St. Croix River Fishing Reports

[high five]

5/25 trolling bite. The bite for suspended walleyes appears to coming into full swing. Took the wife out today to try some new spots but do to the wind we found ourselves back at an old tried but true spot. Although 2 colors of lead and a 30 foot leader of flourocarbon took the bigger fish, a #5 glass shadrap trolled 75 to 85 feet behind a planerboard was responsible for the majority of the boated fish. We were fishing a flat the ranged from 14 to 18 feet deep. Natural colors were a decided favorite. Best speeds ranged from 2.21 to 2.6 mph with most of the fish hitting towards the faster speeds. Tight lines.

[luv2gofishn]

Got out yesterday afternoon/evening. Got a mixed bag of a few eyes, saugers, a white bass and a 22" Sheepie. Most of the eyes were around 14" and the biggest sauger was 16". I was rigging with whole crawlers ( I use half a lot, but more so in the summer) and they were inhaling them! No subtle bites at all. I was mostly in around 19-23 fow. I also tried pulling some cranks. I got a lot of strikes, but no hook ups. There was minimal boat traffic and the weather could not have been better! Life is good!

[hitthebricks]

Was out yesterday morn. with my five year old grandaughter, she caught a few small eyes, many sheephead, and a few small cats and We had a Blast, cause when I'm with her I know It's all about her and it should be. What a great day :-).

HTB

[Loon18]

fished this morning from 6-9:30 AM 2- 14inch eyes, 1-6inch eye, 1-13inch sauger, 1-14inch sauger. trolled the afton shore with crankbaits. Not great but a beautiful morning.

[Turk]

May 31, 2009 St. Croix walleye fishing is improved from the previous week as stable summer like weather arrived. Walleyes have been caught from 6 to 21 feet of water on split shot rigs, livebait slip sinker rigs, three ways with or without spinners, and trolling cranks. Best bait depends on whom you talk to, however recently crawlers and leeches have been best for my boat. Others have had success on fatheads or shiners. Livebait slip sinker weights from 1/8 to 3/8 are proper for the depths listed above. Rapalas are the ticket (shad raps, minnow raps, and shad rap RS, also jointed Raps have been reported hot, with the clear water you would think natural colored crankbaits should be best, but firetiger has been a great color so has shad (go figure?).

Smallmouth continue to bite well and caught on same presentations as last week.

Top lures are Gitzit tubes on jig heads (1/8 to ¼ ounce), Rapala DT10s, flukes (jerkbaits), spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits. It is no secret smallmouth like rock; however early in the season they are also on sand points. (Please release all smallies, they are very slow growing, white bass, walleye, catfish, northern pike, and sauger all eat better).

Freshwater drum and white bass are also hitting. Channel cats are not starting to bite yet, in my boat hasn’t seen one yet. Sounds like the big flatheads are on the chew…

The St. Croix River is very low and is 675.55 the river is also as clear as I have seen it, with minimal debris. On a side note and friend of mine reported sight fishing for smallmouth, in the river that is a rare event.

Keep Catchin! and enjoy.

[lordnikon19]

I am going to be fishing the st. croix for the first time this week and was wondering where i should fish for pike and smallys? I was gonna launch down by hudson or if theres anyone that would want to go fishing I would love to come learn how to fish the st. croix. I usually fish lakes and about the only river i fish is the rainy river in the slot season in april

Thanks

Joe R

[Sandmannd]

Was on the river this morning. Started out pretty brutal. We boated one 14" eye in the first three hours!! We rigged, jigged and did it some more. About two hours in we started handlining with cranks. We went from Pool three in Prescott all the way up to the Bluffs and didn't even mark any fish. Got a call from River Dan and he told me where he found them yeaterday. We went over those spots for a while and couldn't mark one fish. I've been on the river a long time and I've never had where I couldn't even mark fish.

We went up to one of my tried and true spots and I marked a few. We started riggin' there and low and behold we ended the day with six eyes in the boat (only one keeper though), Five Smallies and two rock bass. Turned out to be a decent day of fishing, but man it took a while to find them and many, many spots that normally produce that didn't to day.

Key thing today was to move a lot until we could mark some. If they didn't bite within 15 minutes, move on. Leeches on red hooked lindy's were the ticket today. Couldn't buy a bite on minnows or any color hook but the red.

[Dale Rueber]

Sandman, my experiences lately on the river have been exactly what you just described. Spots that produced fairly consitently last year have been producing zero fish. I would expect to at least catch a few small sauger in these areas but nothing?

I was out last Tuesday and yesterday from Noon to 7:00PM. Both days I jumped from spot to spot and did not get on any Walleye/Sauger until around 5:00PM on both days. I'm not sure if that was just the time that the bite picked up or if I just found the right spot around the same time of day. Both days I was on very different spots when the bite picked up so I'm leaning toward the time of day being the primary factor. Most fish were caught on handline on Tuesday and on Sunday it was all about live bait. Hooked up with a nice 8 lb catfish on Sunday and was very pleased by how my new Limit Creek Smoothie handled a larger fish. I have been working live bait a lot more this year on the Croix and have been having a blast. One thing that I have learned since running live bait more is; Sheepies like minnows, Sheepies like leaches, and Sheepies really, really like crawlers.

[redLUNDrebel]

Last Week Report by redLundrebel:

6/6 from 5-8 pm - caught 1 19" walleye north of 94 bridge. Caught ots of smallies south 94 bridge Mn side. Lindyrigs with fatheads.

6/7 from 5am to 1030am, fish with loos15. We caught a total of 6 saugers. Loose15 caught 4 i think combination of jigs and rigs by Prescott area using fatheads.. Was slow and rainy..

6/8 from 330pm to 615pm caught six saugers by prescott area with rigs using fatheads.

Thats it folks.. If you see me on the river stop by and say, "Hi"

Have a good day..

[fishwater]

  FunFish said:

One thing that I have learned since running live bait more is; Sheepies like minnows, Sheepies like leaches, and Sheepies really, really like crawlers.

I've been finding that sheepies like crankbaits too.

[Sandmannd]

I don't think theirs anything that sheepies don't like. Though yesterday we caught zero for the first time in a long time.

[Turk]

June 8, 2009 St. Croix walleye fishing is good with action in 8 to 17 feet of water. Livebait presentations either light line with light weights or power trolling spinners has been productive. Power trolling is a method of fast trolling spinners on heavier weights (like a three way or bottom bouncer). Leeches, crawlers, and minnows are catching fish. Trolling cranks in the same above listed depths are also productive. Walleye continue to be taken on Rapala shad raps. This bite continues much as last weeks bite. The one difference is larger walleye have been biting at a better rate and 22 to 26 inch walleye are being caught at a higher rate than normal. Many of the sub legal walleye that were caught during the opener of early may are now just over the 15 inch legal mark. The river is extremely clear and water levels low, the recent rain the lower St. Croix has received will likely not darken the water much, as the rain was a soaking rain.

Smallmouth bass are still found in the same rocky shorelines. Top presentations are Gitzit tubes on jig heads (1/8 to ¼ ounce), Rapala DT10s, flukes (jerkbaits), spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits.

Channel cats are now being found in my landing nets and these tough fighting fish are always a good scrap. We accidentally take them on walleye presentations from livebait to trolling Rapalas. Freshwater drum are still active and white bass action is a liitle slow.

Have fun fishing!~!

[SteveD]

We picked up 3 channel cats (one was 29 1/2 inches and really fat) and a 30" northern on cut sucker monday night between 8:00 and 10:00pm. Water temp was 59 degrees, down almost 10 degrees from about a week ago but it hasn't hurt the cat bite. Beautiful night on the water and hardly any boat traffic - the evening temp was cool and some fog was just starting when we ran in at 10:30. Warmer weather in the forecast should keep the channel cat bite going.

[redLUNDrebel]

fish from the bluff all the way to prescott from 8-1130AM today, and all i caught was one cigar size sauger..

[Brad0383]

  redLUNDrebel said:

fish from the bluff all the way to prescott from 8-1130AM today, and all i caught was one cigar size sauger..

Glad I am not the only one with luck like that recently.

[Stratosman]

I made it out yesterday from about 3-9, caught about 20 eyes and a few saugers, put 3 in the box, the rest were all between 14-15"... again with all the shorties. A good time again!

Oh yeah, if the 2 guys who got a talkin to yesterday about cutting me off while I was bass fishing reads this, I apologize, but I would think that while you idled by me 20 feet away you would have noticed that I was pitching tubes to the bank and would have at least went about 200 yards past me, not 20, before you dropped your trolling motor and did the same....so, again I'm sorry I let you know my dislike for that move, but I couldn't let that one go....

[luv2gofishn]

  Brad0383 said:

Originally Posted By: redLUNDrebel

fish from the bluff all the way to prescott from 8-1130AM today, and all i caught was one cigar size sauger..

Glad I am not the only one with luck like that recently.

Ditto.....

[Sandmannd]

  Brad0383 said:

Originally Posted By: redLUNDrebel

fish from the bluff all the way to prescott from 8-1130AM today, and all i caught was one cigar size sauger..

Glad I am not the only one with luck like that recently.

Did that on Sunday and almost gave up but just couldn't. We hit a couple of more spots and found them. Lots of shorts but still got some fish. Just have to keep hitting it, they're still there.

[luv2gofishn]

Got out yesterday and ran hot & cold. I got quite a few eyes, but the majority were just under 15". I was able to at least get one nice one for the box. I started out trolling leadcore with a firetiger shadrap and got two right out of the gate. Then it died down and I switched to rigging leeches. The bite really picked up at dusk.

[fishwater]

  luv2gofishn said:

The bite really picked up at dusk.

+1 to that. I was out yesterday afternoon as well. Went through a pile of bait from 8pm-9pm.

[Scoop]

Actually, we were looking at the sunken hump you were on with the GPS and were curious. We just wanted to get a closer look and pitch it for a few minutes on our way to the Prescott beach area that we finished our day on. You seemed to be working a specific spot on that hump. If we had noticed you moving along, we certainly would not try to front you. Sorry for leaving you frustrated.

[Stratosman]

Oh, I wasn't frustrated... ....Thanks for letting me know you didn't intentionally cut me off, you really had me wondering though! It's happened before to me out there and sometimes the lack of etiquette floors me.

So thanks again and welcome to FM...See ya on the River

[MuntzAngling]

I made it to the upper Croix this past weekend. We floated 29 miles from Thayers landing (Danbury) down to Highway 70 landing in a jon boat. I would not recommend boating the stretch from Nelsons landing down to where the Kettle fully comes in. Lots of 4-8" water with rubble and bedrock. Impossible to avoid snags so the jon boat got some dings. Not very fishable through there unless you have a fly rod.

Fishing was slow. Catch included 2 12" walleyes, 3 smallies, 1 small redhorse, 1 rock bass, and a 32" muskie. Campsites are becoming more scarce when you need them. Also managed to get 25 river miles out of a brand new trolling motor battery before it was dead. Saw one lucky guy with his dog and wife, she was flyfishing in a bikini. I may now have a talk with my misses.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Two of us went to the croix Saturday & fished from 5:30am to 12 from I-94 bridge to Kinnickinnic.

Threw minnows, leeches & crawlers on jigs & lindy rigs with a red hook.

No walleyes & did not see any walleyes caught. Again. The last 2 years have been lean on the croix...

[redLUNDrebel]

took my 12 year old boy and my 12 year old nephew sunday by prescott. tried fishing for walleye/sauger the first 1 hour without success, so i decided to fish for small mouth and sheep head. i had to bend their fishing rod somehow. We had mixed bag, caught tons of small mouth, couple perch, but the high light of the event was my nephew caught a 20 inch walleye and my son caught a nice size catfish..

[goblueM]

fished by the Kinnie tues night, nobody had been reporting much action. Few muskie guys out but people took off when the rain started - had the river to ourselves.

Lots of small bass, one nice largemouth and the fattest 36 inch pike i'd ever seen. Good fun!

[Turk]

I just got back into town...how's the walleye bite?

Turk

[Jeremy airjer W]

Last night the walleyes bit for about an hour. Had 8 or 9 all under 15 inches. This morning I had four with one just under 19 inches. Caught that one trolling a Rapala in 20 ft of water with the rapala down about 6 to 8 feet (have to give credit to Greg for that tip!) I'm definitely experimenting with shallow trolling a little more!!

[Sandmannd]

Went out on Saturday. Only boated one eye but we got into cats and a lot of smallies. Had a 12 year old and his Dad with and they had a good time. Had some missed bites in known walleye spots that the hooke didn't get set so not sure what they were. Also saw 4 big clams get pulled into my boat!!

[Turk]

  Sandmannd said:

Also saw 4 big clams get pulled into my boat!!

Thanks for the update-sounds like shorties are going with some keepers mixed in...

The worst thing about clams is the knuckle/sway in the water and bounce the rod, I have caught a few of them thinking and saying out loud I've got one...ha!

TG