Mississippi River Pool 4 Bass

This is the third year in a row that Mark Collins of Rochester has scheduled a guide trip as part his birthday celebration. This year his wife Julie joined us. The warm weather and sunshine made for a pleasant day but it’s been a curse for the fishing. Seems like the fish have lost their sense of urgency to bulk-up for winter, and are taking a siesta. After yesterdays scouting trip I was very optimistic. Today’s winds seemed to change the fish’s mood.

With the exception of the Mark’s biggest ever smallie, it was “OK” smallies mixed in with white bass. Most of the action was upstream from Wabasha with wing dams and rip rap with strong current producing most of the fish.

All but 2 of the fish today came by swimming a 2.5” Northland Mimic Minnow on a ¼ oz head. The fish were in shallow so swimming over the top of the wing dams or parallel to the rip rap was the most effective technique.

This could be my last guide trip of 2006. On Friday, I leave on a 3 week mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I’ll be setting up a hospital first x-ray machine and teaching some nurses how to use it. If mother-nature is kind there may be time for a couple of late season trips when I return.

John