P 4 this weekend ?

so with the river conditions rising and the current increasing, are people still fishing the area? I am thinking about making a day trip on friday or saturday. Any input would be helpful. thanks.

Yes people will still fish

Good question and it is asked every year.

With the water rising, the fishing IMO gets better.

Couple things to remember and I like using Doc Friego’s example the best.

Walleyes are like pregnet women in a park on a windy day. They want to get out of the wind and rest. To do that they must go to the edge of the park to be blocked from the wind and find a park bench to rest in. Same with fish.

Moving out to the edges of the river and fishing around a current break, whether is a rock, a wing dam or some other obstruction will find fish.

Over this last weekend many fish were caught in 12 feet or less of water. Some reportedly in 4 feet of water.

Plenty of fish will be caught over the next two weeks. Watch the Tourny Forum for the results of the Full Throttle tourney this weekend. I think there will be some big weights!

Couple words of caution.

Rising water means debris will be coming down stream. This is the time of year when trees come down river. Keep your eyes on the water, wear your pfd and use your kill switch tether. Ask your fishing partner to watch too.

Just by slowing down a little and looking ahead reduces the risk of hitting something a lot!

I’ll post the Steve Plantz “how to load your boat in current” video here shortly.

PS if the predictions are accurate, I don’t know if we can actually use the term “flooding” this year.

Another thing to think about is water temperature. I heard from a pretty reliable source that the water temp is about 45. The walleye should be spawning any time now and by next weekend I am thinking it will be a combination of spawning and post spawn fish. I would not be surprised to see Full Throttle weights drop off from what MTT pulled last weekend. There are definitely fish to be caught right now but very soon they will be transitioning and the game will start to change. Another monkey wrench is the weather forecast for this week. Will the cooler temperatures slow down the spawn??? Don’t forget we are coming up on a full moon. Wow, it would just be easier to go fishing and see what ya catch—that is what I am going to do

We had water temps down to 41 on Sunday. We caught one fish that was dropping eggs but the others were solid. I used to be one if those guys that was scared of high water but BK’s example nailed it. They get easier to locate. The carp were on fire on Sunday too. I landed my personal best at about 35 lbs. I think there will be a lot of fish spawning this week.

Just don’t try to change your spark plugs in front of the dam and all is good.

Which reminds me, when having boat troubles the anchor is your friend. As the traffic picks up on the river, try to get out of the main channel and anchor.

Having motor trouble and anchoring in the middle of the channel at night is not a smart idea…lights on or not.

The spawn is on many fish were dropping on sunday MTT. By next weekend most fish will be spawned out and on the move. I know some will still be full but most will be done. Things will be changing daily down there and the fish will be there one day not the next. good luck.

thanks for the info. it helps alot.