Report

[Turk]

02/24/03 The St. Croix River walleye and sauger bite is good. Fish have been "active" all day long and recently peaking around 5:00. 22 to 29 feet are best depths to target walleyes and slightly deeper for saug dogs. Both fish are being taken off of the sand breaklines. Jigging spoons such as a Northland buckshot rattle and a standard hook and bobber are proven presentations. Team up the lure or hook with a fathead for best results. Crappies have picked up slightly but a strong bite still isn’t there. Catfish are still an active fish as well as the closed season sturgeon. Speaking of closed seasons the St. Croix walleye and sauger remains open until March 1st then it’s over until opening day of open water!

Keep catchin'
Turk Gierke
Croixsippi Guide Service
www.croixsippi.com

[Sinker]

Turk, when you say "sand" breaklines,do you mean basically the break from shore where a beach looking area is visible or structure farther out in the river that can be seen on a map? It sounds like a stupid question but isn't a good majority of the bottom content of the river sand? I've fished what I thought would be some great places that I've seen on the map but didn't do as I had hoped.Maybe they just didn't come through those days.I don't know.Hard to figure sometimes.Just thought I'd ask what you meant.Thanks.

[Turk]

Sinker!

Good question. Yes, alot of the river bottom is sand, almost all points on the Wisconsin side (Bayport)are formed by sand deposition. There is a ton of rock bottom content on the Minnesota side of the Bayport area though! Also the majority of the basin where everyone crappies fishes is not sand and it is a much softer material - very much muck like.

Surprisingly you can have the "muck" in shallower depths as well, and in as shallow as say 18 feet. A few years ago, on a bet, I skin dove (no not skinny!) to 21 feet and brought up a hand full of very soft mucky silty material as proof that I reached bottom. I was surprised at how soft the content was and expected it to be sand. Thinking back on the spot where I dove, and knowing how the river moves material in suspension it makes sense that it is there though.

FISHING. The good eye bite continues. I caught nine walleye (no sauger) from 10:30 to 3:00, and the best spurt was from 11:30 to 12:30. I would imagine the night rush will be good. The only down side is only one of the eyes was legal, but 7 were 14" and bigger.

It was a finesse day and ALL fish came only on the plain hook rig!!! Tiny jig, spoon, swimming lure...forget it they would not touch any of those others.

Keep catchin'
Turk
www.croixsippi.com
Croixsippi Guide Service

[Mr Special]

When using a plain hook is current an issue and how much weight are you using? I was planning on going down to Bayport on Thursday afternoon hope to see you there.

Good luck

[Sinker]

Turk, thanks for the answer.Every little tidbit helps down there.Like I said,I just assumed the bottom was pretty much all sand.I'll give a similar spot a try before the season ends.You are right about what they would and wouldn't take.I caught 5 walleyes total last week(two legal) and every one came on a yellow jig head with a tail-hooked fathead(horizontal) under a slip bobber.No variety of spoons or raps,combined with a variety of minnows or parts would work.I personally think they were sitting and looking at the jig and minnow for a while until something the minnow did made them hit.Because you could see on the flasher that any action you made with the spoons,etc. after they came to look just turned them away.Funny fish.Good Luck Fishing!!!

[adam4418]

where you guys cathing these eyes?? i had some good luck down in the bayport area on the MN side 2 weeks ago but have not caught a thing since then. i was out from 10 am to 430 pm today and only got one bite. fished from 20' to 35' the one day i was having luck i was catching eyes saugers and crappies in 35'. probably be out again tomorrow any tips would be great thanks and good luck

[Sinker]

Adam4418, where they(walleyes/saugers) are is the "one million dollar" question.I've caught them on the WI. side,MN. side,out deep,in shallow.Recently I've been on the MN. side in 32' of water.It seems timing is the big thing.Have to be fishing where they come through and when they come through.I did well on nice saugers on the WI. side over a month ago but they just aren't in that area now like they were before.Have to keep hunting them down.Good Luck Fishing!!!

[Turk]

Mr. Special,

The weight I used was a split shot roughly the sized of a very large pea, I only used one and as you said the current pushed it back so the line wasn't vertical, I set the bobber stop so the minnow should have been on or an inch above the bottom.

Funny thing is Wednesday late afternoon the eyes started snubbing the plain hook, and went gonzo on jigging lures! So it pays to keep the options open!?

Bring on the Crappies!!!
Have a good weekend all.
Turk

[Mr Special]

Went to the open water yesterday. Fished just south of the dark ice. Met Sinker, I have to say that he's a great guy, anyone who would give up there 12" crappie to ya is a great person. I caught a 6lbs northern 2' off the bottom, on a crappie minnow and demon green glow and a 12" crappie. On my jighead with fathead I caught a 14" crappie and had something that I couldn't move from the bottom on the hookset. After 4 thumps it got off. I would say it was one of my best fishing days in a long time.

See ya down there
Good luck