Dresbach 4/6/07

With a North wind at 18 plus MPH and a morning temperature of 20 degrees things were cold on the water. I managed one nice 18 inch walleye and caught 4 short males before calling it quits around 9:30
The best bite (if it can be called that ) was first thing before light. A chartreuse/pepper super doo on a 3/8oz jig tipped with a minnow was the only thing I could get fish to take. The fish were holding just outside of a current seem in 13-15fow. With a big drop in water temp the trick was to slow things down. The boats that are cruising at surface speed are not picking up fish. I faced the back of the boat into the North wind and used the 25hp to slow things down. Staying vertical was a must. There were a lot more boats seeking shelter from the wind this morning than seeking fish
Before leaving I did find an active school of white bass on a wing dam. Seems early but they were fun to catch and made a good end to the morning before heading out. Even in the cold water they put up a good tussle
It was also nice to meet WalleyeHunter. as I was headed back to the landing. Nice looking rig Justin Hope you found some fish!

Bret

This was the average size of the schooled up white bass.

Thanks for the report

Probably be a tough bite tomorrow then ah!?? Any roughies?? I have some friends that are in a rough fish contest that might head down–I thought the activity for the red horse and carp slowed down dramatically over the last few weeks.

Thanks again

CB

Stay on em Bret and nice report!Good luck this w-end

You are more than welcome for the update. Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my report
I never noticed any red horse playing in the current this morning but then again, I was focused on boat control and trying to stay deiced more than anything else

Thanks for the report.

Curious, even with high the water flow you found stripers on a wingdam. Is the keyword here “active”, and when not feeding there out of the current behind the wingdam?

Still have a alot to learn about fishing the great Miss so thanks in advance.

thanks
jmm

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Curious, even with high the water flow you found stripers on a wingdam. Is the keyword here “active”, and when not feeding there out of the current behind the wingdam?

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That would be a true statement for a lot of spieces. I was not targeting the white bass but once I found activity I had fun with them. I was surprised to find them this early myself!
Gotta like the river, never know what you will find on a bite

Thanks for the response Brett.

These picture don’t do it justice but, this is what the back of my floater looks like after proper boat control today. If you look close, everything is covered in ice

Guess I need wave wackers

You are one tough hombre Bret. I was cold in the car today and can’t imagine what it was like on the river.

Keep up the informative reporting. Some day soon I’ll get the boat wet this year.

Curt

Good report Bret. It was a pleasure meeting you and thanks for all of the information you have provided through all of your posts. I really found your report interesting and I can ditto it and I fished a different area.

I found a pod of really active Walleye on the Minnesota side. There is a rock break that runs 13 feet on the top and goes down to around 20 feet. The active fish were on the top of the break in 13 feet of water and were holding tight on the edge. I had to keep the back of the boat in 19 feet and the front in 13 feet in order to entice the bite. The other MUST as Bret also indicated was to get your line perfectly vertical. I did this by slowing the boat with my bow mount, which meant that I had to face directly into the frigid winds. The third and final factor was I had to use a Chart/Pepper Super Doo tipped with some meat in order for them to hit. When I got these 3 factors together at the same time, I was almost guarenteed action. I tried numerous other colors and styles of BfN tackle without success. The Chart/Pepper ringie didn’t even work, it had to be the Super Doo. I was only able to brave the cold for about an hour and a half, but was able to boat 5 fish with 2 being short and the biggest right at 18″. I had an additional 15 or so strikes that I was unable to hook up. I am a little rusty this spring.

See you guys on the water

Justin

That is a good area for high water fishing Justin. Like I told you I wanted o make a drift or 2 but decided to head in. The trottle on my motor was freezing up big time

Way to go with the Super Doo