t no snag! I have fished many years on a many lakes and rivers, NEVER have I ever had something that heavy on my line! After I realized this was a fish on the end of my line, I doubled checked my drag. This is when this great fish made it’s one and only move… pop, out came the ring worm!!!!! ARRRRGH!
This was the first of two oppportunities I had Saturday to bring in a heavy fish, to no avail! You know something, in retrospect, I couldn’t give a hoot! Them sauger made the day!
How were we catching them? Well, out of the only 15-20 boats, it appeared everyone was catching. Not being a “very” experienced Mississippi fisherman, Turk introduced me to the Dubuque rig!! Can’t go wrong with that!!! Sure you can throw big plastics until your arm drops off and maybe get one nice fish! Why not head on up to Redwing, bring your boat control mindset with you then hit them Saugers!!!! OH, we didn’t just catch fish up “near” the dam either. Tuyrk brought us down stream a ways ad jacent to a sand flat in 20ish feet of water. As soon as I put my line in, wham a nice 17 inch saugdog!!!! Next cast, came the 2nd bown opportunity for a very large fish, that I am completely to blame for.
We did catch a few walleye, witnessing several nice fish caught as well.
All in all, don’t get so hung up on fishing for walleye, especially when there is a bite going on RIGHT NOW for saugers, amazing saugers!!!! If you want to spend a great day on the river, get a hold of Turk now! He’s the man!! I wasn’t short of fish nor good conversation!!! THANKS Turk!!!!!!!!
Keep the rods bendin’!!!
Jim W
