Who fished P4 in the early 70's?

I’m interested in knowing what it was like winter fishing before the power plant was built.

Thanks!

ICE!

It was unreal in the mid 60’s when I started fishing it. After the reactor fired up the winter fishing went south more and more each winter.

Fishing was very good. Small towns of shacks grew in various spots all over Pepin. It was easy to run out after school and catch a bunch before dark most days. We also could drive anywhere with safe ice. It was nothing to run across to Sconny on the ice and back again. Drinking age was lower over there!

They actually caught fish, a lot of them, at the LC Sportsman’s club fishing contest. Main contest on Saturday and kids on Sunday. The board held maybe 200 hooks and every hook had a fish on it most years. The last 10-20 years they are lucky to catch 1 if you can believe that. Shitty is an understatement.

I heard the reactor was due to shut down in 2034? Too bad…I’ll probably be dead so I won’t see if it goes back to the good ‘ol days!

oh yeah, I should mention the fishing below the dam was “dam” good too. It just froze over more so could only be fished when it wasn’t iced. And…there weren’t 300 boats there either.

I fished it back then. I was still floating around inside my parents, however…Can’t quite remember how the bite was…

I heard the reactor was due to shut down in 2034? Too bad…I’ll probably be dead

Good chance you may live long enough Mr. Gold.

What was the river portion of the river like?
It would make sense the lake would freeze more solid.

Is there enough flow from the dam to keep the river open to say, Red Wing?

If I recall, we have an IDO member that walked from Everts to the Y in very very cold weather when the reactors were shut down one winter.

BTW this is not recommended if you’re planning on living a long and prosperous life.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

What was the river portion of the river like?
It would make sense the lake would freeze more solid.

Is there enough flow from the dam to keep the river open to say, Red Wing?

The river was usually froze, for the most part, to RW give or take a mile. It really depended on the winter. And it seems we had worse winters back or so we tell the kids! The river never had enough ice to fish on, at least the main channel anyhow. Any place out of the current froze solid.

Thanks.

I had a chance to talk to Mrs Everts at length about the river before the dam and the power plant. She said they would drive pick ups to the opposite side of the river to haul netted fish back.

Sounds like that’s not going to happen again. LOL!

The river except for the area immediately below the dam would freeze up. Depending on the spring it would open down to Red Wing enough to launch off the levee in front of the train station. I’ve done that many times and then break shale ice to the dam.

People didn’t have to go fish the dam back then. The real fishing was in the lake from Central Point to the Chippewa. Locators hadn’t become the vogue nor had any power augers other than some home-conjured units that were not the epitome of safe. I feel fortunate to have been able to realize the winter fishing the lake offered back then.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

I heard the reactor was due to shut down in 2034? Too bad…I’ll probably be dead

Good chance you may live long enough Mr. Gold.

BK – Is there a definite date for the nuke to shutdown for good?? Can’t be soon enough for me…I’d sure like to see ice fishing of old on the lake return before I have 1 leg in the box.

haleysgold wrote:

shut down in 2034

Wonder how that’ll impact shad.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>haleysgold wrote:</div>
shut down in 2034

Wonder how that’ll impact shad.

There’s a lot of shad in Pool 2, for what it’s worth.

Shad can not be legally moved between pools.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Shad can not be legally moved between pools.

Merely commenting on how this will affect shad within that pool, or downstream of the plant anyway.

Id like to think this will somehow impact them but wouldn’t know if it is short term negative with longer term replenishment, or otherwise.

Without a doubt the “y” will not be filled with shad in the cold months which may induce some “where have all the walleyes gone” threads.