Mississippi River Memories

Was just checking dates and looking back threw a few river reports from last year and thought I would bring them up again. Way to good of fishing last spring and early summer to be forgotten about. It is also very nice to look at the tee shirts, short sleeves and green back ground on the photos especially on a cold day like this.

Feel free to add your past summer time photos to this thread. We could all use some warm summer fishing memories to look at on a cold winter day like this

Looks like my open water season started mid April last year right after a couple of trips sturgeon fishing. With any luck and warm weather arriving this coming weekend maybe we will see open water again in the near future on pool 2.

Report 4/30/10

5/10/10 report

Fishing Opener 2010 report

This spring will be interesting with the high water predictions. I have visions of what happened last year, only worse and lasting a lot longer. I’m hoping for the best!

Do you mean good fishing and lasting a lot longer?

The warm weather coming this weekend is just and next week is what is needed to start a long slow melt. Im all for the high water fishing but hope its not high enough to cause damage for other folks.

I was referencing the flood last year … I think Pool 2 was inaccessible for a couple of weeks or more? March-April. Then again, maybe that helped the late spring/early summer fishing? Either way, I’m really looking forward to getting out in the boat again!

Ah man Mike, this is killing me. I think this winter has been the longest worst one in my memory! I want open water really really bad, nice to see the April 30 date, that’s not too far off I guess.

Next weeks temps have my blood flowing again. If those predictions hold I will be getting the boat next weekend.

Think the 30th may of been my 1st spring trip of the year last year. Most likely those fish didnt just start biting on that day. One can hope anyways. Im sure I would of been out sooner last year but back to back sturgeon trips kept me busy in mid April.

Think you are right about the public ramps being closed last spring for a while John. If you havent heard yet Willies Hidden Harbor is the place to launch in high water. Jon and I launched there last fall while the river was still in flood stage. Very nice ramp to use.

I call only one flood this year, four just wasn’t fair last year. Mike, what’s Willy fee to launch? Heck, I’d be tempted to see if they’d let a boat sit in the water for a weekend or two this year.

2009 first trip was 3/15
2010 first trip was 3/12

here is a picture from 3/15/09. Only place I could find that was producing fish.

Here was a discusion last year when the kid and I were checking out the ramp and seeing a few ice chunks.

Kid – I am not fishing.
Dad – Why not ramp is open we can go tomarow
Kid – No way. You ever hear of the Titanic?

$10 to launch at Willies. You also get a free drink ticket with it.

I was sitting in USCG class last year at that time Fishdale. Heard there was a decent bite going. 3/15 is coming up very fast.

Willy’s does have a good launch. But I swear I remember the river being so high that it was unfishable for a good part of late March or early April. Even Pool 4 was *almost* impossible to fish. Dean had one ramp open, as I recall.

Anyway, I don’t want to be a debbie downer. Here’s to a great spring … and soon!

I shouldn’t have read this post. Now I really miss the river. I won’t be worth a darn here at work the rest of today

Rootski

One potential issue with willie’s is that it might stay frozen for a while. their ramp is tucked away in the corner of their property and pretty isolated from the current…but who knows.

I was just looking through some pics on my computer … I have plenty from January and February in years past, even one from New Year’s Day. I like fishing in the spring, but those are the days I miss!

Good point, Jason. It’s only really necessary to use Willy’s in high water, though, and I wonder if the rising water would take care of the ice? I suppose we’ll find out!

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I was sitting in USCG class last year at that time Fishdale. Heard there was a decent bite going.

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I remember talking to you that day about the good bite going on Mike, as we were both whining that we couldn’t be a part of it.

I hope this warm snap will start to kick things into gear, and be the start of a nice, SLOW melt.

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Good point, Jason. It’s only really necessary to use Willy’s in high water, though, and I wonder if the rising water would take care of the ice? I suppose we’ll find out!

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Oh yeah thats true….

free beer with a launch!!!

Mike, I’m heading down to pool 4 this Friday with two other guys. We’ll be leaving Farmington about 8am; I’ll let you know how we did.

I have lived in Cottage Grove for 25 years and never fished pool 2.Every year as I drive over the 494 bridge and see boats out fishing, I am wondering,what the heck are they catching.

Hope to change that this summer. I will be trying the river this year myself, being a inland lake fisherman all my life there is a little hesitation about hazzards and navigation on the river.

Nice fish Jason. Did that come out of Pool 2? Good luck on 4.

You have been driving over some prime fishing water for years Jeff. There is a little extra caution that needs to be taken when fishing the river but I would think after a trip or 2 you would fell pretty comfortable out there.

Fish Don’t Bite In High Water<<<

Correction…Fish Don’t Bite In the Historical Places During High Water.

Last years memories were of a river minus the boats.

We had very good luck channel cat fishing…but most people are into walleyes. The river rats loved the high water of P4 last year because the fish were snapping and they had the river to themselves.

Although Dean was a bit nervous. He doesn’t look too good in high water pants.

Great stuff Brian. Some how I missed that post from last spring.

You had a darn good spring too if I recall Mike.

Cant complain. Pitching jigs and feeling the crack of those walleyes on the other end. Cant wait.

Oh yes the nice warm weather Hey who let this guy out??

The weekend of March 20 all boat ramps on Pool 2 closed up. It was nearly the end of April before they all re-opened. And it was the first week of May when the river was finally back in her banks. Tuff spring for sure!

Thank god for the Sturgeon Excursion X2 in April. That was a fun back to back runs up to the Rainey. Hope to do that again this year.

Speaking of fish don’t bite in high water. Get a chuckle every time I watch this video from the high water fall bite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHk1kdrtVQg

-J.

Love that video

Pool 2 was, in my opinion, too high to fish for a while last spring (late march-early april). I was one of the last boats out of Hidden Falls before it flooded, and the river conditions were really difficult to deal with even then. The water came up quite a bit after that. Thank God for Willy’s when the water finally came down a bit. Anyway, I had to drive to Dean’s to get my pre-spawn fix. And Brian is right, there were hardly any boats out! I never figured out the big fish bite but I remember some good action from big saugers.

I remember hearing about the day last March that pool 1 opened up and started dumping ice chunks into pool 2. Sounds like a few guys where lucky to get there boats off that day.

Sure hope they start working on plowing hidden falls this weekend. With all this warm weather I could really see being on open water by next weekend.

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I remember hearing about the day last March that pool 1 opened up and started dumping ice chunks into pool 2. Sounds like a few guys where lucky to get there boats off that day.

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I was on the water that day. I’ll try to dig up some video. It was crazy!!

-J.