Thanks. Well now I’m kind of sad because it would have CRUSHED the old state record…
Looks like I’ll have to go find him again….

Fireline Crystal is a favorite of mine, have mixed but mostly positive experiences with NanoFil….Usually use swivels and fluoro leaders with both.

Both are white, so not really sure if that helps ya out?

That’s Buckminsterfullerene for ya! (Bucky Ball)

Look up exponential betting…basically start bet at minimum and only bet 1 color. If you win, re bet min, if you lose double it….after every win you return to minimum bet. Ends up having to be red/black like 7 times in a row for your system to be busted though(you cannot double again due to table limits). About 3% chance of that happening I think.

It’s kind of like counting cards though…legal but frowned upon by casinos. You are not going to get rich and it’s definitely not as fun as betting the single numbers, but its prob the best way to maximize your “odds”

Where did you find a contour map of the Flambeau?
That a Navionics map on your phone?

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What makes you think they are going to be in those thick weeds? They are likely going to be chasing bigger forage pre-spawn. The only time I can think of a walleye wanting to be in those thick weeds would be under the ice, and middle of the hot summer, looking to get out of the sun and be where the oxygen is. But even then, they will go to the outer weedlines to feed at night.

Its just my opinion of course, but I would forget about fishing there for walleye. But I would tie up a 1/2oz redeye shad on some 30-40# braid and try ripping through that for pre-spawn bass for sure.

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Well I have caught walleye in the same location almost every spring. Just never encountered weeds like this, which is strange due to the extremely cold winter and ice thickness/coverage. The location is also about 1/4 mile below a dam, very rocky and shallow (2-8ft), and adjacent to a nice, big 20ft hole. (Couldn’t ask for a better situation , but weed thickness and coverage is a little ridiculous) I know during the day I should be trying the deeper holes, but I fish here mostly from about 5-9pm, when the Walters should be shallow hunting.

I use braid, or superline? (Fireline Crystal) but cannot snap cranks through the weeds. I had great success with bobbers (regular or slip)with a Northland mimic minnow (smallest size-about 1 inch long, pattern) in the past for really shallow spring perch, crappie and bluegill. Put the bobber about 2 ft above the lure and use a jig-jig-shake-let sit cadence.
Hopefully the rain and slight warm up will put them in a better mood. I’ll report any results.

Thanks for the input everybody! I love me some constructive fishing discussions!

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Smaller spinnerbait with bigger Colorado blades to offer a slow presentation. Add a floating plastic minnow for buoyancy.

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Thanks! I think this could be the ticket. Are you talking about “safety pin” spinners?

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I’ve done really well with draggin jigs and minnows/suckers in shallow weeds.

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Ideally that is what I want to be doing now.
Tried it yesterday and almost any contact on the bottom will make my lure/line have about 2 feet of slop on it when I bring it back to cast again.
-Maybe I will just have to break out the ol’ bobber a little earlier than usual.

Thanks for the input everybody.

I should have clarified that I’m talking A LOT of weeds, everywhere.
I like the weightless swimbait or plastic on a worm hook or jig. I have gone that route before but in this current situation I don’t think that I will be able to cast a sufficient enough distance. I LOVE rippleshads for everything that swims in the river. I’m going to try one out with a keel weighted swimbait hook and see if I can cast as far as I need to.

Otherwise, I might have to wade further out or just get the canoe out to get out past the weedline.
The massive amount of weeds is hopefully a sign of some great fishing to come, but I have never seen weeds like this …even in late summer. Kinda strange with the extreme cold and ice that was covering the river this year.

Any ideas on why there are soo many weeds? Thought most die off and flush downstream.

Thanks again everyone!

Yeah I’ve known a couple people that got in trouble by the WDNR just for taking a picture with them before release…
Little ridiculous if you ask me. I’ve caught probably 100 sturgeon fishing for catfish and walleye over the past few years and not one has hesitated to swim away immediately after I get the hook out….what I’m saying is that they are very strong, powerful fish that typically are not harmed in the slightest if handled/held correctly.
I fought with a 62 incher last sturgeon season for about 35 min before it snagged itself under a tree down deep…it was snagged for about 10 minutes then got out and I brought it to shore, got a pic, and it swam off like nothing happened.

In conclusion, they are very strong fish, and if somebody wants to take a picture with one before releasing it they should be able to without punishment.
*Rant over

They are pretty common on sturgeon in the Chippewa, so I imagine they are common in the Mississippi. Haven’t caught any other species with them attached, only sturgeon. Scary little guys.

nhamm,

Since they came out I rarely use another type of minnow style plastic. The 3″ in smelt (black/gray/white) has caught more crappie, walleye and bass than probably all my other lures put together. Besides jigging, they are amazing for swimming jigs with any old jig head, got an amazing side to side rolling wobble. I plan on experimenting more with the 4″ and 5″ for some pike and musky this summer.

Only con I have with them is when using them for walleyes you will end up with lots and lots of baits with tails bitten off, which kinda renders them useless.

Look into makelure.com …..

Product line is fantastic. Can make exact clones of any lure you want, can carve your own and mold it, you can even make your own custom shaped lead/tin/bismuth jig molds using the same rubber.

Pretty fantastic product.

-White 4in curly tails from Gander Mtn barely came off my line last year for walleyes and smallmouths. Pic is of that plastic on a Owner Sled head hook. (Fell in love with those jigs/or hooks last year. Work fantastic in snaggy/shallow situations)

-Otherwise I use lots of 3in orange/light orange twister tails.

-Gulp 3in smelt (straight tail) is a go to as well.
-Powerbait Rippleshads (anywhere from 3-5in)—super versitile.
-Northland Impulse paddletail minnows (black/white or electric chicken)

I purchase different plastics all the time, but these 5 are the only ones that I typically need.
Go get em’

Thanks for the input everybody. Agreed, there are many productive small little stretches on the Chip and Eau Claire. But spots like this are far from secret.

I guess I should have been more specific and asked what kind of depth I would be dealing with.
-In front of the gates, in the scour hole?
-In front of the bullnose or concrete barrier?
-On the hydroelectric (East) side of the dam?

No depth finder on my canoe, and not a fan of putting out long anchor ropes around current on the river.
Any input would be appreciated, once again. Thanks all.

17.63 Total
5.3 big sauger
8.2 big eye

Ended up putting in and fishing the southern portion of Pixley Flowage. Boy is that an interesting body of water…Stumps and logs everywhere, including lots in/around 15-20ft of water! Caught a few bass using 1/4 jig with twister. Lots of people out fishing early in the morning…talked with a few and one guy got a couple musky follows and a 33” on sucker. Then floated the section between Pixley Dam and Crowley Dam on the River. Possibly the most gorgeous float I have ever been on. Trees are in full color and are very distracting to fishing. Ended up catching 3 skis between 20-32 on that section along with a decent amount of healthy bass. Pictures below just of scenery….(tough enough to take solo fish pics on shore, but from a canoe it is impossible )

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Congrats. 66″ is a beast.
40m battle…Time to upgrade gear!

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Thanks…Didn’t have the biggest girth, but that is just the way most sturgeon run on the Chippewa River. Well it probably took about 20 minutes to get it close to shore, then another 20 trying to get it to come up to the bank just right so I could grab the fish. As for gear I use a 6′ Kodiak fishing rod, which is comparable to a piece of rebar , and an Abu Ambassadeur 5000 loaded with 50 lb suffix braid. Rod/reel are kind of vintage/antique, as they were my grandpas, but just got the reel tuned up and it purrs.
It’s always a special moment when I can catch fish essentially on the same gear that my grandpa did back in the 60’s.

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Nice fish. I hope you gave her a bath before releasing her.

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LOL Trust me I needed one too. It was sure a struggle to try and get it landed, not to mention take a photo, when you are fishing alone! She was full of energy every moment she was on land, even after a 40 minute battle! I guess I did kind of get a bath when what seemed to be a tidal wave hit me in the face upon her release.

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What species u fishing on the pond? Was out there last night for the first time. Live next to it and yet to figure it out.

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I just started fishing the pond this year from my canoe. I had a terrifying experience with a buddy that was a novice paddler,at best, and white caps about 5 years ago…it can get real windy out there!
May/June I was trying for smallies/pike/musky with limited success. Any sort of white topwater will get you some snake pike and the occasional decent one (25in+). Fish weedlines, shallow.
End of July through now I’ve been throwing cranks on shallow flats(6-12ft) and having some decent days of walleye and smallies. Best Luck I’ve had on these flats are ones near the channel, but I also see people catching some decent walleye/crappie along the south/southwest shorlines. Those are the largest holes I believe. Jigs with minnows, crawlers works there. Smallie action can get crazy on the Southside from where the VFW is and that whole south side.
Upstream from Riverview Park Landing where it is more river than “pond” is more consistent for walleyes though if you are into trolling.
Also try trolling the edges of the channel at dusk for some big musky….they are out there!
Good luck. It took me awhile to figure it out and I still struggle to catch fish sometimes. On the plus side I have not caught a “slot” walleye there yet this year! Haven’t been keeping, but I find that strange …pm me if you ever wanna fish or need any tips.

Not MN but the Chippewa River from Eau Claire past Durand has an abundant population. Checked a minnow trap earlier this summer and it had 8 mudpuppys (mudpuppi?) in it. I think they are a protected species in WI that you are supposed to release right away…?????

Yes there are lots of hungry fish on Dells, big ones too. My friend that gave me the hot tip said his 5 year old son picked up a 22″ hog and lost one that could have been bigger!!!!….Only problem is recreational boaters. That is why I will only go there pre-dawn to about 9am or 6pm to dark. Even during those hours you still get some very rude people…had a speedboat do about 3 laps 100 yards around me in my canoe, which was interesting…but oh well, that comes with the territory.
Walleyes are a little tougher to find on the Pond but that will change shortly for me…hopefully picking up a Humminbird Fishin’ Buddy 140c soon! Then I can just locate them and follow them around all day! Headed back tonight to see if I can crank them at all, I will let you all know my results.

Otherwise known as “bite juice”

“It’s the Fishermen’s choice” whiskey
Thanks all for the kind welcome!