Just a quick report here to keep everyone updated on the upper pool 4 bite. I’ve not had the chance to be on the river as much as I would like since my last report. The last two times I have been out, dragging light jigs with crawlers or leeches has been the best presentation for me to put a 3 man plus, limit of fish in the boat on the last 2 trips. Crawlers have had the edge over the leeches but on some days the fish get in to a mode where the leeches are the thing to have. I would take both if heading to the river cause it could change hourly.
Black or Orange jig heads have still been the best for my boat. I have taken fish in 2’ to 12’ of water on my last outing, once a depth is found in the area you are targeting stick with it and you should be able to put a few more fish in the boat. Areas with clams and sand have been the best for me, I have tried rip rap recently with only the sheephead and a few small bass showing up. If big sheepies is your thing, just throw on a big crank bait and troll rip rap just about any where on the river right now!
The bigger Walleye’s have eluded me on the last couple of trips. The average size fish I am seeing has been in the 15 ½” to just short of the 20” mark. There is a lot of 16” fish showing up lately that will keep the action going, this is a good sign for the years to come.
With the water temps starting to finally cool off it won’t be long and the shallow crank and plastic bite will kick in. It was this very week last year that I started to get some big Walleyes on Ringworms and K-grubs from B-fishn Tackle. I have tried a bit thus far but not a lot of takers just yet, the water temps are a bit warmer than they were a year ago this week. I will keep trying on up-coming trips and pass along the info, one of these days a switch is going to flip and those plastics will be the best baits for the better than average size Walleye.
The river is just full of Shad right now, just about any place I have been I’m marking, and seeing them boat side. I have been marking big clouds of bait fish on my graph right in the middle of the main channel in certain areas, it’s almost as if they think it’s a lake right now just suspending in a big schools like that. In some areas, while trolling crank baits the shad are so thick I have actually snagged them having them foul out my baits.
I’ll see you on the river!
Thanks for the Report Dustin, can’t wait for that fall crank bait bite to kick in
Crankbaits????? Bring on the big plastics. Big ones. All I can think about is 55 degree water temps, small breeze at the back, sun disappearing in the sky, a big 5″ firecracker colored kalin, a little secret wingdam, and the river to myself. I can’t take it anymore
………….bring on the cooler WATER temps. 
I hear ya Jarrad! I love the up and coming part of the year. Have you ever noticed how Sept and oct just drags on and won’t go away? It has to be the longest month of the year
. I would love to go wtih you when you hit that “secret wingdam” but only I will be throwing a Pearl-blue S&P K-grub and show you how it’s done 
I wish it was November!
dustin,
giving up on the crawlers already. I was down on pool 4 with gator last weekend and leeches and crawlers where getting bit good. but the bite seemed light. they were sucking on the bait, a few times i had solid on but lost it on the way into the boat. but It seemed like they didn’t care what half of the worm you had on the hook, they took it
shane
Oh NO! I am definitely not giving up on the bait but you will see a few days here in the very near future where the plastics will put better fish in the boat. I will keep using bait until the fish tell me they want something else. Crawlers can be really good even when those water temps drop in to the upper 40’s, try um sometime in the late fall and you might be surprised! Even though I like to fish with crawlers you can bet when the water temps are in the 40’s my better fish will come on plastics……….I guarantee it!
Big (BIG) plastics in the fall of the year. You just can’t beat it for big walleyes.
Gator Hunter