Mississippi River Walleye Fishing Report 10-07-10

The Mississippi river in the Red Wing area crested two days. Right now the water is starting to recede quickly. Even with the EXTREMELY high water we have been faced with for this time of year, the walleyes have been cooperating. I have not seen 20 fish days but 9-14 fish has been the norm on the last two trips with some real dandy walleye making it to the net.

When the first big push of muddy water came thru last week, myself, and guest for the day, really struggled to get bit with only one walleye making it to the boat on a full day trip. The water is still dirty but the fish have had time to adjust, the muddy water has been their normal enviorment since last week.

The plastics bite has been very fickle for me the last couple of trips . Some fish have been caught on ringworms and paddle tails but the hair jigs have been better for me as of late. I am not tipping them with minnows or crawlers, just a plain hair jig and a good quick snap up off the bottom has enticed fish nicely for my boat. Casting and vertical jigging have both put fish in the boat. Best hair jig colors for me have been Kelly green, and patriot.

Crank baits showed signs of life for me the last trip out. Crank baits are a great bait to catch big walleye this time of year, but right now the key to getting bit on crank baits is finding an area where you can get it to the bottom of the river with mild current flowing thru it and not getting caught in the trees. This will become much easier in the next couple of weeks with the water levels falling back in to the the rivers bank.

With the water levels receding, debris in the river is minimal compared to what we were encountering last week. I would still recommend boating with extreme caution. Keep a close eye on the water in front of you for floating dead heads right below the surface.

High water walleyes can be a blast! Don’t let the high water deter you from taking an opportunity to better yourself at targeting river walleyes in what is considered "unfavorable conditions" for most walleye anglers! Many of my better days walleye fishing on the mighty river have occurred in high water