Pool 4, plan of attack this week…..

OK…. the below is fairly long… its meant to give pool 4 bound fisherman a plan of attack for the upcoming few days…. I intend to go out fishing late this week to help avoid crowds and will follow the general plan below… Ill let you know afterward how it goes….. if anyone has any other good ideas please chime in!…..

All right… the “tough” time I spoke of not long ago is in view on the horizon…. the inland season is closed… the only fish in the tailwaters of pool 4 right now have wintered there and have been thinned out considerably since October…. its been one great ride this cold water period… but I doubt Im going out on a limb to say the fun is about to stop… or at least slow down considerably…. starting this weekend when saturday we have a prediction of 30+ temps and the first of the pool 4 fishing tourneys… count on 100+ boats on the water… this is NOT the time to be a “monkey see, monkey do” style angler… (trust me… Ive tried it many many times!! it just dont work that way very often)……

I assume most of you have SOME kind of plan when you approach a day of fishing… even if the plan is go to the dam and see where people are fishing and what they are using and copy them…… (that used to be my plan!… but 3 years on this board have shown me that its clearly NOT the BEST plan)…….

first of all there seems to be (at least!) 2 completly different bites going on out there…..

1. there is the deep water bite in the scour hole featuring mostly small fish that will most likely die when tossed back in your search for larger fish…. plenty of minnow stealing action but not much in the way of decent fish….

2. there is the shallower bite in water away from the scour hole… this bite is 30′ deep and shallower……. and features not as many numbers… but nearly every fish is a keeper… with LOTS of 17-18 inch fish… and bonus fish at 20″ or even more….. this bite extends away from the dam….. you can fish the entire channel from the dam to the Y… fish around the Y, hay creek area, and the high bridge…. just to name some popular spots…. and your going to need to try some less pressured places…. obviously plan 2 is MY recomendation….

Ok… now you have some locations… your still going to need presentation….so you say your only comfortable with a vertical jig bite? Ok.. Im cool with that…. I fish vertical a lot… its not always the best… but if its your bag it can work…. I would try Super Doos first…. switch colors and use light heads the current is slow the water is clear…. use blues and purples, and natural colors…. BUT… exceptions can be had …. so try at least 10 colors if you have them…. I have 30… and never get around to all of them any given day…. if the Doo is a Dont… then DONT forget ring worms…… again light headed has been best… though SOME outdoor magazines Ive read lately have suggested POUNDING the bottom with very heavy 5/8 oz jigs…. who knows? never tried that… bucktails have also worked for me.. both tipped and untipped….. and of course just plain jig heads with minnows…. (thats been my least successful tactic!) in fact these suggestions are in order of MY preference…..

OK…. lets face it… with an army (or is it a NAVY?) of vertical jiggers out there… it just MIGHT behoove you to try something different….. how about 3-ways? think dubuque rigs… with the bottom jig being a ringworm or shad (but use whatever you like!)….. I LOVE the nuckleball ZONAR jigs for this… they are as perfect of a dubuque rig jig as you will find…. but if you dont have them and cant get them that quick… go with whatever heavy jig you have… with this current you can probably even get by with 3/8 oz….

on the upper hook dont get too crazy….. just a floater and minnow or crawler piece…. or even just a plain hook with a bead or two……

another good bait option is just a live bait rig with a sinker… dont be afraid to try crawlers or pieces of crawlers (if you can find any!)….. I would work these very SLOWly up stream… or else impede your drift and work very SLOWY downstream…. dont forget to zig zag a bit as you move… particularly up and down any channel breaks you find…..

ok… thats my basic plan…. I will also use cranks, sonars, jiggin spoons…. and other plastics like shads and grubs (twisters)…… stay away from the crowds….. I doubt they will be killin them!!… but if you must satisfy your curiosity (and I know you must!)… take ONE drift with the crowd and ask yourself one question…… “doo you feel lucky? well doo ya?” (yeah… good ol clint, hes got lots of good lines!, like a mans got to know is limitations…., and I admit… Im NOT a guide… just an experienced river rat…. but these are my plans…. the best I can come up with….. give me another year or two and I will have even better ones…..)

hey rivereyes,

that’s a great plan. except now your plan is everyone elses plan. so might have to come up with a completely new plan.

I think you are right Rivereyes. To much to read. Think I will change my plan to finding you out there and following very close to see what you are doing.
Good luck fishing

Hey RiverEyes,
You’re going to have to steal one of those barges for
all that tackle you’re going to try!!!
Won’t be hard to find you. Wish I could be there
to watch you slay ’em, but I have to do a big
auction on Sat. By the way, if you guys are planning
an event that might include an auction and need an
experienced auctioneer, let me know.

geeeez… cant believe I wrote all of that….. (and that anyone read it all!)
the “plan” is actually pretty simple….
fish shallower… mostly 20-13′ maybe even shallower at times…
fish lighter weight heads
try doos, ring worms, bucktail jigs,
try different colors till I dial one in….
I will probably find a vertical tactic that works… but if not.. a 3 way one will hopefully do it….
Im not worried about others “using” my plan…. plenty of room out there, I just think it might be pretty tough once a lot of boats get out there….

Hi Buddy !! See ya at the Hi bridge friday !

Richard (Smitty)

Keep a tight line !!!

Hey RiverEyes, I appreciate your “plan” for pool 4. The detailed reports that you and others give on this site is excellent! Last fall I went to pool 4 in November to give it a try. The reports I had been reading were talking about several different techniques that were working for catching Walleyes. I was pretty familiar with vertical jigging and pitching jigs so I chose 3-Ways with crankbaits. I had never fished with a 3-Way before so I read the articles about it and asked a question or 2. I was suprised to find out that you troll upstream. Any way I drove to Everts Resort, picked up some required tackle and after a quick how to lesson from Steve I was ready to give it a shot. I went up below the Y and started trolling. I bet it wasn’t 1 minute after my sinker hit the bottom and I had a nice 18 inch Walleye. I ended up catching 7 that afternoon that way. I had a blast. So thanks to all of you who give your detailed reports. Keep them coming, it works!!

RiverEyes, I wish I could join you and the gang this weekend, especially after you disclosed your fishing plan of attack, I just wish I had the time to fish let alone lay out a whole page! The least you could do is disclose a picture of your boat too! My son is wrestling at the state (WI) tournament this weekend, thats where I’ll be. I can’t wait to hear all the post reports! Good luck to you and the 100 boats that will be following you! LOL…….

sounds like I will be out on Friday… with Kerry Harvey… in his boat… so Im not sure myself what it looks like!…… and I think Jon J and Steve Plantz are going to be out in Jons “Jon” boat too….. bet there will be a number of other FTR people out too…..

RiverEyes Being that Im from Dubuque and you are going to use Dubuque rigs this week you may want to thread a doo or ring worm onalong shank #2/0 hook.If I catch a fish on what ever I have on the heavy jig I try and use that same bait on a bare hook.It will float and glide some what higher than the jig.You will be suprised at how many doubles you will catch.Two 2 pound fish equal a 6 pound fight when they go in opposite direction///////////plasticman

Ill admit.. Ive not tried plastic on the upper hook.. though Ive heard of people doing (DOOing?) it…… sounds like a trick worth trying… particularly when the bite gets tough….

RiverEyes, I will be out Thursday and Friday. If you see me, DON”T stop by and say “Hi”! I don’t want the crowd to follow!
LOL!
Tuck

Hi Tuck….

apparently I will manifest on the river as a huge crowd of boats!!…….
actually right now I cant even tell you what the boat looks like that Ill be in… but it will be away from most of the crowd I bet….. maybe we will see you down there…..

If you manifest around boats, and start walking on the water, I am going to be REALLY scared!
Have fun!
Tuck

I guess the secret is out…. didnt think anyone saw my little strolls… but here is a pic someone sent me…….

I thought the FTR didn’t want you to be walking on water anymore. There you go again. Be Afraid of Him Chris! Be Very Afraid….

Too funny!
See you “On the water”!
Tuck