My 3 hour Tour to P2 Last Night

I was able to hit P2 last night after work. My brother and I got on the water about 6 pm. After scratching the crap out of my hull on the ramp ( my brother decided just to let the hull hit the concrete ramp when I was picking him up. ) Then having to do it again cause of the ripping current the first try was unsuccessful trying to pick him and my dog up.

We got fishing and tried a few high water spots. Like I said, the water is coming up, it is fast, it is dirty, there are trees and crap floating in the river everywhere. Be careful out there. It is not quite so bad above the confluence. Below the confluence visibility might of been a few (2-3) inches. Above the “’fluence” it may have been 4-5″. We tried pitching plastics to current seams above and below the Confluence. The one spot that looked the most promising yielded ZERO fish. Not sure why? We hit it before and after dark with no luck. It had a big current seam with back / slack flow in 2-6 feet of water adjacent to strong current with sand and rip rap mix.

Down by the confluence we did pick up a few 15-20″ eyes vertical jigging plastics. I also landed my first Kitty Cat of the year pitching some Rip Rap after dark. It was small but a kitty. That be it for my 3 hour tour down to P2 With more rain forecasted Thursday and Friday, this river should still be on the rise for another week. Be careful because I’m sure the flow will continue to Rip and a lot more garbage should be coming through! Until next time.

All in all that sounds like a decent trip, Gilligan. With the water coming up like it is, I might have to try convincing Mike W to show me how it gets done on P2 when the Mississippi is crazy-high. Or maybe you can just share with me what he showed you last year?

Thanks for the report Rob.
I must have just missed you and your bro yesterday. I was off the water by about 5:00pm. Yesterday’s trip was a slow day as well. I have been on the water about every other day now for the past 2 weeks and the numbers have stayed the same, but the size the last 2 trips overall have slipped a bit. 12-18 fish per day has been the norm lately. Most fish have been in the 15″-19″ with an occasional 21″-22″ range. Some fish have come draggin, some pitching and some vertical jigging. The big fish bite in the shoreline current breaks and backwaters I think will start going real soon. Well see what mother nature has in store for more rain this week, but barring any huge rainfalls I suspect good things to come in the next 5 days.

If anyone is looking for a bunch of crappies right now. Try draggin a light 1/16th or 3/32 oz jig and minnow around in the marinas bays north of the confluence or in any of the bigger current breaks. Have been seeing some respectable crappies as of late.

Sure John, but Mike said who ever I tell, I need to tie the anchor to and push them over

Steve yeah we hit LilyDale about 6pm . Although I thought I was going to see you, cause I heard a jet boat coming my way and cut back into a backwater/bay by the Fort Snelling bridge. It was a River Pro, but it was a High Pro. Looking forward to some more expert tutiledge in about a week and half Steve

Just for you Suzy watchers. No signs of her yet or bites from her home

Wish my tour was just 3 hours today. Spent about 6 out there with out even a bite. Tried a little of this, little of that, nothing worked. At least it was a nice day out. Was thinking I should of brought a some meat with on this trip. It is that time of year that if you cant get things going on artificials dragging a minnow or crawlers around might get you some action.
Yep John the high water is hear but I thinkmy spots from last year are going to need a little more than that. Warmer temps and fish with out spawning on there minds would help. Hoping by the end of the month they start to turn on. Until then its looking at other high water areas.

Still no sign of suzie as of 4-5-06.

Yup, drewsdad and I ended up with a big ole skunk today too, in retrospect I’d much rather have launched out of lillydale today, to make traveling distances lesser, wow was there some chunks out there today. I did spend some time draggin and jigging minnows, with no luck.

DNR was also out today.

The man paid a visit to me also. Told me that I not only need to buy a fishing lisence but need to have it with me. Am suposed to have my throwable floatation out in the open, not in the storage compartment. Still not sure of who I would throw this to as I was fishing by myself. One thing I did not know was that there is suposed to be a horn or whistle on board also. Guess it was my lucky day as I got by with a written warning.

Now where did I put my fishing lisence?

I always wondered about the throwable thing to when your the only one in the boat, started to argue last year with an enforcement officer but stopped when I realized he was just giving me a warning

Same reason I didnt question his logic.

Good to hear you got lucky, I felt bad because I forgot my phone in the car, and couldn’t give you a headsup. I figured you’d be fine. Yeah he hasseled me a bit about my throwable, which I keep up front in my boat, which is normally very accesable, it just got tucked in a little more than usual when somone(me) put the trolling motor pedal back in there. From my experince they are a tad touchy on the subject, so I alway try and leave the handle on mine out in the open.

Not sure, but I thought I heard someplace that the regs of throwables as well as the whistle thing was different for boats on a river vs lakes.

Would someone please delete this thread or at least change the subject? Just kidding…..

Every time I see the subject my mind turns to that Applebee’s commercial that is played 10 times each hour at night on tv.

Other then that I have enjoyed this thread.

Sorry Fish!

I wish he would of cuffed and stufed ya Mike

Any boat 16′ and over except for a canoe has to have a throwable accessable along with the regular PFD’s within reach for whomever is on board.

Any boat 16′ and over powered by a motor is also supposed to have a horn, or audible device capable of X level of decibles.

I believe all motorized boats 16′ and over must have a fire extinguisher also.. doesnt make a difference if the gas tank is in a compartment or not. If the gas tank is in a compartment, even smaller boats must have a fire extinguisher.

The great lakes have even more rules.. you have at least 3 flares on board and the expiration date better be good.

I might not want to know the answer here but what the story behind Suzie I have the feeling she may have been kidnapped

Suzy is a sweet heart of a waleye that lives in pool 2. If I remember last year she was 26.5″ in length. Suzy has had a rough life in the past and bears a few bumps and scars from this. Even with her sorted past she seems to be doing well and feeding very well at times too. Her diet of hair jigs, plastics and crankbaits is how we got to meet Suzie last summer. Nick was the 1st to run into here. She then made it back to my boat 2 more times aftr that. The markings on her showed it was her each time. Each time she was caught on a different bait too.
This leads us to the present and wondering if she will still be around again this summer. Hopefully a little big and twice as hungry. She hung out in one small area last summer and that is where we are looking agian.
Will see if I can find a photo of her. Nick, Do you still have that photo from last summer?

Sounds like little Suzie is kind of a wild child. I better have a talk with her Mom, I have a date with her next week!

It has been very interisting on pool 2 to catch some of the same fish several times in a summer. Suzie had found her self in my boat 3 different times last summer. Had a 28″ eye that I caught one morning that sure looked the same as the one I had took in the same spot the evening before. The summer before up at the confluence towards the end of the summer there where alot of fish coming to the boat that had signs of being previously caught. Have had one smaller fish with destinct markings caught twice in the same day on one spot and then caught a few days later on a spot just up river from the first.

Guess it goes to show that yes, released fish do bite again. In some cases it does not take them very long to bite again. Have also seen how these fish seem to pick a area to hang out and stay there for long periods of time.

I know some people that dont seem to care for the catch and release on pool 2 but for me, I have to still give it a big thumbs up.

Anyone know what I need to do to get a duplicate fishing lisence? Still cant find mine.

If you do find her Steve remember that she likes to have her belly rubbed. A little tickle behind the gill plate does not hurt either.

That DNR guy driving the boat was the same guy who nailed me in January for “late lighting” of my boat. He was telling Nick and I about people they check “who got attitudes” This guy is all attitude and as pleasant as a willowcat sting. The other guy was nice. Maybe they were doing good critter-cop bad critter-cop?

Anyway, glad to hear Mike that they do give warnings and not just tickets.

dd

I found her I found her

Click on the below link and scroll down to see a few pics of Suzie and one of Mikes Bruiser 28″ er.

SUZIE

Mike what are you doing Sunday afternoon?

Mike, you should be able to go back to any place that sells them and they can print a duplicate for 4 bucks I think. I lost my bow tags last year and had no problems getting duplicates printed up.

I have caught the same flats in that spot I told you about down at the GTG in Red Wing last summer .I believe the same spot you pulled a dandy eye. They sure didnt seem to mind hitting a bait after being caught either. Pretty cool!

I canceled my plans with suzie this weekend guys so shes all yours… Just be nice

Great repost there Rob. Shows what we have to look forward to on pool 2. Lots of brown water and green trees. And walleyes .

This got me looking back threw some other old reports on pool 2. If you guys want some good reading and to look at some great photos try a search on pool 2 for the past few years. Target from the end of april to the middle of july. This is prime time on this pool.

Hey mike, I think Walmart or were ever you got your license will give you a duplicate. Should be pretty easy.