Dam 10 Report (sort of!)

My computer has died at home, so I have limited access to the net. This past weekend, I took my wife and kids for a long boat ride/picnic on Saturday 10/2. We ran from Guttenberg to Cassville and left the tackle at home for a family fall outing. The leaves were just starting to turn. My wife and I are still amazed at the beauty of the upper Mississippi Valley. I think in another week or so, it will be hitting peak color, especially after the recent frosty nights.

Anyway, I talked to some guys up there while on the water and Elizabeth at the bait store; it seems they are starting to look for ‘eyes and sauger vertically jigging the lock wall near the dam with minnow tipped jigs. On the way in, and out, there were about 1/2 dozen boats workin’ it. I didn’t fish myself, nor did I see anyone catch anything, but it looks like some of the guys are starting to make the switch. I didn’t see anyone on the wingdams either. Water temp was right around 60.

Well, I’m off to Brantwood, WI this weekend to hunt grouse and timberdoodles. Leave a few fish in there for when I get back!

Regards,

Joe Jiacinto

There were a few boats up below dam 11 at Dubuque this past weekend as well. I was out with a friend of mine for a few hours. We fished wingdams with 3-way rigs for the first hour. I caught and released one walleye just over 20″ and my buddy caught and released a sauger. I missed a couple fish as well. I would have been happy to continue fishing wingdams but my buddy wanted to go up to the dam to pull double rapalas. He enjoys pulling rapalas. I’m not one to pull rapalas much because I seem to catch more fish vertical jigging plastics when up by the dam but I thought it would be a chance to use some of those rapalas in my tackle box. We caught at least one fish on every pull. Only two of the fish we caught were keepers. One 16″ sauger and one 15-1/2″ saugeye. Everything else was under 13″. All fish were released.

I know alot of guys enjoy fishing for saugers up by the dams this time of the year. You almost always will find some sort of action. I have been getting larger saugers out on the wingdams along with the walleyes. I really enjoy fishing wingdams in the fall along with the edges of the channel. I enjoy being on the river in the fall. Very little boat traffic unless you are up below a dam. There is nothing wrong with fishing the tailwaters but I’m not one for crowds so I tend to fish downstream. As the water temps get colder I switch to pitching and vertical jigging plastics on wingdams and the channel edges. I just don’t get out as much this time of the year. Once or twice every couple of weeks is all. I spend the remainder of my limited free time sitting in one of my treestands waiting for that 30-pointer. It really is too-bad that bow-hunting and the good fall walleye bite have to overlap. Decisions, decisions. I love fall.

Eyehunter

Eyehunter,I know what you mean,when I’m in the boat I wonder if I should be in a treestand and when I’m in the treestand I wonder if I should be in the boat,Then I stop and think to myself that these are my 2 most favorite things to do and I know then that I made the right decision for that trip.

I learned a few years back that you just can’t second guess yourself. Once you make that decision to either fish or hunt you have to stick with it. Although I have seen several deer on the islands over the years. HMMMM. I suppose I could bring the bow along with me in the boat.

I have already dedicated this coming weekend to sitting in my treestands. It is still a little early in the season for all-day deer movement but the early moring and evenings can be good. I’ve got one stand near an old alfalfa field that almost always has 3 or 4 deer browsing in the evenings.
I’m really looking forward to the change of pace from fishing to hunting. I do love this time of the year!

Eyehunter

I hit the Guttenberg dam on Saturday. Chartruse plastics with very little action were doing 3:1 over the 3 way minnow dunkers. Plastics were tipped of course. I didn’t use a stinger and all my hits were with authority even from the 8 inchers. Sheepies have a way of convincing you, that they are the walleye you’ve been looking for, especially 10+ pound sheepies.

Lots of little saugers, but if you got a prime spot you could get enough quality fish to make it worth the time. All mine went back and swam off no problem. It was crowded though and after I bumped another guy tied to the wall, that was enough for me it was off to the wingdams. I’m not as good at that as I am sitting on top of them by the dam. Did manage a sauger or two and a big sheepie. It should only get better and isn’t it a great time to be out.

I took the wife for a boat ride/leaf cruise for our anniversary this last Sunday. The colors are starting to brighten up, but I think we were still a few days early.

We put in at Bussey and headed North into 10. Water clarity seemed excellent, if you could see through the grass mats that are floating down. I don’t think we made it 20 feet before the transducer was piled high with weeds and the finder cut out on any stretch we hit. If you can get a bait down there, the fish will certainly see it.