Mississippi River Pool 2 Fishing Report 4-26-06

The walleye bite on Pool 2 is slowly heating up to what we all would expect for this time of year. Still off a bit on the overall numbers of fish but the size makes up for these days with great rewards. The past 4-5 days have given up at least 3-4 fish over the 26” mark per trip. Like most I think they would agree that waiting for that one big fish is worth a little patience to get it. IMO I think we are about a week away from the bite turning for the better and when I say better, I mean more numbers of fish but the big fish will be mixed in just as well!

As you can see in some from these pictures, the walleyes were on right now have fully spawned out and they are just starting to get that hungry appetite going again. The river is dropping generously each day and that means the walleyes are slowly creeping back out to the main channel areas from backwaters and large current breaks where I saw them a week or so ago. I think the crankbait casting and trolling bite should take shape in probably a week or so. I think the shoreline current breaks areas will be perfect for trolling small Wally Divers and even trolling Heddon Sonars in the ¼ oz sizes. For right now the best bite predominantly for me remains pitching. Jimmy D’s 1/4 oz Chartruese Weenie jigs to these shoreline current breaks. Most of the fish that I am catching are sitting in water less than 8 foot. My most productive areas are shallow water in the slack water of the current break with deep water out on the seam. This give those big fish some security to retreat to if need be. The fish are more relating to that current seam or even into the faster water as opposed to being well inside the slack water areas.

Yesterday Bill Kisiah of Andover, Mn joined me for an afternoon/evening trip. We got on the water about 3:00pm and I went right for a couple wingdams only to find a bit too much current rolling over it for my liking, so I opted to hop around on some of my milk route spots. A fish here and a fish there was theme for the evening as we boated some very nice walleyes that just gobbled up our hair jigs….in fact one hit it so hard that Bill thought for certain that he was hung up on a rock……Inside joke here! Picture number #3 is the result of that rock that hit Bill’s hair jig!

Several other fish in the 26”-29” range made their way to the boat this past 4-5 days that did not make the report due to the fact that the family decided the camera was better utilized back at home!

I think we are still about a week ahead of schedule to where the walleyes should begin their typical more aggressive patterns, trolling cranks, pitching cranks, snap jigging, etc… but I think it might be a very good month of May the way the water is looking right now.

See you on the water!