St. Croix River Fishing Reports

[DonBo]

Shore Lunch makes a breading for baking. It's pretty good, we use it often as a change of pace.

[Bass Whacker]

caught acouple nice eyes last night off the dock and I got this bonus and a first ever for me it went 38.5" what a blast.

[luv2gofishn]

Nice fish! I got out with a buddy yesterday afternoon-evening. It was pretty slow for the most part. We started getting a lot of bites at dusk, but couldn't land anything. It seemed that they would bite and spit out the bait immediately as we fed line out. The bites were very light also, so I'm guessing they were eyes (at least it makes me feel better to believe that we were on some eyes!) We were rigging with crawlers and leeches and did quite a bit of trolling. We ended up with a bunch of sheepies, one short eye and a perch that I caught while trolling. There were very few pleasure boaters out, so that made it an extra nice day. I'm planning on taking my 6 year old daughter out later this afternoon, launching from the Bluffs.

[River Dan]

Was out last night and found active eyes/sauger mix, also was nice to see you out there handlining Dale (funfish) went out this morning and found those same active fish and made quick work of a limit was off the river by 9 good times

[WalleyeChaser]

Good to hear theres still fish out there Dan, it sounds like you have that handlining mastered. I was out with my dad this morning 3 waying. Caught a couple shorts and an occasional crappie working a few points and breaks in the bluffs area around 25ft. Kinda disappointed after hearing Dan was having a lot of luck down there on the southeren section of the river. I'll just keeping pluggin away eventually i'll get them to jump into the boat like he does!! I've got a lot of practicing to do with this new method of trolling to me. It would be nice to catch a keeper to give me some confidence though.

I'll be out again in the morning!! Good luck!

[River Dan]

Tomorrow may be a different story, was thinking of doing some lindy riggen after I'm done handlining, plan to be out most of the day scouting around somewhere between here and there (prescott to kinni) see you on the water!

[Dale Rueber]

Good seeing you out there Dan. The fishing was good around Prescott. Started at 6:30PM Friday and had boated 8 sauger and 2 Walleye by 7:30 and only picked up 3 more after 7:30. The bite for me dropped off dead after 8 but Dan was still catching. Caught fish in 17' to 27' on handline/rapalas plus a couple running snap weights. Going out now to try a little lindy rigging.

I hope that the boat traffic is not as bad out there as it was last weekend. Good luck and stay safe.

[River Dan]

River can humble a person easily, thought I'd easy put together a limit of eyes today but it wasn't anything like yesterday, caught alot of small ones,covered alot of water but just couldn't seem to put decent ones in the box, did go lindy riggen for awhile but couldn't keep the smallies off the line so gave that up and put on some articial bait and went after some crappies at least they were bitting, finished picking up a couple shorts handlining, be back on the water tuesday evening

[HookEmHard84]

Went out yesterday (Sunday)AM. Wallys were slow for me too. Luckily the whiteys stepped up and gave us some decent action.

[Dale Rueber]

Fished Sunday evening by Prescott and hooked up with 2 Walleyes 24" and 24.5" at the same time on the handline. I was positive I had hooked up with a big cat because I have never had anything pull so had on the handline. Both fish were very healthy looking released as fast as possible, go get'em. Also picked up 3 Saugers and a 16" Walleye. There was also a lot of stripers and I had multiple doubles. Stripers are a lot of fun especially when you get a double. Fishwater you left too early, I picked up most of the stripers and the 2 big Walleyes about 15 minutes after I talked with you.

[River Dan]

Good job and nice report!

[fishwater]

you left too early, I picked up most of the stripers and the 2 big Walleyes about 15 minutes after I talked with you.

Dale, that stings! I was marking lots of fish, just pulling the wrong bait! It's hard paying $10 a dozen for minnows and turn around and not use them.. We ended up rigging the mouth of the Kinni for a bit just to put about anything in the boat. My buddy caught a couple mooneye and a pile of sheepshead.

[tsewdim]

Fished near the Kinni this afternoon and there are shad everywhere. Caught smallmouth on topwater all day. It was awesome.

[budboy]

Riverdan i have never fished crappies on the criox what do you target this time of year? I'm not asking for spots just a little help.

[Stratosman]

Target wood, submerged wood in deeper water is best. All my spots I have found while fishing smallmouth, when I come over a sunken tree, I mark the spot on the GPS. They are not always visible either, but they are on the graph. Other than that sometimes they are off points, breaks flats....anywhere that there is baitfish. Takes some time to dial them in but once you find them, they tend to be there seasonally.

Good luck!

[jigginjim]

I have used fathead minnows, smaller ones during the summer, I fish them either on a jig or rigging.

Has anyone tried using red tails yet? I have a few but could be to big, their 5" long, but also able to get 3" chubs.

[River Dan]

Went out this evening for a couple hours and had a great time handlining, put some quality tails in the box along with a nice slab, had plenty of action, lot of shorts and stripers even a couple sheeps and I did however watch funfish try to swing a 18"eye in the boat, sorry dude but you were going to toss him back anyway, nice to see you out there Dale

[Henry999]

River Dan,

Any advice on locating the whites down there by Prescott? Usually fish north of 94 bridge only. Thanks.

[Dale Rueber]

Actually that is the latest catch and release methods, See-And-Release. I've als been working new catch and release method where you don't even get the see the fish before you release it. The new release method is coming along very nicely. I think it should be given a name, maybe Catch-Release-And Pretend (C-R-A-P).

It was a catch and release night so I didn't worry about trying to get the net. I wish that the 4 catfish I caught would have gotten off as easy. Cats are nasty to unhook when they get both treble hooks sunk in. I busted one hook and trashed one Rapala getting the cats off.

Ended up getting 6 Walleye, 2 Sauger, 4 cats, 7? Stripers, and a couple of sheepies.

[River Dan]

Good times, really like that release method, You may of had problems taking off catfish but I got a 20" sauger last night that would of been released except it completly inhailed a #7 rapala couldn't believe it!

[Turk]

Riverdan i have never fished crappies on the criox what do you target this time of year? I'm not asking for spots just a little help.

check the recent "slabs post"...

[Go Gators]

River and Fun,

I think I drove by you two on my way in last night. I hit a number of points North of you guys and boy the cats were on fire. when I tried real hard to keep the cats off the line the sheep would bite. Marked lots of fish and lots of bait but other than the cats and sheepies nothing wanted anything to do with me. I went through the area you guys were fishing earlier in the evening, marked bait and fish but decided to try someplace else. The methods that didn't work for me were lindying crawlers and pulling cranks on 3-ways all in 20 - 40 FOW. I started out with the cranks at about 2.5 mph and slowed it down from there. Tried red, green, orange and gold hooks on the lindys and tried puffing the crawler with air as well as not. As for the cranks I tried every stick bait in the box and even a couple smaller shad style baits. I was a busy boy for the 3 hours I was out there to no avail. They are there and I will develope a trend. At this pace I should go through the entire tackle box in about 2 weeks. Something will work, it always does, and that my friends is what makes fishing so fun.

[River Dan]

Went out this evening tried some lindy riggen first, picked up one short eye and a couple cats, then went handlining and didn't take long to start putting eyes in the boat, boxed some quality ones again tonight, hot color blue and silver #7 be out tomorrow and all weekend as usual

[Lundcranking]

Went out this evening tried some lindy riggen first, picked up one short eye and a couple cats, then went handlining and didn't take long to start putting eyes in the boat, boxed some quality ones again tonight, hot color blue and silver #7 be out tomorrow and all weekend as usual

River Dan would you care to share the depths that seemed to be working the best handlining?

[River Dan]

The depth I'm finding fish handlining at depends on the area but the avg depth is around 24' trolling about 1.4 up river and 2.0 down

[Lundcranking]

The depth I'm finding fish handlining at depends on the area but the avg depth is around 24' trolling about 1.4 up river and 2.0 down

River Dan,

Thanks for the depth info! I have been having great luck pulling cranks with lead core in 25 - 35 feet all summer during the middle of the day until three weeks ago when it seemed like the lights went out! I have been able to boat fish but not nearly the numbers from late May to early August. I think I might try a little shallower water! On Wednesday of this week we did have good luck in 11 - 14 feet but that was during the early morning at low light.

I will try my luck again this weekend!

[Turk]

My Clients Joe and Barb White put six walleye and sauger in the box yesterday casting jigs with livebait. We worked 18 to 24 feet and 13 to 15 feet of water. The actual bite wasn't strong, just a little more weight on the jig and set then SET THE HOOK!! We also caught short walleye, small sauger, sunfish, strong cats, sheeps, and whitebass on cast jigs. Basically lots of casting and hook setting, hard to bet that kind of fishing in my book.

I highly doubt these fish would have hit a lindy rig. You had to take these fish on the cast, and a that point in time for me they did not want cranks. From my reports you all know, I crankbait, and Rapalas serve me incredibly well, but casting jigs yesterday was our ticket!

Keep Catchin'

Turk

[River Dan]

This labor day weekend turning out to be one of the best walleye producing in a long while, yesterday caught lots of eyes many of them short but still managed to put 9 decent ones in the boat for the day, today put alot of shorts in the boat early handlining then switch over to a jig and minnow and the action was hot for about two hours and result was 4 nice ones in the box,can't wait to get back down there in the morning

[Jordyn Kaufer]

What is "handeling"?

[River Dan]

For handlining check the thread, today was fun the crappies were on fire to the point how many would I like to clean came up, unreal slabs gone wild