Tuesday thru Friday I had the privilege of guiding LCRR Pat Clark, his Dad and his Brother Mike on pool 9. LCDR Clark is the guy who is coming after you if you guide on the Miss without an OUPV Coast Guard license!
The Clarks are all EXCELLENT anglers. They wanted smallies–which were tough to come by early last week after that monster cold front!
By Friday we had the fish dialed in: a chartreuse pepper Chompers salty sinker drifted tight to rip-rap. Prior to that we would hit a few here and there tossing spinnerbaits and plastics both on rip-rap and where sand interfaced with woody structure.
We also hit a few largemouth down in the Winneshiek on buzz baits, rats, plastics and spinnerbaits. white bass came on virtually every cast–once you found ’em. typically this was BELOW barriers like wingdams and closing dams. the best bait was a 2″ sassy shad on a 1/4 oz white Roadrunner head.
The BIGGEST KEY earlier in the week was finding clean water. The Upper Iowa and the Root both discolored pool 9 below Blackhawk island.Even when it cleared fire tiger/chartreuse was better than blue/black on the lower pool for this reason.
There are no fotos with this report, because I forgot the camera on the last day when we had the best fishin’. Honestly, the biggest smallie was maybe 16 inches, likewise with the largemouth. Caught a couple of decent pike. Probably 40 percent of the gazillion white bass were close to 12 inches.
All totaled the Clark party boated about 300 fish. Maybe 35-40 were smallies, another 15 were largemouth. Not great fishin…but not bad after a monster cold front an profoundly discolored water where you really wanted to fish.
Although LCDR Clark is real saavy as a mariner and angler, he kept calling wingdams ” wing dykes”–guess that comes from growing up down south. By Friday,however, this Coastie finally realized what a wingdam is…after the umpteenth time I told him a “wing dyke” is a lesbian angel.
Nice report Ted
Where’s the pic’s 
I’m not going to compare shot guns with you but I can do it with fish.
The Miss is a lot bigger water than the Rock so you should catch good fish. But size doesn’t matter
300 fish days on the rock will not happen
300 fish days on the Miss 
Good luck 
I can say the rock is producing 20 to 28 inch fish on a average right now and hard to find the eaters. White bass can be caught by the bucket loads.
This has been one of the Rock River best summer ever for trophy walleye and tons of white bass.
I have been doing more family outing than fishing the last month because of my son on a roll with baseball this year. Watching my son play baseball has took over the fishing for now but I have scouts out there telling me what’s going on.
Ted when you can catch fish like these in this photos on the Rock River one block from my house why would I drive three hours to buy a over and under shot gun at the Miss.
The single shot 20ga sounds pretty good now doesn’t it.
Good luck Ted on the Miss, I’ll stick to the rock and watching my son playing baseball and taking home the trophy.
Well we will see ,rock river boy. Ted and I will be out Thursday for some smallie action and I’m guessing we will have some as big as your 20″ walleye !!!
btw that is a nice walleye your holding there
Just one more walleye that all the anglers are catching this summer dragging 1/4oz jigs with half of a crawler or leeches on the Rock River.
Dave good luck Thursday with Capt Ted. Like always you will have a great time if you bring CRISPY CREAMS
or a big HINKEN 
Just a couple pic’s from the last two tourneys
Just one more Ted. Go fish
Baseball or fishing?
See you on the river Buddy 
Jeff–you truly do well on Rock River. I’ve often said anybody who can catch fish, particularly walleyes, on the Rock can do well anywhere.
Back when I was a firefighter I spent a lot more time on the Rock ’cause it was close to home. But i also traveled all over the midwest doing the outdoor writing thing.
At retirement four years ago it was time to get a place on the water. I chose the Miss south of LaCrosse because of its incredible bounty and good people.
As far as travelling three hours to fish…I spent 18 out of 31 days last month fishing the River on 8, 9 and 10.
The closest boat ramp is a mile from my camp.
This month two trips north are scheduled. But I’ll still fish The River 20 days. August is one of the best months for CATCHING fish on the Miss.
Jimmy Buffett said “don’t try to describe the ocean if you haven’t seen it” . Jeff, you’re a great hook…but you haven’t really seen what the Miss can do.
Like a kid who upgrades from a Sears 20 ga. to a Browning over/under…or a kid who gets to Milwaukee and thinks its way cool….until he sees New York, The River is a truly awesome, humbling place.
And, in my writing you’ll see I always refer to the Miss as The River. To my mind all other moving waters are just ancillary roots to the greater tree, Rock River included.
A minute ago i said the Rock is a tough river to fish. And it is. But up where you’re at it’s a fairly small river feeling only the influence of the Bark and a couple similar tributaries.
When the Miss becomes The River where the ‘Croix dumps in it already has shoulders. Heading south it picks up other tributaries with each one changing the flavor of the fishery, thus making The River even tougher to pattern fish on.
Fishing the upper end of pool 9 near Genoa the angler is faced with the matrix of a half-dozen rivers. Get down just a few more miles below Blackhawk and the Upper Iowa, Bad Axe, Root and a couple more tribs enter the picture.
Now you’re trying to decipher fish on a bundle of rivers.
In my post the upper end of pool 9 was better earlier in the week because the water was more clear. By week’s end it was better downstream.
The further downstream you get the more complex the task of patterning fish becomes. I have great respect for the abilities of guys like Dave Koonce who sometimes rides herd on The River below Prairie where the Wisconsin–which is bigger than the Rock–dumps in.
Get down around Dubuque and Jimmie O has even a tougher chore.
I grew up near Savanna on 13. Used to catch a lot of fish on 12, 13 and 14 when I was younger. Now I would rather fish The River from pool 10 upstream because the water is cleaner, the scenery is more beautiful…and I finally realize that I know a lot less about having the whole thing figured out now than when I was a kid.
I’ve also figured out that there are a lot better anglers than me out there. But I am secure in my abilities. Nothing to prove. Everything to share. That’s why I guide instead of fishing tourneys.
Here’s a thought for all of you reading this post to ponder which becomes more true with every mile travelled down The River.
Two Chippewas, a saavy brave in his 30’s and a wise old chief in his 70’s, were contemplating the upper River centuries before it was divided into pools.
Realizing that The River was forever changing he remarked “it is impossible to step into the same river twice”.
The old chief smiled, and said…”my son, it is impossible to step into the same River once!”
Think about it! That’s what we’re up against when we fish The River.
Take your eyes off the electronics and watch the water. Become the water. Fish from the soul. Guess that’s why I’m not competitive, just real happy. Good fishin’!!
Buddy you do have a way with words
. Take care and be safe Thursday. 
That might be the best description I have ever heard of the mighty Miss.!
my humble thanks. The Miss is more than a River…it’s a life force!