How is Alma doing?

Just wondering if Alma has a hot bite yet?Finally got the boat out of storage,and it needs to be floating quick!I guess if nothing else,one could drag the ice fishing gear along and hope off on some back waters for some slab ‘gills.

hello riveratt

Bite has been very slow…. just waiting for the water to warm up an the shad to die off. hopefully with all this rain the last couple days the river will warm up enough for the shad to all die off.. my brother was out friday an caught a couple little saugers and a muskie..

Flick

So, how warm does it have to get? Is not Alma one of the first places to start getting “good” in spring? What is pirme start time going to be? I would like to get down there too.

Does the Alma Countryside Co-Op on Main St, carry live bait? Where is the ramp?

Lots of questions, so much water, so little time!

Hawger

Yeah, Countryside co-op carries live bait and a bunch of tackle now. Alma needs to warm up a little bit yet before it starts to be good, prime last year in alma was great, normall we make the weekend trips to red wing but this last year we didn’t have to because alma was hot. The ramp is right behind the co-op there just right behind the silos you can see it from the co-op it is right across the road. Any questions just go ahead and shoot, flick, fireflick, and i can probably answer them.

I will be out on thursday in alma trying it out all day, so I will let anybody know a possible outlook for the weekend. I should have it posted by 6 on thursday night

Hawger–the prime time is when the water reaches 42-45degres (this is the general range) then the fish slowly make there big push to the dam…for landings…there is one behind the country side store..an there is also one called Belivdere in Buffalo city..this is just a couple miles below down the road past the country side..this landin is almost open year round..if u wanna get away from the crowds an fish down stream i would recommend this one…

Flick

Flick,

A buddy and myself want to try out Alma this year. I live in Hudson and he lives in Osseo WI. Any special techniques that are effective early in the year?

SteveO….It depends on if you are fishing for keepers or the big girls…If your just lookin to get some eaters I would say vertical jigging with Killer jigs..But if u want to catch just a couple fish a day that are usually big…I would fan cast the wingdams,rockpiles an flats…Go into these places being very quiet….and use the trollin motor instead of the big motor…

Flick

Well i was just out from 1225 until well now, which is 3:55. Managed to catch some fish. Good sign on the water is that some of the shad are starting to die out. Many of them are up on top of the water. The water temp is starting to rise. I ended up catchin a couple up by the damn in some shallower water, but most fish came from the deeps. Nothing really sizable yet. One fish was 15 2 more in the 13-14 range other than that, i questioned which one was the bait and which one was the fish, but they are starting to bite so that is a good sign. I caught most fish with the trusty ole fireball. Killer jigs weren’t doing the job today. A couple did come of the ringworms. The fish weren’t really populated, but what fish did hit, actually did hit it good. Steve-O, if you want to get a good amount of fish AND get your big ones, I suggest using fireballs, ringworms, and killer jigs during the day, until about hour and a half before sunset. then you want to move into the flats and get above wingdams. That seems like one of the best tactics.

Hey Steve-o

The best is yet to come and this time of the year gets me very excited. There are so many techniques that I use on this river and at a different time. ONe of my favorite techniques is longlining in the shallows. Just remember that this time of the year the water is pretty clear so your best bet is to be on the water early and leave late. I am usually always off the water by 10 o clock in the morning when moist people are jsut getting out. Some of my favorite spots are sandy rock flats near deeper water. I fish shallow and then when the sun rises above the bluff move to deeper water. THe walleyes don’t just sit they are always on the move and so should you. My favortie weapon is the good old jig. Either tipped with a ringworm, or twistertail on a 1/16 oz jig. Also a good jig is a 1/16 oz jig with hair, like bucktail or marabou. As far as landings in the area the one behind the co-op is the most used, but the one on county road 00 wil get you closer to the south end of the pool. This landing also stays open longer in to the year because of the current going through the solough. ONe thing a person might want to remember that when there is ice still on the river, and one is fishing up near the Dam, one can get caught in a ice blockage on the sharp corner just south of the alma landing. I know of people that have had to put there boats up on shore and get a ride back to there truck in Belvidere.

I hope this helps.

Fireflick

Thanks for all the sharing. Nate and I have fished pool 5 only a few times but really enjoyed it. Its a neat and under pressured pool. And talk about huge sheaphead to make things exciting when the Walleyes are slow! Thanks, Bill

fireflick,

thanks for all the insight. I’m going to print this out and hold for later reference. I just talked to my buddy today and we’re plenty pumped about trying Alma. I grew up in the Tremp. area, but haven’t been that far up the Miss.