Fished last weekend in the heat wave…. hard to imagine what next year will feel like after this 80 degree weekend. Worked from the Genoa (pool 9) dam down river. With all the traffic up around the dam, my patience gets thin quick, and I hate being around crowds. Took the often posted tip from IDOers to get away from the crowds to heart. Fished from Desoto up to about a 1/4 mile of the dam Fri-Sun. Nothing was easy as my trolling motor deployed driving down the highway on the way to fish Friday. Skeg gone, and badly beaten prop and bent shaft. Friday got into some good perch in the half day, but no walleye. It was a slow start.
Saturday with the water rising, and getting dirty, we struggled. Boat control was a pain in wind and with the suffering trolling motor. Actually shifted gears to put some nice smallies in the boat just to get something to happen. Crank baits along deep rip-rap was hot.
Sunday we kept working away from the crowds and at the edges of now even faster current seams. A few small walleyes and saugers after another bass diversion. Things were not looking good at all. Last serious attempt of the day at a tough to fish seam paid of with a personal best… 30.5″, 10.11# walleye that fought like no other walleye I have ever caught. Didn’t think it was a walleye until the fifth time we saw the leader, and caught a glimpse of that white tipped tale. The second the net got under her and pressure was off the hook, it fell out.
Camera screwed up, and image isn’t good, but it was a great way to end a couple days in this beautiful place. We may not get the numbers, but sure is nice down river being away from everyone. Catching this monster just before giving up made it all worth while. Half oz blue hair jig tipped with a minnow right at the end of a seam along a 12-16′ drop off.
Sure wish I wasn’t close to five hours away from this fishing area… you local guys of anywhere on the river have a good thing going.
