New to Pool 4 and Walleye fishing…

Hi all! I just found this website while browsing for wing dam locations and various walleye techniques for pool 4. I have a few questions and would appreciate any info and advice. I will be launching my boat out of Red Wing, and have been down to Pepin quite a few times but only to Smallie fish never walleye. Im basically looking for any techniques (not trolling) that work well for beginners (jig size, jig types, plastic types, etc.) I dont really wanna troll. Also im very wary of going around in the channel because of wing dams if anyone has a map of their relative location that would be awesome! This is the main reason I never walleye fished. I plan on going out on thursday of this week to target some eyes.

Thank you everyone for the help Im eager to learn this great fishery.

Welcome to the website – There are some great pool 4 fishermen here. I’m sure some of them will have some great advise for you.

Thank you! I plan on being a regular here as it seems to be a great place to learn. I’ll report all my progress as it comes. Hope to become a good pool 4 walleye fisherman!

thanks again

Wing dams are up by the dam on the Mn. side of the river.The water is low enough right now to see them.3 total.
Jigs and plastics will be putting alot of fish in the boat now through winter.Verticl jigging or casting them along current seems and rocks,sand and gravel.Trolling with 3 ways and crank baits will put alot of fish in the boat also.
About as many ways to catch eyes on P4 as their are eyes in it.Hire a local guide or check out the trip swap forum.
You will catch eyes,just stick with what you know best.

Dewy,
Do not try running the back channel (Wis.) The water is too low unless you really know where you are going.
I may be up there on Thursday also. What kind of boat do you have?
WKW

there are also dams down south of wabasha in P4 (yes, boyz, that is STILL part of P4 when i last checked my maps) you have to pay attention to them also. Pepin proper has no dams to my knowledge (trolling for more info here…)

I saw a ski boat try to cross the mud flat below the channel markers at the head of the lake on Sat.
He made it, but he sure had the mud flyin’.
WKW

There is a jig dragging video for sale in the IDO gear section of the web site. There is also a jig pitching video that was made years back. Maybe Ill have to do some checking into where that is located.

Lakemaster has a chip that shows wingdams on pool 4 and many of the other pools. Its a great tool for me up here on pool 2. Like said above there is 3 located at the dam and one where the vermillion comes in. Most of the rest are located below lake pepin. Besides wingdams you may want to look at rocky shorelines for pitching.

For pitching fall walleyes on pool 4 hire Dustin stuwert for a few trips. He will take years off learning where the big walleyes are in pool 4.

So it looks like there are 3 wing dams by the lock, 1 by vermillion and the rest are down by below pepin for the most part? Is there anything between red wing and the lake? Also are there any decent walleye spots on the main channel between Red wing and the lake? What size jig heads you guys suggest for pitching on the channel this time of year?

Absolutely spend the money/time to fish with Dustin Stewart or Marty Hahn . They’re both excellent and very willing to teach. It would definitely shorten the learning curve.

Hiring a guide is expensive; BUT if you can swing it it is an investment that will take years off the learning curve. The guys on IDO don’t say that because we are trying to shoot some business towards the guides (who are also our friends). Some of the better guide trips I had were times when the fish were not biting so hot. That is when your guide will really show you some places and techniques.

dd

Here is a link to a series of maps that you can download and print that show wing dam structures and navigational markers. The labeling of the maps with regard to the figure shown on the page is not so intuitive… start with around map 15 for lock and dam #3 and then through map #20 which is Wabasha.

When folks say you will see the wing dams, they are referring to being able to see turbulence in the water resulting from the wing dam structure. Water levels are low now, so if you have an inboard, be real careful and take it slow and easy while you learn your area.

Mississippi Corps Map Site

For jig sizes I would say have plenty of 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 with. Jig size will vary with the places you fish. Crawlers and leaches should still be a good bet but as water temps drop into the low 60s plastics and hair jigs will get going again

Some good river fishing info in these videos.

Falll Walleyes with Dustin.

Dragging Jigs for River Walleyes.

All great advice, let me add my own. Bring baked goods, see Dean when you get there, ask questions. ‘Nuff said…Dean and his crew will put you on the water safe and on fish.
Good luck, and welcome to an AWESOME site!

Reverend,
I am afraid to tell you Sir that you are in for a sad awakening if you are planning on pulling into Evert’s and plying Dean with baked goods. Dean is no longer at Evert’s and the fishing wisdom left with him.

Dewy,
Welcome to the site Pool 4 is a great fishery and it can be fished many different ways. With the flow we have now I would think a half a crawler on a 1/16 jig would put fish in the boat in the low flow areas. Head down to the head of the lake (can line)—find moderate depth—say in the neighborhood of 10 feet or so—-toss out the jig/crawler and put your troller on just fast enough that you are moving slightly faster than the current. Nothing fancy but it usually will put fish in the boat. You may have to try a few spots but it will put fish in the boat most days. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Never fished pool 4 before but in pool 2 I use 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8 ounce jigs. I’ve had decent luck recently jigging leech or crawler on the up current side of wing damns in around 8 to 11 feet. The ones I’ve been targeting lately I need atleast a 3/8 ounce jig to hold properly. Casting or trolling cranks can be one of the best methods until u locate some fish.

Thanks all! I really appreciate all the help!