With the cold temps predicted for next week I thought I would take a crack at the pool 2 walleyes that have become more readily available to an angler over the past few weeks. With the fluctuating water levels of the past 2 months, a river angler has had to resort to non-traditional sections of water for this time of year. Thankfully, things are starting to look at little more “normal” for this time of year and some very nice fish are starting to show themselves.
I’ve had the honor of sharing the boat with Ronnie Rainey the past few times out. Ronnie is a transplant from Alaska and is trying to get the hang of river fishing.
Our techniques have been primarily casting jigs with plastic and jigs with hair. Recently the plastics have really taken off so don’t leave home without a few key river colors which are, Firecracker w/ chartreuse, Purple/Chart, Oystershell and Pro Blue. With the higher flow right now and the location of fish, you are going to want heavier jigs as well. 5/16 is a minimum on the tips of almost every dam and today I broke off my only two 1/2oz jigs and was kicking myself all morning.
As for technique and specifics:
At first light, a guy can catch a flurry of activity shallow and on tops of dams. Anchor closer to shore and pitch 1/4 or 3/16 with Moxies, Ringworms, Paddletails, and Kgrubs and you’re bound to catch a few 18-22in fish. As the day grows we found fish pushing out on dams to the edges which is a bit counter intuitive with all the flow you’re finding out there. Rest assured, if you can get upstream of a dam, get a 1/2oz jig with Oystershell on and work it way down deep, you will get whacked.
I pulled up on a favorite dam to end the day and hooked fish on four consecutive casts way out on the edge of the dam as the water spun around the tip. Again this seems so counter intuitive that these fish would be out in this current but THEY ARE! Unfortunately I broke off and came unbuttoned on two fish that I’m absolutely positive would have been big fish of the day and season which breaks a guy’s heart but that’s fishing. Last pic is the big fish of the day which went 25 and unfortunately was over exposed with the self timer and flash I forgot to turn off.
Low light and night time bites should be right around the corner and rumor has it Joe’s is stocking Moxie’s tomorrow so maybe I’ll see you in the BFN aisle. Stop and say hi if I see me.
Thanks for a great report. I think I will get out to pool 2 for a few hours Friday.
Great report full of info Nice work
Nice fish Micah. Great report. Your not the only one thinking about 1/2oz jigs. 3/8ths on light plastics have a chance at getting deep on those tips right now but they are pretty much at the mercy of the current. A few hops up the face of the dam the current catches them and there are swept right over. 1/2 ounce should have a better chance of hanging out down there a little longer and be able to work the area over a little better as apposed to just being swept threw.
Great job Micah! Nice fish
Nice fish! I’m looking around the corner at next weeks temps and it looks like serious ice making weather. I would get out on the river while you can! I was planning on getting out today and called it off on account of that wind. That was probably dumb of me.