With mild temps and calm evening winds, I could not hold myself back from hitting the water on Pool 2 of the Mississippi River. The last couple weeks have shown a little slower action than in the previous weeks of wingdam fishing. But if you were persistent enough, you would be rewarded for your efforts. We last night was a night that I will truly remember for a long time. Little did I know that I was to boat my biggest Pool 2 walleye EVER!! What a great way to break in the New Year!
As the sun went down, things started to heat up on the wingdams quickly by pitching light 1/16th-1/8th oz jigs coupled with 4” Yum Rib worms and BFT’s 4” ringworms. Both produced fish consistently for me. My first spot was a high confidence wingdam of mine that has not produced all fall, but I had a hunch it was due to turn on for me. Little did I know, I should have bought a couple powerball tickets because my prediction was dead on. Numbers of 16”-20” fish made their way to the boat, until the one I have waited for all year decided to take her turn with me. I pitched my light offering up on top of the wingdam and slowly walked the jig down the front side of the wingdam and “THUNK”. This fish just hammered it. I set the hook and immediately felt a ton of weight! She came to the surface pretty quickly and my jaw dropped and I felt my breathing start to get very heavy! After a quick wrestle at the boatside with this monster walleye, I lifted her into the boat. What a pig! This fish measured 31-1/2” long and the biggest tummy that I have seen all year on a walleye. My guess was that she rain very close to the 12 pound + range. This fish shatters my personal best for a Pool 2 walleye that stood at around 11#.
After a couple of quick self photos with my timer on my digital camera, this fish was back in the water to swim another day. After the release, I sat and composed my self and thought about how nice a fish that was!! I continued to probe this particular wingdam with little success and decided to move once again. As the moon started to poke out from behind the clouds, my next spot greeted me with a fish on the very first cast. A nice flurry of 10-11 walleyes was the result of this nice start on my new spot. I was just about to leave this spot and actually started the motor up and tuck rods away for travel when sometime told me not to leave this spot yet. I shut the motor off and 4 casts later came another big “THUNK”. This fish fought harder than any big walleye I have boated all year long. After a long hard battle I once again wrestled another beast to the boat. This beautiful giant measured 29-1/2” long and I was guessing around 9-1/2# to 10#.
Needless to say I was very happy that I talked myself into sticking around for a couple more casts….where was that luck at the powerball drawing?
I ended the 4-hour evening with about 25 fish with two huge trophy caliber fish. I know I am kind of late for an end of the year report, but I guess maybe this is a good one to start out the New Year with!! My last couple of outings have produced anywhere from 6-25 fish for the evening. The bite has been somewhat hit and miss the last couple trips for wingdam fish, but when you get calm winds and mild temps things may come together for you. The vertical jig bite has improving daily throughout Pool 2. Nice walleye/sauger mix has been the norm fishing the 19’-30’ foot depths. Concentrate on the outside bends holes for starting out. Just south of the confluence area has been producing some very nice saugers as of late. Jig and plastics has been the best presentation going for better fish.
The weather will greatly dictate my outings on Pool 2 for January and February. This weekend is forecasting cold temps that may ice over the river temporarily in the middle of Pool 2. Look for the upper part of the river being the place to be to get away from the ice. Good luck to all!
Steve:
Congratulations! I’ll be out today for the day bite. I just missed getting out with you this year before the first cold snap. I will definitely book a pool 2 trip with you this November. Hopefully we can duplicate our Mille Lacs trip.
Have a good winter!
That is a PIG!!!!
Oh yeah!!!!
Gator Hunter
High Fives on you monster walleye Steve !!
I got started on your report and was glued to it word for word !!
Awsome !!
Yikes!!! Steve – you need to warn us old guys before showing pictures like that! Some of us don’t have good tickers!!!
A fish like that, are what dreams are made of! Congrats! (glad you had a camera)
You da man!!
DeeZee……… you da MAN!!!!
Moments like those are what we’re all striving for! Congrats on a spectacular start to 2004 and thanks for the inspiration it gives the rest of us!
Pool 2 anyone????
hi Steve, that’s the way to start ’04, start at the top and keep looking up. am looking forward to many reports and pictures this year. thanks for taking the time.
Jack.
Nice fatties Steve!!
Steve, awsome fish!
. Gotta love it when big gals like that come out and play 
.
That is defintely one way to start the new year
Steve, congrats on the big pig buddy! What a beautiful fish (or two)!
The only thing that comes to mind is, WOW!
If these fish are any indication of the year to come, buy those tickets now. 
WOW Nice fish!!!
Steve,great fish
.I sure do wish I could get a 10#+ eye someday.Best of luck in 04 and hope you get even bigger and better walleyes in the boat.And a big thanks for getting those fish back in the water.It would be nice to see a young kid catch one of those monsters in the future.
Ryan Hale
Thanks a ton guys! I was thrilled to death when I got first glance at her!!
I got back on the water again last night before the 20+mph winds decided to kick in and bot was the bite on once again. My brother Tony joined me last night for an evening of pitching. We boated another 25-30 fish last night from 5:30pm-8:30pm. Although most of these fish ran in the 16″-21″ range, I managed to get one more beautie before we decided to call it a night.
Take a look at this piggie!!
Holy Cow!! Your killin’ me smalls!!
YEAH…………….what he said!!!! This is no way to treat the ticker this early in the day!
Those are some unbelievable fish Steve! Way to go!
Though I never caught any that big on Pool 2, I sure miss living 5 minutes away from the 494 launch.
Crossineyes,
I cannot imagine living 5 minutes from the ramp. I think my wife would kill me!
This past fall was a great fall for walleyes. I do not think we had the numbers like we did last year, but better quality fish for sure! I have seen this fishery get better and better every year. March is right around the corner to start up all over once again… and I cannot wait.
Believe me when I say my wife was not as happy to live that close as I was!
Holy Hannah!!!! Deezee, Hafta clean your shorts after that one????”After a couple of quick self photos with my timer on my digital camera” I’m pretty good at snapping those pic’s,Take me next time!!!!!!Anytime!!!!
even a chance at hooking such a nice Walleye seems beyond comprehension for most of us, esp me. You (Steve) are getting me thinking that I MAY HAVE to spend some time on 2 this year, and not go to 4 as much. WOW, AWESOME. Jack..
Steve, wondering if you found the moon phase to be a factor in getting big fish? I know you shouldn’t just fish when the moon is full or new but do you think it increases your chances at big mama?
Jack,
Pool 2 is all catch and release which most of us all know and therefore recieves much less fishing pressure from what I have seen from other river pools. FOr an angler looking to tip the odds in his/her favor for that true trophy is becoming more and more probable here on Pool 2. Since the experimental catch and release restriction was put in place back in 1994, the fishing has gradually gotten better and better for most all species. Water quality has gotten better and therefore forage has booomed to new levels. All of these factors help contribute to producing a fishery that can not only substaine itself, but nurture the right environment needed to produce a high octane reproduction system.
From some of my phone conversations from this spring with the DNR about the catch and release restriction…They have no plans to lift this restriction any time soon. They are very happy with the results they have been seeing over the years.
As for the full moon periods of seeking a true trophy….Absolutely! Putting the odds in your favor is whats its all about and its been proven statistically over the many years that more trophy fish are caught around these periods. Spring and fall full moon periods are perfect time periods for seeking those big fish and especially at night. Go shallow and go light and slow. Whether it be trolling crankbaits or pitching plastics for walleyes in these cold water times, go slow!
Just to piggy back a bit on what DeeZee said, Pool 2 is getting better and better. My numbers were down a bit-a lot due to the lack of flow in my typical spots, but the size was up 3-4″ on the bigger fish. 2002 the bigger range per trip was usually 21″, this year it was 24-25″. I cant wait for next year!
Also-something that Jon J pointed out about the Pool 2 fish a couple of years ago, take a look again at that pig that DeeZee caught. Look at how small its head is. The growth rate on these fish is so fast that the bodies are growing faster than the heads! Compare Pool 2 fish to Mille Lacs or even Pool 4 and you can see how fast these fish are reaching trophy size.
I hope the DNR doesnt change a thing. I think that enough eyes are likely being harvested (poached) already.
Yup…. Pool 2 is my favorite!
Steve-
I’m pretty amazed that the pigs are still on the bite! Last year when we started fishing, it seemed that the big girls were pretty much done around mid-December. Here it is January, and you’re gotten your personal best (congrats, BTW).
What changes, in your opinion, have made a difference from the ’03 bite versus ’02? I’m asking from the environmental perspective (low water, over-abundance of shad early in fall, etc.)
Travis,
Yeah, Pool 2 is tough to beat in my book..but then again I am a little biased.
Your guess is as good as mine for why the piggies are still on the chew. I have shifted locations a bit over the past several trips due to the lack of satisfied results that I was having. These shifts included fishing some silted in wingdams, versus the shallower rock wingdams that I was fishing in the end of Nov and through the early part of Dec. Why the fish have shown preference here is beyond me. Low flows are sure to be some contributing factors. I think the fish have obviously been there all along, just connecting with them consistantly in the past has been a slight mystery after mid-Dec for me on this pool. As this river always teaches me new things year in and year out. Just when you think you have something under lock and key…you are greatly proven wrong.
As you mentioned, the shad population was huge this year. Although not as heavy as Pool 4 seemed to have but still more than I have seen on Pool 2. I am sure that is partly due to our slow start this past fall (more competition). Once the water temps dropped into the low 40’s, the bite started to take shape quickly.
WOW!
My best eye out of the LBDN was 32 1/4 Steve, but not with a girth like that Piggie! Now I KNOW I will do some exploring on Pool #2 this year.
Would you know a good guide?
Steve, those are some really nice fish.
And why not? “but it smells down there”. I have fished pool 2 for 18 yrs and caught many nice fish in that time. I know there are alot more. “See guys this is fishing pool 2, quit fishing in the waste water.” Good going!
That be a lesson to all those that don’t fish pool 2.
Jim,
Thank you and I could not agree more with you! In prime time this fall, I was lucky to see 3-5 vehicles at the 494 ramp (and they were mostly gone before sundown) and I thought to myself….”Those other anglers have no idea what there missing?” Well, that thought lasted about a micro-second in my head as I parked my vehicle/trailer like a madman!
March and April are right around the corner for another BIG fish time period on Pool 2. Plenty of fish to be caught right now, but you will definately put the odds in your favor come pre-spawn periods in mid-march-early April!
Not sure if I would have the courage to eat a fish out of pool 2 on the sippi. What restrictions are in place on pool 2. If I recall in 1998 you couldn’t keep a single walleye. Is that true?
-Mike
Walleye, sauger, largemouth and smallmouth bass are catch and release only all year round.
Mike T.
Mike,
Yes, you are correct. Pool 2 is a 100% catch and release fishery for walleye/sauger and LM/SM Bass year round. This regulation was put in place back in 1994 by the DNR. It started out as a experimental regulation that has shown itself that it is growing to become quite a fishery for all species. The DNR have no plans to change this regulation in the near future upon our recent conversations. Having the ability to fish year round and so close to the cities creates a perfect back yard breeding ground for trophy waleyes!
Yes, this is catch and release for walleye and bass.
But you can sharpen your skills to catch these river fish.
Also you can keep a few crappies to eat and trophy crappies
swim here having caught several 2 plus pounds with the biggest weighting 3lbs 5oz.
See state health dept. before eating fish from rivers or lakes. good luck