What's Working Now? (on Pool 4)

Hey guys. A buddy and I are going to try our luck on P4 on Tuesday. He just got a new HDS Gen 3, so we’ve got to test it out. I’ve fished down there before, but it’s been a while. Beyond getting to Evert’s, buying some bait and hopefully picking some brains, we don’t have much of a plan! So any tips on what/where/how to focus our time would be appreciated! The only thing I’ve heard so far is hair jigs and minnows. Any other presentations worth trying? As far as location, anything at all there would be helpful. My experience with eyes is 95% lakes, so on a big river like the Miss, I’m a little out of my element. Are they staging in the main channel waiting for water temps to go up a bit? Should we focus on the main channel itself, shallower flats on the side, or the breaks in between? Would side channels and backwater be worth checking out? I imagine there are always at least a few fish to be had at the dam, or the wing dams? What about running down to where Lake Pepin starts to form?
Thanks for all the help guys, I’m pumped to scratch the open water itch that I’ve had for the last several months!!

We made the trip Sat. March 28. Mostly Saugers up by the Y in the deeper ranges. The deep holes are producing good numbers of decent size saugers. I have a complex of fishing deeper than 25′, so I let others have their fun. We did catch a few in the 17-19″ range using plastics early in the day. Once that sun popped out, deeper was the key. Didn’t see many walleyes come topside by the dam, but most everyone was keyed in on the deeper water.

I regret not checking the river closer to the lake, as from what I witnessed, I think that may be where its at.

Be prepared to snag a bunch of dinks.

Plastics are working. Vertical was key. Regret not heading down river and casting shoreline more.

I took the wife on Friday hair jigs in deep current on the sand to rock transitions seemed to work the best. Caught mostly sauger in the 14-18 inch range but there few walleyes mixed in. Did not try shallow for any big ones as we just fished from 10-1pm. Bright colored hair jigs is all we used. Pic is of a nice 18 inch female sauger we released

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We were there Sat and did not have much luck. Our best results were on 3 way rigs with a plain hook and minnow. We fished from the Y down past the Cannon River outlet in 20-30′ of water. There were a number of boats getting fish but nothing to brag about. Friday, a friend did really well in the same area on black jigs. Heading back down on Saturday – good luck!

The most popular p4 pattern is to spot and stalk the sparkly boats!

however, 20+ feet w/hair jigs and a small minnow produced little saugers
12-20 fow plain minnow with the lightest lindy rig/line you can get down to the bottom and still be fishing vertically produced 15-19″ eyes all males?
no clue where the big girls are, my guess is night time pitching plastics at the rocky shorelines!

I am also going to be there (pool 4) tuesday. We have been on pool 2 lately and it has been slow. Marking about lot in 16 fow on the edge of spawning areas but they are tight lipped. Hoping we will get warmer water down in pool 4. I am in a black and white alumacraft 185 with a Suzuki 140. If you see me stop and see what’s up!

Was up this weekend Friday-Sunday. 1/2 oz. Orange/ chartreuse hair jig tipped with a minnow worked great all day. If I was you I would sleep during the day and make a night trip. 3/16 oz chartruese jig with 4″ firecracker/ chartreuse tail moxi pitched at shorelines was HOT! Saturday night/ Sunday morning before the storm rolled in at 4:30 am we boated 40 fish between the two of us. Most fish where caught in less then 3 FOW. If your interested in doing a night trip PM me and I will let you know locations we did best. One spot we boated 7 fish in 7 casts all over 23″. Unbelievable night. One we will never forget.

See you down there Eric, I will be in the 18foot Crestliner Jon (green) with 25HP Yammy. Fishing 10AM to 8PM.

Here’s some of the fish photo’s that came in from this last week…mostly this weekend.

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Opps…forgot one.

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Guess not. Them walleyes all look the same.

Blade baits put more fish in the boat than anything else for us on Saturday. Also threw some hair jigs, plastics, and Lindy rigs with some success. Fished from 5am to noon from the dam down to bay point park. The past few weeks had been nearly all walleyes, but Saturday was mostly small sauger for us.

We had similar success as Flaco. Blade baits were the ticket Saturday, and most of the #’s were Saugers.

Yesterday evening, 6 – 7:30 pm, three way with plain hook and minnow outfished hair jigs and minnows, by a long shot.

Sundown – 9 pm dragging jigs shallow was game on!! Just get the news at Everts in the shop, these guys know what’s happening real time!

ET

You guys using blades, what size are you using?

We caught several very nice Walleye last week with 1/2 oz blades in 23-34 FOW
and also on ringworms in 9-13 FOW…all during the day. Released 7 from 25-28.5″.
I am an artificial lure only guy…but minnows will put more numbers in your net. The water was clear and dictated natural colors.

Well boy was today tough! Lots of guys on the river (anyone who happened to be there, is that normal for a spring Tuesday? Was busier than I expected), and nobody was catching any. We got five total, two 16-18″ lost at boatside, two 14-15″ in the box, and two tiny guys. A few bites, but other than that, nada! Everyone we talked to was having a tough time as well, several guys were skunked at the point when we talked to them.

So river gurus, what gives?? I’m not complaining per say, I’d just love to know why the bite seemingly shut off. Did the warm weather affect the pressure and turn the fish off? I would have thought the day or two of warm weather would have alerted the fish to spring, and helped with the bite? We tried hair jigs with minnows and plastics, as well as blade baits and jigging raps. Spent some time shallow, didn’t produce, the few we got were scattered around 15-30′.

Wish I could help you TMF89, I wasn’t out there…but,

Day started out foggier than heck…big sow saugers were on a tear.. once sun came out it was a rap..”shutdown”
45 min flurry limits and done!! Right place right time!!
#21 1/4 inch Sauger..

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^ Louis was using hair and meat.

Mar 31st, 10:44am
Kept 10 walleye and released many more and my buddy Adam caught a 28 by 18 and we just helped the guy with the paddle fish

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Somebody is always on them

I’m not a walleye guy. I don’t even pretend to be one on the net and certainly can’t teach anyone about fishing for these scaly things.

There are three things that I know for a fact.

1. Most fish are within the bottom foot of water.
2. Fish move upstream out of the Lake and into the river in the spring.
3. Most folks over work their jig when vertical. It should be called “Lift and hold” not vertical “jigging”.

4. There are alway someone that has them figured out when the bite is “tough”.

See, I can’t even count much less give advice on fishing them “things”.
And now I’m off to load up the boat with stink bait.

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Fished yesterday from 7:30 to 4:00. Fished highbridge, Y, dam, shoreline by Young’s cabin and then back to the high bridge. Best luck was by the high bridge. Best size fish came on oyster shell and pro blue ring worm. Smaller fish came on hair and meat. We did not catch very many. One of the guides came into the high bridge area for most of the afternoon and was not having much luck either. Was a great day to be on the water though!

Fished Tuesday from 8 to 7pm. Muscled our way through the fog down to Hay Creek…nothing. Made our way to High banks and picked up a few nice saugers. Thanks to the gents in the little red Lund who shared the secret…hair and meat. Made our way back to the Y and finished out the day there. Around 2pm we had a flurry of action and boated several fish, including a couple 24″ eyes. By far the best drift of the day. After that it was all about searching the tackle box for something that would work. Not much did from 3 to 7pm.

Rumor has it that this morning is off to a good start. I’ll let y’all know if this turns out to be an April Fool’s thing.

How’s it been going on P4 this week? I’ll be fishing it tomorrow from about 6am-noon and then back on Monday for most of the day.

Will that cold front kill the fishing? I need to fish tomorrow, but I might drive north and find some ice.

Today was extremely slow for us. Only managed 2 saugers, tried everything and everywhere just couldn’t get anything going. Didn’t see many fish caught by anyone.

We had to work for them also, kept some for a meal and let this girl swim.

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What’s working now,

for 3 of us yesterday, April 2.
Nothing going….

water was 50 degrees, up from 43 on Tues
and post strong cold front and winds.
Jack

Blade baits and rippin raps shallow are what put walleyes in the boat for me. Lost two that I don’t feel too good about