5-27-2013 Mon 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Weather:
(1753) SE 8, light rain, 56 ˚, 29.87 falling
H2O:
10.43 rising, 99.6 kcfs, 58 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
3 LMB 12 – 15”, 4 pike 16 – 24”
Partners:
none
Comments:
It was Memorial Day, the weather was crummy and I had been cooped up in the house all day. I had to get out fishing! The rain had just passed and more was expected in the next hour, but I did not care I needed to get out of the house.
I was also itching to try my new bait again (The Jensen Jug Head). I had made a couple of new ones earlier today and I was ready to give them a couple of casts. I had good luck with the one in the June bug color; I caught two decent sized bass with it in a short order. I caught a small pike with the pearl color one within the first several casts. I also wanted to try my Cabela's Guide Gear rain suit. I have never been overly impressed with any product that is Gore Tex and claims to be waterproof, but so far this suit is all it is promised to be.
Observations:
It looks as if the river has crested today, but it may go up again with all the rain we have gotten lately and with the addition of the rain they are forecasting within the next several days. The growing season is definitely underway, and everything is really leafing out.
Monday, May 27, 2013
5-26-13 Sun
5-26-2013 Sun 9:30 AM – 6:15PMWeather:
(1155) SE 8, drizzle, 54 ˚, 30.23 falling
H2O:
11.27 rising, 80.1 kcfs, 58 ˚, clear in backwaters, dingy in main lake
Location:
Mississippi River pool 4
Caught:
Myself: 9 LMB 12 – 18”, 20 pike 12 – 25”
Scott: 9 LMB 15 – 17”, 23 pike 18 – 32”, 1 SMB 15”
Partners:
Scott
Comments:
It was a late season trip for me up to the big Waters of pool 4. Usually I do not get up this way after about the middle of May, but since it has been since a late spring I thought I would give it a go a little later in the season. Scott had not been up here on any of my previous trips this year, so he was definitely ready to get the line stretched by a pike or two.
The fishing was pretty good, we caught a lot of fish, but the size structure was smaller than I would have liked to have seen. The water was very high and flowing fast, but that did not seem to affect the aggressiveness of the quarry. Most of the fish seemed to prefer some current. Any of the points or other irregularities in the shoreline almost always seemed to have held a fish or two.
Fish were caught just about everywhere we tried, with the majority of the fish being pike. The standard spinner bait took top honors in catching the most fish. I did try a couple baits today that I will probably not be using again. They were a daredevil and a chatter bait. I just did not like the way that both baits had to be fished so slow. I did try one of my own baits that I had invented, which Scott quickly named the Jensen Jug Head. It basically is a modified swim bait that uses a Sassy Shad instead of a grub for the trailer. I had surprisingly good luck with this bait, and I will be using it more and modifying it more. I included a picture of Scott with one of his larger pike of the day and the damage it did to his hand as he was trying to get the hook out of its mouth.
Observations:
The water up here is very close to flood stage, with water over most of the low lying islands. The back water clarity was very good, but the main lake was quite turbid from all the wind. My red bud tree in the back yard has lost most of its flowers and is now starting to leaf out. The rhubarb is also starting to flower.
5-25-13 Sat
5-25-2013 Sat 4:00 PM – 7:45PM
Weather:
(1653) SE 10, overcast, 60 ˚, 30.28 steady
H2O:
9.68 rising, 87.8 kcfs, 62 ˚, dirty to clear
Location:
Mississippi River pool 8
Caught:
Approx. 3 LMB 12”, 2 pike 22 & 29”
Partners:
None
Comments:
Today I was hitting some of the back bays around Dresbach in search of largemouth bass and pike. I cannot say I was very successful, but I did catch some fish and I eliminated un-productive water. The fish seem to be relating to some type of current edges. If you fish slack water no fish are caught.
I had one little interesting encounter with the larger of the two pike I caught. This fish was relating to an old rice bed off of a point of a flooded island. By the way old rice beds have been very good for bass and pike this year.
Anyway back to the story. I threw my spinner bait to the head of this island and wham; a fish came out from the heave cover hit my bait and came completely out of the water, but did not have my bait in its mouth. I immediately threw back to the same location and this time the fish connected with the bait, but it cut my leader and I lost my bait. Well, I fished some other areas for about an hour and then came back to this spot on the way out of the bay. My very first cast to the point produced a hit, but no hook-up. I threw back to the same spot and this time I hooked up with that nice pike. The fish was not the smartest, but it sure was persistent.
Observations:
The water is still rising. The main channel areas area still quite muddy, but the back bays are relatively clear. Most of the low lying island areas below the dam are flooded over.
Weather:
(1653) SE 10, overcast, 60 ˚, 30.28 steady
H2O:
9.68 rising, 87.8 kcfs, 62 ˚, dirty to clear
Location:
Mississippi River pool 8
Caught:
Approx. 3 LMB 12”, 2 pike 22 & 29”
Partners:
None
Comments:
Today I was hitting some of the back bays around Dresbach in search of largemouth bass and pike. I cannot say I was very successful, but I did catch some fish and I eliminated un-productive water. The fish seem to be relating to some type of current edges. If you fish slack water no fish are caught.
I had one little interesting encounter with the larger of the two pike I caught. This fish was relating to an old rice bed off of a point of a flooded island. By the way old rice beds have been very good for bass and pike this year.
Anyway back to the story. I threw my spinner bait to the head of this island and wham; a fish came out from the heave cover hit my bait and came completely out of the water, but did not have my bait in its mouth. I immediately threw back to the same location and this time the fish connected with the bait, but it cut my leader and I lost my bait. Well, I fished some other areas for about an hour and then came back to this spot on the way out of the bay. My very first cast to the point produced a hit, but no hook-up. I threw back to the same spot and this time I hooked up with that nice pike. The fish was not the smartest, but it sure was persistent.
Observations:
The water is still rising. The main channel areas area still quite muddy, but the back bays are relatively clear. Most of the low lying island areas below the dam are flooded over.
5-24-13 Fri
5-24-2013 Fri 7:00 PM – 12:15AM
Weather:
(1953) S 5, clear, 62 ˚, 30.30 steady
H2O:
9.21 rising, 82.4 kcfs, 65 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
Bait for cat fishing that was all
Partners:
Scott
Comments:
Tonight was my second night of flat head fishing for the season and I was not feeling any more confident this time out as I was during my first outing. Our bait catching was fairly difficult and I took that as a sign that the flat head fishing would be no better.
As I had predicted the flat head bite was non-existent. I cannot even say for sure that we had a bite.
Observations:
The water is still rising, but the clarity is improving each and every day.
Weather:
(1953) S 5, clear, 62 ˚, 30.30 steady
H2O:
9.21 rising, 82.4 kcfs, 65 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
Bait for cat fishing that was all
Partners:
Scott
Comments:
Tonight was my second night of flat head fishing for the season and I was not feeling any more confident this time out as I was during my first outing. Our bait catching was fairly difficult and I took that as a sign that the flat head fishing would be no better.
As I had predicted the flat head bite was non-existent. I cannot even say for sure that we had a bite.
Observations:
The water is still rising, but the clarity is improving each and every day.
5-23-2013 Thr. 5:30 PM – 7:45 PM
Weather:
(1853) N 8, clear, 64 ˚, 30.23 rising
H2O:
8.8 rising, 78.6 kcfs, 68 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
5 LMB 8 – 15”, 1 pike 33”
Partners:
none
Comments:
It was an after work fishing trip on my home waters tonight. I was constantly moving in search of active fish. I covered some of my favorite locations on the main lake and I even went back into the dredge holes of Fishermen’s Road. I ended the evening out in front of the stump fields closest to my house, and this is where I found the best action and the larger fish.
Observations:
The water is still going up, but the clarity had improved somewhat.
Weather:
(1853) N 8, clear, 64 ˚, 30.23 rising
H2O:
8.8 rising, 78.6 kcfs, 68 ˚, dirty
Location:
Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
5 LMB 8 – 15”, 1 pike 33”
Partners:
none
Comments:
It was an after work fishing trip on my home waters tonight. I was constantly moving in search of active fish. I covered some of my favorite locations on the main lake and I even went back into the dredge holes of Fishermen’s Road. I ended the evening out in front of the stump fields closest to my house, and this is where I found the best action and the larger fish.
Observations:
The water is still going up, but the clarity had improved somewhat.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
5-21-13 Tue
5-21-2013 Tue 6:30 – 11:15PM
Weather:
(2053) calm, overcast, 64 ˚, 29.68 steady
H2O:
(Black) 5.28 rising, 2.8 kcfs, 67 ˚, muddy with lots of debris
(Mississippi) 8.68 rising, 77.6 kcfs, 70 ˚, muddy
Location:
Black river and Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
An ample supply of bait which included some rather large bluegills, 2 perch and one crappie
Partners:
Scott
Comments:
It was my first night of cat fishing of the year and I figured if I caught anything that would be a bonus. With all the recent rains the river is once again on the rise and this time it is quite muddy. I figured bait catching was going to be quite a challenge on account of the reduced visibility and it was a little tough, but we did catch an ample supply. We did catch some pretty nice bluegills; in fact we had some that were just too big to be used for early season flat head fishing.
We set up in two spots for flatheads: the Black River and a slough on the Mississippi River. We had a couple of bites in the Black, but we never caught a fish. We did however lose an anchor to a very large and suborn snag. Our second spot on the Mississippi was even worse; we never even had a bite.
Observations:
The water is again on the rise and it is now very muddy. The dandelions and lilacs are in bloom with some of the dandelions now going to seed. The bluegills are not yet in the shallows spawning, but with the water temperature around seventy degrees it cannot be far off.
Weather:
(2053) calm, overcast, 64 ˚, 29.68 steady
H2O:
(Black) 5.28 rising, 2.8 kcfs, 67 ˚, muddy with lots of debris
(Mississippi) 8.68 rising, 77.6 kcfs, 70 ˚, muddy
Location:
Black river and Mississippi River pool 7
Caught:
An ample supply of bait which included some rather large bluegills, 2 perch and one crappie
Partners:
Scott
Comments:
It was my first night of cat fishing of the year and I figured if I caught anything that would be a bonus. With all the recent rains the river is once again on the rise and this time it is quite muddy. I figured bait catching was going to be quite a challenge on account of the reduced visibility and it was a little tough, but we did catch an ample supply. We did catch some pretty nice bluegills; in fact we had some that were just too big to be used for early season flat head fishing.
We set up in two spots for flatheads: the Black River and a slough on the Mississippi River. We had a couple of bites in the Black, but we never caught a fish. We did however lose an anchor to a very large and suborn snag. Our second spot on the Mississippi was even worse; we never even had a bite.
Observations:
The water is again on the rise and it is now very muddy. The dandelions and lilacs are in bloom with some of the dandelions now going to seed. The bluegills are not yet in the shallows spawning, but with the water temperature around seventy degrees it cannot be far off.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
5-19-2013 Sun
5-19-2013 Sun
Weather:
(1653) SE 14, a few clouds, 85 ˚, 29.66 falling
H2O:
7.94 falling, 71.9 kcfs, 68 ˚, clear to dingy
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
8 LMB 12 – 15”, 8 pike 18 – 23”, 1 bowfin 16”
Partners:
None
Comments:
I had planned on going down to Stoddard today pike fishing because I had heard they were biting down there, but I never made it. Instead I targeted some of the areas I had taken Will and Leasel to last night. I also fished some other areas; mainly deeper holes with a crank bait looking for Mr. Walleye. I did okay on the numbers of fish I caught, however the size was small and I never did stick any walleyes or small mouths. There were some strong storms in the area so I cut my trip short.
Observations:
The leaves on the trees are really bursting for sunshine and my lilac bushes have started to bloom. I believe the shallow water bite in the back waters for the pike has come to an end. There are quite a few small pike around, but I have not caught anything over twenty five inches for several days. I am thinking once the aquatic plants start to grow in the backwaters the larger pike seem to head towards bigger water areas with some deep water close by. I did keep a couple of fifteen inch large mouths today and they both still had eggs in them.
Weather:
(1653) SE 14, a few clouds, 85 ˚, 29.66 falling
H2O:
7.94 falling, 71.9 kcfs, 68 ˚, clear to dingy
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
8 LMB 12 – 15”, 8 pike 18 – 23”, 1 bowfin 16”
Partners:
None
Comments:
I had planned on going down to Stoddard today pike fishing because I had heard they were biting down there, but I never made it. Instead I targeted some of the areas I had taken Will and Leasel to last night. I also fished some other areas; mainly deeper holes with a crank bait looking for Mr. Walleye. I did okay on the numbers of fish I caught, however the size was small and I never did stick any walleyes or small mouths. There were some strong storms in the area so I cut my trip short.
Observations:
The leaves on the trees are really bursting for sunshine and my lilac bushes have started to bloom. I believe the shallow water bite in the back waters for the pike has come to an end. There are quite a few small pike around, but I have not caught anything over twenty five inches for several days. I am thinking once the aquatic plants start to grow in the backwaters the larger pike seem to head towards bigger water areas with some deep water close by. I did keep a couple of fifteen inch large mouths today and they both still had eggs in them.
5-18-13 Sat
5-18-2013 Sat (am) 10 -12 myself // (pm) 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM Will & Leasel
Weather:
(1053) calm, sunny, 69 ˚, 30.01 steady// (1653) S12, sunny, 82 ˚, 29.88 falling
H2O:
8.38 falling, 75.4 kcfs, 65 - 70 ˚, clear to dingy
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Myself (am) approx. 4 LMB and 4 pike///Will approx. 2 LMB and 2 pike, Leasel 1 LMB and 1 pike
Partners:
Will and Leasel
Comments:
In the am I went out and did some pre-scouting for a guided trip this afternoon. I went up to the big marsh area of Trempealeau and found a good number of pike and bass holding along the edges of dead canes.
In the pm I met up with Will and Leasel and we headed up to the Big Marsh area of Trempealeau. We found a fish or two here and there but we did not have a lot of action. In the evening towards the end of the trip we headed back to the upper reaches of the stump fields closer to the landing and we did have a little flurry of activity at the end. I was disappointed in the number of fish that were caught, but if we would have caught every fish that was hooked today would have done been pretty well. Will and Leasel moved from Oregon to Rochester about one year ago and have never experienced the beauty of the back waters of the Mississippi River. I believe they were impressed just as I am each and every day I am on its waters.
Observations:
The water is still dropping rather quickly, and the water temperate continues to go up. My red bud tree is in full bloom and the dandelions are blooming, but my lilacs are still not blooming.
Weather:
(1053) calm, sunny, 69 ˚, 30.01 steady// (1653) S12, sunny, 82 ˚, 29.88 falling
H2O:
8.38 falling, 75.4 kcfs, 65 - 70 ˚, clear to dingy
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Myself (am) approx. 4 LMB and 4 pike///Will approx. 2 LMB and 2 pike, Leasel 1 LMB and 1 pike
Partners:
Will and Leasel
Comments:
In the am I went out and did some pre-scouting for a guided trip this afternoon. I went up to the big marsh area of Trempealeau and found a good number of pike and bass holding along the edges of dead canes.
In the pm I met up with Will and Leasel and we headed up to the Big Marsh area of Trempealeau. We found a fish or two here and there but we did not have a lot of action. In the evening towards the end of the trip we headed back to the upper reaches of the stump fields closer to the landing and we did have a little flurry of activity at the end. I was disappointed in the number of fish that were caught, but if we would have caught every fish that was hooked today would have done been pretty well. Will and Leasel moved from Oregon to Rochester about one year ago and have never experienced the beauty of the back waters of the Mississippi River. I believe they were impressed just as I am each and every day I am on its waters.
Observations:
The water is still dropping rather quickly, and the water temperate continues to go up. My red bud tree is in full bloom and the dandelions are blooming, but my lilacs are still not blooming.
5-17-13 Fri
5-17-2013 Fri 5:30 PM – 9:00 PMWeather:
(1753) E9, clear, 64 ˚, 29.99 steady
H2O:
8.84 falling, 78.8 kcfs, 63 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Approx. 2 LMB 12 – 14”, 4 pike 20 – 26”, 1 walleye 26”
Partners:
None
Comments:
This evening was my grieving fishing trip. I took Abby for her final trip to the vet and as traditions go when I do this deed I always take the day off and go fishing afterwards to clear my head and reflect on the good life each and every dog I have had the privilege of owning has had. The vet visit did not go well for Abby nor myself, let’s just suffice it to say things did not go as they should have.
Abby was a great rabbit dog and family pet. We nick named her the Phsyco Bitch on account of her just being absolutely nuts in her pursuit of bunnies. She could hunt either hares or cottontails and as soon as she was let out of the vehicle she was off in search of her quarry and did not have a care in the world as to where I was. She did have on little odd trait when it came time to quit hunting; if she was tired she would just quit on her own and go back to the vehicle, but is she was not yet wore out I would have to chase her down and do the beagle carry back to the truck. Abby was a great house dog, hunter and companion. I was truly blessed to have been with her for sixteen plus years! She had a great life and will be missed but not forgotten.
Fishing was not too bad tonight. I caught some bass and pike and the bonus walleye that is pictured. The bass and pike bite is getting harder to find now with the warming water temperatures and the falling level.
Observations:
The water is still dropping rather quickly, and the water temperate continues to go up. My red bud tree is in full bloom and the dandelions are blooming, but my lilacs are still not blooming.
Friday, May 17, 2013
5-15-13 Wed
5-15-2013 Wed 5:30 PM – 7:45 PM
Weather:
(1753) NW3, clear, 75 ˚, 29.83 steady
H2O:
9.56 falling, 86.4 kcfs, 63 ˚, dingy
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
4 LMB 12 – 14”
Partners:
None
Comments:
I was fishing by myself tonight. I needed to have a little solitude time; I came to the conclusion that my old rabbit hunting dog Abby was in need of a little assistance in leaving this world. I scheduled a final vet appointment for us on Friday. They say you will know when it is time and I see that now.
Fishing was not very good tonight. I did catch a fish here and there, but it was tough. I do not think the calm, flat water helped matters any. There were lots of bass boats out pre-fishing for the upcoming BFL Tournament on Saturday.
Observations:
The water is still dropping rather quickly, and now it seems to be somewhat dingy. My lilacs have not bloomed yet, but area plum trees are in full bloom and I have noticed some apple trees blooming.
Weather:
(1753) NW3, clear, 75 ˚, 29.83 steady
H2O:
9.56 falling, 86.4 kcfs, 63 ˚, dingy
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
4 LMB 12 – 14”
Partners:
None
Comments:
I was fishing by myself tonight. I needed to have a little solitude time; I came to the conclusion that my old rabbit hunting dog Abby was in need of a little assistance in leaving this world. I scheduled a final vet appointment for us on Friday. They say you will know when it is time and I see that now.
Fishing was not very good tonight. I did catch a fish here and there, but it was tough. I do not think the calm, flat water helped matters any. There were lots of bass boats out pre-fishing for the upcoming BFL Tournament on Saturday.
Observations:
The water is still dropping rather quickly, and now it seems to be somewhat dingy. My lilacs have not bloomed yet, but area plum trees are in full bloom and I have noticed some apple trees blooming.
5-14-13 Wed
5-14-2013 Tue 5:30 PM – 8:00 PMWeather:
(1753) S17 G26, clear, 88 ˚, 29.47 rising
H2O:
10.6 falling, 93.4 kcfs, 62 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Myself: 1 LMB 14”, / Cade: 1 LMB 14”, 1 pike 25”, / Luke 3 LMB 12-14”, 1 pike 31”
Partners:
Luke, Cade and Grace
Comments:
Tonight I took my past neighbor and his children out for an evening on the lake. The wind was brutal till about 7:00 pm, so we stayed within the sheltered area of Black Deer’s Channel until the last hour of daylight.
The fishing was not spectacular, but Luke and Cade both caught fish. Cade was on a mission to catch “one of those toothy critters” and he accomplished his goal. Cade is a very well-mannered and nice ten year old young man. He loves to fish and he is a very accurate caster. When Cade lived next door to me I would take him out fishing and he was always ready and eager to go. Grace is a little too young for the casting game, but she was very well behaved while she cheered here daddy and Cade on to catch some fish.
Observations:
The water is dropping very quickly and the temperature of it is on the rise. The dandelions are in full bloom. I still am not seeing much sign of aquatic plants coming back to life, although I have seen a few lily pads now lying flat on the surface.
Monday, May 13, 2013
5-12-13 Sun
5-12-2013 Sun 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM//4:00 PM – 7:15 PM
Weather:
(1153) NW 14, clear, 56 ˚, 30.16 steady/(1753) NW 12, G 21, clear, 56 ˚, 30.09 steady
H2O:
10.09 falling, 109 kcfs, 56 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
AM: 3 pike 22 – 30”//PM 4 pike 20 – 33”, 7 LMB 12 – 17”
Partners:
None
Comments:
Yesterday and last night were both unusually cold and I wanted to see how the fish would respond this morning. And, I wanted to see how the new prop on my Go Devil would work. The fishing was tough. The pike were fairly active at least in one of my new go to spots, but the bass were hibernating. The prop seemed to work okay, but it was nothing spectacular.
In the afternoon the air temperature had not climbed much and neither had the water temp. I did a little exploring this evening and headed up towards Trempealeau. I fished various spots on the way and found a pike or two, but it was tough. The farther towards Trempealeau I got the more pronounced the flooding was. As I am sure I stated in the past flooded timber makes difficult if not almost impossible fishing. I did alright this afternoon; I ended up finding a nice little bunch of bass at the end.
Most of the waterfowl has left. There are quite a few eagles’ nests out in the bottoms and I watched one baldy taking some reeds back to its nest. I have also noticed the pelicans have all but disappeared. There are also some types of terns or gulls that have been hanging around that have a black head and are about half the size of a normal gull.
Observations:
The water has started to drop and it is still very clear. My redbud tree had started to bloom and to me that is a sign that the pike are probably at their most active point in the year.
Weather:
(1153) NW 14, clear, 56 ˚, 30.16 steady/(1753) NW 12, G 21, clear, 56 ˚, 30.09 steady
H2O:
10.09 falling, 109 kcfs, 56 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
AM: 3 pike 22 – 30”//PM 4 pike 20 – 33”, 7 LMB 12 – 17”
Partners:
None
Comments:
Yesterday and last night were both unusually cold and I wanted to see how the fish would respond this morning. And, I wanted to see how the new prop on my Go Devil would work. The fishing was tough. The pike were fairly active at least in one of my new go to spots, but the bass were hibernating. The prop seemed to work okay, but it was nothing spectacular.
In the afternoon the air temperature had not climbed much and neither had the water temp. I did a little exploring this evening and headed up towards Trempealeau. I fished various spots on the way and found a pike or two, but it was tough. The farther towards Trempealeau I got the more pronounced the flooding was. As I am sure I stated in the past flooded timber makes difficult if not almost impossible fishing. I did alright this afternoon; I ended up finding a nice little bunch of bass at the end.
Most of the waterfowl has left. There are quite a few eagles’ nests out in the bottoms and I watched one baldy taking some reeds back to its nest. I have also noticed the pelicans have all but disappeared. There are also some types of terns or gulls that have been hanging around that have a black head and are about half the size of a normal gull.
Observations:
The water has started to drop and it is still very clear. My redbud tree had started to bloom and to me that is a sign that the pike are probably at their most active point in the year.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
5-10-13 Fri
5-10-2013 Fri 6:15 PM – 9:00 PM
Weather:
(1853) clear, calm, 64 ˚, 29.93 falling
H2O:
11.29 falling, 116 kcfs, 62 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Me: 10 LMB 10 – 18”///Scott 4 LMB 10 – 18”
Partners:
None
Comments:
Scott and I went out for some evening fishing tonight, and I wanted to try some new spot I had been contemplating. We started out close to the house and caught a couple, but the action was too slow for my liking. We then commenced to fan cast about three other areas that I have never really fished and caught a fish or two but that was it.
The last spot we hit was an area off one of the dredge holes on the lake, and that is where we found a pretty good concentration of nice sized bass. The winner of the best bait award again went to the good old consistent spinner bait.
Observations:
The water was very high, but clear. The tulips area blooming, lilacs are getting close to blooming and my red bud tree is blooming.
Weather:
(1853) clear, calm, 64 ˚, 29.93 falling
H2O:
11.29 falling, 116 kcfs, 62 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Me: 10 LMB 10 – 18”///Scott 4 LMB 10 – 18”
Partners:
None
Comments:
Scott and I went out for some evening fishing tonight, and I wanted to try some new spot I had been contemplating. We started out close to the house and caught a couple, but the action was too slow for my liking. We then commenced to fan cast about three other areas that I have never really fished and caught a fish or two but that was it.
The last spot we hit was an area off one of the dredge holes on the lake, and that is where we found a pretty good concentration of nice sized bass. The winner of the best bait award again went to the good old consistent spinner bait.
Observations:
The water was very high, but clear. The tulips area blooming, lilacs are getting close to blooming and my red bud tree is blooming.
5-7-13 Tue
Weather:
(1253) clear, calm, 74 ˚, 30.02 steady
H2O:
11.83 rising, 92.5 kcfs, 56 - 62 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 4
Caught:
33 pike 18 – 34”, 15 LMB 12 – 18”, 1 SMB 14”
Partners:
None
Comments:
It was my annual solo trip up to pool four. I was targeting the backwaters for largemouth bass and big pike. The water was right at flood stage and all the backwater areas were flooded; a condition that does not bode well for fishing. The one advantage I had was the water was very, very clear.
It took me about three hours to find a decent concentration of fish, but when I did the action was intense. The pike were really active today, but the bass seemed a little shy, I believe they were buried in the heavy cover trying to escape the prowling pike. I really only used two types of baits today: a swim bait and a spinner bait. Each was very successful, but I would have to rate the swim bait the winner in the action category. It was definitely not the most consistent hooker, but it made up for that by the aggressiveness it brought out in the pike.
I had one little foolish incidence today that cost me a nice rod and reel I hooked a nice pike, played it to the boat and decided I needed a picture of it. Thinking the fish was quite tired I wedged my rod under one of the rope cleats and started digging for my camera. All of the sudden I heard this scraping noise that could only mean one thing; my pole was being pulled overboard by a very energetic pike. I tried my best to grab it, but it was gone and I never did see it again.
http://youtu.be/h8AWN--KEcI
Observations:
The water was very high, but clear. I did not observe much for new aquatic growth, but that could be on account of the water being much higher than normal. The flow is quite fast and the only place I found any fish was pretty much in slack water.
Monday, May 6, 2013
5-5-13 Sun
5-5-2013 Sun 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM//4:30 PM – 8:30PM
Weather:
(0853) clear, NW9, 46 ˚, 30.00 steady// (1753) clear, NW9, 71 ˚, 30.00 steady
H2O:
10.42 rising, 99.6 kcfs, 46 ˚, dingy// 10.5’ rising, 101 kcfs, 58 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 6 AM, Pool 7 PM
Caught:
Myself: 22 LMB 12-18”, 4 pike29”//John: SMB 14”
Partners:
John R. - AM
Comments:
I started off fishing in the morning with John on the upper end of pool six near Winona. The water was high, the woods were flooded and the fishing sucked. The only action I had was one northern made a futile swipe at my swim jig. John did manage to put one small mouth in the boat on a suspending jerk bait.
In the afternoon I made a solo trip out onto the lake in the goat boat. The flat with the go devil motor is nothing to look at, but it works well for exploring the real shallow areas. I started off fishing some areas I have not yet fished this year, and I even fished some areas that I never really fished before. The high water is making for some difficult fishing, but it is also opening some new areas to exploring.
I caught fish in pretty much every area I tried. The main type of spot I was looking for were areas with solid banks or solid vegetation that formed a barrier to the fish. When the water is high I stay away from the flooded timber in the backwaters. There are just too many spots for the fish to hide and roam.
I had been avoiding areas with any type of current because I had the assumption that the fish did not want anything to do with current, but I was wrong. I did find quite a number of fish on an area that had some clumps of vegetation and lots of current. All the fish came from areas with a water depth of less than two feet.
Observations:
The grass is starting to green nicely and the lilacs are starting to bud.
Weather:
(0853) clear, NW9, 46 ˚, 30.00 steady// (1753) clear, NW9, 71 ˚, 30.00 steady
H2O:
10.42 rising, 99.6 kcfs, 46 ˚, dingy// 10.5’ rising, 101 kcfs, 58 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 6 AM, Pool 7 PM
Caught:
Myself: 22 LMB 12-18”, 4 pike29”//John: SMB 14”
Partners:
John R. - AM
Comments:
I started off fishing in the morning with John on the upper end of pool six near Winona. The water was high, the woods were flooded and the fishing sucked. The only action I had was one northern made a futile swipe at my swim jig. John did manage to put one small mouth in the boat on a suspending jerk bait.
In the afternoon I made a solo trip out onto the lake in the goat boat. The flat with the go devil motor is nothing to look at, but it works well for exploring the real shallow areas. I started off fishing some areas I have not yet fished this year, and I even fished some areas that I never really fished before. The high water is making for some difficult fishing, but it is also opening some new areas to exploring.
I caught fish in pretty much every area I tried. The main type of spot I was looking for were areas with solid banks or solid vegetation that formed a barrier to the fish. When the water is high I stay away from the flooded timber in the backwaters. There are just too many spots for the fish to hide and roam.
I had been avoiding areas with any type of current because I had the assumption that the fish did not want anything to do with current, but I was wrong. I did find quite a number of fish on an area that had some clumps of vegetation and lots of current. All the fish came from areas with a water depth of less than two feet.
Observations:
The grass is starting to green nicely and the lilacs are starting to bud.
5-4-13 Sat
5-4-2013 Sat 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM Weather:
(1753) few clouds, 60 ˚, 30.02 steady, NW14
H2O:
10.29 rising, 97.3 kcfs, 48 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Myself: 6 LMB 12-21”, 1 pike//Scott 10 LMB, 1 Pike
Partners:
Scott
Comments:
I wanted to get out today to see if I could catch any fish and to see if I had made the right decision on canceling todays guide trip. We did not go out till late in the afternoon, and by that time the air and water temperatures had climbed nicely. After fishing for a couple hours I knew that we had made the right decision. We did not catch a fish in the first two hours.
We did start to catch some fish when we moved to a little deeper water, but it was not anything fantastic. I pretty much stuck to an in line spinner and Scott used a spinner bait. We did catch a few fish in the back end of the Sail Boat club, but they were all small. Most of the fish came from the deeper stump fields.
Observations:
The weather was much better today, but it was still cold. We both had to put our rain bibs and parkas on for warmth. By the end of the night, we both also had our stocking hats on! The bulb plants are still in bloom along with the magnolias.
5-3-13 Fri.
5-3-2013 Fri 6:00 PM – 7:00 Weather:
Light rain, 37 ˚, 30.09 falling, calm
H2O:
10.00 rising, 92.5 kcfs, 41 ˚, clear
Location:
Mississippi River Pool 7
Caught:
Nothing
Partners:
None
Comments:
The last time I was out fishing, which was just a few days ago the air temperature was 73 and the water temperature was 64 degrees; what a change! The conditions were terrible, we had snow on the ground and I had to shovel the snow out of the boat before I went out. I was really not too excited to fish, but I had a scheduled trip on Saturday and I wanted to see if it was possible to catch fish or if I should cancel the trip.
It was very cold and the water was very cold, and I did not catch any fish. I contacted my client and we both agreed to postpone the trip for another day when the water would be warmer. I wanted to take them out, but I wanted them to have a chance at catching fish more.
Observations:
We had about two inches of snow on the ground. Fishing was miserable, but the scenery was awesome. The Minnesota bluffs were snow covered and looked just magnificent, and waterfowl and birds were everywhere. Of course I was the only one out of the boat landing, but that added to the beauty!
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