St. Croix River Summer Fishing Report

Recently I had a morning half day trip with the Raisanen family. Leading was John the father, his sons, Chris, and his little brother Jake. These guys wanted to get out and do some fishing for the Minnesota state fish, I told them the saugers would like show up the best, but they had no issue with the saugs. We pushed off the dock at 7am and luckily within minutes of letting out crankbaits, John got a strike and landed a nice 17” sauger. We kept fishing with cranks and spinners with crawlers and ended up with a big morning basket of eight keeper sized fish. These kids listened very well, and definitely sharp, “A” students I was told! Fun trip. This outing was the best for numbers for about ten days 9considering it was a half day)as the bite has been tougher, especially for walleye. Saugers biting better though. The bite can change on a dime. Two 20” saugers came into the launch yesterday and those are big for the Croix. Best depths have been between 20 and 30 fow. Colors from spinner blades and cranks with clearing water have been silvers, blues, golds, and firetigers (not much patterning there if you ask me). Cranks have been all over the board too with very aggressive deep running Rapala Tail dancers to originals floating Raps are catching fish. That action difference between cranks is a head stretcher as well.

Wednesday afternoon, I had a trip with a big group from Missouri, they were up in town for a championship girls 12U youth softball tournament. Longtime guide Lakeland, Tom Norris helped me out on this trip and he took the group of Dads. I took the two kids and one of the Dads’. These little guys were something. After the first smallmouth bass caught Cayton, who was no older than first grade or second grade, started saying “ Hey, I’m pretty good…I’m a great fisherman!” Then his partner in crime, Isaiah, same age, caught one and he said “ I’m a great fisherman too!” We must have been on a nice group of bass, because they really nailed them both kids caught nearly 25 in this afternoon trip. We had one spell were it was fast action with good pole bending, and just then Cayton goes two minutes with out a bite, looks up at me and says, “Can we go somewhere else?” It was hilarious, I looked over my shoulder at Isaiah’s Dad and smiled. He said laughingly, “Nope, we are staying”. The smallies have dropped down into the depths now and can be caught with jigs, Carolina rigs, drop shots. Plastic are working: spider grubs, tubes, trick sticks I use Pro Tour Baits and found them durable with good colors. Watermelon with black flake is a very good right now. The topwater action has slowed.

Today I had two half day trips and took out a lovely couple from Illinois, Bob and Kim Doyle in town soon to be married. I knew the walleye and sauger bite would be tough, but white bass action was there. We trolled for walleyes early and could not miss the white bass action. Bob kept looking over by all the commotion that the bass were making on the surface. I said “Do you want to catch them?” He said “Looks fun”. Well it was about six straight for Kim before Bob caught one, and after the early lead she never let up. Both people had also fished in Florida, and were impressed with the power and fight these silvers gave them. We hammered the white bass with Blue Fox spinners on the cast and steadily retrieved. I thank the white bass during the tough days because finding good sized saugers and walleye was tough today.

On the second half day trip of the day, I took out Jim Johnsons group, In the party was Paul Janke, assistant fishing department manager for the Sportsman’s Warehouse of New Berlin, WI. Before we pushed off I explained that the walleye was tough and the sauger have been playing hide and seek today, and that I have a crappie spot were some nice ones should be. These guys jumped on the chance to catch some river slabs. On his first cast (I wonder if all Sportsman’s Warehouse employees are this good?) Paul sets the hook into a big slab. We caught some nice ones there on jig and fathead minnow. The fish bit so soft with a tiny tick, you had to be on your toes.

Keep Catchin’
Turk