5-5-18

5-5-18 Genoa backwaters with Norm Jambois, 2pm-7pm
Weather: (1553) clear, NE5, 82°, 29.93 steady ↓
H20: 62°, clear, 631.72↑, 133,000kcfs
Caught: one LMB apiece
Observations: Everything is flooded in the backwaters. The trees are starting to leaf out. The rhubarb in the backyard is the size of a small washtub and the red bud tree is close to blooming.

The weather was beautiful today, although it was actually hot on the water on account of a lack of any sort of breeze. A good friend Norm and myself were scouring the backwaters in search of bass and pike. We were targeting area just south of the spillway on the Iowa side of the river. Fishing was very unproductive; to say it was slow was an understatement. I never have very good success during periods of flooding. When there are several feet of water in the trees there is just an unlimited amount of areas where those fish can be. I just have not been able to figure out how to catch them in those conditions. The only dry ground in the area was either along the railroad tracks or the dike of the dam. The amount of eagle’s nests in this area is just incredible. I would have to say we saw at least twenty of them.