St. Croix River Fishing Reports

[JBMasterAngler]

I pretty much only use jigging spoons and minnow heads. But that's not just limited to the croix. That's my main cup of tea everywhere I fish.

[WalleyeBIZ]

One jigging spoon, and one dead stick witha plain red hook and split shot up about 2 18' to 2 feet!!!

[Icefishfun]

Caught nothing and used a lot of jig/baits/lures

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Caught nothing and used a lot of jig/baits/lures

Yep, lot of lookers.

I was out from 6am until 1:30pm. Just caught 1 large White Bass.

No other takers and I fished 4 vastly different areas!

[WalleyeChaser]

It seems once the vehicle traffic starts out there the fish get very finicky! And the bite seems almost non existent! For those of you lucky enough to get out during the week do you have better results?

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

It seems once the vehicle traffic starts out there the fish get very finicky! And the bite seems almost non existent! For those of you lucky enough to get out during the week do you have better results?

Weekday or weekend didn't matter. I really didn't have any traffic by me at all on any day this season.

Some days they bite & I get several, some days the come up to it and swim away.

[DonBo]

Some days they bite & I get several, some days the come up to it and swim away.

That's St. Croix River fishing in a nutshell.

[RiverChuckNorris]

Had my best trip of the year so far yesterday even though we were only out from 2-4:15. Caught around 15 and missed several more. All crappie. Was on the edge of a drop fishing 34-38 fow. All on full minnows or minnow heads. Conservation officer even stopped by on her sled to check us. Cleaned up 9 of them and had first fish fry of the year with the family

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Did good Saturday & got a monster 17 1/2" White Bass.

Mannnnnnn... was ShantyTown packed. I wasn't in there, no way. Was wondering if the ice was gonna give way there!

[Icefishfun]

That's only 1 inch off of the state record! NICE JOB!!!

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

That's only 1 inch off of the state record! NICE JOB!!!

Yep. My Wife LOVES White Bass, so she was happy.

Last Winter I got one 20 1/2" long, broke the State Record by 2", but did not think to check until after it was processed.

THE STORY: This one got off as the jig (a Silver Rapala w/ a Minnow Head) hit the bottom of the ice & it was laying there stunned because I brought it up fast, so I had to reach WAY down with my arm, give it a "Death Grip" & pulled it up into the Fish House! Arm & Fleese was soaked! HA!!

Here's a pic of the biggin'. May not look big as I had to pull way back to get the whole fish in the pic...

[pengx90]

How deep n which side are you guys fishing these whitebass? Been trying to get some this year but no luck.. Any info will help.. Thanks

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

How deep n which side are you guys fishing these whitebass? Been trying to get some this year but no luck.. Any info will help.. Thanks

Hi & welcome!

I'm not an expert, but either side is ok, or towards the middle, believe it or not.

Stay in the (low, generally safe) current, 34-38' of water.

They like flashy jigs & movement, but not necessary. Switch it up, if whole minnows don't work, cut most of the body off & use the head.

Hope that little bit helps.

FFaL

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Got out for part of the day, caught 14 Crappies & 2 White Bass + 1 Walleye. Loooong ways from anyone.

Kept just several Crappies for the family dinner table tonight.

[citycountryboy]

its been a week since i was on the croix. typically we had luck from sunrise until about 11am. lately we had better luck from 11-1. tungsten jig white or neon green with small crappie minnow

[old timer]

Nice. How deep was the water?

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Nice. How deep was the water?

I was in 38'.

Wanted to try some new spots, but what's that old saying?? "Never Leave Biting Fish."

[magic_minnow]

hows the snow cover like? Can i get around in a smaller vehicle? Thanks!

[budboy]

yes you can

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Was out ALL day yesterday scouting/trying brand-new-to-me spots for the fun of it.

Ended up doing fair w/Crappies & White Bass. Mostly C&R.

[rough_rider]

Is it the usual hours of activity: day time as opposed to night bites? I find lakes have much better night bites than the Croix, maybe the large predators keep the crappies to a different routine.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Is it the usual hours of activity: day time as opposed to night bites? I find lakes have much better night bites than the Croix, maybe the large predators keep the crappies to a different routine.

Daytime, after dawn & before dusk for sure. With a spurt around 11am-1pm.

[magic_minnow]

Lots of people out, but found a spot all to myself. 33fow on the sconnie side, lots of lookers and few takers. 1 small crappie, 1 small WB and 1 small mooneye. All hit on plain hook. fished 7am-noon. The slush kinda sucked, think itll freeze with this cold snap?

[citycountryboy]

whats with the slush? i haven't experienced any

[magic_minnow]

maybe it was just the spot I was on....figures with my luck :P

[budboy]

Heading out tom morning any hints on what depth to start at?

[RiverChuckNorris]

I generally shoot for 34-38 fow. That being said, the crappies seem to roam general areas rather than relate to a specific depth/piece of structure (like walleyes), so don't be afraid to move around and try different locations/depths.

[citycountryboy]

was out today. 930-1. anticipating the late bite that has been going on from about 11-1. caught fish right away and slowed about 11:30. seems the earlier bite is back, especially when clear and sunny as was the case today. caught 15 crappies, 1 silver bass. 35 FOW. I'll be back out tomorrow but earlier

[citycountryboy]

early bite was the case again today. got set up about 815 and caught fish right away. caught 15 crappies again and one silver bass. 3 small(returned) kept 12. smallest 10 inches. biggest 13.5 inches. slowed up by 11. clear and sunny again. see ya again tomorrow, bright and early

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Please remember that you cannot have any more that 1 possession limit (25 from the Croix) at any given time, including what you have at home.