Got driven off pool 2 early last night by the stream of mayflies flying down the channel and into my face all night. Will fishing be slow for a couple days or does it get back to normal sooner than that? I imagine they are gorging on insects at the moment.
The kid and his friend are asking me to take em out tonight but I don’t wanna waste our time.
They’re showing up on weather radar well below La Crosse and as far north as Winona last night at 10PM’s weather report. Not sure but I’d imagine that Lake Pepin is seeing a hatch as well but haven’t heard anything from that area. Its a mess when the hatch is on.
There was nothing on Pepin this weekend. I was out both days, Saturday I was down by Wabasha for lunch and Sunday up near Maiden Rock.
No Mayflies yet! Hopefully they wait until 2019
Well timed post. 
Gonna bring the boat back down tonight but with no cover have no desire to have a million rotting stinky carcasses in there after couple days.
Is it that bad? I was planning on going to HF pretty soon for the late evening/night bite. Worth it?
Last night wasn’t thick by serious mayfly standards but it was enough to affect things. Video didn’t really capture it but you can see if you look close.
They’re showing up on weather radar well below La Crosse and as far north as Winona last night at 10PM’s weather report. Not sure but I’d imagine that Lake Pepin is seeing a hatch as well but haven’t heard anything from that area. Its a mess when the hatch is on.
Last night was the second considerable hatch I’ve seen on P4 so far this season. Neither this hatch nor the first a couple of weeks ago were “major”, but noticeable. I think once the insect hatch flushes through and the water flow continues to slow, the late summer hot spots should really turn on.
Well I only fished for about 30 mins or so, but had a few bites and caught a drum and my first ever p2 largemouth— about 10 inches. Quite a few small mayflies and the fish(white bass, lm, and sm, I’m assuming) we’re going crazy everywhere on the surface. I didn’t start til about dark and caught the lm well after. Also, my 1.5 yr old lab went swimming for her 2nd time…lol. I didn’t want her out there for a couple reasons:
1) her safety. Still prettt strong current…and
2) because she was spooking fish in tight shoreline spots.
I threw a stick for her for about 10 mins before we had to leave, but I would only throw it out about 15 feet out in the calmest eddy. Still don’t know if I’m a jackass for that.
Anyways, anybody else get out tonight?
Well, was down there again last night. The mayflies were all but gone
Well, was down there again last night. The mayflies were all but gone
Thanks for the heads-up. Probably headed back out tomorrow night. Did you notice a slower than usual bite? Wondering if they’re stuffed for a bit…
There was nothing on Pepin this weekend. I was out both days, Saturday I was down by Wabasha for lunch and Sunday up near Maiden Rock.
No Mayflies yet! Hopefully they wait until 2019
We camped at stockholm on Pepin last weekend and saw quite a few on both saturday and sunday. They weren’t as thick up by maiden rock when we were fishing, but we still saw a lot hatching on the graphs. And the fish wanted crawlers and spinners. So I am sure the hatch is going there too.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>AUTO_5 wrote:</div>
Well, was down there again last night. The mayflies were all but goneThanks for the heads-up. Probably headed back out tomorrow night. Did you notice a slower than usual bite? Wondering if they’re stuffed for a bit…
How does a bite get slower than slow? Joking(kind of). It was pretty slow with and without the hatch, but I had more action DURING, oddly enough…
Was down there again last night. Fished for maybe an hour, got one very feisty 19” walleye. I really only fish one eddie(I’m on shore), and I’ve just been throwing a jig and plastics or a floating rap. Wind was so bad that I put on a flicker shad so that the line would stay taught and I could feel the bites. I had been working only the slack water and seam, but decided to run a few retrieves through the strong back current, and that’s where he was. May be on to something here. Don’t know if I’ve ever had a walleye thrash around so much during the unhooking process. He was strong and raring to go! Felt good to finally get a walleye down there again though—it’s all been small bass and sheepies lately. Btw, I got him at/just after dark. Go figure. U been out lately, P2F? Moen? Dave B?
Appreciate the update!
We caught two about that same size on 7/24, pulling floating raps in 6-12 fow near shore. Ours were around 6pm. I always feel like p2 walleye are frisky in the boat. My kid gets frustrated because he can barely hang on to ’em.
I am hoping to get out and enjoy the beautiful, cool, low-wind conditions tonight but not sure what the FW has on the honey-do list just yet.
If you happen to swing up towards the dam, look for a guy with a dog fishing the main big Eddie at the bend at HF, way upstream. I should be there from about 8-8:30-9:45 tonight. Hoot like an owl and I’ll know it’s you…
I was down a couple of weeks ago but won’t be for awhile now.
We were dragging cranks in current focused on about 8 feet of water. If I was shore fishing I would get away from slack and look for current and throw cranks into seams like you did. With the water coming down and slowing they will be looking for current. I like flickers shads and jointed raps. Easier to throw the jointed raps but fire tiger and green/orange flicker shads always seem to produce. I always have purple in the bag, too.
If you happen to swing up towards the dam, look for a guy with a dog fishing the main big Eddie at the bend at HF, way upstream. I should be there from about 8-8:30-9:45 tonight. Hoot like an owl and I’ll know it’s you…
It was good to meet you & your dog out there last night AUTO_5. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again down there!
It was pretty much a perfect night to be on the water with cool temps, slight breeze, and minimal bugs even with the headlamp on. I basically had the river to myself, saw two other boats briefly. Lots of shore fishermen up and down the rip-rap by the dam, which eliminated a good stretch of water for me. They hike down there, they get that water. I hate walking rip-rap so they earned it.
Anyway I picked up one fugly sheep and one 16″ frisky as hell walleye that shook the lure out of its mouth in the net, only to hook itself right thru the dorsal fin. Dummy.
I was long-lining a bigger Husky Jerk, glass perch. Had it running down around 7 ft, moving in and out of shallow water thru seams and over drop-offs. I’ve been on a decent streak with shallow running lures like floaters and huskies and jointed raps lately. Sure helps minimize lure loss.
@mdmoen is gonna like this — now that the water is clearing up some I’ve been testing leader vs no leader. I haven’t been hammering fish, but catching 1-2 decent fish in a couple hours each of my last few trips out. Both rods have bright-colored braid, one has a chunk of 8lb mono leader. I’ve moved lures around between rods, tested in various situations, speeds, etc. Every single fish we’ve caught has been on the rod with the leader. It kills me because the sensitivity difference is significant, but I’ll be running leaders on both rods next time out.
I love it – the leader is king!
Run a fluoro leader and you don’t lose the sensitivity as much. Plus, you have half a chance if you get into a big pike. I run 8# fluoro when jigging and usually 15# if I’m trolling.
I have a spool of 10lb Stren flouro that has been responsible for numerous break-offs right at the Trilene knot. Same knot never fails me on mono so I’ve just stuck with it, but it sounds like I need to get a better quality flouro and give it a shot.
I’ll take a look at what I normally use but it’s off brand stuff and I don’t have issues with breaking off. I run the Trilene knot but I never double it back through the eyelet. Once through the eyelet, 8 twists or so, back through the loop, clinch tight.
I do re-tie the fluoro a lot. If you get a nic in the line it’ll break quick.
Appreciate the tips, Matt. I have noticed in the past that once the water gets real low I’ll catch a lot of fish(all species) in faster current along rip rap. Probably most places there’s faster current would work though. I still have to give the leader a try.
P2F, good to meet you as well. Pretty nifty little rig and loading system you’ve got there! I ended up with three big drum and a couple missed fish. The biggest thing I hooked though was my thigh… Got it on a silver/chartreuse flicker shad. Didn’t fight too hard but was tough to get unhooked… it actually happened while I was unhooking a drum. Somehow one of the trebles went through my shorts and into the skin on the inside of my thigh, then back out past the barb — with the fish still attached… also somehow deeply sliced my finger in the process. So I’m bleeding everywhere while trying to get 2 trebles out of the fish’s mouth, got it out, then proceeded to push the hook through a little more and pinch the barb. After trying to wrench it back out a few times(couldn’t get barb pinched enough), remembered I had a hook cutter with me and was able to cut it and back it out. Fun stuff. There’s a first time for everything.
PSA: BE CAREFUL UNHOOKING FISH WITH TREBLE HOOKS INVOLVED 
Sorry, I haven’t been out since the high water. I hope to get out sometime early next week though! Everything it looking like a decent bite should be going.
Matt is right, really fast water, look for the lower current areas. Warm, low water, the walleye should be in the fastest water you can find. The rocks below Hidden Falls hold some good fishing tight to shore. (you didn’t hear that from me)
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