Bellevue Bust (Pool 13, 3/28/05)

With all the great reports coming out on the upper pools, I’m afraid I have some dissapointing news. Despite spectactular weather, the bite was tough to non-existent for us today.

Gianni and I arrived at pool 13 ~ 9:15am, as we both had to get kids off to school this morning. Lots of guys must have called in sick today, because bobbing in the froth below the rollers was close to 30+ boats!

We joined the flotilla and worked a large eddy below the main dam, typical of the type where fishing barges are moored on the upper pools. After about 90 minutes with no action (and not seeing anyone else pulling any fish up) we threw the E-tec into high gear and parked the boat about 3 miles downstream along some less crowded rip-rap shoreline. We picked up a bite or two in as many passes, then worked some sand dunes immediately below the rip-rap. Other than Gianni getting a decent yank, plan #2 was not panning out. The bottom looked so good, we even pulled some F11/F13 raps on 3-ways, but to no avail.

We consulted our map and decided to make another run and work a slough entrance about another 4 miles downriver. This area was textbook walleye country: rock, sand, slough entrance, deep channel, etc. We trolled about 3 passes in an effort to cover as much territory as possible. However, we couldn’t make anything happen here either. So much for plan #3!

We both needed to be home by 6:30ish (always have to add the “ish” ) so at 3pm, we decided to make the 8 mile run back upriver to the dam. The 30+ boats of the morning had thinned to no more than 6-7.

We came up on a wingdam on an inside bend and decided to jig the 500 yards or so of slack water upstream of the boil line. At about 4, like a bolt of lighting, I finally had a solid hit on my jig. I was using a 3/8oz white/red horse-head bucktail with a stinger tipped with a minnow. The fish was lip hooked on the stinger and Gianni deftly netted the plump 18″ male for me. This was my first ‘eye of 2005. We immediatley marked a waypoint and Gianni noticed that the graph was lit up with fish. Unfortunately, it was nearly time for us to go home.

I suppose for a first-time outing to a new pool, we did OK. We certainly covered lots of water and tried different methods in an effort to make something happen. I will definately make an effort to spend some time on this pool this season.

As a side note, IA DNR was out with their radio direction-finding gear looking for radio tagged female walleyes. We noticed them spending quite a bit of time in one particular slough channel… As yet another side note, the E-Tec behaved itself quite well today.

Surface water temps were nearly 45 degrees by days end. The corps raised the rollers sometime in the last few days, water had risen 1′ since yesterday. This may have had something to do with our poor success. At the ramp, it was like a broken record. Fish were few and far between.

Regards,

Joe

The bite has been slow at Dubuque as well. Everyone seemed to be doing great last week but the bite just died this past Saturday and hasn’t yet picked back up. The river is going up and looks like it will go up another 1-1/2 feet or more. I would guess this has to do with the snow melt up north. The river isn’t real dirty and I welcome a little stronger current. The phase of the moon could have something to do with the poor bite as well. The start of the barge traffic and the Corps changing the dam gates from winter to summer position could also be factors. I had a couple friends out all day yesterday at DBQ and they had caught several 13″ to 14″ walleye and one 17″ walleye. They caught all the fish in about a 45 minute stretch on the edge of a sandflat. That was about the only action they had to report. I am hoping for a good old spring thunderstorm to get the bite going. Then I will switch my tactics from vertical jigging and pitching to working Dubuque rigs tipped with fat nightcrawlers. The nightcrawler bite after those first spring thunderstorms is hard to beat. The forcast is calling for a chance of storms over the next 48 hours.

Eyehunter

The fish could be spawning about now also. But the reason eyehunter gave are pretty much on the mark.
Don’t despair, at least you have plenty of fish in your pools up there.

Herb, You may be right about the fish starting to spawn. The water temps are getting up around that magic level. I think they are in the mid-forties to upper forties here at Dubuque which would mean the fish should be going soon. Last year at this time the spawn had already been going for a couple weeks. They still should be making it to the boat despite the spawn. The fish are just concentrated on or near the major spawning areas. The changes of the dam gates, the rising water and the barge traffic seem to have pushed the saugers out of their wintering holes and spread them out. The walleye bite is probably pretty good once you find the fish. I just haven’t been able to spend enough time on the water lately to find just where those critters are stacked. The night bite on shallow rip rap and wingdams should be good right now. There was a full moon on Good Friday which would have been the time to be out night fishing. That is probably one of the main reasons the day bite died this past weekend. Don’t give up on Pools 12, 13 & 14. I’d fish any of these pools before I’d fish pool 11. There are many changes going on in the river right now.

Eyehunter

“I was using a 3/8oz white/red horse-head bucktail with a stinger tipped with a minnow.”

Sounds like a “Doberling” jig. Not surprised by that one taking fish. Good to hear you got out. Sent you a PM.

Water temps at Guttenberg were at 45 degrees this morning–the spawn has probably started further south. Sunday morning, the temps below the dam at Muscatine were 42-43. No doubt they’ve climbed since then. A couple boatloads of locals at Muscatine said the bite there was better earlier in the week, too.

Water temps at Mac Gregor was 47 this morning.

The spawn pretty much kills walleye and sauger fishing for a week or so–looks like I’ll be crappie fishing next weekend.

I just checked the water temp at Lock & Dam 11 at Dubuque. 2 hours ago was the last reading and it was 47 degees. It had been up to 48 degrees for most of the day. I would have to say if the walleye haven’t started their spawn that they will in the next day or two. The water temps out of the current are probably even warmer. It won’t be long and there will be post spawn walleyes with a huge appetite. We have an annual first of the year camping/fishing trip up to Lansing in 3 weeks and hopefully we will get into the walleye like we did last year.

Eyehunter

POOL 14 was just a tough as 13. at least 30+boats fishing tailwater, within a couple of hours they were running back and forth, up and down the river. seen maybe 2 keepers and 1 slot female. talked with a gent at the boat ramp on the way out, he was talking with his son who was fishing pool 13 tailwaters with the same results. let them make more babies and we give it try again in a couple of weeks. river was still pretty clean, except alot of grass or plants floating. anything with a treble hook on the end wasn’t fun. not sure where it came from or why. it looked like this years greens was this a problem in the upper pools? thought maybe it came from the ice melt

remember, “I” before “E” except in Budweiser!

With the river rising, any water vegitation that was froze in the ice will rise and as it’s carried with current, the ice will melt from it and that’s a lot of what you’re seeing now. Plus a lot of it is from the late summer die off that just didn’t make to your area last fall.
Happens every year.

I concur with 3WAY on the tough bite on 14. I made it out with fellow IDAer Tom “jig4eyes” Clearman on Monday. We worked several areas between Cordova and Fulton, with no luck whatsoever.

Around mid day we headed up to the dam after the crowds had given up. We did find a few active fish, including on 15″ eye and one 17″ sauger, as well as a couple dinks, several voracious white bass, and last, but not least, my biggest fish of my life on hook and line. Unfortunately, it was not a tooth critter. Monster fish hit a Zonar jig equipped with a ring worm that I was using as the dropper on my 3 way.

We worked the dam for a couple hours, then worked some rip rap and sand areas down river, as well as a staging area for eyes after dark, but came up empty. Water temps I encountered ranged from 44-47 degrees, so I am sure the spawn is on. With that, and the rising, muddying water and barge traffic combined, I am not surprised at the slow bite. Looks like a good time to catch up on other priorities!

Here’s a look at my monster fish. CarpKing ain’t got nothin’ on me .

You fellas know how it is, we can plan only so much and so far out; we go fishing when we are able to, open or closed dams are not gonna hold us back.

But part of the game is learning how to respond to these river changes to find active fish. We worked hard yesterday, but eventually found a pile of fish, albeit late in the day. I’d like to think if we had another 2 hours to spend, we’d have stuck a couple more. Gianni kept commenting on how stacked they were on the graph right where I caught the one. We marked a waypoint and made a few more passes and just kept marking fish, but it was time to head in.

There will be other days. I know I learned some new things yesterday. You’re right on. Probably stay in this weekend (unless my little boy wants to go fishing) and catch up on honey-dos. Let the fish do their thing these next couple of weeks before hitting it hard again…

They gotta eat, too…

Here’s a pic of Tom with one of the white bass we found. We really had a great time out there, even if the fish where not cooperating as well as we would have liked. Thanks Tom .

We did see a few fish breaking water from time to time. I bet they were probably white bass. They can be a ton of fun, for sure. We have a couple of local lakes here near CR where the DNR has stocked Wipers (striped-bass/white bass hybrids, those boys can get big and boy do they put up a fight! I got one close to 24″ last year.

You could not have asked for a more spectacular day yesterday, as far as the weather. It was really good therapy to be away from everything for a day. With a sun-burned face and hands, my co-workers knew I was up to something. And let me tell you, it takes a lot of sun to burn a 1/2 Italian 1/2 Hispanic dude like me…

Fished off the barge on Monday and fishing was very slow. Ended up with only one small sauger and a whitebass for my efforts. A few other small fish taken with a handful of keepers. Behind the barge a half dozen boats were working that area pretty hard, but I didn’t see them every catch anything.

I know this is off topic, but what is the whitebass run like? I am new at fishing the area, but have spent much time in the Wolf River chasing whitebass.

I don’t really target white bass, and I don’t care for them to eat, but they are fun to catch, so if they happen to bite when I am walleye fishing that is OK.

I have found that white bass start to bite well when the walleye are spawning, which is to say right now. I have more experience with this on the Iowa than on the Mississippi, but on both places there can be crazy-good fishing in the current breaks below the dams.

john, thats one good looking fish. ever had deep fried carp ribs? some of the best eating i’ve had or maybe we were just hungrey and the makes most fish really good. all jokin aside those ribs were very good. i like to smoke those 10# or smaller buffalos too. great munchies with a cocktail :waytogo… a year ago this time that 14#+eye was caught by a teenager fishing the rocks along the clinton shore with a bobber. who says ya gotta have $$$$$$$$$ equipment to catch big walleyes. timing,alot of luck sometimes wins out!

To some its’ a 6pack; to me its’ a “support group” Salvation in a can. (leo Durocher)