It was my old college roomate Wayne’s first fall trip to Pool 4 and it didn’t take long for a nice Sauger to get him "Hooked" on this great fishery!
I have been really anxious to get back to Evert’s after a tough summer of surgey and recuperation…
Dean welcomed our crew of Jim, Al, Wayne and I about 12:30 on Sunday with the latest fishing info and hot locations/techniques. The Dam rollers had been wide open for some time and the level of the river was very high for this time of year…but definitely fishable. I decided to anchor inside a current seam in about 12-14 fow and pitch some hair jigs tipped with minnows per Deano…Wayne had the obliging 18" Sauger promptly take his offering…
Monday morning’s clear skies were on the chilly side but the Dam flow was diminished, giving us more fishing options…Wayne had never tried Blades so I rigged up my 6’3" MXF with a 5/8 oz Silver Shad Zinco. Wayne was a quick learner again!
My partner Al Erickson aka Guides Choice is a preeminent jig designer and LOVES to pitch light tackle…He was very successful working the shallow current edges with 1/8 oz "Ball Peen" jig/minnow (a collared ball jig with a tiny Colorado blade affixed to the topside). Here he is with one of many Sauger that succumbed to this rigging on a 7′ MLXF rod and 6# Flourocarbon. Notice the temperature had soared to 71 degrees!
Tuesday morning brought a great "blade bite" for my boat…We caught White Bass, Sheepies, Crappies…even a Channel Cat Brian! But mostly small Walleyes and lots of Sauger…some upwards of 19". I lost track of the number of hook ups but what a fun day! We really like to keep "eater" Sauger…We enjoy the flavor, especially in the 40-50 degree water of early spring and fall. We took home our limit of 15-18" Sauger and released several more.
I did have a very nice 24-25" class Walleye almost to the net…ahhh but thats another (sad) story.
The best fall bite is just around the corner…keep your Computers bookmarked right here or call Dean down ar Evert’s for ongoing info for the latest action. I’ll be back on November 23 to see if Jarrad and I can continue to find some BIG post Thanksgiving Piggies! See you after the Holiday… Good Fishing!
Nice report Tom, I’ll bet those fish are going to be good eating out of the colder water. The best bite coming up? let us know how things go when you get back from fishing with Jarrad.
More pictures of the Sauger Excursion…from the gorgeous sunrise to the everpresent Mud Puppies!
Nice trip Tom,
Will probably see you end of November..
Jack..
Sounds like we just missed you, Tom. We didn’t pull off the water till about 3 pm or so, but you probably were well on your way to a limit by then.
Nice job guys!
Great to hear your up and at em again Tom!
Boog
Thanks for the report Tommy. Nice fish and lots of fun I see.
Been fighting a cold but hope to get out a few more times yet before winter gets here. 
Thanks, Bill
Great report Tom
I missed the fish fry…again!
All right nice report and some super looking photos.
Glad you had a great time.
I quit early Sunday sorry I missed you.