Well by now you may have been “over saturated” with pool 4 reports…(I hope not), but I know how much I enjoy seeing how the action is going…especially when I’m back home…6 hrs Northeast of the River.
My annual Easter visit to my daughter’s was even more enjoyable when Jarrad Fluekiger(FireFlick) emailed me that he would be able to take me out Saturday morning as the girls hit the big Mall. He warned that it would probably be pretty “crazy” below the Dam so I was to meet him at Evert’s at 4:30 AM. We certainly beat the crowds…not to mention the temp was 19 degrees! As you can see by this picture…a big girl can put a smile even on a frozen puss!
The skies were crystal clear and the moon full…couple that with 39-40 degree water temps, low water, and very little current and we knew that the fish were not going to be very aggressive. We started pitching jig/plastics up near the dam, drifting along the 8-12′ break line. Jarrad scored first on a nice 20″er that engulfed a 1/8 oz jig tipped with a purple ringie. The action continued to be sporadic for the first hour or so with us each boating a few male Eyes and Sauger. We got down to the sand flats and I switched to a metallic blue Nuckleball with a fire n ice ringie…bam…we were into some more frisky males of the 16-18″ variety.
At 7:00 AM about 25 boats all seemed to come at us at once. It was a circus! Even if we were within 30 yards of the shoreline a boat would run right through out casting zone. One look from the big guy and we were out of there! Those bigger fish were not going to stay up shallow with all those boats blowing through. Jarrad slipped the boat downstream past Everts and we pretty much had the lower area to ourselves…Ahhhhh now this is more enjoyable! Jar pegged a cast to a deeper hole below a current break and hung this dandy on a FireFlick jig and Pro Blue ringie.
The sun climbed higher in the sky and the current died…so did the bite. We drifted even farther downstream and I joked that I had to resort to my secret pink hair jig! Actually I tied a few a long time ago and, since things were really slow….let it sink in the deeper water…slowly crawling it along…tap!…Got YA! Poor Jar. You see he had NO voice to begin with(laryngitis)….I get the last fish on a pink jig!
In closing…these were far from perfect conditions. We both used very sensitive fast tapered St. Croix rods with 6# Trilene Hi Vis Solar line. IMHO the female spawners need some warmer water temps…(warm rain would be nice!) We had our best luck by slowing down and sizing down our presentation. We had only a few aggressive bites. Both big females came from very light takes. I think a vertical presentation with BFT PaddleTails and/or SuperDoos may really shine at this time, with the cold water temps, because they keep the presentation in the “zone” longer. As the temps rise…so will our cold blooded quarry…and they will get more aggressive!That’s where casting the current breaks with H20 Precision or NuckleBall jigs are the ticket for me. If you are not a Plastic Purist(thats OK too!)tipping a nice lively minnow on the jig may just be too much for the fish to resist!
The GOOD NEWS is that the real good fishin is just starting!
GET OUT AND GET FISHING!
Thanks for the report and pics Tommy. Yep SPRING is here and its PLAYTIME! Nice to see you were able to get back up here. When are you coming up next?
Thanks, Bill
I’ll be at Evert’s April 3rd thru 6th with a couple long time buddies…then back on the 10th thru 13th or so. I’m also hoping to return in later May to connect with some big Smallies!
Evert’s Ice machine was on the blink so I had to “ice” my eaters to old fashioned way!
Awesome report and pic’s Tom, I’m glad your still using the nuckle ball jigs. Mike from Fin-tech tackle co. called me last night to tell me he’s off to the MN Northwest sportshow @ the Minneapolis Convention Center until 4/3. I’ll make sure he gets your report. Fin-tech booth is #830 so all you IDA members and anglers stop in and buy some jigs and ask Mike to show you guys some tricks. Tell him I said Hi, I wish I could make this show but I can’t.
Thanks Jeff!
I wont get there(Minneapolis)in time for the Sports show either, but I will be back on the River late that afternoon.It looks like there is some precip in the forecast which should improve the numbers of fish moving up river.
Tom,are you using Sensation for your Hi-vis line? Is so what are your opinions on it? I’ve been using it a few years now on my slip-bobber set-ups and really like.
Ryan Hale
Definitely!
James turned me on to XT Solar about five years ago and I loved it. Sensation replaced it two years ago and it has been a great all purpose line. It retains great castability even in the coldest weather. It has good knot strength, lays evenly on the spool, and is fairly abrasion resistant( NOT as good in that respect as the old XT)but it IS softer and more supple than XT(trade off).
For walleye in less than crystal clear water I also still use Golden Stren occasionally.
I fished today with a guy that had hi vis pink Maxima on his reels and I was very impressed. The water temp was 35 and that stuff was very soft, straight, and pliant. WOW does that line GLOW!
Nice report Tom, nice to hear whats working, im planning on coming up around the 15th of april to try to get into the bite befor they spawn. Good luck your next trip
Was he using the ”pretty pink” color that James teases me about.
Both colors and brands are nice. I like the Berkley low vis green XT line for my other reels that I don’t want high vis color on along with Fireline and Power Pro lines.
Thanks, Bill
What’s the advantge of using high vis line?
I’m pretty sure that its used because you can see the super light bite that you don’t feel. Its also helps you see when your line hits bottom, and tells you where your lure is in relation to the structure. I think I got most of it. James and the other guides can probably tell it in better detail.
Thanks Chris,
I think you explained it well enough.
Right on Redneck Jr.!
Another important quality of Hi Vis to me is that you can see exactly what your jig is doing down there…even in low light. The speed, drift, angle etc… clear lines disappear to me on overcast days or early/late in the day.
You can see it better.