You hear a lot about river walleyes/saugers migrating towards tailwaters this time of year, especially below the P4 dam in Redwing. Is there something unique to P4 that causes this or does a major migration exist in other pools of the upper Mississippi??
You hear a lot about river walleyes/saugers migrating towards tailwaters this time of year, especially below the P4 dam in Redwing. Is there something unique to P4 that causes this or does a major migration exist in other pools of the upper Mississippi??
Food. 
A nuclear reactor a short ways above the dam that discharges heated water into the river.
Food
More stable and warmer (by degrees)
Oxygen
and the urge to spawn up stream
will bring the fish to the dam areas.
It happens on all rivers (that I know of) but happens more so on P4 because of the big hatchery called Lake Pepin.
* I don’t play a walleye expert even on the internets.
There’s flat out waaaaaaay more people fishing p4 dam than p3 for example.
I think largely due to the resort and the monkey see monkey do mentality.
I’m not sure how many boats were at everts on Sunday morning ( bazillion by my count) but I do know I left after picking up a few rods and checking out the bait shop and then launched at Prescott and was the third trailer @9am… The fishing opportunity is not magnitudes better, yet fishing hours are. Hmmm. Resounding monkey theory imo
You hear a lot about
. Is there something unique to P4
Volume of reports.
I mostly fish pool 9 and about the only time I’m fishing the dam is when everything downstream is frozen. Sure there’s plenty of fish up there but there’s a lot downstream too and very few other people. Sometimes it takes awhile to find them but it’s well worth the effort imo. There doesn’t seem to be as strong of a migration as pool 4 though. I’d guess because the temperature isn’t any different.
Could be the fishing reports.
But P3 freezes up and the season closes on Feb 28th each year just when the bite picks up… big time.
That reminds me, Jake Robinson has a two man smile from this morning. I hate to say it… Pool 4.
Jake-Robinson-12_8_15.jpg
p4 has lake pepin which makes its numbers of fish enormous compared to other pools. especially saugers. but all other pools have massive runs to the dams in the fall/winter.
There are certainly a lot of boats at times that fish the dam area. As a relative newby to the area it can be intimidating to get in there and fish, but I will tell you that it does give you the chance to watch how others fish it.
A perfect example was this past Sunday. There were a bunch of boats vertical jigging, we tried but it just isn’t something that I really enjoy so we switched over to three ways rigs pulling minnow cranks and caught several fish. I saw maybe 3 or 4 other boats doing the same thing and noticed we all seemed to be catching fish.
Being more comfortable with the area now, we’ve begun to venture out to other areas of the river that offer similar structure.
As one very smart river rat once said, fishing the dam area is only 1/6th of the open water that holds fish.
I recommended to many to stop fishing the dam area two fish short of their limit (if they are keeping fish) and look for current seams down stream in the less populated water.
I’m surprise at how many never go back to the dam.
As one very smart river rat once said, fishing the dam area is only 1/6th of the open water that holds fish.
I recommended to many to stop fishing the dam area two fish short of their limit (if they are keeping fish) and look for current seams down stream in the less populated water.
I’m surprise at how many never go back to the dam.
…Hey Mr. BK What are your top 10 fav flathead spots.? Top 10 channel spots.? Top 15 sturgeon Spots not at the dams.??… rrr
I just follow you around.
Shad spawn in the fall up stream impeded by the dam.
This appears to be a fairly common belief but from everything I’ve read and answers I’ve asked fisheries biologist, gizzard shad actually spawn in May when water temps reach the upper 60 degree range. Although I have also heard they can spawn later in June, July and even early August during really cold years.
Gizzard shad do make migrations towards dams but in the case of pool 4, that may very well be because there is warmer water there and this species doesn’t particularly like cold water.
Exactly right Joel.
The St Croix just started icing over and there’s been a huge shad die off. They can’t handle the change in temps very well.
does a major migration exist in other pools of the upper Mississippi??
Key habitat is tailwaters. Not just the tailwater of the dam, but places that have all the characteristics of the “tailwaters”. As the water temps fall from 50’s into the low 40’s, the shallow crank bite is incredible anywhere the correct habitat is at. Having the depth, structure type, bottom content, flow rate, and other factors will hold huge schools of shad or shiners. Walleyes are predators and will eat the most when they have to exert the least amount of energy. Just like the old analogy thats been discussed for years on here…not all wing dams are created equal….not all tail waters are the same. I look at tailwaters as the area behind a structure. If it has the content I’m looking for, you’ll see me pounding the crap out of it.
Most anglers lack the time to go searching for the right habitat. Therefore they go to the ole’ stand-by spot that is already known…the dam tailwaters.
Here is a test video I did with the LX9 when i first got it. Look closely at the bottom and find 10 spots just like it and you’ll have 10 spots to fish all late fall, winter, and early spring
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