Pool 4 Everts Mississippi River

Friday was the special kind of day on the water that sticks in a fisherman’s mind and draws them back with hopes of being able to replicate the experience in the slightest way. It wasn’t because the fishing was phenomenal, although it was quite good, or because we were netting monster fish that made the day so enjoyable. It was because with so many positive elements combined it would be near impossible to put a negative spin on the day.

Brad, Chris and I arrived at Everts Resort at about a quarter to six. The resort was in much better shape than from our trip two weeks ago. Using a favorite ramp next to the fish cleaning shack was not a problem and there was plenty of parking available – including the back forty. After a less productive trip to pool 4 the time before, we walked through the bait shop door with cookies in hand hoping that our offering would allow us just a little bit better luck… I think it worked! Once we stocked up on our favorite fish catching tackle and had a quick chat with Dean we were off.

There were already a good number of boats on the water by the time we were under way but luckily we were able to fish the pitching grounds we had hoped for. Three casts into the day the paddle tail I was using turned into breakfast for a nice 20” female sauger plump full of spawn. In the four hours following our first casts the fishing was good with many sauger and a few walleye making it to the boat. The fishing slowed down around mid day, so time was taken for lunch and enjoying Mother Nature. The sights and sounds of the bald eagle never get old.

During the catching lull the mighty Miss kept things interesting with turtles, a tail-hooked carp, and a fight with a fish so big that I couldn’t get it to the top to see what it was before she got off. All of this while large tree trunks and small islands of debris swept downstream. When the fish seemed to get their appetites back at around 2:00, the fishing was much like it was in the morning – a lot of milky males and spawn-filled females that included a PB sauger for Brad. Even though we were pitching shallow water, 99 percent of our fish were sauger and we did not catch a single female eye as far as we could tell. Only plastic was used in our boat with paddletails being the most productive. The bait of the day was a 3/16 voodoo colored jig from Dean’s Tackle Box coupled with a purple/chartreuse tail BFT paddletail.With great company, great fishing and great weather the day couldn’t have been much better although we’ll never know if home baked (instead of store bought) cookies would have made a difference… Remember to respect the river especially with the higher water. There is still a lot of debris floating downstream, and with the higher flow and swift current, boat control is different right now so stay aware of your surroundings. You never know when someone or something might bump into you!