Dustin and I saw a good AM bite both days, nice fish up to 25″, on plastics and hair but the bite slammed tight and was off for the day after 11 AM. We never made it up to the dam except for a 45 minute visit on Saturday but heard the bite was tough.
I’ll throw up some pics from the weekend later on. I want to hear how everyone else did up and down the river no matter if the bite was good, bad or ugly for you!
I got skunked on the lower end of pool 2 Saturday… 
Tried a little of everything, except meat! Water temp 55.0 degrees.
Jon J.
I launched at the Hastings’ public access at 2:30 on Saturday. I caught 3 eyes. One I picked up right away on the “north” side of the channel in 10 feet (17″). Then I didn’t hook up until right before dark by the access, tight to the shoreline. We worked that between 5 and 15 feet, finding our fish in the 10 to 12 foot range. There, I caught two more (15″ & 16.5″). I had many, many light biters, that would just suck on the minnow, but wouldn’t take the jig. I tried a stinger, but they seemed to spit it out before I could set the hook.
Then my day went real south, as I blew up my motor……..
They are there, just wished time would of allowed me to work it in the morning, instead of the afternoon……
Gary
Buckshot and I hit Pool 3 for a few hours on Saturday morning. The action was slow to nothing on plastics jigged vertically during a slow drift. A plain jig with meat seemed to get a few bites, so I decided I would get my hands wet(as much as I hate too, meat was catching fish). As soon as I switched, I started getting hit. I managed one 16″ sauger then several misses and a couple short fish. Buckshot struggled to hook up, but had several times where he retrieved nothing but a minnow head. He was able to get a few fish in the boat throughout the day, but all were shorties. The bite on a plain jig seemed consistent for most others around us also. A fish a drift, usually short. We were working the bridges in the Prescott area.
We did venture up to the dam, the gulls were having a feast on the very large shad dieing off. Most of the shad I saw picked up were easily in the 4-5 inch range. I can see why the big Kalin’s tails are the ticket this time of year. We also worked some other rip-rap areas, but the water was very dirty compared to recent trips and just didn’t feel fishy. We gave this area a weak effort with crankbaits and big plastics.
We did not throw any hair at these fish, probably should have. Maybe this weekend if time allows… I’ve got company from SD coming, I hope to get them to Pool 3 or 4 for a few hours.
My trip cancelled on me saturday so I hit pool 5 on Saturday for a couple hours and managed to nail a 25″ and a 26″ off the same wingdam. I used 2 different prestentaions. I should have pics up tonight. This wingdam had good current and all my action has been along ways away from the dam. 
Caught 6 fish (all between 11:30AM and 3:00 PM
Big one was 28.75 with a 22 and 23 in same spot
Caught two 16″ saugers and one 18″ walleye in another -(cleaned and frozen for a deer hunt meal)
Overall, for a spur of the moment trip and less than 4 hours of fishing, I was pretty pleased
Only camera I had along was a disposable – will post a pic of big one when I get it developed – Thanks to Joel and Edie who happened along at an excellent time so I got a picture of the big one holding it instead of laying in the bottom of the boat as most of them are
OOPS! (details) By the way, that trip was Saturday – hope to try it again one day this coming weekend
As mentioned below on walleye board the fish were fun and steady on 9. Couldn’t get plastic to work but Taylor Tackle Walleye Killer ,(hair jigs), did there usual solid duty with 3/8 and 1/2 ounce out fishing 1/4 oz even in slack water. Nothing over 4#s this wekend, but very few under 15 inches. Regarding our discusion earlier in the year… this fall we are seeing the majority of the walleye from 14-17 inches, unlike last winter when the majority seemed in the 17-19 inch range. I’ll bet those were 2000 rather than 2001 like you guys suspected. 
The first couple of hours I was out on Sunday was the best. Had some nice fish in the 21″ to 24″ range. If we would have had at least 2 or 3 more little flurries of active fish during the rest of the day it would have been a really good day. Later on in the am hours those fish got lock-jaw on us 
Can’t say as I have ever had an Oct on the river as tough as the last few times I have been out since I got back from Mille lacs. The bite has been really sporadic from one day to the next. Catching 7 to 13 legal walleye for a day in mid to late Oct isn’t a norm on pool 4 .We have lot’s of competition out there with the low water and an overabundance of shad, the darn things black out my sonar’s in just about every area I have fished the last 3 times on the river. 
Pro Blue Ringworm’s took our biggest fish on Sunday, cranks and hair took a couple as well.
The Red Wing action was pretty slow for us novice anglers though we did manage to catch a few sow saugers on Sunday, crankbait bite on three ways is non exsistent and jigs and minnows seems be really slow, I saw a few guys do good on meat but with all the shad it seems the fish have lots to choose from, colder temps this week will be great but I have to go back to work 
Pool 5 Sunday. Worst day on river this year for me. Didn’t get out until about 11am. Tried everything we had with no luck. Only seen one small one caught. Guys I talked to at landing had same results. Maybe this weekend.
Pool 2 on Sunday. Pounded the wingdams with cranks and plastics, no go. Trolled cranks on the riprap, no go. Pitched plastics to the riprap, picked up 2 smallies. Left with little else to cover, I pulled cranks on the sand and hit 2 eyes, both 17 inchers, 2 sauger one small, and the other one 19 inches. Also had 2 cats, both flatheads,ish!! Go figure, sand and cranks??? Was great to get out.
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time all weekend..a few small fish is all I managed..
Never had so many short strikes on hair..also had the plastic tagged and no hook up…Boy the bite has to do nothing but get better..
Looking forward to the cooler water… 
I GOT OUT FOR 2 HRS. ON FRI NOT A EYE WAS TO BE FOUND . OUT FOR A MORN. FISH WITH A FRIEND 3 EYES 17.5 TO 18″, 1 FISH CAME TROLLIN 2 CAME CASTIN PLASTICS, YES ONE 10″ER FROM BRIDGE AREA.THAT WAS ALL ON POOL #3SAT.POOL #2 FOR THE LAST 3 HRS. OF THE DAY ,WE ENDED UP WITH 6 FISH,ONE WAS AROUND 6LB, THE OUTHERS WERE 17-20ISH RANGE, ON CRANKS.STARTING TO GET COLD GOIN FROM SPOT TO SPOT BUT NO BIG BOATS ANY MORE 
Sounds like I did not have to head up all the way to Rainy not to catch fish.
Here is my report from the Rainy River Forum.
Pfluggy-where were you on Pool 2 Saturday? Maybe we crossed paths. I was fishing solo in a 14′ Red Lund w/ a Honda.
I don’t fish the Miss enough to know anything, first of all. But I was at 10 and 11 4 days this month fishing near the dams – slow boat. Everyone was slowly catching small saugers and 0 walleyes. We concentrated on faster water and channel breaks and thumped 1/2 oz leadheads and ringworms, and casted slabs. We actually caught as many or more fish as everyone around us and they were much more quality fish. Lots of 17-19″ saugers and the walleyes were a nice mix from 15 – 21″. My opinion, after seeing the size of the shad they were spitting up, is that there were a) a lot of shad b)a lot of small fish c)some nice fish d)the nice fish were moving through along obvious channel transitions and current breaks e)Larger baits were more effective than minnows when competing with shad.
I think the older fish are just not moving up hard and staying put. They definitely filter through, though. Just compare the recent Lynxville tournament results with the reports. I know the 1st or 2nd place finishers (whoever didn’t catch the 12 lb) were on the west wall casting in fast water.
I’ve had my best luck by knowingly decreasing convention and getting creative. AC
Good advice there… when you see 100 boats vertical jigging minnows and catching nothing but small fish, why be boat 101?! Mix it up and explore some. It almost always pays off. Thanks for the word from down south.
great advice on mixing it up.
That is exactly what I did
Was not a single other boat at either place I caught fish
Only reason I went to first spot was that boats were absolutely piled up in area I had planned on starting in.
3 nice fish in a flurry
2nd spot – same thing – 3 fish in a hurry
Weird as water temps, water levels, baitfish etc. have been, it seems the abnormal spots and patterns are becoming the norm
Hey Big Dad,
What types of areas are you targeting, sand, rip rap?? Care to share depths?? Thanks man!!!
All the fish I caught were very shallow – 2.5 to 6 feet. Sandy bottom – the big ones all came out of an area that was very snaggy (trees and branches) I happened to be pulling crankbaits DOWNSTREAM and only running motor enough to keep boat straight – barely faster than current would take me – one of the big ones I actually caught with motor out of gear just drifting while I was retying. Fish in the snags and you will lose some baits – I lost two crankbaits catching 6 fish. Doesn’t seem to be a presentation that is working for many, but as I stated in an earlier post, nothing seems to make much sense in catching fish right now other than keep trying different strategies
HI DAVEB,NOPE SAT. WE WERE ON #3,SILL SLOW BUT GETTIN A FEW ,ONE OF THESE DAYS I HOPE IT GETS NUTS ,DID LAST YEAR FOR ME. SUN. WAS THE DAY I GOT OUT ON #2, NOT A LONG TRIP BUT WE STILL HAD A GOOD TIME,I SHOULD SAY MY FISHIN BUDDY DID I SEAMED TO DO MOST OF THE NETTIN,BUT IT STILL WAS A GOOD TIME 
was out saturday with my club, we were on the croix, and I made a croix forum post, briefly, I stayed in the prescott area for the morning, and for the two of us we got 16 sauger and walleye, mostly sauger, only two nice ones 18 inches both, most fish were 15-16 1/2″, and seemed to like jig and minnow more than platics, which I tried. things really slowed down at 11:30 am. best 200yd pass was good for 5 fish. Jack.
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