Last week Dewey Schultz & I made our first ever trip to pool 4 on the mighty Mississippi river. The invite from Whisker Kev & Mendotaeye to join they’re group at Everts Resort was just to good to turn down. We had both heard a great deal about the high quality walleye & sauger fishing and were looking forward to sampling some of that for ourselves.
Picture is Whisker Kev. He took top honors on this trip with a dandy 9lb 6oz walleye that he caught while dragging a ringworm on a 3/32oz jig behind Mendotaeyes boat.
We found the bite to be a bit on the tough side but if you worked at it, there certainly were some quality fish to be had. Our two best techniques included slow trolling with #7 floating rapalas behind 3oz bottom bouncers and vertical jigging B’Fish’N Tackle hair jigs tipped with large fathead minnows. Best depths for us were 13-16′ early & late in the day and 17-21′ during mid-day hours.
Like any place else, some days were really tough for us. We took our lumps on Wednesday afternoon when we zeroed out on walleyes or saugers on our first afternoon but found the bite improved quite a bit over the next two days.
On Saturday, Ben Garver jumped on board with us and we all agreed that we wanted to spend some time trying to catch a pig walleye. We headed into the back channel and found a nice spot where we spent half the morning casting 1/16oz & 1/32oz H20 Precision jigs tipped with ringworms to shallow water. That produced two bites for me and one hook up with a 19″ female walleye. That was the only one though and by late morning, we went back to trolling small stick baits behind bottom bouncers.
The trolling bite produce a couple of eaten size saugers for us but it was slow going overall. After a couple of hours we went back to casting a combination of blades and plastics just up river from Young’s cabin. That was fruitless also.
And hour or so before sunset, we headed up river to a spot close to Evert’s Resort and finished the day casting plastics in a spot that Ben Garver showed us. Nothing again.
At least the weather was good on Saturday and Dewey & I both had a good time fishing you Ben. It would be nice to do it again on a day when the fish are biting a little better.
Dewey Schultz shows off a dandy 21″ sauger he caught trolling a #7 rapala behind bottom bouncers.
Our five days of fishing went by way to fast and with the boat nearly out of gas, we stayed close to Everts Resort on Sunday morning. Dewey & I put out the bottom bouncer rods in the area that Ben showed us the evening before and found the saugers were hot & heavy for #7 rapalas in black & gold. We gave Mendotaeye & Whisker Kev a quick call on the cell phone and they joined us shortly after but once again the bite petered out fairly quickly and by 10:30am we all decided to call it quits and pack our bags for the trip home.
My best fish for the week came on a perch colored hair jig from B’Fish’N tackle. Another 21″ pig sauger.
Highlights of the trip were getting to know our cabin-mates John Schultz (mendotaeye) Kevin Sime (Whisker Kev) and Kevin Clark. We got lucky hooking up with you guys. I honestly don’t think I could have picked a better group if I tried. Dewey & I had a great time talking fishing and B.S.ing with you guys. Thanks again for inviting us.
Other highlights for myself included finally meeting up and shaking hands with Dean Marshall himself. I waited a long time to finally do that. Thanks for all your help Dean! That was certainly worth a bag of cookies or two.
Spending the day fishing with Ben Garver was fun. I would do that again in a heart beat. Your always welcome in my boat Ben.
After reading many, many impressive fishing reports from Dustin Stewart on pool 4, it was a real treat to shake hands with and share a couple of beers around the camp fire with Dustin himself. I won’t forget that anytime soon.
It was also nice to meet up with the infamous Brian Klawitter. Always memorable even if it’s not the first time.
It was also nice to see JJKrooked again and meet up with and shake Eric Rehberg’s hand at the bait shop.
There are probably a few others worth mentioning that I’m forgetting about. (sorry)
All in all, it was a great trip and a bit of a tough bite just makes it that much more fun when you figure out a thing or two to put fish in the boat.
This 19″ walleye was our boats only decent walleye caught pitching ringworms to shallow water on Saturday. She was released so that I can catch her again next year.
Kevin McGinley was with our group but staying in a different cabin. He popped this 9lb 6oz walleye on Sunday right about the time the rest of us were loading up our boats for the trip home.
2nd picture is Ben Garver with an eaten size sauger.
3rd picture – Dewey Schultz shows off a 20″ male sauger.
4th & 5th pictures are a couple of pig saugers that are still swimming around in pool 4.
Even with a tough bite you still scratched up some nice fish Joel.
Looked like a great crew to fish with for 5 days, sure you learned a ton
Great write up Joel
Nice fish & a great report Joel
I agree we couldn’t have invited a nicer couple of guys to fish with us than Joel and Dewey. They both have great stories and skills well beyond mine. We would have caught less fish without you guys. I also have to give credit to Jon who decided to drag when the drag bite was slow. I have to highly recommend hiring Joel for an outing. He had new water patterned in no time at all. I’ve known quite a few fishing guides in my day and Joel is the real deal. Every year I come up here I learn a new pattern and a new section of river. I’ve been cleaning walleyes for 20 years and learned how to clean them better than I was while I was there. The rates at Everts are very reasonable and you should get your reservations in to enjoy great fishing on pool 4. I might be up to chase a few kitties this summer if everything works out. The catfish spots are pretty obvious up here.
It was great meeting everyone in your group Joel. A BIG THANKS to you and Dewey for letting me tag along Saturday. Next time I’ll bring my boat and you guys can hop in with me.
The fishing wasn’t lights out but it was still a great time and I look forward to getting up there again. 
Great read Joel, Those are some good looking fish you guys hooked up on. Can’t wait to get up that way myself.
You fished with a Nebraskan??
Sorry about your luck. 
Nice fish for a tough bite!!!
I take one weekend off the river to go do family stuff and everyone shows up to play
Sorry I missed all of you but I guess there is always next year. Sounds like bite wise I picked an OK weekend to miss but sometimes you learn more from the tough bites!
It was a fun 5 days that went way too fast. As with every year, I learned more things than I will ever remember. Joel and Dewey made for a great addition to the group.
I am a little dissapointed that one of Joel’s highlights wasn’t Dewey turning his polypropelene (sp?) long underwear into what looked more like black swiss cheese with a waste band than anything one could wear. That stuff has a very low melt point and WOW, does it produce smoke.
This is my favorite picture of whisker’s big eye in my livewell. And then another of us getting a girth on it. Picture credits to Ben Garver, who is pretty good with a camera.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s trip.
One of my personal highlights this trip was the realization that a big batch of home made 7-layer bars are like a baked truth serum to Dean. I finally got the real scoop on Redneckracker, and a few other secret baits.
Way cool report and fish Joel
You just gotta love them #7’s on the river right now, no matter what pool you seem to be fishing
Great report Joel.
Sounds like you guys had a blast. 
Thanks guys!
Ben – I’m looking forward to the day when we can jump in you boat. If all “Nebraskins” are like you, I’ll go fishing with them too!
As for the story about Dewey’s long underwear, I just didn’t want to throw a good boat partner under the buss. I’m sure we’ll relive that story a few times on future trips though.
As for the tough bite, its all relative. And since the bar on pool 4 is set so high, what would be considered fairly good fishing elsewhere is considered and off day here.
I don’t mind one bit though. For me, it is much more satisfying when we have to work a little bit to figure things out. That way, when you do find a pattern that works, it actually feels like you did something.
Besides, its not just how well the fish bite or how big they are that adds up to a great trip. And in my book, this was a trip that I will remember for a long time.
Dean and everyone else around Everts Resort had a lot to do with that. The atmosphere around Everts is made for fisherman and you just gotta love that.
Years ago, Door County, Wisconsin used to cater to fisherman. Now a days, with all the “Big Money” floating around up there, it sometimes feels like we’re not really welcome up there anymore.
I doubt that will ever happen here in Hager City at Everts Resort.
Joel,
Dean didn’t mention anything about Krookedcracker did he? If your bars got that much out of him then I am going to start worrying about our national security 
I’m glad you felt that feeling at Evert’s. I was just telling someone that at this time of year Evert’s is the Mecca of walleye fishing and that’s how I feel. There is just something about the whole experience that is very special
Mendotaeye, next year ask the same questions and see if you get the same answers. I’m not sure anyone remembers the real story behind Redneckcracker but I know it is a heck of a bait
I am sworn to secrecy on what Dean revealed to me.
Joel, glad to hear your group had a good trip. Good to put a face with a name and meet you on Friday night in the shop. Hope to see you guys make it around here a little more often!
Joel it was great to see you again and Ben as well. Hopefully the bite is better for you next time
You sure picked the right weather week Boog! It went seriously sour by Sunday night as did the bite…
Great report and pics…sorry we didn’t get to see you. We pulled in about noon on Sunday.