Im from Central Iowa. Used to see a lot of reports from Red Wing area, and we used to come up a couple times from Nov-Feb. I just got a boat again, and have been watching for a good report to head up, but Im not even seeing any bad reports? Used to log on here and see a new Pool 4 report about every day it seems like?
I’ve got the same issue.
I suspect some of it is due to the construction at the dam causing turbidity. (big word, huh?)
And some of it is impending winter.
In any case, I’m going out with a fellow angler today and will report, good or bad. I’m hardly the best fisher person, so there is likely to be quite a bit of the bad.
And I’ve heard a rumor that Stuart is headed toward the water today also, so maybe we’ll get a report out of him…
I’m going with black hair jigs today…
The reports I’ve heard from people fishing P-4 is the bite is on.. at least towards the head of the lake. Lot’s of shad up by the dam so I would guess the bites taking off there also.
Oh Im far from the best fisherman, I can usually hold my own on the Iowa River, but Ive only fished the Miss a dozen times. And to be honest, the fish Ive caught at RW couldve been caught by my 4 year old daughter, meaning there wasnt a lot of skill needed for a minnow on the bottom amongst that many saugers. I would appreciate your report, its a 4 hour drive each way for me, so dont think Im going to be out there following anyone around every day ‘stealing their fish’. 
From my arm chair…it’s warmer there in the chair, the construction isn’t making a difference in the bite.
The reason I say this is because they were dredging last year most of the fall just above the dam…like right above the dam. This year the construction is on the shoreline below the dam with no dredging involved.
Just my opinion. I know little about what bothers a walleye. 
Minnesota has a deer season underway, the wind has been a huge factor of late and then Red Wing and the dam is a very seasonal thing. People aren’t hitting the dam so much because the fish have not really moved up there yet. The water levels we are seeing is “normal” for this time of year where the last couple of years the water has been high. The year itself is about two to three weeks behind schedule. Lots of factors here that gauge people’s fishing the area. Its always been one of my things with fishing reports not saying much about an area: either the fish are not cooperating or there is one heck of a bite and nobody wants to give it up, Heck, go fish….you might amaze yourself.
For me the fishing this fall has been very inconsistant. You will have a great day then go back to the same spot the next day with only marginal results. Up until this last week the pitching bite was producing nice walleyes for my boat. That bite faded for me so I switched to vertical jigging saugers. The jigging bite at the dam has been sporadic for nice fish. I probably catch 4-5 fish for every “keeper sized” one. Hair jigs and minnows and also blade baits have been turning a few fish for me. Color has varied from day to day.
You are correct, the reports on P4 have not been as plentiful this season. My Speculations are due to the sad and sorry changes in the Cookie Monsters life. Though I hear he is doing just fine…
I will tell you that the fishing gets better as the water cools. It always seems that around T-Giving the bite is in full swing.
BTW Cookie Monster, last night the wife said 18 months till I can get my new boat. So around next Feb-March you can bet on seeing me. -Mark
I would agree completely. The “cookie monster” and the activity that surrounded him generated a huge amount of reports and that has pretty much dried up. 
dd
Dean left and took all the fish with him 
All kidding aside I just recieved a phone call from the pool 4 area last night and it sounds as if the bite is starting to get good down there
Thanks guys! My wife is due in 2 weeks, so I cant get 4 hours from home just yet. Maybe after thanksgiving 
I would think after this “snow storm” or cold rain, the bite should be on….. I hope anyways. I’m takeing my nephew out there this weekend for his first time out fishing so I’m thinking he should catch a 30″ (beginners luck) 
its been very spoty! On Friday there was more iowa boats out there than min/wis boats combined.. weird. Goodluck! 
Have you been to Iowa? Aside from some interior rivers, its tough to find anywhere to go that even has the potential of more than a couple walleyes a day.
I talked with Dean about the bite two nights ago and he said “the bite is a month behind.” Meaning, there’s not much to talk about in the upper river near the dam. There’s been a “hot” day or two when guys were able to scrape up some fish but for the most part the best is yet to come. Now there is a decent walleye bite further down river and out into the lake but if you’re headed for the dam… it just isn’t hopping yet like it should be based on the calendar. But that will change and change quick with some cold weather.
3 of us fished RW yesterday and found the fish scattered, and not nearly in the numbers we had hoped for Or seen in other years. Water temperature has dropped from 1` week ago to 47+ (was 52+ last week) so maybe the bite will improve some more. Water clarity is low, very muddy, even though flow is at about 12000. THe Army Corps is working with huge machinery on the Wisconsin shore, digging out the river bottom with massive backhoes and hauling that muck to a loading area where they load it into empty barges. The trees on the Wisconsin shore were getting the saw blade yesterday, dragged to a massive shredder and turned into mulch on a docked barge. The noise in that whole area was disgusting to those of us used to the serene calm and swooping eagles in that area.
My partners and I tried lots of presentations, with an occasional fish “here and there”. We believe other boats were having about equal success. I’d bet the commotion on the Wisconsin shore is keeping fish away from the area and this year might not match those in past years we all remember.
Here are a couple picx of the “new look” to parts of the Sconi shoreline near the dam.
We took 4 boats up on Saturday from the LaCrosse Area Walleye club. Two boats (3 in each) had 3 man limits, one boat (2 people) had 11, and one boat (2 people) had 5. I think this goes to show that while the bite may not be “HOT” right now, there are good fish around yet.
Most of the fish we caught were on blade baits, and a big number of those fish were caught by the more experienced anglers. That being said, everybody caught fish, but it wasn’t stupid easy yet.
Give it two weeks and it should be absolute insanity.
I fished Red Wing sunday and Monday, Monday was on water from sunrise until about 2:30, sporatic bite as explained by everyone else. Sunday was VERY windy making it an exhausting outing, caught fish near dam vertical plastic and three way floating raps. Also ran down to can line and in between, I am very new to those areas so it was more of a learning experience, trying to take the opportunity with slow fishing by dam to get further exposure on that sretch of the water. Strong winds made reading the river/current seems impossible.
Monday headed down a bit later, I was fishing by 10:00 decided to grind it out from dam to Baypoint fishing within my comfort zone. Jig bite was slow, but had a decent go of the three ways, with a nice mix of saugers and two nice cookie cutter 17 inch walleyes that came from the same spot back to back, also had a nice 22 inch sauger.
I kept a couple samll saugers and the walleyes for a meal, relesed the bigger sauger.
All in all a nice afterrnoon to be fishing, should have stuck around for the dusk bite, but had things to do. Thre way fish were caught in 20-24 FOW.
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Now there is a decent walleye bite further down river and out into the lake
Are you able to elaborate some on this bite? Is it a trolling with either long line or lead core or is it more bait and jigs?
As far as trolling bites go everything I’ve heard is lead core and cranks.
My experiences agree with yours Lundgeye…
Three cabins of long time P-4 fisherman…we just finished four days of hard core fishing Sun thru this morning. The conditions are perfect as far as temps and forage goes… but the turbidity has increased 3 fold since Sat when the Dam guys were off.
The tugs are constantly spinning donuts with barges across from the Vermillion and up near the Wi side of the Dam and the grain barges are running like crazy.
The amount of adult Sauger(on Sonar) from the Y to the dam has decreased from my last trip (10 days ago) dramatically. Our group of 10 (5 boats) put in about 20 hrs up at the Dam with a total of 4 Sauger over 15″and 3 legal Walleyes…most fish caught on blades.
This was my 36th trip to P-4…
I went down to the head of the lake, Youngs, can line, etc and we managed about 12 decent Walleye in two full days of pitching plastics…
Fish cannot breathe in that black dirt turbidity…good luck on the insane bite in two weeks, not to mention the level down to the bottom of the Everts ramps.
I will not return to P-4 until conditions improve…
Those that are having good luck up near the dam, we would love to see a report with pics and info…
Well, here we go!
My buddy Jim and I hit the water at 9:00a.m. this morn, and at 12 noon we were limited out with 3 walleyes (all over 17″) and 9 sauger (ranging from 16″ to 19-1/2″) and threw back the two largest of the day over 20″ (one each walleye and sauger).
We joined the flotilla at the dam (west side) and jigged blades in 17 to 25 ft. of water, and experienced pretty much non-stop action,with the hot time being between 10:30ish to 11:30ish. Attached are photos of some of the nicest fish. Just remember to keep the blade touching the bottom on the drop, but DO NOT let it lay there…jig it up as soon as it hits!
Good luck and feel free to call me if you have any questions at (608) 790-1240.
Curt
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Good luck and feel free to call me if you have any questions at (608) 790-1240.
DUDE! I don’t know which gremlin to use! 
or 
or 
or 
So I’ll just go with… 
Whichever trips your trigger, my good man! Any news on the venison yet?
So far I’ve been told there isn’t any deer in MN. But that was yesterday…and it’s the weekend.
My freezer guy hasn’t shown up yet either. <sigh>
…and now, back to the fantastic bite on P-4. 
Thats awesome Curt… Nice Saugers
I wish we would have stayed a few days later…
Question…were the Tugs, barges/crews working on the WI side of the Dam while you were fishing?
Tom,
We caught fish like that Thursday, Saturday and Monday. They have been very particular though. They’d be in a 10 yard stretch. Curt’s boat had 18 eaters last Saturday, my boat had 18 and one boat with two guys had 12.
They didn’t want blades casted, they wanted them verticle only. Also, they had been mostly eyes up until the last few days.
The key has been making much shorter drifts, 30-40 yards then go back up.
This is my first time trying to post a pic from my phone so hopefully this work these fish were cought at hey creek. I was the only boat fishing there [image]http://pbckt.com/pz.QmQ8zN[/image]
We left Wed morning 
… I’m glad they are moving in the MN side. I did enjoy getting away from the crowd and hitting the rip raps down to the lake but we DO like to get those eater Sauger this time of year.
I don’t know of any Sauger caught down river during that time either? Checked out all the other spots like Hay Creek, High Bridge etc…didn’t mark anything.
You know I love working blades…good job guys!
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