What has felt like the “endless winter” over the last 2 months has finally come to a close for a few days with signs of Spring on the horizon. Time and weather have been a burden for me keeping me away from the river on a regular basis. Even when I have had the availability to hit the river it seems like mother nature saw me coming, in return, she made sure it was colder than a deep freeze out there. Wednesday was the first time I have been on the river more than 3 hours in one outing in the last 3 weeks. That’s just what I needed to put some of that cabin fever behind me.
I spent the morning hours with my good friend Swany. The beginning of our day found us casting ringworms to some shallow sand areas with good results. We boated over a 2 man limit of walleye in short order with most of our catch running in the 18” to 21” class along with the big mama eye that Swany is pictured here with. He caught this fish on a 1/8oz precision jig tipped with a purple/white tail ringworm. Nice fish bud!
Once the early bite slowed for us we proceeded to jump around from spot to spot in hopes of finding another school of cooperative eye’s. We were able to boat a couple more nice fish jumping from spot to spot but the action was not fast and furious. Right around 10:30am the walleye bite went to down right tough for my boat, we encountered a 4 hour lull in the walleye action before things started to pick up again around 2:30. By this time Mr. James Holst had made his way to the river and jumped in for an afternoon outing.
In the later afternoon hours James and I found some eye’s willing to cooperate in 11’ to 14’ depths. The pro-blue color saw most of the action by days end on the eye’s, with a couple fish taken on oyster shell and firecracker also. Oyster shell paddle tails coaxed a couple of sauger in to the boat targeting those shallower depths as well. The eye’s in the afternoon ran on the smaller side than the fish we had brought to the boat in the morning hours. The afternoon catch ran in the 16” to 18” size range.
While talking to other anglers that day I had a lot of mixed reports. I heard anything from “the bite is good” to” it’s a tough go“. Some of the anglers I spoke with said they saw a good sauger bite in the morning hours but the early afternoon was a tough bite.
The fish are there and willing to bite if you put your time in. The bite will gradually progress in to a more of a consistent bite the closer we get to Spring. If the nice weather sticks around for a couple of weeks, I will keep the reports coming with more detail of course. The more time I can spend on the river the more info I will have to share.
See ya on the river! 
Thanks for the report Dusty. Yes spring is getting closer and that means time to stock up on the B-Fish-N Plastics so you are ready for the eyes this spring.
Thanks, Bill
Nice eye thanks for the report.I am looking forward to fishing up there during the freeze your butt tourney.
Dustin,
Wow, what a fish.
Sounds like we rolled in just as the bite slowed. I agree with you comment about being patient. We stuck with it and eked out some decent fish. Thanks for the ringworms. Next time I’ll be sure I grab the right box. Even the guy who downplays color, looses confidence when you run out of the color (oyster shell) that is producing.
John
PS. Do you have the whole river to yourself?
Dustin,nice to see a open water report.Were still a good 4 weeks away before we start to see any open water down here.Looks like you had some good fishing.
Ryan Hale
Jeff..you got the boat, I got the truck….let’s go. Will we really be able to pull you away from the Rock this year to try other waters??
Nice fish! I dont think Swanny really caught it.He is a chef not a fisherman! Just kidding!Im getting the itch to get the boat out now!
I have never fished alma this early. could someone tell me if the boat landing below the dam is open right now. i am assuming it is with the way the weather has been.
Here’s a link to a launch report for Alma >> Alma Landing Condition
Nice Fish Swany. Wassup Mr. S? Looks like your off and running in ’05. Bout time you got some fishin in. Wanna buy my ice auger?
Thank you. im not sure where that is though.
Stop in at the Main Channel Bait shop and they’ll point you where you need to go. It’s just a hop n’ skip further south on 35.
The Belvidere landing is about 3 miles south of Alma on County road OO. Take right there and go about 1 mile and the landing will be on your right.
thank you guys for the info.
Thanx Dusty, as usuaul you put us on the fish, and as usuaul, the big lady was there for me to catch.(Yep,I fish as good as I cook!
)Don’t forget about that Northern I landed musta went 20 Lbs,should have took the pic……. 
We could have took a pic but neither one of us wanted to hold the slimy thing
. Getting that smell/slime in my net was bad enough 