Thanks for the link, Kevin.

Nice eyes. Pool 12 has seen the quality of fish improve over the last few years. Looking to get out soon, myself. Do you know what the water temp was??

Really nice fish. Congrats. Down on pool 12 the water temp was still at 65 last weekend. TOO warm. Send some cold water down, would ya?

I think pool 9 is in the beginning of the hatch now. Not sure of how thick they are yet, but I know that a few are popping on pool 12 so…..

Thanks folks. That pretty much solidifies the same stuff that I have been hearing. Yeah, the mayflies are beginning. Not many yet, but we all know how THAT turns out.

I plan on hitting a couple of unfished, back channel areas to see if I can scare up anything this weekend. I am not holding out any high hopes. Jigs w/meat, 3 ways and cranks are on the short list.

Heck, maybe I will go try for some jumbo perch and forget the walleye.

Nice job, nice fish. I will be hitting pool 12 this weekend to see if the conditions have improved. It sure has been a tough year in pool 12 so far. I am hoping that the scorching temps didn’t hurt the bite, and that the water will get to normal pool and flow. Its been a hunt – for sure.

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Jags, fishing off current areas and on the edges, running 1.2 to 1.6 mph gps. Good luck! The fish we caught were not shy about hitting!

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Gotcha – thanks for the tips John.

John – sounds like you had a great day. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of trolling speeds up/down river were you running. Up here in pool 12 I am getting ready to try and put a buddy (fishing with me) on some fish and of course we are still dealing with the same water flow that you were fighting.

I’m not normally a trolling guy, but this looks like the approach I may have to go to. My normal haunts are likely to be unfishable with this kind of flow.

Nice eye, but isn’t it fun when those whiteys start slamming the bait.

Do many folks fry up the white bass? I have only done it a time or two, but wondered if it is a common thing or not.

That is good info…but the south end of pool 13 is a hard run for me. I am located in pool 12, just north of Bellevue. Anybody got any hot spots on pool 12??

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You can find some biggins around the Old pocket or mickelsons.

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Not being familiar with pool 13 much, are you talking pool 12 Mickelsons (restaurant.) Cuz if so, that is in the neighborhood of the old timers stories.

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You’re more than welcome to catch all those toothy critters you want and restock them in pickling jars.

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If from cold water, I like pickled pike.

Well, I have had an ongoing chat with an old timer that claims two 50+ inch (and pics to prove it) northerns draped across a 50″ round table. He has told me the method to his madness, how, when, and why, and I am trying to muster up enough will to put the walleye fishing aside for a day or two and give it a shot. And I ain’t kidding about the pics, I have seen them and they were in fact across his table and the fish did come from pool 12 (confirmed by his son).

So I guess I was fishing for that extra push to make me do it. It is hard for me to think anything but eyes.

I for one, am glad you took the pic to share with the rest of us. Thanks for the reminder of friends, family and fun on the water.
I think the fishery will do just fine, regardless of your picture.

As a pool 12 fisherman that was fishing before the current slot rules and of course after, I will throw my hat into the ring as stating that for pool 12 – the slot rules RULE. This pool has never seen the numbers or quality of fish that are currently available. After 2 years of the rules I could notice a difference and now – WHOOO HOOOO! (just don’t tell anybody).

Do you folks think you could keep the gates closed for awhile? It was just – almost – getting to the point of normal in pool 12. The flow of pool 12 has been a real bugger to work with.

Please – just for a couple of weeks??

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Went up river to Pool 12 and 13 on Sat and Sunday. Much cleaner and fishing was much better.

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Shhhhhh – there ain’t no fish in pool 12.

Nice job. Over the last couple of years, pool 12 has really produced some quality fish. I haven’t landed that trophy yet, but 25″ fish are not uncommon.

Ya really whacked a boatload of nice ones there.

If ya don’t mind, what “type” of areas were you pulling the cranks. Not asking for honey holes, but was just wondering if you were on flats, wing dams, channel edge, etc.

Edit: I had to take another view of those awesome fish ya had, and it prodded my memory. I think I saw you boys out there fishing.

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My opinion is that now that there are a lot of fish over 20″ in the system they could allow you to keep one over 20 but under 22 or 23 as part of the limit otherwise a lot of these fish will be lost to natural causes instead of being harvested. You see this type of modified slot many other places.

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Hmmm…food for thought, but I personally wouldn’t consider a 21 or 22″ breeder that wasn’t harvested for food “a loss”. Them girls make lots of little fish for several years.

The more breeders the more diverse and healthy the overall population will be. I don’t think we have seen the “peak” population that the river can easily handle – yet.

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Closing the dams has got to be helping to counterbalance this.

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I would tend to agree with you, but the report that I read said that the dam closing made virtually no difference in the population of sauger. The report was very specific about the success of the slot and the failure of the dam closing.

It doesn’t make a heck of alot of sense to me either. Why WOULDN’T closing down the dams improve the sauger population? But according to the folks running the show, it didn’t.

I wish that I could find the report, but I can’t. I did read a report on the dam closing and slot limit that said after the initial 5 year test – there was virtually no difference in sauger population NOW than compared to when the dams were not closed. HOWEVER, there was a very distinct advantage to the slot limit for walleye. Population and size both increased for walleye. I believe that the changes being talked about – meaning open the dams up BUT make a slot for sauger is the outcome of the study. The DNR is looking at the success of the slot for walleye and are trying to emulate that with the sauger slot.

I am not professionally involved in any way with this stuff. This is simply what I have read/heard.

By the improvement in the walleye fishery on pool 12, it is believable.

Gianni – I can attest to the learning curve of pool 12 walleye. Growing up as a lake fisherman, the river can really make your head spin. It took (and still taking) a few years to figure them out….but its worth it. When things start to come together, lookout, it is simply addicting. Stick to it, you’ll figure it out, and if all else fails, those green carp are just around the next tree snag.

Oh man, NOW I see where you were fishing. You – you were on the WATER.

Part of the reason this site is so wonderful is BECAUSE of people like Cade posting info, techniques and such. Great fish man. And its YOUR choice what to do with it. For a person like me that simply doesn’t get the water time we would like, its guys like Cade (and many others) that vastly improve our enjoyment opportunities when we do. If a person wants to keep a river all to themselves – get your own dang river.

Now be a sport and post the GPS co-ordinance for that spot, would ya??

I don’t even fish pool 8, so I will be of no competition to you.

Just think about what this site WOULDN’T be without folk sharing. /rant

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I also believe the limits and slot have been a tremendous success for our walleye fishery.

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I would agree – I don’t ever recall the numbers and quality of walleye in pool 12 being at the level they are now. I don’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling when I see abusers trying to reverse this. I would feel no guilt in reporting them.

Stickman – if you don’t mind me asking, were you fishing flats, wings, shore??? Just trying to put a plan together for the weekend.

If you have pictures of the fish that show the shore line area, that would be appreciated too.

I have my ears wide open as well. I will be a little south of you in pool 12, but am wondering if any pattern is showing.

I know that last weekend on pool 12 I couldn’t buy a fish if I wanted to.

Thanks all. Sounds like mid pool and up is the place to be. I think I will try a shot at the south end for a short time (I am located on the very south end of the pool), just to see if there is any action. I know earlier in the year when the ‘eyes were pretty active, there were a couple of wing dams that were HOT. In seven days I caught well over 100 of them. About 80% went over the 20″ mark with many in the 24-25″ range.

I suspect that they will be on a north bound path with the water cooling. It will be interesting to find out where they start to bite again.

Thanks again for the insight.

And thanks for the link Brian. I will have to get my smoking jacket and pipe out for that read. Thems alot of words.

Yep, nothing but slot fish last weekend, but its hard to complain about catching 24-25″ walleye.

Gonna hit pool 12 again this weekend. Crawlers and cranks on the face of the wingys. Find the deep ones with water flow. I have been getting most hits on the closest 1/3 to the channel and off of the ends of the wingys.

Not arguing, but another way to look at it is: if the dams were not closed and a slot limit was in action, you would have a bunch of dead walleye being returned to the water because they were too big/small to keep and caught too deep to survive. Just say’in.

Whoa, John…sounds like you have been on fire. Good going man.

I really hate when I have to throw stuff in the water to scare away the 12″ crappie just so the walleye will show up.

Jeesh…lucky dog.