Dragging ring worms on pool #4

Yesterday I had the chance to make my first Pool 4 trip of the year. When I got to Everts Dean was so busy I decided to forgo getting minnows. I committed my day to learning the particulars of fishing plastics exclusivly. Though I didnt nail the fish I was successful catching several nice sauger and walleye.

The fun part was practicing all the different ideas learned from all these post. First, sure enough I got my early fish on the Wisconsin side right where James said they would be. Thanks. Second, I got more of my nice fish dragging down stream versue up. Yep, light jig size is key. Sure enought I got my fish on the prefered colors most of you recommened.

Dragging is fun, fishing jig and minnow is fun, pitching is fun… its really great addding new techniques to how I fish. For those of you new to river fishing or the pastics thing I suggest to keep reading. Look at achieved articles and spend a day with one of the guides.

Glad you got down for som OWT(on water training) What a beautiful day to be out in early March!

Mojo:
Have you purchased a shimano rod yet? If so, how would you rate it’s performance?

I got a question. Do you guys use this technique on main channel areas? or do you use it in shallower backwaters? i am assuming both, and they have their times of year right? I got a few sloughs that we troll cranks and catch lots of good fish, and they are between 5 and 15 feet deep, but i would also like to try the draggin technique this year if i can learn it.
Thanks, and great thread!

You sure can Cade. Most of the talk from Pool 4 is dragging shallow in the early morning and late evening. But, down here we drag in deeper water as well. I drag all day in depths in the 5-20+ fow range and right in the main channel. But, in order to do that, you need to have a little more weight and have out more line. The areas you are talking about would work fine for dragging. If the sloughs are too narrow though, I would be more concerned with spooking them. But, if you are trolling them, you should be okay to drag as well. Dragging is a lot slower than trolling.

Cade;
Which pool do you want to try dragging? I may have some insight……..B

Pool 8. I troll pretty much any slough around goose island that has sand and at least 4 feet, although i have caught them in less than that trolling. I am a much different walleye fisherman than the rest of you guys. I have a lot of fun trolling small shallower diving cranks in less than ten feet and i do well. we catch a lot of eaters in mid summer in the sloughs. the dragging technique sounds fun, I really need to get some more tricks learned when it comes to walleye fishing. One spot i would like to try this technique is right in front of the goose island campground. we do well trolling this up and down, come mid april into may. Thanks for the help

Cade,

Another thing you can try (which is more fun, if you ask me) is pitching plastics in the backwaters. Sometimes the backwaters get too much gunk to drag (weeds and other crud mess up your line and bait). Besides, you don’t need much current at all (if any) for plastics to be effective. Try a 3/32 or 1/8 oz head with a ringworm and swim it back to the boat along the bottom. If you’re hitting the bottom too often, go with a lighter head or a bigger plastic (like a k-grub, which has more water resistance). Sometimes it can be really effective to snap the jig when you do hit the bottom, which pops it back up into the swimming zone (1-2ft. off the bottom) and seems to draw attention to the bait at times. Most of the time, though, I like just pulling them back to the boat very slowly (no jigging). When the fish aren’t chomping a hit can feel like bottom contact, and in that case that snapping trick can come in especially handy!

By the way, the first time I used big plastics with light jigs was for smallies on Chequamegon Bay … so bass like ’em too!

Pull… reel in the slack; Pull… reel in the slack; Repeat often!

John

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One spot i would like to try this technique is right in front of the goose island campground. we do well trolling this up and down, come mid april into may. Thanks for the help

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Cade,

I’ve thought the same thing about this spot. I wonder if the fish would be that shallow with the water temps still so low?

I did some fishing from shore yesterday with a ringworm on that littly wingy on the boat landing. The current was just enough to slowly tumble the jig back to me. I didn’t catch anything but it was a great just to be out for the first time this year.

Curt

Sorry Cade, I can’t help you on 8
I have some non pool 4 spots, but not on eight.
Plenty of pool 8 guys around here, should be some ideas to share.

Brian I haven’t bought one yet – still haven’t located one in the exact size I want. My Brother in law got one last year, and I was pretty impressed with it. I spent about 15 minutes comparing a 2006 6’6″ against a Fenwick HMG and the St. Croix Avid at Joe’s last week, and I liked it, but I would like the 6’8″ or maybe longer, which they didn’t have there or Cabelas or Gander Mtn in Woodbury. I thought the Compre felt better than the HMG for a ML rod, and the Avid didn’t have much advantage over the Compre either, but was $70 more. There seems to be quite a difference between manufacturers on how a medium light rod should feel – especially if you want a fast tip, but the Compre felt ideal to me. I’ll probably buy from Cabelas since I have some credit for their store and they are $10 cheaper than Joe’s, but they don’t carry the 6’8″ either, so I’ll probably just go with the 7’0″. That lifetime replacement warranty makes it hard for me to spend more on the Fenwick or St. Croix. Check one out if you’re looking.

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This may be a stupid question but that has never stopped me before. I see a lot of guys indicating they use hi viz lines. Why?? The ability to see a fish pick up the bait easier?? Thanks

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I’m no expert but for me, and probably most other guys, the hi-viz aids in visualizing what your jig is doing under water better. When I cast out and let the bait flow with the current, or on a retrieve, I’m always watching my line to make sure I have that semi taught connection to my jig, as well as watching it twitch from making occasional contact with bottom as that ringworm tumbles along.

Hi-viz makes vertical jigging much easier as well since you can watch your line for that tell-tale kink in your line from bouncing off bottom. For me hi-viz is less important for dragging(trolling) since that seems to be more of a feel technique, although it does still have advantages for all the same reasons.

I pretty much never rely on the line to indicate when a fish hits because usually they crack it so dang hard you’ll know! As far as the line spooking fish, that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue in the murkier water of the river.

Hope some of that makes sense. Chris

I think Crankbait nailed it pretty good. I might add that when I’m fishing a wingdam from an anchored position, I cast out and let the jig fall down the slope of the dam watching for the line to go limp, then gently lift and let the jig fall further down the slope-see James and Dustin’s video on river fishing.

Also, I do a fair amount of bass lake fishing and I thought I’d have problems with high vis not working so well in clearer water , but that really doesn’t seem to be a problem. Personnally, the only time I’d be a little nervous about using high vis would be while slip bobbering and possibly vertical jigging in clearer water.

I have been experimenting with tying on a mono leader with a blood knot. I’ve been doing this for line buoyancy issues more than line visibilty concerns. I’ve found that adding a 6′ mono leader doesn’t hurt my casting ability much ( the knot going through the rod eyes) and is very strong-when I get hung up on the rocks my line nearly always breaks at the jig. So in other words, if high vis line makes you nervous you could add a floral carbon leader if you want.

Good fishin to Ya!