5-26-2012 Sat
4:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
W 10, rain, 68˚
Water:
36.33’ rising, .68 kcfs, 68 ˚, clear
Location:
Black River below Black River Falls Dam
Caught:
Myself 1 – 20” pike, Scott 1 – 25” pike
Partners:
myself and Scott
Comments:
Today was my first and I think my last trip fishing the Black River for muskies. I just have never been very impressed with this body of water for muskies. I do know they do catch some out of here and supposedly some nice ones, but I have never had much luck. Tonight was no different.
The water level was fairly low, but not so low that it made navigation difficult. We fished from the landing up to about the first set of rapids towards the dam and we fished below the boat landing to the first set of rapids. We each caught a pike just above the spot where they had done all the rip rap work along the bank. Scott also had a follow by a low to mid thirty inch fish in this location.
Observations:
The weather again was not our friend. We got rained on for most of the trip and we did have to take shelter next to shore when our existence was threatened by some rather intense lightning. The mosquitoes were just horrible around the boat landing, but once we were on the water they did subside slightly. There was basically no fish action tonight, I did not see anything chasing bait fish nor did I see anything feeding on insects.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
5-25-12 Fri
5-25-2012 Fri
6:30 PM – 2:00 AM
Weather:
(2053) SE 7, rain, 62˚, 30.09 rising
Water:
5.82’ falling, 35.5 kcfs, 62 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
Lots of bluegills from 7–8 1/2”, flat head 25lb (Scott)
Partners:
myself, Scott and Ryan
Comments:
Scott was the top dog, or should I say top Cat man tonight. The big fish of the night weighed in at 25 lbs. It was not what I would call a pleasant night of fishing. The rain was relentless and penetrating. We had a few very brief moments without rain, but they were few and far between. I was very surprised by the lack of a good bite tonight. Usually the rain turns the flat heads on, but not tonight. And, I was very surprised by the lack of channel cats; I do believe they have moved into the shallows to spawn. However, the bluegills were on a hot bite. We once again caught lots of them, but the smaller size ones were rare; I prefer them around 6 to 7 inches for flathead bait... Most all the bluegills were between that 7 ½ to 8 ½ inch size.
The rain gear really got a test and I came to a few conclusions on the types to get and not to get. Ryan had a set of Dri – Plus pants and I would suggest not wasting your money on this inferior product. Scott wore Cabelas top of the line Gore Tex rain wear and had no issues what so ever with getting wet. I wore the more traditional rubber type rain coat, which for the price was fairly good, but I had some cheaper almost nylon rubberized pants and after an hour in the rain I was very wet from the waist down.
Observations:
The water has been quite dirty from all the rain we have been having, and now with all the rain that the cities has been receiving the level is going to be heading upwards.
6:30 PM – 2:00 AM
Weather:
(2053) SE 7, rain, 62˚, 30.09 rising
Water:
5.82’ falling, 35.5 kcfs, 62 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
Lots of bluegills from 7–8 1/2”, flat head 25lb (Scott)
Partners:
myself, Scott and Ryan
Comments:
Scott was the top dog, or should I say top Cat man tonight. The big fish of the night weighed in at 25 lbs. It was not what I would call a pleasant night of fishing. The rain was relentless and penetrating. We had a few very brief moments without rain, but they were few and far between. I was very surprised by the lack of a good bite tonight. Usually the rain turns the flat heads on, but not tonight. And, I was very surprised by the lack of channel cats; I do believe they have moved into the shallows to spawn. However, the bluegills were on a hot bite. We once again caught lots of them, but the smaller size ones were rare; I prefer them around 6 to 7 inches for flathead bait... Most all the bluegills were between that 7 ½ to 8 ½ inch size.
The rain gear really got a test and I came to a few conclusions on the types to get and not to get. Ryan had a set of Dri – Plus pants and I would suggest not wasting your money on this inferior product. Scott wore Cabelas top of the line Gore Tex rain wear and had no issues what so ever with getting wet. I wore the more traditional rubber type rain coat, which for the price was fairly good, but I had some cheaper almost nylon rubberized pants and after an hour in the rain I was very wet from the waist down.
Observations:
The water has been quite dirty from all the rain we have been having, and now with all the rain that the cities has been receiving the level is going to be heading upwards.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
5-22-2012 Tue
5-22-2012 Tue
5:00 PM – 11:15 PM
Weather:
(1053) SE 10, clear, 71˚, 29.82 falling
Water:
5.8’ falling, 35.3 kcfs, 72 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
Lots of bluegills from 4–7”. 6 perch 4-”, LMB 16”, flat head 5lb, channel cat 10 lb. (all fish released)
Partners:
myself
Comments:
Last night was an unusual night for flat head fishing. We caught two flat heads and one channel cat. The unusual part was the channel cat outweighed the two flat heads and the second unusual part was that all fish were caught on cut bait. From the looks of the coloration on the channel cat the spawn cannot be too far off; it definitely had its dark gray spawning coloration. The flat heads were around five pounds each. They were just that perfect eating size and the channel cat pulled the scale to the ten pound mark.
Tonight I was basically fishing right in the city of La Crosse, and that was an experience in itself. I could not believe all the city noise, from the: squealing of tires to the wail of the sirens and dare I forget the annoying rattle of the Harley’s. Oh, and I was hungry and to make matters worse I could smell all the fast food greasy burger shops.
Observations:
The Black River on the north side of La Crosse has plenty of boat traffic on a nice warm late spring evening.
5:00 PM – 11:15 PM
Weather:
(1053) SE 10, clear, 71˚, 29.82 falling
Water:
5.8’ falling, 35.3 kcfs, 72 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
Lots of bluegills from 4–7”. 6 perch 4-”, LMB 16”, flat head 5lb, channel cat 10 lb. (all fish released)
Partners:
myself
Comments:
Last night was an unusual night for flat head fishing. We caught two flat heads and one channel cat. The unusual part was the channel cat outweighed the two flat heads and the second unusual part was that all fish were caught on cut bait. From the looks of the coloration on the channel cat the spawn cannot be too far off; it definitely had its dark gray spawning coloration. The flat heads were around five pounds each. They were just that perfect eating size and the channel cat pulled the scale to the ten pound mark.
Tonight I was basically fishing right in the city of La Crosse, and that was an experience in itself. I could not believe all the city noise, from the: squealing of tires to the wail of the sirens and dare I forget the annoying rattle of the Harley’s. Oh, and I was hungry and to make matters worse I could smell all the fast food greasy burger shops.
Observations:
The Black River on the north side of La Crosse has plenty of boat traffic on a nice warm late spring evening.
5-21-2012 Mon
5-21-2012 Mon
7:00 PM – 9:45 PM
Weather:Water: 6.39’ falling, 46.3 kcfs, 69 ˚, clear
Location: Mississippi River pool 7
Caught: Lots of bluegills, kept 15 between 7 ½ and 8”, no flat heads.
Partners: myself
Comments:
What a perfect night to be on the water, sure beat the heck out of battling the wind! If you want to get your kids interested in fishing now is the time to have them catch some bluegills. Heck, take the wife along to. I caught some very nice ones tonight with very little effort. The setup is very simple: light pole, light line, small bobber and a piece of crawler. Look for the round saucer beds in less than two feet of water and you will be in business. Oh, and don't wait too long for a bite. If you are not getting bit, you are not where the fish are! I kept a dozen nice fish between 7 1/2 and 8 inches and anything over eight inches was released.
Observations:
The bluegills are definitely on the spawn!
7:00 PM – 9:45 PM
Weather:Water: 6.39’ falling, 46.3 kcfs, 69 ˚, clear
Location: Mississippi River pool 7
Caught: Lots of bluegills, kept 15 between 7 ½ and 8”, no flat heads.
Partners: myself
Comments:
What a perfect night to be on the water, sure beat the heck out of battling the wind! If you want to get your kids interested in fishing now is the time to have them catch some bluegills. Heck, take the wife along to. I caught some very nice ones tonight with very little effort. The setup is very simple: light pole, light line, small bobber and a piece of crawler. Look for the round saucer beds in less than two feet of water and you will be in business. Oh, and don't wait too long for a bite. If you are not getting bit, you are not where the fish are! I kept a dozen nice fish between 7 1/2 and 8 inches and anything over eight inches was released.
Observations:
The bluegills are definitely on the spawn!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
5-20-12 Sun
5-20-2012 Sun
7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Weather: (1053) S 20, partly cloudy, 82˚, 29.85 rising
Water: (Mississippi) 7.05’ falling, 56.7 kcfs, 71 ˚, dirty
Location: Mississippi River pool 7
Caught: (approximate #’s) LMB (14) 10 – 18”, Pike (6) 18 – 20”, Crappie 6”
Partners: myself and Scott
Comments:
A friend and I started our half day of fishing out on the big waters of Lake Onalaska. I have wanted to get out there the last couple of weeks and see if I could put a few walleyes into the boat at a few of my regular spots. We started out early in hopes of getting out there when the winds would not be too unbearable. We caught one small pike on the lake in the little time we had before the winds blew in and made the boat control miserable. The water on the lake was terribly dirty on account of all the wind we have had the last couple of days.
We tried a few of my other walleye spots with only a couple of nice large mouths to show for our efforts. I know the timing for the walleyes in the back waters is right, but I have to believe the dirtiness of the water stopped our success. One thing I know about the Mississippi, if you cannot find active fish, move or fish for another species, and we did both.
We started looking for backwater areas with better visibility using spinner baits to search out largemouth bass and pike. We had success with both with a good number of fish coming to the boat. The pike were definitely on the small size, but we did have some pretty respectable large mouths. My friend also had the unusual catch of the day with a pretty respectable crappie succumbing to a spinner bait. It looks as if the winds are going to subside for the next couple of days, so hopefully the water clarity will vastly improve which will improve the fishing.
Observations:
The peonies in the back yard look as if they are ready to bloom.
7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Weather: (1053) S 20, partly cloudy, 82˚, 29.85 rising
Water: (Mississippi) 7.05’ falling, 56.7 kcfs, 71 ˚, dirty
Location: Mississippi River pool 7
Caught: (approximate #’s) LMB (14) 10 – 18”, Pike (6) 18 – 20”, Crappie 6”
Partners: myself and Scott
Comments:
A friend and I started our half day of fishing out on the big waters of Lake Onalaska. I have wanted to get out there the last couple of weeks and see if I could put a few walleyes into the boat at a few of my regular spots. We started out early in hopes of getting out there when the winds would not be too unbearable. We caught one small pike on the lake in the little time we had before the winds blew in and made the boat control miserable. The water on the lake was terribly dirty on account of all the wind we have had the last couple of days.
We tried a few of my other walleye spots with only a couple of nice large mouths to show for our efforts. I know the timing for the walleyes in the back waters is right, but I have to believe the dirtiness of the water stopped our success. One thing I know about the Mississippi, if you cannot find active fish, move or fish for another species, and we did both.
We started looking for backwater areas with better visibility using spinner baits to search out largemouth bass and pike. We had success with both with a good number of fish coming to the boat. The pike were definitely on the small size, but we did have some pretty respectable large mouths. My friend also had the unusual catch of the day with a pretty respectable crappie succumbing to a spinner bait. It looks as if the winds are going to subside for the next couple of days, so hopefully the water clarity will vastly improve which will improve the fishing.
Observations:
The peonies in the back yard look as if they are ready to bloom.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
5-18-2012
5-18-2012 Fri
7:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Weather: (2053) SE 8, clear, 75˚, 29.85 rising
Water: (Mississippi) 7.43’ falling, 66.2 kcfs, 66 ˚, fairly dirty
(Black) 3.72 falling, 1.41 kcfs, clear – too low for big boat!
Location: Mississippi River pool 7 and Black River
Caught: Channel Cats (3.5) 4 -12 lbs., 6lb sheep head
Partners: myself, Jason and Wade
Comments:
Last night was a flat head fishing trip with Jason and Wade. I decided to fish a tributary of the Mississippi before the water got to low and made the area inaccessible. Actually it was already too low, but we did manage to get to the spots I wanted to fish. Fishing the tributaries is a lot like trout fishing, fish the holes for a half hour to an hour and move on. The flat heads were not in a feeding mood tonight. We did have channel cat action with some nice cats coming boat side with the biggest being the twelve pounder that Wade caught. I said we had 3.5 because I failed to net a nice one that Jason had boat side and it got off.
We had quite a few bites, but the fish were pretty inactive and we had lots of dropped baits. I did have a report from a friend of mine who was out and he claimed Ryan caught a fifty pounder.
On the way back in we came across a raccoon swimming across the main channel. At first when I saw the reflections from it eyes in the spotlight I thought it was a boat anchored out in the channel, but upon closer inspection we found out it was a raccoon out for a mid-night swim!
Observations:
Once the Black River is less than four feet it is too low for the big boat.
7:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Weather: (2053) SE 8, clear, 75˚, 29.85 rising
Water: (Mississippi) 7.43’ falling, 66.2 kcfs, 66 ˚, fairly dirty
(Black) 3.72 falling, 1.41 kcfs, clear – too low for big boat!
Location: Mississippi River pool 7 and Black River
Caught: Channel Cats (3.5) 4 -12 lbs., 6lb sheep head
Partners: myself, Jason and Wade
Comments:
Last night was a flat head fishing trip with Jason and Wade. I decided to fish a tributary of the Mississippi before the water got to low and made the area inaccessible. Actually it was already too low, but we did manage to get to the spots I wanted to fish. Fishing the tributaries is a lot like trout fishing, fish the holes for a half hour to an hour and move on. The flat heads were not in a feeding mood tonight. We did have channel cat action with some nice cats coming boat side with the biggest being the twelve pounder that Wade caught. I said we had 3.5 because I failed to net a nice one that Jason had boat side and it got off.
We had quite a few bites, but the fish were pretty inactive and we had lots of dropped baits. I did have a report from a friend of mine who was out and he claimed Ryan caught a fifty pounder.
On the way back in we came across a raccoon swimming across the main channel. At first when I saw the reflections from it eyes in the spotlight I thought it was a boat anchored out in the channel, but upon closer inspection we found out it was a raccoon out for a mid-night swim!
Observations:
Once the Black River is less than four feet it is too low for the big boat.
5-17-2012 Thr
5-17-2012 Thr
2:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather: S 23 G 31, clear, 76˚, 29.94 falling
Water: 7.84’ falling, 70.3 kcfs, 65 ˚, dirty from all the wind
Location: Mississippi River pool 7
Caught: Bluegills (12-15) 5 – 8”, walleye 10”, perch 10’, crappies 11”
Partners: myself
Comments:
It was my day off and I was looking forward to some time on the water both fishing and exploring. Unfortunately the conditions were horrific with all the wind. I was able to test the big boat out on some pretty mean water and it handled it with no problems. I don’t think I will ever encounter any conditions on the Mississippi with the wind that will threaten my safety.
The fishing was tough. The water was very muddy and dirty from the wind stirring everything up. The number one worst condition for me personally to fish are muddy waters. I was not able to catch many fish on the Mississippi, where just the other day I caught all the bluegills I wanted. The majority of the fish I did catch were caught off Lytle’s Landing on the Prairie.
Observations:
The water is dropping, but it is very dirty from all the wind.
2:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather: S 23 G 31, clear, 76˚, 29.94 falling
Water: 7.84’ falling, 70.3 kcfs, 65 ˚, dirty from all the wind
Location: Mississippi River pool 7
Caught: Bluegills (12-15) 5 – 8”, walleye 10”, perch 10’, crappies 11”
Partners: myself
Comments:
It was my day off and I was looking forward to some time on the water both fishing and exploring. Unfortunately the conditions were horrific with all the wind. I was able to test the big boat out on some pretty mean water and it handled it with no problems. I don’t think I will ever encounter any conditions on the Mississippi with the wind that will threaten my safety.
The fishing was tough. The water was very muddy and dirty from the wind stirring everything up. The number one worst condition for me personally to fish are muddy waters. I was not able to catch many fish on the Mississippi, where just the other day I caught all the bluegills I wanted. The majority of the fish I did catch were caught off Lytle’s Landing on the Prairie.
Observations:
The water is dropping, but it is very dirty from all the wind.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
5-15-12 Tue
5-15-2012 Tue
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Weather:
N 7, clear, 63˚, 29.93 rising
Water:
8.15’ falling, 73.6 kcfs, 65 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River below Dresbach Dam
Caught:
Bluegills (15-20) 5 – 8”, Channel Cats (4) 5 -12 lbs.
Partners:
myself
Comments:
Tonight I was doing some exploring on the waters between the Dresbach Dam and La Crosse. I had to catch bait to begin with and the first spot I only caught one bluegill and that made me nervous. Then, I went into the West bay and caught all I wanted. The size of the bluegills was not huge, but they were perfect bait size.
Before setting up to fish I did some pre-scouting in the daylight. I was pretty excited about the spots I found; I definitely thought they had potential. The first spot was next to two little islands just off a main channel. I basically had three different current seems at my fingertips, and I was certain it would be a good spot. It did end up being good, but for channel cats only. The next spot had the classic cover you look for in early summer; there was a very nice log jam that was holding lots of debris. I only gave this spot about fifteen minutes and pulled one medium channel cat off of it.
Observations:
The iris plants in the back yard are blooming.
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Weather:
N 7, clear, 63˚, 29.93 rising
Water:
8.15’ falling, 73.6 kcfs, 65 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River below Dresbach Dam
Caught:
Bluegills (15-20) 5 – 8”, Channel Cats (4) 5 -12 lbs.
Partners:
myself
Comments:
Tonight I was doing some exploring on the waters between the Dresbach Dam and La Crosse. I had to catch bait to begin with and the first spot I only caught one bluegill and that made me nervous. Then, I went into the West bay and caught all I wanted. The size of the bluegills was not huge, but they were perfect bait size.
Before setting up to fish I did some pre-scouting in the daylight. I was pretty excited about the spots I found; I definitely thought they had potential. The first spot was next to two little islands just off a main channel. I basically had three different current seems at my fingertips, and I was certain it would be a good spot. It did end up being good, but for channel cats only. The next spot had the classic cover you look for in early summer; there was a very nice log jam that was holding lots of debris. I only gave this spot about fifteen minutes and pulled one medium channel cat off of it.
Observations:
The iris plants in the back yard are blooming.
5-14-2012 Mon
5-14-2012 Mon
6:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Weather:
S 8, clear, 72˚, 29.90 falling
Water:
4.94’ falling, 2.6 kcfs, 63 ˚, clear
Location:
Lower Black River
Caught:
Bluegills (approx... 12) 7 – 8.5”, Channel Cats (4) 5, 6, 7 & 9 lbs. Flat Head 36 lbs.
Partners:
myself
Comments:
The water temperatures are on the way up and along with the temperatures going up the aggressiveness of the flat heads and channel cats are increasing. Last night was a very successful night fishing for flat heads and channel cats. The evening started out with catching bait for the night, and I had a problem with catching too big of bluegills. The area I was catching the bluegills in had a water temperature of 71˚ and they were in the spawn mode. Early in the flat head fishing season I like bluegills around the five to seven inch range, but tonight they were all between seven and one half to eight and one half inches.
I fished for the flat heads for a couple of hours and caught four channel cats between five and nine pounds and one very healthy thirty six pound flat head. The big fish hit an eight inch bluegill with gusto and there was no doubt from the hit, to bringing it boat side that it was a nice sized fish!
Observations:
The water is starting to drop and it is now very clear, but fast.
6:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Weather:
S 8, clear, 72˚, 29.90 falling
Water:
4.94’ falling, 2.6 kcfs, 63 ˚, clear
Location:
Lower Black River
Caught:
Bluegills (approx... 12) 7 – 8.5”, Channel Cats (4) 5, 6, 7 & 9 lbs. Flat Head 36 lbs.
Partners:
myself
Comments:
The water temperatures are on the way up and along with the temperatures going up the aggressiveness of the flat heads and channel cats are increasing. Last night was a very successful night fishing for flat heads and channel cats. The evening started out with catching bait for the night, and I had a problem with catching too big of bluegills. The area I was catching the bluegills in had a water temperature of 71˚ and they were in the spawn mode. Early in the flat head fishing season I like bluegills around the five to seven inch range, but tonight they were all between seven and one half to eight and one half inches.
I fished for the flat heads for a couple of hours and caught four channel cats between five and nine pounds and one very healthy thirty six pound flat head. The big fish hit an eight inch bluegill with gusto and there was no doubt from the hit, to bringing it boat side that it was a nice sized fish!
Observations:
The water is starting to drop and it is now very clear, but fast.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
5-13-2012 Sun
5-13-2012 Sun
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
SW 7, clear, 72˚, 30.11 falling
Water:
8.48’ falling, 76.1 kcfs, 65 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
LMB 10, 13 & 17”
Partners:
myself
Comments:
It was Sunday evening, I had no plans and I had not been fishing yet today. That was about to change. My plan was to fish the last couple of hours of daylight in search of walleyes. I fished a couple of my old reliable spots that I know I can catch a walleye or two when the fish are in the back sloughs and are active. That idea lasted about one hour and with no fish yet in the boat it was time for plan number two.
Then next half hour I did some exploring up the Black River looking for some future flat head waters. I did end up finding some promising looking future spots.
Since I had not yet caught a fish, the last half hour was dedicated to bass and pike. Fortunately I caught enough fish to calm my bruised ego.
Observations:
The water is starting to drop and it is now very clear, but fast.
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
SW 7, clear, 72˚, 30.11 falling
Water:
8.48’ falling, 76.1 kcfs, 65 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
LMB 10, 13 & 17”
Partners:
myself
Comments:
It was Sunday evening, I had no plans and I had not been fishing yet today. That was about to change. My plan was to fish the last couple of hours of daylight in search of walleyes. I fished a couple of my old reliable spots that I know I can catch a walleye or two when the fish are in the back sloughs and are active. That idea lasted about one hour and with no fish yet in the boat it was time for plan number two.
Then next half hour I did some exploring up the Black River looking for some future flat head waters. I did end up finding some promising looking future spots.
Since I had not yet caught a fish, the last half hour was dedicated to bass and pike. Fortunately I caught enough fish to calm my bruised ego.
Observations:
The water is starting to drop and it is now very clear, but fast.
5-12-2012 Sat
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM / 7:00 PM – 12:15 AM
Weather:
(2053) calm, clear, 58˚, 30.25 rising
Water:
Mississippi – 8.61 falling, 76.3 kcfs, 63 ˚, clear
Black – 6.16’ falling, 4.05 kcfs
Location:
Black R. (Sandman’s) and lower Black R. and West of Floyd’s
Caught:
Pike (4) 20”, crappie 10”, Channel cats (3) 6 – 9 lbs. flat head 12 lbs.
Partners:
myself
Comments:
Finally the weather has stabilized and the rains have stopped and the water is clearing. I started out the day fishing one of my favorite inland lakes up the Black River. Fishing this spot is definitely a timing issue. It is in inland waters and only can be fished when the inland season is open and it is also quite inaccessible. The Black river needs to be between about 4.5 feet and 6.5 feet in order to access it. The fish were either not here today or pretty much inactive. I think it was the first. We have not had any high water on the Black until just a few days ago, and I think the pike never came into this lake.
Last night was my second flat head fishing trip of the year, and it was a successful outing. While gathering the necessary bait for my outing I also tangled with a decent number of nice perch and crappies. The flat heads are in their transition stage; not hanging out in traditional spawning habitat yet and not really settled in to any particular areas. The first spot I set up at was really ripping with current, so I set up on a nice point that had a distinct current break on it. I had action right away, with the only problem being I could not hook the biters. I had a suspicion the culprits were channel cats. After every missed bite I would reel in my bait and the bluegill would be smashed and quite dead. After about four episodes of this I changed tactics and went to using just a bluegill head for bait and set my reels to free spool with the clicker engaged. The results were immediate, with multiple nice channel cats coming to the boat and one small flat head.
It is nice to be back into the flat head fishing season. I really enjoy the peace and solitude of the night time fishing. It is quite amazing listening to the day sounds transition to the evening sounds. The territorial calls of the birds are slowly replaced by calls of the frogs, owls, and other marsh critters. Then there are the mesmerizing sounds of the insects along with the water rushing over the top of a tree that has lost its grip with the earth and has fallen over into the river and is being slowly engulfed by the powers of the current never to be seen again. Once in a while the tranquility will be shattered by a family of raccoons squabbling over a frog, fish or some other morsel, or perhaps it is a whitetail alerting others to the presence of an intruding fisherman. Then there is the tail slapping of the angry beaver that wants you to vanish from it sanctuary.
Observations:
The purple flowers are blooming in the back yard and the walnut and sumac trees are leafing out. Reports from Genoa say the sand sturgeons are on a rip!
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM / 7:00 PM – 12:15 AM
Weather:
(2053) calm, clear, 58˚, 30.25 rising
Water:
Mississippi – 8.61 falling, 76.3 kcfs, 63 ˚, clear
Black – 6.16’ falling, 4.05 kcfs
Location:
Black R. (Sandman’s) and lower Black R. and West of Floyd’s
Caught:
Pike (4) 20”, crappie 10”, Channel cats (3) 6 – 9 lbs. flat head 12 lbs.
Partners:
myself
Comments:
Finally the weather has stabilized and the rains have stopped and the water is clearing. I started out the day fishing one of my favorite inland lakes up the Black River. Fishing this spot is definitely a timing issue. It is in inland waters and only can be fished when the inland season is open and it is also quite inaccessible. The Black river needs to be between about 4.5 feet and 6.5 feet in order to access it. The fish were either not here today or pretty much inactive. I think it was the first. We have not had any high water on the Black until just a few days ago, and I think the pike never came into this lake.
Last night was my second flat head fishing trip of the year, and it was a successful outing. While gathering the necessary bait for my outing I also tangled with a decent number of nice perch and crappies. The flat heads are in their transition stage; not hanging out in traditional spawning habitat yet and not really settled in to any particular areas. The first spot I set up at was really ripping with current, so I set up on a nice point that had a distinct current break on it. I had action right away, with the only problem being I could not hook the biters. I had a suspicion the culprits were channel cats. After every missed bite I would reel in my bait and the bluegill would be smashed and quite dead. After about four episodes of this I changed tactics and went to using just a bluegill head for bait and set my reels to free spool with the clicker engaged. The results were immediate, with multiple nice channel cats coming to the boat and one small flat head.
It is nice to be back into the flat head fishing season. I really enjoy the peace and solitude of the night time fishing. It is quite amazing listening to the day sounds transition to the evening sounds. The territorial calls of the birds are slowly replaced by calls of the frogs, owls, and other marsh critters. Then there are the mesmerizing sounds of the insects along with the water rushing over the top of a tree that has lost its grip with the earth and has fallen over into the river and is being slowly engulfed by the powers of the current never to be seen again. Once in a while the tranquility will be shattered by a family of raccoons squabbling over a frog, fish or some other morsel, or perhaps it is a whitetail alerting others to the presence of an intruding fisherman. Then there is the tail slapping of the angry beaver that wants you to vanish from it sanctuary.
Observations:
The purple flowers are blooming in the back yard and the walnut and sumac trees are leafing out. Reports from Genoa say the sand sturgeons are on a rip!
5-10-12 Thr
5-10-2012 Thr
3:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
S 12, clear, 70 ˚, 29.91 falling
Water:
8.37 rising, 74.5 kcfs, 64 ˚, muddy
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 8 upper
Caught:
2 largemouth bass 4 & 10’, pike – approx. 34”
Partners:
myself and Ben
Comments:
It was another weekly fishing outing with Ben and myself. I was not very enthusiastic on account of the rising water levels and the muddiness of the river. My hunch proved to be right, the fishing was horrible. A few fish were boated and seen, but it was very, very slow. The key to getting anything into the boat was clear water, which was not readily available.
Observations:
The river is still going up, but it should level off and start to drop within the next couple of days
3:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
S 12, clear, 70 ˚, 29.91 falling
Water:
8.37 rising, 74.5 kcfs, 64 ˚, muddy
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 8 upper
Caught:
2 largemouth bass 4 & 10’, pike – approx. 34”
Partners:
myself and Ben
Comments:
It was another weekly fishing outing with Ben and myself. I was not very enthusiastic on account of the rising water levels and the muddiness of the river. My hunch proved to be right, the fishing was horrible. A few fish were boated and seen, but it was very, very slow. The key to getting anything into the boat was clear water, which was not readily available.
Observations:
The river is still going up, but it should level off and start to drop within the next couple of days
5-9-12 Wed
5-9-2012 Wed
6:30 PM – 12:00 PM
Weather:
N8, clear, 65 ˚, 29.94 steady
Water:
7.76 rising, 69.7 kcfs, 61 ˚, muddy
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
Bait (bluegills, perch and crappies)
Partners:
myself and Scott
Comments:
Scott and I have not had very good luck flat head fishing this year. At least tonight we did not get rained out, but we never even had a bite either. The current has gotten considerably stronger and we were unable to anchor at the location Scott had originally picked out.
Observations:
The river is on the rise and it has gotten muddy.
6:30 PM – 12:00 PM
Weather:
N8, clear, 65 ˚, 29.94 steady
Water:
7.76 rising, 69.7 kcfs, 61 ˚, muddy
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
Bait (bluegills, perch and crappies)
Partners:
myself and Scott
Comments:
Scott and I have not had very good luck flat head fishing this year. At least tonight we did not get rained out, but we never even had a bite either. The current has gotten considerably stronger and we were unable to anchor at the location Scott had originally picked out.
Observations:
The river is on the rise and it has gotten muddy.
5-7-12 Mon
5-7-2012 Mon
7:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Weather:
NW 9 / G20, mostly cloudy, 62 ˚, 29.88 steady
Water:
7.12 rising, 62.5 kcfs, 58 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
channel cat 10 lb.
Partners: myself
Comments:
I had been itching to get out flat head fishing again after Scott and I had gotten rained out the other night. I set up in a few spots and only had two hits and caught one fish. The water is on the rise and the current and water clarity will become an issue over the next few days.
Observations:
None
7:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Weather:
NW 9 / G20, mostly cloudy, 62 ˚, 29.88 steady
Water:
7.12 rising, 62.5 kcfs, 58 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
channel cat 10 lb.
Partners: myself
Comments:
I had been itching to get out flat head fishing again after Scott and I had gotten rained out the other night. I set up in a few spots and only had two hits and caught one fish. The water is on the rise and the current and water clarity will become an issue over the next few days.
Observations:
None
Sunday, May 6, 2012
5-5-2012 Sat
2:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Weather:
Terrible, Hard rain / thunder storms, W10, G25, 55˚, 30.12 falling
Water:
7.84 rising, 36.4 kcfs, 57 ˚, dirty to clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Fountain City area
Caught:
LMB (6) 14 – 17”, Pike (8) 20 – 31”
Partners:
myself
Comments:
What a miserable day to decide to go fishing. I wanted to do a little shopping at Fleet Farm in Winona, so I decided to bring the boat along and do a little exploring north of there. I maybe got an hour of fishing in when the weather took a miserable turn for the worse. I was a long ways from the boat landing and I did not think the storm would last that long, besides I figured it would just be a little rain to make things uncomfortable.
When the storm hit I was not anywhere near the landing and I was not going to cross a big open body of water to get to it. I pulled into a little cut between two islands and hunkered down. Odd thing is when I got there I had some coots for company that had the same idea. Who says coots are stupid! When the storm first hit there was lots of lightning and heavy wind, but after about a half hour it just turned to rain. With no more lightning I once again started fishing. The bass seemed to take a liking to the rain and became very active.
The calm rain lasted about an hour, and then things got very ugly. The wind became so bad I once again took shelter between a two islands. It blew so hard I was mindful to keep my distance from any trees that could possibly fall my way. I had to endure the rain and storms for about two hours.
Today was not an enjoyable day of fishing and the fishing was not that great but I was still outdoors and enjoying myself.
Observations:
The water is very low up here, but with all the recent rains that will soon change.
2:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Weather:
Terrible, Hard rain / thunder storms, W10, G25, 55˚, 30.12 falling
Water:
7.84 rising, 36.4 kcfs, 57 ˚, dirty to clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Fountain City area
Caught:
LMB (6) 14 – 17”, Pike (8) 20 – 31”
Partners:
myself
Comments:
What a miserable day to decide to go fishing. I wanted to do a little shopping at Fleet Farm in Winona, so I decided to bring the boat along and do a little exploring north of there. I maybe got an hour of fishing in when the weather took a miserable turn for the worse. I was a long ways from the boat landing and I did not think the storm would last that long, besides I figured it would just be a little rain to make things uncomfortable.
When the storm hit I was not anywhere near the landing and I was not going to cross a big open body of water to get to it. I pulled into a little cut between two islands and hunkered down. Odd thing is when I got there I had some coots for company that had the same idea. Who says coots are stupid! When the storm first hit there was lots of lightning and heavy wind, but after about a half hour it just turned to rain. With no more lightning I once again started fishing. The bass seemed to take a liking to the rain and became very active.
The calm rain lasted about an hour, and then things got very ugly. The wind became so bad I once again took shelter between a two islands. It blew so hard I was mindful to keep my distance from any trees that could possibly fall my way. I had to endure the rain and storms for about two hours.
Today was not an enjoyable day of fishing and the fishing was not that great but I was still outdoors and enjoying myself.
Observations:
The water is very low up here, but with all the recent rains that will soon change.
5-4-12 Fri
5-4-2012 Fri
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Weather:
SE 8, light rain, scattered lightning, 60˚, 29.97 steady
Water:
6.09 rising, 49.2 kcfs, ? ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
Bluegills (4) 6 – 8”, crappie 10”
Partners:
myself and Scott
Comments:
Tonight was to be my first flat head fishing trip of the season, but it was over before it began. I had looked at the radar before I left the house to catch bait and it looked as is Scott and myself would be able to get a couple of hours of dry fishing in.
It took us till dark to catch enough bait for our night time adventure and by the time we got out to where we wanted to fish the sky was starting to light up with distant lightning. We decided to sit in one of the little emergency shelters out on an island near the main channel and see if the storm would be short lived. We used our phones to check the radar, drank a beer and decided the storm was going to visit for a while. My first night of flat head fishing for the season was over.
Observations:
The weeds along the stump field channel are above the water line and marking the route rather nicely.
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Weather:
SE 8, light rain, scattered lightning, 60˚, 29.97 steady
Water:
6.09 rising, 49.2 kcfs, ? ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
Bluegills (4) 6 – 8”, crappie 10”
Partners:
myself and Scott
Comments:
Tonight was to be my first flat head fishing trip of the season, but it was over before it began. I had looked at the radar before I left the house to catch bait and it looked as is Scott and myself would be able to get a couple of hours of dry fishing in.
It took us till dark to catch enough bait for our night time adventure and by the time we got out to where we wanted to fish the sky was starting to light up with distant lightning. We decided to sit in one of the little emergency shelters out on an island near the main channel and see if the storm would be short lived. We used our phones to check the radar, drank a beer and decided the storm was going to visit for a while. My first night of flat head fishing for the season was over.
Observations:
The weeds along the stump field channel are above the water line and marking the route rather nicely.
5-3-12 Thr
5-3-2012 Thr
5:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
S 6, partly cloudy, 79˚, 29.81 rising
Water:
5.93 rising, 41.4 kcfs, ? ˚, dirty to clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
LMB (4) 10 – 15”, Pike (1) 18”
Partners:
myself, Ben and Matt
Comments:
It was my weekly fishing outing with Ben, and I had also invited Matt along. Matt is a co-worker from West Salem, I call him Buzz Bait Matt on account he likes to throw a buzz bait all the time.
Fishing was not good tonight. We hit quite a few spots in a very short time period and unfortunately I caught all the fish. The only spot we really had any consistency was the stump fields on the west side. This area not only had a few bass, but it was also filled with carp!
Observations:
Most trees have leafed out, except for my sumac in the back yard and walnut trees around the area.
5:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
S 6, partly cloudy, 79˚, 29.81 rising
Water:
5.93 rising, 41.4 kcfs, ? ˚, dirty to clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
LMB (4) 10 – 15”, Pike (1) 18”
Partners:
myself, Ben and Matt
Comments:
It was my weekly fishing outing with Ben, and I had also invited Matt along. Matt is a co-worker from West Salem, I call him Buzz Bait Matt on account he likes to throw a buzz bait all the time.
Fishing was not good tonight. We hit quite a few spots in a very short time period and unfortunately I caught all the fish. The only spot we really had any consistency was the stump fields on the west side. This area not only had a few bass, but it was also filled with carp!
Observations:
Most trees have leafed out, except for my sumac in the back yard and walnut trees around the area.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
4-30-2012 Mon
6:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
S 6, overcast, 56˚, 29.92 steady
Water:
5.9 steady, 40.9 kcfs, 53 ˚, very clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
LMB (3) 12 – 14”, Pike (5) 20 – 34”
Partners:
myself
Comments:
I headed back to a spot on the lake where I had done rather well last week, only today it was not so good. I did catch two nice pike and one small largemouth, but the spot was not mowing me over. There was another boat with two fishermen combing the water quite thoroughly, so I think the fish had just become lure shy. I did manage the nicest fish of the night here on a swim bait.
After fishing the spot for around an hour I started exploring. It did take me quite a few casts to find the fish, but once I did the action was fairly good. The fish were relating to emergent weeds and they were in very shallow water.
Observations:
The milfoil on the main lake basin is already very thick and hard to fish. The sumac trees in the back yard are starting to bud, but they do not have any leaves yet. The water was extremely clear tonight.
6:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Weather:
S 6, overcast, 56˚, 29.92 steady
Water:
5.9 steady, 40.9 kcfs, 53 ˚, very clear
Location:
Mississippi R. Pool 7
Caught:
LMB (3) 12 – 14”, Pike (5) 20 – 34”
Partners:
myself
Comments:
I headed back to a spot on the lake where I had done rather well last week, only today it was not so good. I did catch two nice pike and one small largemouth, but the spot was not mowing me over. There was another boat with two fishermen combing the water quite thoroughly, so I think the fish had just become lure shy. I did manage the nicest fish of the night here on a swim bait.
After fishing the spot for around an hour I started exploring. It did take me quite a few casts to find the fish, but once I did the action was fairly good. The fish were relating to emergent weeds and they were in very shallow water.
Observations:
The milfoil on the main lake basin is already very thick and hard to fish. The sumac trees in the back yard are starting to bud, but they do not have any leaves yet. The water was extremely clear tonight.
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