Pool 2 9lb walleye

Here is a pic from a fish that just inhaled a ringworm on a wingdam last night. She taped out at 29.5″ long and my guess she was a little over 9 pounds.

That was fun.

They just keep getting bigger!!!! If you make it out tonight I look forward to seeing a picture of a 31″

Sweet fish Dee Zee! Whata pig!
Tuck

Here is one more pic of her! I have to put the digital camera on a tripod and set the timer and run back and get into position. Then I have to crop the picture a little later to get a best fit picture, thats why it can get a little blurry.

I attempted get 3 buddies yesterday to join me, and they all declined with “I’m too busy”..Man, how does a guy pass this kind of fishing up? LOL!!

Hey, I’m good at taking pictures……

DeeZee, that is one nice eye you got there! What color ring worm were you using? I have not been able to get the better fish on ringworms on recent trips. The Kalin tails have just been kickin butt for me.

Nice fish and thanks for sharing the pic.

Dustin,

Purple ringworm was the culprit here.
Kalin tails have been working too, but some of the deeper haunts require less bulk (quicker drop).
Those Kalin Tails have been deadly shallow though.

DeeZee,

That’s a great fish. At 29.5″, I’m sure she was well over 9 lbs. I fished the base of fourteen wingdams last Saturday morning on Pool 2 but only caugth one 18″ walleye. I fished the wingdams from the airport downstream a couple of miles south of the St. Paul Park ramp from about 7:30 to noon.

Have you ever caught one over 30″ on Pool 2. I was talking to a guy last year that fishes 2 a lot and he said he’s never caught one over 30″ on that pool and he was wondering if they ever reach 30″ there.

Have you had any luck on the wingdams in the mornings or mid afternoon lately?

Boone

She’s a beauty. I noticed there’s daylight in the photo. What type of water did you find her in?

DeeZee, sounds like you need to get new buddies…LOL!!!!

Mark

Super nice fish DeeZee, do you find it better fishing during very low light periods like late evening and presunrise mornings, or have you been able to get some good fish during some light. In pool 4 lately the better Walleyes are very low light fish. we are expecting some 30 inchers real soon from you. by the way I’ve been into photography for 30 + years, (hint, hint). thanks, Jack.

Beautiful catch DEE-ZEE. Too bad my boat is put away or I’d would give that area of 2 a try. I can’t wait until spring.

Boone,

As far as 30 inchers go. I did catch one about 30.5″ last December and lost 2 fish near the boat that would have went a solid 30″ as well. Not all that common but they are around. Two falls ago, I was pulling up to the ramp at 494 right about dark and I was witnessing a shore angler wrestling a rather good sized fish to the bank. I figured it was a good sized carp, or cat. Then I heard a “whooohooo!!!” Needless to say, that got my attention, so I ran over and took a gander at the 14LB EYE!!! She was a solid 32 inches and round as could be. That was by far the biggest eye I have seen here on 2.

My fish hit a ringworm very hard on a deep wingdam. In fact it was my very first cast in this spot. I quickly dumped the anchor overboard and lobbed my ringworm in and about 3 seconds later WHAM!!
This fast action has been pretty typical when you pull up on a new spot for the first time lately. I have been averaging about 3 fish per wingdam within 10 cast and then I need the change it up and go after the less aggressive fish with lighter gear or different profiles. At times, I will spend considerable time on one spot, if I have an inclination that there may we more fish holding here. At times, you can tell if they are more than one fish there by the way they hit the lure. What I mean is, smallmouth bass are very aggressive fish, and when there is company around them when feeding, they do not waste any time gobbling up a availible meal. Well, I tend to believe walleyes will act similairly in certain situations, although not aggressive as smallies can be, but they do have times where I believe this to be true.
For instance, we have all had a time or two when a walleye has hit your jig before it even hits the bottom right? You think this is coincidence or lucky cast? Well, probably a little of both, but seeing how aggressive this fish was to inhale this bait before it even hit the bottom sometimes tells me that this fish is in an aggressive mood and he/she is not about to let a easy meal pass and go to its buddies. Make any sense? I have seen this all too many times with smallies and got to believe it happens to other species at times as well, and walleyes (although considered a passive fish) will feed by there tummy and not their brain. This is good news for all of us!!

I am sitting at work right now (6:45am) and I can hardly wait until its time to leave as my boat is sitting in the parking lot waiting for me! Boy, its gonna be a long day!

See you on the water!

DeeZee

Being that the fish were hitting the bait before it hit the bottom. Does this mean that they were suspended or just coming up to get the food.

DeeZee,

Thanks for all the information. Could you share some insights about where the fish are on these wingdams? Three fish per wingdam in the first 10 casts is phenomenal in my opinion! Are you finding them right at the crest of the rocks on the top, midway up the face, or perhaps right at the bottom of the upstream base? Also, are you finding that the location changes a lot based on the time of the day or night?

I’ve been fishing the wingdams for several years by backtrolling my relatively small boat back and forth across the upstream side and trying to bounce my jig right at the base of the rocks. I try to tick the rocks as much as possible without getting snagged excessively. I suppose you could say that I’m almost trolling a jig and much I’m jigging the jig. While doing this I will almost always use a Dubuque rig and run a bare hook, a stick bait, etc. (except on Pool 2). To do this I usually use a 1 oz jig or maybe a ¾ oz. jig with a 4″ twister tail. It’s definitely not a finesse technique but I often have good success with it. Most fish will hit the trailer bait but the bigger fish seem to hit the jig. I always thought the advantage of this approach was that I could fish the entire base of the wingdam relatively quickly and easily. I know that I’m not able to fish the top or even midway up the face, but I use to believe most fish are lying at the upstream base anyway. Your three fish per ten casts vs. my one fish per morning has got me thinking I’ve got to rethink things. Perhaps I’m just zipping across the face too fast. I try to backtroll as slow as possible but I can’t get really slow with my 40 hp Honda. I don’t have a kicker. Perhaps it’s been an evening bite and I’ve been out in the morning, or perhaps I’m just fishing under the fish. Maybe this technique doesn’t work very well when the water gets down below 40 F. Any suggestions?

If anybody else (Jon J., Dustin, Tuck, others…) has any comments please jump in.

Thanks,

Boone

Boone,

As far as the locations that I have been finding the fish at. I cannot really answer that with any consistancy. The fish have been both on the bottom face (where the rock meets sand) more than up the face, but not in any overwhelming numbers. Keeping the different sizes of jigs rigged and ready has been my best approach for these fish.

I agree at times working the face back and forth can be productive at certain times of the year, but this time of year, I have been throwing the anchor out and religiously working every nook and cranny before moving on. Anchoring on a spot for an hour or two gives you new appreciation to working a spot and learning its little nuances that it has. One interesting discovery I found a couple nights ago was taking the aqua-vu and probing the front face of a wingdam after hours and realizing how many fish are here. I think I was better off if I had not looked, because it made you incredibly frustrated to see that many fish holding here and knowing you have shown these fish your approach and it was rejected. This is where small, very small details can be the difference between no fish to several fish. Although frustrating, yet educational for me as I gain confidence that the fish were there and if I gave them the right look, they would take it. Small details have been as simple as pulling up the anchor and relocating just a few more feet in either direction from where you where and this gives the coverage that you were not able to get whne anchored in your previous spot. I have learned this the hard way many times.

Hope this helps.
Good Luck…the nice thing to know, is that the fish are there, and just need coaxing.