Waters up! Well… not exactly high water by Mississippi River standards, but a pretty swift jump from last weekend. Despite the jump in water levels and increased flow, water temperature has held consistent and fish continue to feed. The best (and most humbling) part of river fishing is adapting to change and staying on the bite – one day you’ve got em’ figured out and the next they’re gone. While this is frustrating at times, it keeps us on our toes and ultimately betters us as anglers.
Earlier in the week and last weekend wingdams played a big role in our fish catching success. Picking a series of dams and starting about 3 or 4 down in that series presented about the perfect flow, however with this recent rise in flow, we’re back to fishing the current breaks, side cuts, and back waters.
Baits and presentation vary each trip depending on location and flow but variety seems like the key to success. Crankbaits, hairjigs, and Draggin’ Jigs have all been putting fish it the boat. It’s amazing how you can beat a spot to death with crankbaits and your first cast with a hairjig will yield a nice fish.
Similar to my last report, Storm Smash Shads are still our top producing crankbait while trolling. We’re also seeing some good action on Rapala Jointed Shad Raps and anticipate they will get even better as temps rise. Crankin’ Raps were very hot earlier in the week and accounted for many of our big fish while casting. Inconsistent and mildly erratic retrieves have also gotten a positive response. It seems like we’ve caught more fish boat side this year than in the past and dropping the bait back from time to time helps trigger those fish while they follow and stalk the bait.
Hairjigs and Draggin’ Jigs have both been great for follow-up situations and on those high percentage spots you know hold fish that are turning their nose to a crank. Jimmy D Walleye Weenies in chartreuse have been my go-to hairjig fooling many finicky walleyes. We’ve also been using B Fish N’ Tackle Draggin’ Jig on our trolling runs – troll up with a Smash Shad, drag down with a Draggin’ Jig n’ leech.
If I’ve learned anything in the last few weeks, it’s that walleyes don’t always hang out in dead slack water and that the flow at the top of the river isn’t necessarily an accurate representation of the flow at the bottom of the river.
Good luck and be careful out there – with the higher water, some debris is still coming down. I’ve walloped underwater objects 3 times in the last couple weeks, jarring me forward in the boat (an eye opener for me). Wear that lifejacket and hook up the tether cord – We’ll see ya out there.
-Pete