Help for a P4 Trophy Walleye Wannabie

I get asked this question all the time and who better to answer it then the guys doing it?

Here’s the question…

During daylight hours on P4 right now in this “goofy” years of low flow, low water and higher temps…if I were to go fishing this Friday, Saturday or Sunday…

What is the best presentation to use and “where” should I be fishing to catch my >>>First Trophy Walleye in the 27″ plus class.

Please assume I have some, but little Pool 4 river experience. Please don’t name any locations directly other than the dam, the Y or down stream of Everts.

I’m just looking to help out all the newer folks that want to hook into their first “Big One” this weekend.

I know some are going to say pitching blades because it is effective this time of year, but as someone fairly new to river fishing, is that something a person can learn and give them the best chance at a PB fish for this weekend?

Thanks in advance!

3 to 8 feet of water, spawning areas along the shore, Koppers Live Target Smelt – silver blue

Well that’s a start.

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3 to 8 feet of water, spawning areas along the shore, Koppers Live Target Smelt – silver blue

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What’s a spawning area?

How are these Koppers fished? Long lined?

What size if they come in more than one size?

The spawning area.. for the guy new to it and not sure what to look for. a good place to start is look for signs on shore. One of the easiest type of spot to locate right now on pool 4 is areas with flooded willows. the water is low but there are spots with some willows in the water right now!

how to approach the spawning area? There are a lot of ways to approach such a spot. each spot will be different! I like to position the boat in deeper water(8-10 FOW) and make long cast right to the edge of the willows! and work your bait back across the shallows and down the edge in the deeper water!

baits? many will work if worked right! color seems to be a major factor right now. daylight hours are a bit slower than the low light hours but still putting out some nice fish.

best tip I can give ya is to dedicate a day for the trophy, keep with it all day knowing your not going for numbers of fish, Your looking for one bite! the more time you spend with your bait in these spot the better the chance of landing that lunker!

Good luck to all!
TheguN

GREAT advice corey!! i would say the same thing about dedicating a day and only chasing big fish!! Sure you can catch 50saugers in a 25ft. hole but looking for big girls all day is a TOTALLY different type of fishing!

Cory…

Great topic and advice. I’m just a beginner, but two weeks ago when I got my trophy and personal best on pool 9, it was towards the end of the day, and the one and only fish I caught all day. I wasn’t looking for numbers, by anyone else, or in any of the go to holes.

Probably just lucky, but the theme of fishing for a big fish sort of fits. It is different than fishing for a number of eaters. I was ready to call it a day not ten minutes from that one bite. It was a good current seam, near a rocky point along a sand shore and I just really thought it had to hold something. Lucky as I said, but the effort was there as well as the intent.

That’s a good point too CG.

Many folks come in at 5, 6 pm saying how bad the bite was all day when they should be out on the river for that last hour of the day…the golden hour.

I am really likeing this read…. 1 cause I am a RW local born and raised… and its always been a #’s game for me

just might have to take up cats like my bro.. Mud

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I am really likeing this read…. 1 cause I am a RW local born and raised… and its always been a #’s game for me

just might have to take up cats like my bro.. Mud

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Plenty of room for cat folk as I’m sure your bro has told you…but that’s for another thread.

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That’s a good point too CG.

Many folks come in at 5, 6 pm saying how bad the bite was all day when they should be out on the river for that last hour of the day…the golden hour.

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When at the very least that’s when they should be getting ready to go out!!! I am not on the river, but in general, I see that from ice fishing to summer fishing!!! Crappies during ice, friends are leaving, then ask the next day…

Or in the spring on natural lakes, although during the spawn, once I get to dark, I am pretty much shining to look at ’em until a little post spawn action starts back up…

Or in late spring/summer and the mosquitoes start coming out at dusk and that’s it. Well I am telling you that is a tough hour, but the rewards for sticking through it are enormous and the skeeters really do leave you alone for the most part after that hour too!!!

Mark

Good info Mr. Benson, but I made this post for the newbie Trophy Wannabie…during daylight hours.

Sending some fella out there in the dark without some type of experience is not what I would recommend and strongly discourage, even though your post is true.

Lots of people with different skill levels read these posts.

BTW to the angler that went by Everts last Saturday night heading towards Red Wing going over 40, possibly 50 mph…you are a danger to others and yourself.

Hey Brian, my two cents is that a 27″ or better walleye could be caught vertical jigging as easily as pitching right now on pool 4. With the lower water the fish are accessible to everyone. Fish near current seams or just off the main current in 5-20 fow jigging blades or plastics or minnows during the day. They don’t seem to be grouped up like they would be with high water. It is just a matter of working a spot over and getting lucky. Even trolling can put some nice fish in the boat now with water temps over 50 degrees.

Good info FTA!

There’s many that haven’t pitched before and would rather go vertical if they could.

BK:

I sorry I forgot that part of the equation, was just adding to the notion of being on the water and staying to/through the bewitching hour.

My bad… The first two times I stayed past dark I was with guide Fluekiger on P5 and he drove home.

Mark

No prob! Safety first and the whole guide thing is so over looked.

Whether day fishing or night fishing a guide that’s been on the water for a few years or even a friend that’s been on the river a few years, shortens that curve incredibly.

Not only did this happen to me around 15 years ago, but I talk with people frequently that are discouraged about their first visit to P-4. They hear and see about the fantastic fishing and come in at the end of the day without a bite.

Having someone along that knows the “routine” makes it look like there’s nothing to it. Far from the truth.

One of the reasons for this post.

Reminds me of fly fishing for crappies out on Brooks Lake once. A husband and wife were bobber fishing and catching nothing. Dad and I were throwing short fish back and keeping the 9 inchers then when we had our personal limit, we just enjoyed catching them.
The H&W left. A while later they were back both geared up with fly rods. We gave them some flys that were working for us and got the hell out of the way.

She said to her Hubby…”sure looked easy ’nuff”. Once they started to get frustrated we gave them a short casting lesson. Well they weren’t perfect, but they did catch fish.

Had we not helped or “guided” them, those fly rods would have been sitting in their garage collecting dust in no time flat.

Trip swap or Guides…thE best bet for getting on fish and learning to fish the river…fast.

Geez, that was a lot longer post then I planned on!