Its been quite awhile since my last report and I hope to play catch up here in the coming weeks. I sure love this time of year and for me, this winter goes down as one of the longest. Finally it looks as though true spring is right around the corner and I cannot wait.
With recent warm spells over the past week or so has turned the river into a constant changing phase form day to day. Water levels are starting to rise, water clarity is diminishing due to all the runoff we are starting to see from the snow we got a few weeks back and also water temps that are starting to rise. All this makes for a very predictable movement form the underwater walleye world. This is the time of year that getting your shot at a true trophy walleye has become that much more obtainable!
As mentioned above, the changing water conditions have the walleyes starting to move in dramatic fashion. Its amazing what a difference a few days can make. My last Saturday’s trip out with my brother and I was a very slow day overall. We boated a few fish for our efforts but we had to work for them. Now, 5 days later we are seeing catches go from 2-3 fish per day go to nearly 20 fish just like that!
With all the changes that the river is seeing right now finding them can be a bit overwhelming but a few key factors can help up the odds for your overall success. The last few days we have been seeing a fairly dramatic change in current speeds with the rising water levels. With lots of walleyes in a pre-spawn migrational run right now, I have been concentrating on neck down areas where I can try to intercept some of these fish. In these neck down areas, you likely see some quicker currents and that’s where finding current breaks around these areas can be highly successful. Take advantage of these fish because this is the time of year where they can be here today and gone tomorrow as they continue to move on to nearby spawning environments.
Some of these current breaks areas that have been producing fish have a lot of deeper sand and gravel in the 10-14 feet of water. I have been having my best luck as of late pitching ¼ oz BFishNTackle’s Blade baits and BFT’s Precision jigheads with a variety of colors of ringworms such as purple, cotton candy and firecracker. My best colors in the blade baits have been gold and mud minnow. I have also been having some luck vertical jigging these areas with BFT’s Superdoos both tipped with a minnow and without. I brought some minnows along with me the other, but I have not seen a strong preference with or without minnows at this point.
The big fish appear to be on the move right now and getting more and more active each day. Along with a few nicer fish, I have also been seeing quite a few smaller males both walleyes and saugers while pitching and vertical jigging.
Now is the time to take advantage of this big fish movement. There will be plenty of big fish caught in the coming days in most of those popular areas that seem to hold fish this time of year. This bite should last for the next 10-14 days. Take advantage of it as soon as you can! I do have some guide trip openings next week as it looks like our Rainy River visit this year will be put off one more week. This last picture is of my best 4 legged Bailey. She brings me good luck this time of year, so do not be surprised if you see her out with me during some of my guide trips!!
Good luck to all!
Nice report and fish !!!
big g
Steve, you’re killing me. You never cease to amaze me at you’re ability to connect with big fish. Wish it could have been last week when we went out. Hope to make it out in the mornings before work. Just out of curiosity, how much success do you have in the mornings on the river?
Nice fish Steve.
Nice report Steve. Is that a pointing lab? It point walleyes right
…I can’t wait to get out on the water
Nice report Steve, good to see ya back on the water
Micah,
From my experience those shallow water fish tend to hang in the shallows a little longer with the lack of boating and fishing pressure! Good luck to you!
Just goes to show what a difference a few days can make this time of year. As for the morning bite, for sure!
Great report and pictures Steve!!!
Its killing me too! I can’t hit it again until Monday probably. However, I do take some consolation in the fact that most everybody else will be working!
Great report Steve!
dd
Your timing will be good! And yes I will be extremely envious come monday morning!
Well hopefully I can give you something to be envious of come Monday evening.
dd
Steve, we have noticed some males walleyes milting already in our boats in Pool 4. See anything like that up there?
I have not seen anything as of yet. I will keep the garden hose ready!
The flys will have it taken care of by June.
Great news…the best is yet to come
Thanks for the report!
><(((>
Thanks for the report Steve. Awesome job. Should be on the water in the next couple week to start reporting also.
Great report Steve, Hoping for 1 or 2 just like that in the am.
Doug
Good to see the blade are working out Steve…I have to get up there with you and Dustin to see how they work first hand !!!
You know its spring when you start seeing the big gals getting caught. Thanks for the report and pics Steve.
Thanks, Bill
YEP the bite is on here on P2!
I got 4 different voicemails from last night telling me what I missed…….
Good thing I will be on the water everyday this week!
Nice report. i just finished reading an article on early season walleye fishing by yourself, in a fishing magazine at the library, on an area of the mississippi i spent some time fishing growing up. Keep up the reports, thats an awesome area your fishing there…and your pictures prove it!
Thanks deeplake,
Glad you enjoyed the read! Was that the In-Fisherman article?
yep. great article, lots of information.
I have been fishing by the Ford dam. Past weekend was slow during the week we managed a few nice saugers. Are biggest was 21 inches the rest where under 15. No eyes. The suagers were pretty agressive. We used BfishN Ringworms on Precision jigs also, white, chartreuse, and purple where are best colors. We also caught some on Jacks River Jigs. We added stinger hooks to our ringers also, but the saugers just whacked it. We found it best to anchor and pitch an area then fight the current. This week I might break out the handline.
Good Luck,
Jimmy
Welcome to the site Jimmy. Glad to hear someone is finding a few fish down there. Those saugers must be looking pretty fat this time of year?
Yes, those big fat saugers are a breed onto themselves. They were really agressive when they would hit. The whole ringworm and jig would be swallowed. We went to Red Wing Sunday but the Colvill Launch was closed. The water was to gnarly to fish anyway. Lilydale area also. Current is fast water is high and a bunch of junk coming downstream. The 494 area is real slow my buddies were down there this weekend and managed some white bass. I hear they found a babies body in river down by Treasure Island.
Help needed. I have never fished pool 2 or 3 or the mississpi for that matter.My son (22)just came home from Mayo after loosing a portion of his right hand , fantastic hospital real miracle workers. He wants to get some eyes so I have been watching the reports if someone would care to give me info on where to get bait , launch my boat etc I would greatly appreciate it.Email or Im is fine.
Ahhhh the final rite of Spring…Steve’s P-2 reports with big fat Piggies all over da place!
Thanks Steve! You are definitely “DA MAN!”
I told my wife she could put all my Birthday, Christmas, and Father’s day gifts into one trip with you this year….(she just laughed)
If you have never fished the river before I would highly recomend that you hire a guide for your first trip. You can learn more from a good guide in one day than it would take years to learn on you own. Give one of these guys a call>>>>>>>>> http://www.idaguides.com
thanks for the advice but with the bills that have and are accumulating an extra expense such as that is out of the question. Thanks for the help though really appreciate it.I guess we will forgo the trip down from Barron and look locally for panfish.
I think Steve may be up nort right now. Vman the bite on pool 2 is not the best right now. I would say it has slowed since steves last report. With warming water temps it should get better in the near future. April, may and june can put out som eof the best numbers bites of the year on pool 2.
As far as bait goes Moores is about the closest. You can find a link to them in the Miss/catfish forum. Other wise pick up some bait on your way into town. Some other river bites you may want to keep a eye on are pool 4 and the St croix. croix opener is april 28. Other wise keep checking back here to see if things have changed.
Did you see there is a catfish gathering on pool 1 on sunday. That bite may be good.
As far as ramps go I would think 494 or lillydale may be the best for you. Both are right off the freeway. One is right next to the 35E n lillydale. the other is right off the hardman exit on 494 in south saint paul.
thanks for the help guys really appreciate it!
well we went for a ride on the way back from Mayo. Not good news from the Dr. He totally did not reccomend my son going out in a boat at this time and I guess it is best. I don’t suppose there is anywhere where you might be able to pick up eyes from shore on the wisconsin side?