Mississippi River Pool 2 Fishing Report 4-20-06

The walleye fishing on Pool 2 is finally shaping up to what we typically like to see here in April. The last two weeks has been abnormally slow for me as well as many other anglers that I had spoken with. Numbers of smaller fish were still cooperative on the upper stretches of Pool 2, but the bigger fish remained somewhat elusive for several outings….Until now!

The river has dropped about 4 feet in the last 4-5 days up here on Pool 2. Actually as my time spent on the water yesterday I saw the river drop about 6 inches in 5 hours. That is very quick.

The overall bite is still somewhat slow, but big fish have been showing themselves with some consistency with a little persistence and patience.

With all the main channel current that we presently have, shoreline current breaks and backwaters cuts have been my main target areas the last several outings. Not all shoreline current breaks are created equal that’s for sure, so finding those spots can be a bit of a hide and seek right now with a somewhat timid bite. Stay on the move and milk run these spots until you get bit. Pitching Jimmy D’s yellow chartreuse ¼ oz weenie jigs have been the best producer for my boat the last 3 outings. I have finally ponied up some $$$ for some St. Croix Legend Elite 6’6” Medium light rods not too long ago. Hard to believe they can make a rod this light and that sensitive. I am truly amazed and it brings a new enthusiasm to my jig pitching as of late. St. Croix has quite a line up of quality rods specifically for every situation.

Monday I had the opportunity to share the boat with Gary Wellman of <a href="www.Wellmanmortgage.com" target="_blank">Wellman Mortgage</a>and Brian Hilgardner. Brian was the recipient of a free donated guide trip offered by Gary for any IDA member to utilize his services. Gary is a great guy and a straight shooter. I know when the time comes; I will be seeing Gary for my home mortgage needs without a doubt. Brian wanted to see and learn Pool 2 and what it had to offer compared to his home waters of Pool 3. We spent a gorgeous afternoon pitching some current breaks with hair jigs. I knew the bite would be a bit slow, but well worth the effort if you are looking for a mule! After several hours of pitching we got just a handful of bites that produced a 22”, 26” and a 29” fish. This bite has gotten a bit better since then already with a couple more nice fish.

The crankbait trolling bite should be taking shape very soon with water temps in the high 50’s. Also if the river continues to drop as it is doing right now, I think we should see a fantastic May wingdam bite with cranks and hair jigs! Either way, the best on Pool 2 is yet to come in my opinion. I have told many before, but May offers some of the best opportunities for numbers of walleyes with plenty of 25”+ fish to boot! IF you have kids or others that do not get a chance to get out that often, the next 2 weeks will be the start of a good bite for everyone to enjoy.

One more last note; Some of you may be aware that I had purchased a new River Pro 196 Lo Pro jet boat about 2 months ago. By now I have had some good time on the boat and have had a chance to run it through its paces. I am super excited at the performance of the boat on the mighty Mississippi River. I have turned in the Ranger 620 for a stealthy shallow water running machine. Putting this boat through water that I could normally walk through with barely getting my shoes wet is unbelievable, I could not be happier. Getting to some of these hard to reach backwaters for spring walleyes has never been easier. At the end of May I plan to take a break from Pool 2 and head for the headwaters of the Upper Miss north of St. Cloud for about 4 months of smallmouth bass fishing in some of the skinniest and untapped waters in central Mn. I cannot wait.

Here is the River Pro in action on the high waters of Pool 2…..this is just the beginning!

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