update pool 4

[ike's tackle]

fishing is starting to pick up.alot of saugers in the 18-20inch range.most of the fisherman have been using ikes 3/8oz hair jigs tipped with a fat head minnow.the brighter colors have been best.also ring worms with the white tails have been doing well.start in 18 to 25 ft.and work a little deeper.we have the best bait in and around redwing.stop in and say hellow.good luck IKE

[ice fishing maniac]

dude ive been out two full days without a bite i give up

[FrontenacPike]

It's just marketing hype

[MidCoast]

I was out this past weekend and I didnt catch anything... It may be starting to pick up, but the bite isnt GREAT yet!

[harvey lee]

From what I saw on Tuesday, the bite for the sauger wasnt just to bad but the eyes were slow. That should change soon with warmer water temps. keep trying and it will happen. I,m sure I will be going back next week for hopefully a good day of fishing.

Ice Fishing maniac, dont give up. Watch the posts and give it another try in a week or so. The fish are there and you might just need to make a adjustment in something your doing. It can be diffucult but with practice it can happen. maybe a change in boat speed or control or a presentation change will do it.

[peterson71]

First off I would like to say thanks IKE for the info you gave us this morning. We caught 16 saugers from 16-19 inches in 16-25 feet of water. We used Ikes hair jigs and caught 7 of them. The others came on Ikes sonars black in color with silver sparkles. All we were doing is vertical jiging down river with the curent. Also I would like to thank Dean for having such nice ramps to lauch our boat. See you this weekend IKE im in need of some more jigs and your big fat heads.

Rick

[mskyfshntchr]

ifm....remember the water temps are still in the low-mid 30's....IT IS STILL EARLY!!

The bite will be good soon.

You will feel a tug on the end of your line. It might only be a snag...

[ice fishing maniac]

yeah my bad i wasnt tryin to say he was a liar i guess i am a little frusterated sorry

[fish2live]

maniac sometimes the differnce in catching rather than watching others catch is jig technique,location and confidence. as for you not being able to connect on the fish this spring i would suggest starting in the community spots usually towards the dam area and use a bait you have confidence in. my go to bait is usually ring worms and paddle tails. i will usually start out useing a chart pepper ring worm or paddle tail, then switch to differnt colors until i find the right one. if you dont have confidence in plastic a hair jig and minnow is a good place to start. as for the jigging technique start with what you think the walleye sauger might want. if you like to jig hard try that a couple drifts and if you don't connect try jigging a little slower with a hold on the top of you jig stroke usually about 10-20 seconds then start over. i find that keeping your jigs as vertical as possible will also help in catch rate. other fishermen you are fishing by usually are more than willing to give up there technique or color they are using if you ask. hope this helps

steve

[youngie22]

I saw alot caught on a 3 way rig w/ red hook and fat head. Seemed like it picked up more than ring worms, hair jigs, and spinner jigs.

[Rick]

I did fine with a 3" Power Minnow and 5/8 oz jig.

We thought it might be the live minnows doing the trick as well but found it was more of a presentation factor. The key was staying with the current. The sauger and eyes were taking the jig on the drop. So actively jigging up and down was key when we were there. That can change day to day.

[ice fishing maniac]

thank you so much for all the info you guys are the best i will have to get out again soon thanks again

[jigginjim]

need to hit river very soon.

[mr marbles]

Always go with the flow man! use the big motor to slow ya down man,and hopefully ill be over to the mis soon with my ringies.I think im going crazy, i have to get out soon!!!

[ike's tackle]

the fishing continues to be good.a 13.8 lb walleye was caught on friday.alot of guys are comming into the store and telling me about nice limits of saugers with a few walleyes mixed in.if you tip your jigs with a minnow make sure you have enough in your boat.several guys have ran out.also its a good idea to put a stinger hook on your jig for all the short biters.ill try to keep you updated later in the week. good luck IKE

[Gordie]

thanks Ikes tackle for the info this morning caught a lot of eyes and saugers today nothing to bring home but lots of fish and what I thought was a real trophy that turned out to be a monster sucker about 5-6 pounds fought like a eye but when it revealed itself the thrill was now just a memory. it was a great day in all and a good way to get the boat out and enjoy the day

[Riverratpete]

Hit the river from 8 - 3 yesterday, quite a few boats dodging the ice chucks coming down the river. Water temp 36 - 37 degrees. Beutiful day to be out for sure. Most fish seemed to be caught up in the scour hole but some were being caught all over, they seemed to be scattered pretty good with no real consistancy. Did hang 1 nice 19 incher and missed numerous other ones and of course did get a slimer. Need to get the water warmed up and flowing to really get the bite going..probably a couple weeks would be my guess..thats my report.

[mr marbles]

Need some sunny days calm winds to get to that 42 degree water temp but i cant wait any longer need to go this weekend! Then hopin to get out to missouri river again maybe.

[Angelow]

Was out sat, and sun. Did well for the first time on the river this year. We got some nice eater fish and were able to put a 20 inch sauger in the boat. Can't wait for some warmer weather.

[youngie22]

Big eye's are starting to bite... I am out of here now. Time to get in the boat. I'll try to be down there most the day. Will throw up a report when back tonight. Hopefully there are as hungry as Saturday!

[Fish Head]

I'm thinking of hitting the river tomorrow. Has time of day seemed to matter?

[markkstanley]

Sunrise/sunset are the best times until the water gets dirtier. Midday bite has been slow. Most boats opt to go vertical then. Cloudy/overcast days also have a longer window. Start at 12 to 15ft early in the day, move deeper as sun comes up - 20ft or more depending on where you are fishing. Start moving shallow again as sun gets close to treetops. Basic stuff but it has been working.

[ice fishing maniac]

how do i post a pic

[harvey lee]

Check out the link below. Must have had a good day of fishing.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ub.../gonew/1#UNREAD

[NAGORSKI]

Go to the photo sharing forum on this site and there are directions there. Basicly you need to upload the pic to a photo sharing site like photobucket,then load it from there to here on you post. Good luck

[youngie22]

2 Buddies and I went out yesterday from noon til 5. Surprisingly caught mostly males again. We were finding the bigger ones a little shallower and away from the groups of boats. Our baot had a fun day, no big pigs, but enough action to keep every one happy. 30+ walleye, 5 sauger, one 10" perch, a ton of clams, a few sticks and branches and some sunburned cheeks. Jigs were not producing as well as they did last week. I hope if I keep putting time in I'll pull a big ol' gal out in the next few weeks.

[markkstanley]

By staying away from the crowds you are on the right track. The big ones typically show up at low light periods. I have never tagged a 10lber mixed in with smaller fish by the way - they seem to hang out by themselves. Then again I saw a 10lb caught in a crowd boats that were catching smaller sauger last Sat at 1pm. You just never know.

[hhguide]

Do you think Mark if you find one 10 lber there are usually a couple more to follow then or are they scattered more?

[markkstanley]

While Pool 4 is probably your best chance of getting a 10lb or more walleye they really are not that common. So the odds of getting two back to back or even in the same trip are pretty long. Walleyes do sort out by size and the big fish tend to roam in smaller pods maybe 6 fish or so. Catching one probably spooks the others. My bigger fish have always come one at a time. Not to say you won't get into a run of 5 to 6lbers one after the other. That happens. If you work a big fish area hard you can pull a couple of 10lbers out in a few hours of fishing. Just not likely to.

[Cooter]

A question(s) for Mark or Mike or any other seasoned pool 4 walleye addicts: what is your preferred presentation for a trophy and does it vary during the course of the year? Correct me if wrong, but the best advice for a big girl - at least now through say mid-May - is fish shallower areas during dusk and dawn? Also, how about the night bite for a trophy? Better with clear water than muddy or doesn't it matter? Thanks much! BTW - a case of Leinies goes to anyone with a tip to help me catch an 8 pounder or better!