This is the type of weather us open water guys look for in January! The mild temps. got many boaters on the water today and the sauger were co-operating!
Getting a early start with some good tips from Dean and Kerry, we opted for going vertical.
Most of the day was spent drifting in depths from 20 to 25 ft. Early on in the AM., Doo’s produced the best bite. As many have posted, the brighter colors are doing the best right now. Later in the day, when the bite slowed- switching up to ring worms triggered bites. The ring worms also produced bigger fish. Photo # 1.
Into the late afternoon, the bite seemed to switch back to doo’s. I would say the best thing to do is switch up when the bite slows.
Although we stuck with the vertical persentation, the guys dragging and three waying were also putting fish in the boat. It was good seeing all the IDA gang on the river today!
The temps look like they are going to stay mild for the upcoming week. Now is a great time to get in on some good fishing action. Photo #2 is a coulple of eater sized sauger and kind of the average size fish we pulled today.
Besides the Mississippi, the smaller rivers in western Wisconsin are also giving up some good action. See you on the water, Don.
Thanks for the report and pics Don. Looks like you and Bob had alot fun. These nicer temps sure do get a guy excited for both the open water and hard water bites. Hows that jon boat working out for you? They sure make good small water, backwater, and winter fishing boats.
Thanks, Bill
Nice to see you again Don. I didn’t even recognize you with your winter boat
Winter time with everybody bundled up makes it hard to recognize people. That is a nice looking winter boat 
From what I could see, Don and partner were doing pretty good 
Some nice fish there Don. Gotta love the colors and the bellies that those saugers develop between now and April!
I was going to post a report of my own, but I will tail on to what Don has started. The spectacular sauger bite has a lot to do with the shad population in the river right now. Many sauger we have had in my boat have been coughing up fresh killed shad. The sauger are chasing them all through the water column right now. Walleye have been scarce to date, but the sauger are nice fill ins until the marble eyes start to show up in numbers. The walleye we have been getting have been relating to rocks. Wing dams and shore lines. We have been doing FANTASTIC dragging Knuckle Ball Jigs and jigging H2O Jigs . The dragging bite for us is going crazy in 6-9 FOW, using 1/16th ounce orange and black Knucklers. Firecracker Ringworms took top honors this weekend, with Stewy Blue and Purple White tail rounding it out. Super Doos in white/glitter took top honors with many of our biggest sauger coming on this tail. We used 1/4 ounce orange H2O jigs to get down and stay in contact with the bottom. The lift-HOLD (2 feet up) and SMASH! We matched the hatch with these types of set ups, and the fish bit for us even throughout the slowest parts of the afternoon! This shad shown in the picture was coughed up alive! He had literally just been eaten by the sauger, and the sauger then took the Doo!
Riverfan and I got to fish together for a day. We went out knowing we could catch saugers vertically at will, so we set out to play a different game with them. John fished a drop shot rig with a ringworm suspended up the line, and another on a jig dropper. Fish showed a liking for the ringy on the plain hook. I used a Fin-Tech Zone-R in 3/4 ounce, and fished a Dubuque style rig with a #4 Gamakatzu trailing about 2 feet behind. Fish smashed both offerings. We noticed an area that was hotter than others, so we set up the rigging presentation to stay on top of the active fish longer. We kicked the main motor into gear, and back trolled very slowly upstream. Working at a 3/4 tack across the river, and back again. Fish would usually hit when the rigs would wash back and forth in the current.
When We got back from yesturday I looked in the livewell and saw a couple of shad in the bottom. I wish I had seen them in the boat!
Sunday morning brought us back to the river for the early morning bite. Dragging put a few fish in the boat right away. We should have been out there a tad earlier, but the night previous got pretty late as I was giving all my money away to Jon Jordan, James, ElRoy Carl, and Kerry Harvey. How much money do you have to lose to become good at Texas Holdem’?
Except Alvinmack 
! Note to Mack…River Pro’s do not have four wheel drive! 
Poor Wats! He had to jump in with Blue Fleck to get his sanity back! 
Anyway, the jigging bite took off really well about 9:00 AM! The white Doo and orange H2O head was absolutely on fire! Many of the fish we caught topped 2 pounds! We had some retired folks here in town hungry for some fresh filets, so we kept 16 fish today. It was an absolute pleasure to meet and greet so many IDA people out there over the course of the weekend!
Here is Wallerbass and ElRoy with a few of the sauger in Everts store. BTW, Dean is all stocked up with every Knuckle Ball and H2O jig one could imagine! You will also find the best selection of the hottest producing B-Fish-N tackle as well!
Chubby fish and angler!
Corey and I with some piggy sauger…
Nice pics. and fish Chris. It was good to meet you and the rest of the IDA crew that was around Saturday. Wish I could’ve stayed and played some cards, but had to get back.
Same here Glenn! It’s always good to talk to a fellow puck eater!
I hope you taught John a couple new tricks! 
Good luck on the rest of your season!
Tuck
I was going to put up a report also, but I can’t add anything to what Don and Tuck have told you.It was sure nice to see all the IDA folks on the water over the weekend.It was also nice to see Tuck at the poker table Saturday night
. Hey Dean, THANKS for putting up with me for the weekend. 
Sure was fun hanging out with ya though. The beer can trap was our alarm clock.
Thanks for the great report!
Its great to see that the bite is still strong 
The fish turned back on at the end of the day for Corey and wife this afternoon,firecracker and purple BFT ringwoms were working well.
So Dean
Tell us who got the biggest fish of the evening… 
A little birdie told me the answer…
I think this might answer your question Tuck.Good job Jen!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey it was good to see all you guys out there.
Well I got to say I brought six home to eat. But I thought the bite was tough of course I’m spoiled and like 50 fish days but I had trouble just getting to double digits.
We only got one walleye that was just shy 20 inches. I had to say we cause it made me feel better. Jerie caught the fish pitchin a bucktail.
Say did you guys see the 50 Mph ice breaker out there
sorry Mack I could not help myself. Hope the rig is OK.
Wow Jen!
That looks like one of if not the biggest of the weekend!
Congrats!
Tuck
GANG GIRLS!!! NO MORE LADIES IN THE BOAT!!!!
just remember it was only walleyes not bass! 
just kiddin honey thanks for getting dresses up like a poler bear and going fishin with me.and kickin my 
Thanks for going along too Dean it was fun to go get ya out on the water!!! 
Tuck,
You should be a motivational speaker. Gotta love what you said to me after my wreck. It was about the only time I laughed the rest of that day
Can I call you Matt Foley instead of Tuck? 
-Mike
Kerry, I’m glad to see that you’re still alive.
Livin’ in a VAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!!
Buck up! We all do stupid things.
You just did it in front of every fisherman on Pool 4!
It is always fun to laugh at someone at their expense!
BTW, I hope you didn’t do too much damage to the ice breaker.
(You know it was funny, Dustin came up to me earlier, and I told him to go break through that so I could go fish the bull nose. He said sure, and pretended to head over that way. He turned around laughing saying something like “You didn’t think I would do anything that stupid, did ya?” I said “Someone will before the day is done!”
Little did I know….. 
)
Thanks for making me a prophet!
Hey Nord, Yes I’m still kicking, but not fishing as much as I should be.
Take care.
Hi everyone. I have just recently been browsing the boards here and relativley new to fishing the river. I grew up 10 minutes away from Devils Lake, which is an entirely different type of fishing all together. Anyways I am unfamiliar with the types of fishing on the river. I have a few questions and if someone could help me out that would be great. What do you mean by dragging? What are the best areas to hit on the river? I am used to fishing with plain old lindy rigs…yeah I know. Anyways I am planning on getting out tomorrow and any help I receive will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Troy
Troy, Put in at Evert’s and Dean will fill you in on what’s been working lately. He has everything you will need as far as jigs and plastics.
Troy, dragging is a technique used to get your jig and bait close to but not on the bottom. It takes some practice to master. You proceed up river (And down river as well) barely making forward progress, moving up and down off breaks of the main channel. Fish will let you know how deep they are hanging out. I am concentrating on areas 6-10 feet deep right now. A 1/8 ounce jig flipped out about 25 feet from the boat, and dragged behind the boat will provoke strikes. This technique works best in low light conditions due to the shallow water, and clarity of it.
Hope that helps!
Tuck