General Info for fishing the river between Jordan and ?

[Christopher Quast]

Don't need hotspots or waypoints or anything like that but would like some general info on the stretch particularly between Jordan and Henderson or Chaska such as what kind of struture is better than others, what kind of areas to look for as far as different species go and bait choices etc.etc. I have never been on a boat in the river in my life so this will be a first time deal for me and would like to fish it alot this year any info you can give me would be much appreciated.

[Grant]

You've asked the question in the right place! I'll preface this by saying my tendencies stick to cats and rough fish on the rivers.

most of the structure you'll find will be wood and holes; fish relate where they can find security, food and shelter from the current. so, the backsides of fallen logs, behind boulders, that sort of thing. also, the eddies behind major structures are good "food collectors" in the current.

Also look for current seams, they can be glaringly apparent or nothing more than a ripple that doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Another thing; Bigger structure doesn't necessarily mean bigger fish - I've seen some pretty big cats hiding behind not much more than a stick.

as for boating on the river- if you've never done it before, I would strongly recommend riding with someone who has the moving water experience, and learning from what they do, what they look for and so forth. It's all to easy to find yourself up that certain creek without a paddle so to speak, breaking the motor, punching a hole in the hull, falling out of the boat, etc.

for cats- channels tend to favor cutbait, chicken livers, and of course a gob of crawlers. crawlers work great for roughies in general, carp, drum, and suckers/redhorse, that sort of thing.

live sucker minnows work for flathead cats, as well as gar, walleye, other predator fish. bullhead up to 7 inch are legal, and effective bait as well.

bottom rigging and bobber rigging the above baits will work for putting your bait in front of the fish, it all just depends on the structure and current to tell you what is right for that specific situation.

I'll have to defer to others for tips and techniques involving plastics and so forth.

Finally, what I did when I first started, was spend my time reading as many threads as I could on the various river forums, there are posts going back to 1999. In these you will be able to add to your knowlege more than you thought possible.

Also, I can recommend several resources I've found- email me for those at gpbakken at gmail dawt com (anyone who wants can ask me for them, I don't believe that posting the URL's would be allowed)

It's only a matter of time before others weigh in, but I hope this is enough to get you started.

Good Luck!

[hanson]

There is A LOT of water between Jordan & Henderson. Its all good too!

One of the main things to understand about the river is it is dynamic. Through the course of the summer, the river levels rise and they fall, the current speed picks up and it slows down. Because of this, spots change. The better fishing spots in June are not the better fishing spots in September. The river also changes from year to year as well. Cutbanks slide into the river, holes fill in, snagpiles move, snagpiles disappear. Thats what makes the river fun, its always a "new" body of water every time out.

As far as river navigation is concerned... take your time. At times in the summer, there are plenty of areas that are 1 to 1 1/2' deep. There is also a lot of wood hiding just under the surface of the water. Once you get out and "feel your way" around, you'll start to know your limits.

Its also a good idea to always head upstream from where you launched. If something happens, you can always float back down.

[Christopher Quast]

:)Hey thanks guys I just wished I would have had a chance to read your replies before the bug bit me and I had to go try my boat out yesterday down by Belle Plaine and everything was definately interesting to say the least [PoorWordUsage] floating everywhere and even snagged a couple of gar which was mine and my cuz's first ones ever which was kinda cool to us and there was ducks everywhere I really enjoyed it we were able to only go out for a couple hours today.

We landed at Belle Plaine and went upstream a couple of miles hey at least I was smart enough to think of that part LOL! and when we were coming back down I had her wide open and we were cruisin nice going by a sand bar and all of a sudden WHAMMO!!! The motor kicked up completely out of the water and scared the heebie jeebies out of both of us but thank God I didnt wreck anything.

Are there well known bad areas to watch out for say from Chaska to Henderson if so what might they be and there approximate location Where is a good place to catch the white bass and where would you say the best fishing is in that stretch of river I just named above more than likely we would be landing in Belle Plaine or whereever for that matter what kind of structure do you seek for walleyes in a big river system and what techniques seem to work the best for them?????

[DTro]

I don't think one stretch is better than the other. Typically the further downstream you go, the better water for running a boat is.

Your very lucky about hitting that log. Part of running the river is knowing where the snags are, or would likely end up. For the most part, it's best to take the turns wide, and stay in the middle on any straight stretch. However, there are a lot of trees that have been in the same spot for a long time and some times the water is just high enough so that you never know they are there, until you cruise right over them.

Speaking of Belle Plaine, just upstream from the launch is an old bridge piling, that has claimed many of props/lower units.

The best advice is to not "go wide open" until your comfortable with your path.

Take it slow and live to fish another day.

[hanson]

 Originally Posted By: dtro

Speaking of Belle Plaine, just upstream from the launch is an old bridge piling, that has claimed many of props/lower units.

1st Bend up from the launch, its right in the middle of the river channel and just under the surface of the water. High water... you'll never know its there, low water, she peaks out about 1-2' above the water line. Right now... hard to say... gotta be a couple feet under at least.

[Christopher Quast]

Really that is something that could be very useful to know in the future so it is in the middle of the first bend upstream correct??? so which side do you guys favor to avoid problems in this area and in general when boating the river What makes it better boating the further you down is it primarly water depth or what would you say Hey as long as I'm on this subject how deep is the river in most areas or in the main channel??? Don't suppose you'd let me in on where to go as far as general area goes to catch my first whitey Not looking for your hotspots or anything just some areas to check out so on and so forth. Thanks for all the info thus far. Chris

[DTro]

The pilings are just before you get to the first bend.

Once you get down to Savage, the river is dredged for barge traffic and is usually at least 13ft in the main channel.

When running the river, always pay attention to ANY disturbance of water on the surface. This is a good indication of some sort of hidden obstruction. When the water is low, only the shallowest of boats (jon boats, jet boats, duck boats) will be able to travel in the upper sections of the river.

The white bass are plentiful in the entire river system. Concentrate on areas that hold warmer water. Creeks, backwater areas, warm water discharges, etc.

[sparcebag]

 Originally Posted By: GOLDTIP

Really that is something that could be very useful to know in the future so it is in the middle of the first bend upstream correct??? so which side do you guys favor to avoid problems in this area and in general when boating the river What makes it better boating the further you down is it primarly water depth or what would you say Hey as long as I'm on this subject how deep is the river in most areas or in the main channel??? Don't suppose you'd let me in on where to go as far as general area goes to catch my first whitey Not looking for your hotspots or anything just some areas to check out so on and so forth. Thanks for all the info thus far. Chris

For whiteBass try the eddies,as far as navigation on a river you really need to run it at low water,and see opstacles for yourself guessing from advice is just chance believe me,I took a channel once I was advised to,almost lost everything.