A few years ago by the end of October my boat and tackle would have been stored for the winter and I would be concentrating on Deer and grouse hunting…That was before I started coming to the Mississippi for November Walleye. My friends Al Erickson, Frank Pearson and I checked into Evert’s Resort about 12:30 Monday. A few “hints” from manager Dean Marshall and we were zooming upriver in my 1750 FishHawk. It was the first cast and Frank was into this nice Sauger…breaking in his new 6’9” St. Croix Tournament spinning rod. It is a treat when a Guide gets to fish with seasoned Pros like Frank and Al.
I thought the conditions were pretty good….moderate flow…49-50 degree water and lots of fat Sauger upstream along with growing numbers of Walleye. I tied on a gold Sonar blade and worked the deeper current seam, slowly vertically jigging…”BAM”…my rod was pulled on hard and the battle ensued. Another nice Sauger was netted. The next couple hours were awesome! Non stop rods bending from one of us or the other! Nearly 50 fish were netted in less than three 1/2 hours! Other hot baits were chart/pepper ringies & blue Paddletails on either H20 jigs or Fintech Daybrite Metallic Knuckleballs in blue and chartreuse. I used a 6’3" MXF Avid for vertical jigging while my buddies preferred baitcasting outfits with 10# superbraid with blades
Tuesday morning we were joined by two more Yoopers…Jim Wilcheck and Ken Van Holla. They were in their first fall visit and we invited them to stick close to us and “learn the ropes”. It didn’t take Jim long!… catching this dandy Eye on a BFT Chart/Pepper Ringie behind a 1/4 oz H20 jig. The early action was hot and heavy again until the sun shone brightly and the bite waned. With plenty of fish already caught we drifted slowly back towards Evert’s…vertically jigging blades and SuperDoos as we went. We marked fish all the way down and caught several more.
Wednesday through Thursday more of the same…It was the best action I’ve ever had on Pool 4 for both numbers and average size. No, we didn’t get any real Piggies but had five or six in the 5-6# class….many of the 3-4# variety. Frank topped things off with this beautiful Walleye…we nick named “Papa Joe” for a certain parish Priest that loves cook his peers fresh baked walleye.
Techniques? (1) Boat control…you must stay on current breaks and holding structure…make sure you have a “fluke” style or HEAVY river anchor with at least 50” of heavy rope (2) Presentation…use the lightest jig or lure that will keep contact with the bottom and “roll” naturally with the current. This is more important (IMHO) than color. (3) Location…you must move as current, flow, sunlight, boat pressure conditions change. The fish will move location and you must be adaptable. I can’t thank Dean Marshall enough for his hospitality and generosity. Believe me……he will put you in the right direction…get out there and GET FISHING! Its only gonna get better!
Here is our “take home” limit for Monday afternoon of 18 Sauger…This took the pressure off for the trip. Now we wouldn’t get the famous line…” and WHERE ARE THE FISH?”
These were filleted and frozen. Yummy!
Sauger fillets, Creole Hash browns, Rum cake and cold beverages…ahhh the fisherman’s supper.
It looks like you guys had a real good time Tom and man look at that meal! Second to none.
Tom,is a yooper a guy from the UP? Looks like you guys had a great time on the water.Fine looking meal.
Ryan Hale
Actually there is a (comic) entertainment group called “da Yoopers” that got the handle going several years ago… although many U.P. natives hate it…the name stuck
Nice report Tom
You didn’t miss much bowhunting this week. With the warmer temperatures, the deer moved after dark. Nothing to show for 4 days at my buddy’s camp
Sounds like fishing for fillets was more productive than hunting for tenderloins!!!
That makes me feel a little better Pete…I may still get a crack at one of two nice bucks I saw while sitting on my bear stand last week…
Don’t rule out a trip to the Bay this week!
Just a memory now, but here’s a shot of the sunrise taken from the main channel off of Young’s bluff last Tuesday. Visibility with fog was about zilcho till it peaked over the hills….made for some fun navigation. Tom, my guess is, that with all that good eating and liquid libations, you guys didn’t see any sunrises that week?
Great Report Tom! Good to see you made it down to Pool 4 form the UP!
Actually the three of us had a total of three cans of Beer and a hard lemonade in three days. We are pretty hardcore fishermen…we were one of the first boats up river every morning…well before light.
Heres what dawn looked like on Wed AM
Well Tom, kudos to you.
great sunrise shot. It sure was nice feeling toasty that early in the morning, on a november day…gotta relish those times, cuz we’re more accustomed to freezing our tushes off. So you thinking about thanksgiving trip, hey? Deans reports got me thinking about a couple days before…will see.
That last photo is great
Thanks for the report and pics Tommy. Sounds like you guys had a blast. And knowing Dean the way I do I’m sure everyone who stays at Everts gets not only the best service but also the best fishing tips for catching fish on one of the best walleye/sauger factories in the country.
Thanks, Bill
Hey Bill…Did you notice the dates?
I thought that looked familliar!
Thanks, Bill
ps. Thanks for the report Tommy…..AGAIN
ps. Thanks for the report Tommy…..AGAIN
ps…yes AGAIN
…I can hardly wait to read the next years [two years away, maybe] report THIS MONTH. 
You are scaring me Billy!
I haven’t left yet??? But we will be there this Sunday thru Thurs morning…
I will try to get a similar report up…as long as the fish cooperate!
Go get em Tommy.
Thanks, Bill