Pool 2 update

Spent a couple evenings over the weekend looking for some activity on the wingdams. Well things were sslooowwww! Last night was the best night with 6 fish making it to the boat. Biggest was around 21″ or so. Lost a couple more real light biters. Ringworms and Kalin tails were what I could find to coax a few in, worked ever so slowly over the rock faces of the wingdams. Some fish were found up on top while others were near the base (front end). NO question the big fish are still there, I was just not able to boat anything of any size the last couple nights. I had one nice fish on that felt a legitimate 25″+ that shook for about 10 seconds before she dislodged the hooks!

I do not have any reports on the airport area jig bite as of this weekend. I did hear of some great reports coming just before Thanksgiving day. This should remain stable for the next several weeks with the weather pending….. The weather does look to get nasty again starting today and throughout the week which could bring some considerable ice on the middle portion of Pool 2. I may opt for the confluence and dam area to be my next pursuits for the near future. Watch out for floating ice as I felt several chunks bounce off the hull last night as I made my way back to the dock.

Any good reports form the airport over the weekend?

No word about the airport-but one report of some great action at the dam inside the lock. Fish biting real light but some big fish (6-9lbs) coming on minnows and colored hooks moved real slow.

Is Hidden Falls open again? If not, I dont know if a guy will be able to get from Lillydale or Ft Snelling to the dam or not.

Thanks Dave for the update!! Sounds intriguing……

I thought so too…I am wondering if the teens are too cold to take the boat out.

Thanks for all your help everyone. I had a great bite Friday afternoon from 3-5 PM at the St. Paul airport. Not much size with most at 14″ and one 17″ sauger. Orange jig with a yellow grub body tipped with a minnow. This was only the thrid or fourth time on pool 2 and the first time I caught some fish.

I tried fishing the Miss 2-3 times each year for 2 years will little or no success. After getting some good info from this site and seeing the quality of fish that the Miss had to offer, it wasnt hard to be hooked.

So be careful…any more success and you might get addicted.

Hi, I am Dave, and I fish. I am 31 and have been fishing for 27 years now……

Thanks for the update guys. I’ve been away for the holiday and will be getting out during this week for some ripping of lips. What a tool this web site is in keeping on track with where the bite is.

Whoa…. talk about ice on pool 2! I work in DT St Paul… and passed over pool 2 just north of the airport. Ice… and lots of it. Does this section freeze up like this every year? I’ve never really paid any attention until DeeZee got me hooked on fishing this area.

This section has a tendancy to freeze over for a couple weeks to a little over a month every year. Occasionally we get a semi-mild winter and she stays open all winter with just an occasional ice debris jam from time to time.
The dam and confluence area stays open all year every year with the amount of current present here. If any open water angling is to be had on Pool 2 in these iced up situations, they will mostly be had up at the dam to a couple miles south.

I knew this would come eventually, but its so hard to see every year. Kind of likely a closure to a good book or something. Plenty of open water angling to be had right now though……..Just now we have to deal with frozen rod tips and cold finger tips, runny noses, etc…. pretty much the norm right for all us river rats!!