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hye will be heading to he river in the next couple days probling sleeping in the back of my pickup making it a two day outing, how has fishing been and what is working; will be fishing near the dam used to fish the river a bunch but have not been there for 4-5 years any help will be appreciated thanks

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I can sleep when im dead lets go fishing.

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From what I know it is starting to pick back up. I can't make it down there this weekend but I will be making up for it next weekend.

mw

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Everts resort will have minnows and plastics. Dean will also let you know whats working. It would be worth the time to stop in. You can launch there as well. He has always been honest, good bite or bad. I heard it's picking up, the river maybe slowly rising with this rain. Good luck to ya.

Dan

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fishing has really been good guys are comming into the store with a lot of nice limits.mostly sauger in the 18-20 inch range ring worms -super doos-and hair jigs tipped with a fat head minnow have been good.start in the 7-12ft 0f water pitch into the rip rap you can ancor or drift.stop at the store and ill be able to give you daily information. good luck ike.

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Ike, directions to your shop once into Red Wing? Thanks!

Tunrevir~

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I'm on the river 4 to 5 days a week here at RW pool 4 and the fishing was not good by any means 2 weeks ago.Warden Tyler Quandt had checked 45 boats when the water first came up and only three had fish. Now however the fishing is excellent, even with the rapidly rising water, high water here IS our best fishing condition, provided enough clarity exists. Cold, Dirty high water with debris is the worst condition for any fish.

two days ago I took lots of nice walleye to 4 1/2#s and my buddy Jon caught a 5.8 Sauger.

We did very well snap jigging 1/8 & 5/16oz. Dezurik jigs in the shallow wood along with running from the 3 foot sand edge into 7 to 10 ft.

I consider the water temp irrelevant at this stage of our season...the walleyes spawn in 42 to 46 degree temps, they are here right now and most of the bigger fish we took this week were tight....none dropping yet.

I rigged with a three way over the side while anchored but

I soon discovered that was a bad plan because 6 to 12 inch sauger were sucking on the bait and the bite was almost undetectable which means deeply hooked fish...I stopped fishing a still line immediately after the second fish took it deep. Please be cognizant of this problem and help eliminate it by switching to systems using strike hooksets as opposed to letting fish run or pull out line.

Bucktail jigs in purple, pink and chart. on that line of thought I can tell you when the fish become more aggressive I like running Northland prismatic fireball jigs (gold and silver) 1/4 oz. with a fathead hooked through the mouth up through the top of the head, works fantastic.

Ringworms were good also in black white tail, cotton candy and chart. Don't forget the old smoke glitter twister with chart tail tipped with a fathead, it works as good as ever.

I didn't see many bent rods in the handline or boat troller bunch, so trolling is probably not the best choice at this juncture.

Anchoring is still the best boat control of all....the Wisc.side from the dam all the way downriver past Gatenbine's is very popular for good reason...people ARE catchng fish.

the Minnesota side from the cement blockhouse to the dam has a strong backflow and boat control along with rising powerful currents make this an extremely tough fish right now, I do however know the fish are there.

Down below across from the Y is the inside curve across from the Vermillion..I caught several nice fish including one big one there this week and it is an area that needs special consideration...you will see a small flotilla using that area today.

We did weigh in an 11.10 walleye this week at 4 Seasons and

other anglers have taken some larger fish. But honestly fishing is not great for everybody, some folks are struggling but there are days when detecting finesse type strikes makes all the difference.

No more posts until next friday, I'll be on the water all day from monday to friday and update at that time.....work is for people who can't fish....hell I'm preaching to the choir here.

but it all has to do with skill levels

smirk.gif Hootch

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Yes it sure is Mike...I remember you well, one of my favorite customers from long ago. You worked for the DNR and I acknowledged you as one of the more proficient anglers from back home. I'm a mgr. now in RW and I live in Lake City. I just returned from 2 weeks in Texas, 116 bass up to 10-1......quite a few 7 to 9.

Nice to see your progess young man. Hootch

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When you come into Red Wing, turn at perkins and follow the road under the bridge. At the stop sign, we are right on the left hand side.

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Hootch

Nice fishing report best i have seen yet. Good detail you must know what you are talking about. see you on the water... laugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.giflaugh.gif

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young jedi01

Welcome to Fishing Minnesota and Hot Spot Outdoors. We look forward to your future posts.

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Just got off the water....the fishing was very good, not great ..5# eye was the biggest on a ringworm. Ralf Diercks grandson Ty caught his first batch of eyes for the spring.

We had our best luck today on the outside of the wood in 13' of water. Only about 30 boats in a 1/2 mile vicinity well spread out making it a pleasant day.

Fish were taking very light today, Ralf the pro he is, lost several nice fish, his excuse "I'm getting old" I didn't buy it because I lost several very nice fish myself.

My best lure today was a 5/16oz chartreuse silver core ringworm.

Hey there young Jedi....I'll be in your neck of the woods many times this summer when the Muskies start and also to fish some of your less popular big bass lakes.

Big crappies in Onigum when the lilacs bloom, don't know who are.. so try to stay away from my 12 foot tin can with the 9.9 - 1956 Johnson. grin.gif Hootch

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Hootch nice fishing report. It was very good advice i caught a lot of fish with your tatics i will be looking in time to time because you really know what your talking about. Have a good one smile.gif

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(Note from Admin, Please read forum policy before posting again, Thank-You. )

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beautiful fish, did you get a length? Hair over thirty? Thanx for the picture, always nice to see those pigs.

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Beautiful fish, congratulations everyone who comes into our store is part of my success.

I had a great day yesterday and so did my counterparts, today I want to commit suicide....10 below windchills...I want to fish...but my brain is stopping my body.

Yesterday we took a load of dandy saugers 16 to 20" and a couple 4 pounders along with one 7 # eye.

Purple orange ringworms mostly and a few on bait.. fish were dropping eggs.

this cold should string out or extend the spawn for a few extra days.

Yesterday we found the best bite on the 9 to 14 foot edge surrounded by wood.

If you can tolerate the next few cold days, I know you can catch fish, take your propane heater.

God I hate NOt fishing...maybe tomorrow.

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Hootch-

Great job posting. Thanks for all your input latley. Very helpful and valuable. grin.gifcool.gif

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This one went 10.5 i coulnt believe it happiest day of my life caught it on a 1/8 oz jig with the chartruse pepper ring worm im loving it. My buddy caught the one on tuesday and it was my turn two trophies in three days dont get much better than that for us

(Note from Admin, edited. Please read forum policy before posting again, Thank-You )

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Maniac what depth were you in when you caught your pig walleye?

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Note from Admin, Please read forum policy before posting again,Thank-You

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Good to talk to you in the store after your great catch....now that you have caught this one, a larger one is guarenteed.

Mike Walerak just left the store 10 minutes ago....hes probably more tough than smart to go out today...but I love the guys who just say dammit I'm going fishing if it kills me.....and it will kill your hands and face today..but I'm certain Mike will catch fish, his problem will be unhooking them.

I was out thursday and the fishing was tough at first, about mid afternoon we found some groups of 12 to 16" fish several hundred yards up the lock in the center.

Later on we clamped off in the wood and did quite well using a three way bait rig ...sinker 4" from the swivel, chart. hook with large yellow bead 16" ..about 16" back from swivel with a fathead hooked through the lips.

this combo in 11' of water kept us busy all afternoon...that and unthawing our hands, the wind was icy and brutal, thank God it was sunny.

We did get fish up to 5#s and about 3:00 the fish responded to ringworms too.

Working in the store today, will get out again monday.

Love those guys out fishing today....it's gotta be nasty.

( Note from Admin, Please read forum policy, Thank-You )

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I spoke to Kevin at the DNR Lake City main office on friday...about their test nest inventories.

"We have a tremendous population of large sauger in Pepin right now, many 20" plus fish including many males that size"

I asked him why all the giant sauger at Red Wing when Alma rarely produces a sauger over 2#s.

As you would expect he said it has to be the forage base available in the lake that just doesn't exist in the same abundance as the main river channel.

I forgot all the info he gave me on year classes, but it all sounded very positive for our fishing future here.

He also felt due to the chilly weather, the spawn will be extended.

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I did find a few fish and unhooking them was a chore since I did not want to take my gloves off to bad. shocked.gif Mostly caught saugers but there were some walleyes in the mix.

Hope to see many of you at the Walleye Warmup next weekend. The bite should be in full swing!

mw

mw

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We were out on Friday all day - I've never been out in weather that brutal unless my boots were on the ice! My first day on the river ever, & we had a great time. The fish were really uncooperative in the morning, but we caught a few in the afternoon.

The day was well worth it due to two fish. My buddy caught a 28" walleye that went 8.2 lbs. (already spawned out) which is his personal best. I caught a 23 1/2, 5.5 lb. sauger which apparently is a pretty big sauger. grin.gif Of course, it was the first one I ever caught so I had zero frame of reference, but it was a nice fish! We also caught a few eater sauger & walleye as well & let a couple of 20" plus fish go.

All in all I'm starting to understand the draw of the river even in the nasty weather. As Ahnold once said, "I'll be baaack!"

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As the weather slowly warms up here and fish trickle back down into the big lake there should be a good bite in the Wisc. back channel. I have done well flatline trolling a no.7 shadrap (you pick the color) most of them work, from the sandbar begining at the Bay City flat area all the way up past Goose Lake which is a long extended area.

So many places to fish here and many of them in the back cuts aren't even bothered. People don't seem to realize sometimes these fish have to swim through EVERY inch of water here to get to the big lake and back down...in that process they hold in edges, wings, wood etc. that isn't even bothered by angling pressure.

If you're tired of listening to the cell phone conversations in the boat 9 feet away, go explore.

Water clarity right now is very good for here, fish are having no trouble finding your bait.Yesterday the temps hovered near low 40. My partner Scully saw a few big fish up to 10 taken and released yesterday and today hes on a seahunt to learn more.

I can't wait to hit the water tomorrow...

Our buddy and regular customer Dale Paulson is still banging nice trout in Pottery Pond..he fishes everyday, gotta love a guy like that.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

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