Tho hiring a guide will shorten their learning curve on pool 4 I found out years ago that time on the water and learning the current conditions was more beneficial to me than hiring a guide .
The pool 4 area changes almost daily and is at times very humbling to fish .
I know my way around pretty good from dam 3 down to head of Lake Pepin , there are days I just cruise around and check areas of interest to see what it looks like and if any fish are present.
Keep in mind any amount of high water can change parts or the whole river.
I suggest pick an area and go study it with your electronics ,if you like the area mark and name a way point to come back to and fish it.
Not all the fish are at the dam or in Lake Pepin, there are a lot areas the fish will stage in between those to areas all times of the year !
Put your time in learning the areas and you will be rewarded.
Being the owner of a Fishing company(Tru-Tied Tackle LLC) I get asked all the time where they at or get told what’s working , but rarely they mention where they got them .
Any questions feel free to message me on Face Book under my business and I will do my best to help