Thanks, that worked.

Nope, didn’t fish the dam. Did talk to one guy at the cleaning station with about a 6pound walleye he got below the dam. One lucky cast in the dead-pool and the fight was to pull it up the wall.

They have some of the top carp tournaments in the state. Both hook and line and archery if you’d rather shoot’em.

I really like the powerhouse, where lost creek dumps in, better than the tailrace. Lake North had some brushpiles at the south end once the crappie liked in the spring but I’m not sure what its like in the summer. Maybe too much boat traffic? Other than finding access to the river, canal, or a pond I think that’s about it right around Columbus>

Untill you get to know it a little you have to like exploring just as much as fishing. If you started at Sioux City, took all summer, and fished you’re way up from one ramp to the next I doubt you’d find time to ever make Yankton. I’ve driven/fished it all the way from Omaha to Pierre, SD and If you like getting away from the croud??? Thats the place to go.

This last Memorial Weekend we stayed at Gavins Point Dam. With all their hundreds of campsites full the normal croud was right below the dam. A few miles down I doubt I saw a half dozen boats. Where I went you might have to hunt all day just to find one.

With hundreds of miles water to explore, most people probably never get over 5 from the nearest boat ramp. You can get lost in all the water they’ve never seen. When you see another boat you don’t feel crouded but releived. At least you’re not totally alone in the world. Someone could come along if you had trouble.

Think big fish for the tournament was 4something. Biggest we had was 3.68 with most fish in that 2pound range. Heard storys about the big ones biting better in the fall but I’ve never tried it. For numbers of nice quality smallmouth though I’m pretty sure you couldn’t beat it right now.

Its the closest place to home so when I have an open weekend, that’s where I go. Its not a bad bass fishery, has some decent crappie depending on the year, and some nice bluegill when I happen to stumble on the right place.

Now that they dug out the north end and stoped the silt it stays pretty clear which helped the weeds grow. At times they cover a lot of the lake and can be a benifit or problem depending on how you look at it. Its not a big lake, 5mph only, but with all the brush the bass club has sunk and weeds groth there’s lots to fish.

I don’t know that it holds much reputation for walleye, catfish, or northern but once in a while I’ll run across those too. Mostly at the expence of a $10 lure when some northern bites it off the line.

All in all its not a bad little lake but you better get there early for a camp site. I don’t use it but it always looks like its full.

Fluff

Wade

Headed to Yankton this weekend and saw your report. The family picked Gavins for their Memorial Day camp-out and I’ve never tried the smallies there this time of year. Run the whole thing in August/Sept for the Sioux City Tournament but never seen it in May. Did you have any trouble between Yankton and the Vermillion? How high’s the water? As cold as this spring has been I haven’t seen much water in the 60’s. Did you have to get back off the main river to find that?

I know right where I’d like to head if we were going out of Verdel but it’ll be all new below the dam in the spring. If you’ve got some pointers maybe I can get the kids on a few a little sooner.

Fluff

Pretty cold wet weekend. Saturday was a huricane that had me hunting for anyplace to get out of the wind. We did manage out 6 keepers but the biggest was only 3.2lbs. 3 on plastic flip’n in the backs as much out of the wind as we could get. The other 3 on spinnerbaits out in it. Did find one open place behind a point that blocked the 3 foot waves.

Sunday we left at noon and only managed 4 keepers in the cold and wet. 3 on that spinnerbait and found one 3.9 pounder on a bed that ate a beaver.

Water never got over 58 on my gage, just found the one on a bed but more small ones crusing the bank. with a day or two of sunshine and warm weather I’ll bet the banks will be loaded with fish on the bed.

Fluff

Thanks for the info, I’ll let you know how it went Monday when I get back.

Fluff

Headed there this weekend to try some bass fishing. Heard one report the water was high and cold. If you were on the lake last week is it high? Has it gotten muddy?

I’m no help if you’re after a camper or enjoy checking out resorts. On the other hand if fishing boats and gear are what you’re looking for and Omaha’s the location you’d pick???? Forget the sport show and spend a day between Cabela’s and Bass Pro. That’s what I did. Drove right past the Spot Show on my way to Bass Pro and stoped at Cabela’s on the way out of town.

We’re headed up to Grove Lake this weekend. Royal Fire Dept puts on a tournament each year to make a little money. The fish’n pretty much sucks but the company is great. Their Calcutta/BBQ Saturday night’s fun and even if you win it wont take long to clean the fish…

I did hear they were taking the size limit off the panfish this year so that cleaning thing could be a different story. With the size limit last year I think we were in the top 10 with one keeper bluegill. Without that this year every team will probably have their 60 but they may not cover the bottom of the bucket. Not the lake I’d pick if you’re looking for a boat load of trophies.

Fluff

Not a bad weekend on the water. No crappie but had a 6, a 5, and a 3pounder bass fishing with plenty of little guys inbetween to keep things from getting boaring.

We’ll give it a shot this weekend. Sounds like the crappie improved. Its been a couple years sense we were there, the kids had a ball catching those but weren’t any over about 6″ from what I remember. Did catch a few nice bass that time too.

Was the lake full? Almost not enough to get the boat in when we were there last.

Thanks, All good spots, Tried’em all last weekend. Wont make it over this weekend but will give it another shot the next. Maybe the big’uns will be hungry.

Had a musky hit a big woodchoper along the flat on the south of gull one time. Also lost a big tube bait, right at the boat, in the same area another time. That one looked like he was 3foot long in the water. Just took one bit and kept right on going. With 10pound line I don’t think he even knew he had a hook.

The flat area on the south side of gull is the only place I’ve had any musky hit. The area usually has several musky guys scattered from there to Eagle and along the ridge to Pocohontas. Must hold a few cause it draws some traffic. Any certian stretch you seem to bump into the bigger bass?

Funny you should say that because I throw some topwater baits over there most guys think are for muskie. When the BIG smallies are hungry they’ll hit’em better than any of the little baits. Of the good ones I got last weekend most came on big baits, was really slow though. Not sure we’d have had one limit in the 3days we played around on the water. Had enough action from small pike and bass under 15″ to keep things interesting but didn’t figure out where the big’uns were ganged up. Sounds like some are scattered here and there but the schools must still be deep. Maybe a couple weeks of cool weather will move’em up?

Bass fished Saturday and Sunday. Water at the dam started out around 45 at the dam and raised into the low 60’s up around the north boat ramp. With sunshine and 70 it warmed up in the afternoon. Saw a few (few) fry up north but nothing on any beds. With the full moon & warmer weather this week that many happen big time now.

We caugh lots of fish, more shorts than keepers but would have had a limit for 2 guys both days, nothing big, all around 2 1/2. Most seemed to be on the flats, not far off the creek channel, in 5′ or less. You could see most of the bites shallow crank’n around laydowns, trees and brush. The spinnerbait picked up with the wind and swimbait where it was quiet. My non-boater picked up his limit flip’n a baby brushhog behind me both days, not as many bites but just as many keepers.

Fluff

Biggest problem I ever had right below the dam with winter fishing wasn’t enought open water. Depending on the weather I’ve caught fish there from January on. Long as the day is warm enough to keep the ramp from ice’n up I’m ok. Gets a little too cold and I’ve seen some rigs slid right back down the ramp……

So if your 12yr old can’t shoot with iron sights or your eyes are too bad they have a season where “Scopes” were already allowed, use it. People who enjoy “muzzleloading” for what it really is don’t want the season contaminated and that argument will never be resolved. Like any of that maters and it all that misses the point anyway.

Game and Parks could care less about anything other than permit sales. The sooner we come up with that 30-06 arrow shaft so we can sabot a broadhead, behind 150 grains of smokeless powder, ignited by a shotgun primer, from a 12 power scoped, in-line arrow launcher the better. Think of all the extra permits they could sell if it took so much less skill to shoot broadheads at deer. Rather than a few hundreds of archers buying permits we could put thousands of blind 12yr olds up a tree from September to February.

Makes sense to me…… HA!

It figures.

Has nothing to do with muzzleloading anymore just about the money. With all the different deer premits in Nebraska now, who cares about “sport”, it’s how can we sell another permit. Next they’ll come up with a arrow you can fire from that scoped single shot high-power rifle you load from the muzzle. That’ll get some more permits out there and they can start selling them in September. Wont the true archers love it when the guy up the next tree has a saboted 30-06 shafted broadhead loaded in his scoped muzzelloading single shot high-powered arrow launcher……… HA! Who cares about the sport???? Long as they can sell more permits.

If any of this had a thing to do with “sport” they’d leave the archers be, give the muzzleloaders back their primitive season, and regulate the harvest with rifle seasons. Buck vs Doe permits would help manage the size of the heard for numbers or trophies. As it is,,,,, its all about the number of permits sold and what they can do to come up with another way to sell some more.

Thanks for the report.

Fluff

Been a few weeks sense I was there. Does “down 4′ from last week” still leave enough water at the ramp or are trailers falling off the concrete? I know the duck hunters launch small boats between the ramps on the gravel. I have to launch on the concrete ramp and if the water’s too low you’ll fall off the end.

Thanks, Fluff

Sounds like it might fill the reservoirs up but cuts the river short. I liked it better when they kept the river more stable. Last year it was up and down like a yoyo, messed with the spawn, and wrecked a lot of good sandbars. I thought it was the bird lovers try’n to wipe out the fish. Too bad we can’t just let the river run and use the dams to level out the highs and lows.

Thanks for the help. I did hit all those spots and then some. Just must not have been holding my mouth right cause all I could pick up were small fish. I’ll be there again this weekend to give it another shot. Here’s hope’n I used up all my bad luck and this time a few big ones find the bait…

We gave it a shot but not much luck. Really only saw 1 boat catch anything and from all the reports nobody was catch’n much. A white or catfish here and there but it’s a good thing we took plenty of hamburger and hotdoogs.

Still had a good trip with the family, nice place, and if the waterlevel holds fish’n should do nothing but improve. All the flooded brush there today should give any spawn a great chance to grow, its like a new lake again. With another 6′ to fill it could do it all over again next spring.

Fluff

Don\\\’t let the sand bars scare you off. The river is one of Nebraska\\\’s best kept secrets. Several ramps give access to different sections so you don\\\’t have to learn it all at once. It takes a little time but go slow, watch the locals for clues where to run and its not that bad. Even if a sandbar or two get in the road they\\\’re not bad if you go slow and believe me, sandbars are a lot less hazardous to your boat than the trees, stumps, and rocks I\\\’ve been lucky enough to find in most lakes…..

Wade

At least that report is encouraging, here’s hope’n it holds through Sunday. Another guy I talked to thought they’d shut down Gavins as much as possible with the flooding. Maybe he was wrong.

Fluff

Jason,

All this rain may have the opposite effect if they shut the dam off to help with flooding down stream. Anybody up that way know if the river between Yankton and SiouxCity is up or down from the rain? If the James and Vermillion rivers are running high? If Gavins is shut’n down or to full to hold anymore back?

Fluff