Fishing above the Kinni

[Walli1]

Looking forward to getting out on the river tomorrow morning, I'm taking two guys out from church, there going to arrive at my house at 4am, so the challenge is on to produce some eyes. Still am not sure right where I'll fish yet but the river is a great fishery and there's plenty of places that hold fish, I will check one gps spot out on the lower section before I go up threw the narrows by the kinni,either way it should be fun fishing unfamiliar areas, getting out of my comfort zone specially when I'm taking people out that expect fish is quite a challenge

[croixeyes]

[ I'm taking people out that expect fish is quite a challenge

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Thats how it feels to guide,except your getting paid so the expectation is alot higher.Good luck out there....

[croixeyes]

Walli1..how did you do today?I had to work and couldnt make it out.Should have been a great morning to be out on the Croix,,Beautiful weather!!!

[Walli1]

This morning was great that is if you like fog and don't like catching eyes, after the fog lifted it turned out really nice, went all over the place looking for eyes, its very humbling, I really got alot to learn when it comes to finding eyes above the kinni. I'm happy to say I did catch one walleye, yes it was a walleye, may have been small but it was a walleye, caught several nice cats, sheep,smallies and two long nose gars boy do they ever fight!

Still was a great day to be on the river, looking forward to the morning where I once again will be above the kinni fishing hudson to st marys point area

[croixeyes]

Gonna try to make it down that way in the am.Gotta lay off the crappie and try to see if there are any eyes to be had.maybe well see you out there....

[FWA]

How did your church buddies do???

[hanson]

Walli!

Sweet fish... Definitley LONG NOSE! Too cool!

I made my transition to the Croix for the fall bottom feeder season. 13 Sturgeon today with a 48", 50", & 57" being the largest along with a nice Buffalo, lonesome channel cat, and a bunch of small sheepies.

We were on the water for over 12 hours and I have the sunburn to prove it.

[croixeyes]

Hanson.were you out on the Croix last wednesday and launched out of the beach house in bayport?Just curious cause I saw a vehicle with Fm stickers parked next to me when I came off the water,If so how did you do fishing that night?

[hanson]

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Hanson.were you out on the Croix last wednesday and launched out of the beach house in bayport?Just curious cause I saw a vehicle with Fm stickers parked next to me when I came off the water,If so how did you do fishing that night?

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That was my truck. That was a very, very slow night for Sturgeon. We picked up 4 that were all around 33-34" or so. Sat out from 6pm to 11pm or maybe later.

[Walli1]

Day started out good found walleyes in 12fow in front of the bluffs nothing of size but least they were the right species, I really suck at hooking fish on a jig, I missed so many it was sickening,went through close to two dozen minnows and only boated four eyes and a couple stripers, after it got light I headed up past the Kinni and fished many areas and battled the wind and came up frustrated and humbled, just sheeps and smallies. Headed back down river around 12, stopped and checked a few spots and fished one area and found the eyes in 8fow, got two small one, missed more then a person should be allowed too but I was able to boated myself one nice eye left the river at 1:15, all fish came on chartouse color jig and a fatty

[croixeyes]

Walli1...was that you fishin at catfish bar around 1030 or so.I was pullin lead there for a few minutes,blue ranger tiller.I trolled and rigged on and off,trolling produced only a few fish 3 sauger and one legal eye,a few smallmouth and more sheephead than I ever want to get on a crankbait.With this colder weather forcast for this week I think the eyes may start to feed with more urgency.I may only be able to get out 1 more time before the tournament ,next sunday will be the day...good luck out there....

[Stratosman]

Bring on the jig bite.

[Walli1]

Yeah that was me I was pulling bottom bouncers at that time, things are going to pick up the jig bite is starting now if I can get the hooking down I'll be set!

[blueroof]

Croixeyes, If I'm not mistaken you stopped at Beanies (to get bait?) around 6:30? I was just getting out for my day of slaughtering some sheep as you pulled up.

I caught a really nasty one-eyed sheephead right after you left the north side of catfish bar by the green buoy, would have been great for the tournament...

I absolutely love your boats color - pretty sweet blue you got there.

LB

[croixeyes]

Thanks Blueroof,I liked your ride as well.I didnt order those colors,but it was the first one that came into Frankies and my boat was gonna be three more weeks out so it didnt take me long to decide.Sounds like that fish might have taken ugliest.Ill be out again Sunday to try a mock tourney run.If yer out stop by and say hi!Ill give some of my top sheephead coords Ive got alot of them lately

[blueroof]

Thanks for the offer on the coordinates.., I got a trip up to Red and LOTW this weekend so I'm a guaranteed no show this weekend on the croix. I'm going to try my luck on the Sheephead up that way, hoping to get into some eyes and northern too. I'm planning on doing the Beanies tournament and will be out Monday and Friday next week early to prep for it a bit. I'll definitely say hi next time I spot you.

If you don't mind me asking, what part of Stillwater are you out of? I'm located on 15, just south of Big Marine.

LB

[GreyGoose]

Walli, it was nice to finally meet you. It sounds like you where setting the hook about as well as I was. I lost many minnos and atleast two fish I thought where hooked. I too was running with a chart./ and green jig with a "fathead." Which where more like med. crappie minnos. I put a stinger hook on after missin a few, and it helped, but it wasn't getting all. I think the front that was moving thru had the tight lipped. I did have one decent sized sauger absolutely hammer my jig as I put it down at the start of a drift. It was the only fish to hit like that though. I ended up with 1 walleye, 2 saug, channel cat, sheep, smallie. All where good sized fish, not huge , but healthy. They where scattered from 17-29fow. Man, I was loving the lack of boat traffic. This is the start...

[croixeyes]

blueroof...I live intown stlwtr,Its a short jaunt to the Croix for me.But I still dont get out as much as I want to.Good luck up north,We will see u at beanies in a week or so..

[canon]

I am new to the posting, but feel I know most of you already since I have been reading the forum for months. I started fishing the croix last year. I started primarily bass fishing but want to explore more options. I fish mainly between the kinni and Hudson. I want to learn crappie fishing especially on the Croix. I caught one earlier this year bass fishing on a tube. I would love to learn the art of walleye fishing too. I have become humbled by efforts, some lakes I know the spots to catch fish but the croix is complex at times. I do like the fact you can send down a crawler and play guessing games to what you bring up to the boat. I am excited to keep trying the croix. Any help or info for me between the kinni and 94 bridge would be much appreciated for different species.

[GoggleEye]

Hey Hanson, I was wondering if you would be willing to give me some tips on how to catch some of them 50" sturgeon you have been catching?? I would love to go out and give that a try some day! Sounds like a blast! I hooked into a sturgeon on Lake Superior once that must have been 6 or seven feet long and that was the best fight I have ever had. I was ice fishing too, so I had no chance of landing the fish, but it was fun while it lasted!

GoggleEye

[OakdaleFMR]

I caught another sturgeon about 44 inches by accident on a lindy rigged worm right at the north end of the Kinni narrows. I hope muskie fisherman never find out how much fun they are to catch

[hanson]

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Hey Hanson, I was wondering if you would be willing to give me some tips on how to catch some of them 50" sturgeon you have been catching??

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Well... I haven't caught one yet this year. Its my fishing partners that have been getting the luck.

Really, its just crawler on the bottom with a basic slip sinker rig. Last couple years, we've been using Shad and that really seams to be the ticket on the Croix. There is soooooo much shad in that river, sturgeon are used to sucking up dead ones.

The trick is they are extremely light biting. I hand hold a rod all day just to feel for the bite. It'll be just a little tap, tap, tap and then I slowly set the circle hook.

From my experience, your typical good fishing areas on the Croix are usually good sturgeon spots as well, you may just want to be out a little deeper, bottom of the break into the bottom flat.

Here's Dan Thiem's big ones from last Saturday:

48"

50"

57"

[Walli1]

Nice acipensers, REAL NICE!!

[G_man]

Those are awesome fish. Where do you purchase the shad for bait?

[GoggleEye]

Thanks for the tips Hanson! Nice fish! I am going to give it a try with some dead smelt that I get on Superior during the spawn. I would think the sturgeon would just snarf those up! Tight lines.

GoggleEye