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Pool 4 report Sat


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Got out with Mike and Joel. The temps matched the bite very cold. MIke got a couple of sauger and one perch, Joel tagged one huge carp and a couple of channels cats. I managed to lasso a nice channel cat and I mean lasso. I was jigging two rods and it managed to get wrapped up in both lines but good. Took me 15 mintues to untangle the mess. We probably spent as much time watching fish on the Aqua View as anything else. Water clarity on 4 is about 6ft right which is extremely clear for the river. We saw so many schools of fish it was ridiculous. I literally bounced the camera off walleyes and sauger and the sheepie and shad schools were just mammoth. Can't wait for the water to muddy up a little and temps to get in the 40s.

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Thanks Mark/Mike, a great time as always.

That school of sheepies must've numbered over 1000, incredible. Very cool to be able to use a camera down there now, but like Mark, I'm ready for the temps to rise and the water to get some more color to it.

Three channel cats, and one un-seen sumo fish (probably a Flatty or monster Channel?) all came from the same spot, about 3 minutes apart. Even with a point marked, and many similar drifts, we were unable to recreate the luck. Whatever I had on was scary big. I was fishing braid, so I tightened up the drag and really put the screws to that one.....just made the rod bend harder as the fish continued to swim along slowly but surely. Would've loved to have seen it; hook popped out.

Mark had a frown on his face the whole time we were catching the cats, thought they were nice eyes. Good thing I was running the trolling motor, or Mark would've wanted to move smile.gif

Joel

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It's possible you hooked into a sturgeon or a paddlefish. The sturgeon may have bitten, but the paddle you would have had to have snagged somehow....

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Not a carp and we were away from the usual sturgeon spots. Joel manhandled a 15lb carp on his setup about an hour before. And carp usually take off. This fish just moved away along the bottom. My guess is a monster flathead. I pulled a 48" out of that area a few years ago and released it so it 's probably in the same haunts. Memo to self: set the front depth finder to 25ft max so Joel will stay out of catfish holes.. Actually that channel cat put a nice battle. Just thought I had tagged a really nice eye from all the tugging. Now if Walerak had still been with us I think he would jumped overboard..

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All I can say is you guys are either real tough or real dumb. I had to quit early and figured you guys would not be too far behind, only to find out you guys stuck it out till dark! It sounds like I missed some excitement besides.

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Pool 2 is catch and release. Pool 4 is not. 15" minimum on walleyes not minimum on sauger. I heard the dragging bite was on after the sun hit the treetops. Hopefully with the upcoming melt the river will cloud up and the pitching bite will be back.

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Oh I see... just to be safe, could you tell me what city I would want to be in to launch on the river and make sure I'm in Pool 4? Or pool 2? My buddy and I have spring break coming up and rather than cough up all sorts of money to get to Mexico I think we'd rather do our usual and fish... Problem is, niether of us has ever done the river fishing down in Pool 2 or 4 so if you could give us a city to shoot for to launch in that'd be great and much appreciated!!

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You will want to be in Redwing, MN below Lock and Dam #3 (AKA Pool 4). You will find the action to be picking up the next few weeks.

Pool 2 is catch and release. That is in the city of St. Paul.

mw

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Stick with the 15-18 inch walleyes and they are safe to eat and they taste fine to me. The saugers are great as well.

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Fish are OK to eat. If I want to keep fish I mostly keep sauger. Anything over 19" goes back in the water. Let's keep the spawning population up.

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I eat the fish out of Pool 4 once in a while. They taste fine to me. It might explain my dame bramage though smirk.gif

mw

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Thanks alot! I'm not planning on keepin much so maybe I'll drive to Saint Paul for the action... Thanks again for the directions!!

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I'm wondering if anyone can shoot me a phone# for Evert's.

and how's the water level down there any thing to watch out for? all info for this area greatly appreciated. Love to learn more about this fishery!

[email protected]

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Really, you guys liked them? Maybe it's just me then. My buddy Lance said they were OK. I like walleyes from Tonka and Mille Lacs, but the P4 eyes/sauger I thought tasted really.. um.. fishy. There I said it tongue.gif

Still fun to catch and Tonka Boy and I will be down there this Sat. All catch and release unless you see me while I'm reeling one in and you can have it grin.gif of course I have to catch it first. D'oh!

See ya on the water!

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

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