River in Sartell

[bassNspear]

Hows the bass fishing up there in the fall. I heard the small mouth is a hit up there, but i have never fished it before.

Thanks all!

[Rick G]

Below the dam is great for smallies. Above the dam is good for smallies and there are a few largmouth that have migrated out of little rock over the years. Lots of intresting structure and a good part of the river to run the boat on.

[bassNspear]

is there alot of backwater that people fish, or are they always fishing up by the dam?

[Stick in Mud]

The majority of people I know fish areas with plenty of current because it's easier to find fish. I do know some guys who flip and pitch into the weedbeds and/or fallen trees above the dam, though. For what it's worth, I have a second cousin who fishes tournaments up there, and he says that a large majority of the guys make a longer run to find places with significant current...I don't know if that's true because I've never fished a tourney (couldn't get very far in my canoe!) but that's what he says.

Either way, use BIG lures in the fall and you'll catch them wherever you go. Huge sucker minnows work wondefully well, as do big swimbaits, big crankbaits, and big topwater. Just be ready to catch a muskie or two...if you don't get one eating your lure, he'll probably try to eat the bass on the end of your line.

[catfreak]

Big suckers in the fall are definitely second to none. If you are in the right spot with suckers at the right time you will get hit within a few seconds on every cast. I caught a smallie last year that flicked my sucker loose after I hooked up, then proceeded to spit up 3 more suckers on the way in.

[DHanson]

Tell me a stretch of the Mississippi that is not good for smallies? They are every where! Funny that you have heard specifically Sartell when they are literally stacked throughout the whole river. Brainerd, Little Falls, Royalton, Rice, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud, Clearwater, Monticello, etc. etc.

[Rick G]

Above the sartell dam is one of the better places to get a bigger boat in the river as is above the royalton dam and a bout a mile and a half strech above the st cloud dam. Otherwise the rest of the river around here is pretty rocky and shallow and can be tough going if you dont know where the channel is.

[bassNspear]

thats what im worried about is getting into a area that i cant move a bass boat around. I know there is going to be big fish everywhere, but its a matter of where i can go with a bass boat!

[bschmitty83]

I'm with ya Bass N Spear. I would love to try the river too, but I just don't know it well enough to risk taking a bigger boat out there. I live in Monticello and it's a no go for bigger boats on that stretch.

My question would be is the river depth above the Sartell dam sufficient throughout the summer or just early on when it's typically higher?

Thanks for the info.

[crappie carpet]

B n S---I live in Albertville, and just started fiching that stretch above the dam last spring/summer. Plenty deep, I have a 17 ft tracker. Out from the launch there is a clearly marked area to stay away from, but once you hang a right and head down/up? river, you can go wide open...I think I found a 40ft spot last year. It is a great spot to fish. Smallies, largies, walleye, crappie, sunnies, cats. Super fun...not much current either...last spring I could just drift...turned out to be about 1 mph, and I just dragged spinners, with worms or crappie minnows and caught all of the above.

[bassNspear]

thanks for the information!

[Rick G]

Lots of good fish in that section of river. Just take it slow the first time and watch your depthfinder. The old channel is pretty easy to follow and plenty deep. Some great mid summer walleye and smallie fishing when most of the lakes are in the dog days.

[Stick in Mud]

I think it is possible to take a boat north of the Sartell Dam and make it pretty far...well past where the Platte comes in, anyways. Just tilt the motor up and go SLOW. After you go up once, you should be able to spot the deeper parts and make it up with fewer problems. I've had our walleye boat (a deep-V) up there very far in the summer; I just need to be very patient and go slow.

[Rick G]

When you get north of gordons bridge it gets a bit more dificult to navigate because of large boulders and a few submerged deadheads but it can be done. A lot less recreational traffic north of the bridge for the same reason.

[bassNspear]

great information guys!

Helps me out alot!

[eyehead]

Use caution on the river. Fished it last year for the first time and just about ripped the lower unit off. I was looking at my depth finder when it said 12ft and before I could even trim up it was maybe 8" What a fun place to fish though... Caught tons of smallies. Find some current and you'll find the fish.

[bassNspear]

thanks. I believe it all has to do with the current, and i think if you can find that current that is there most of the time, you are going to get on some great fish!

Whats a good river bait up there, Jigs?

[Rick G]

Yep jigs work great as do crankbaits and buzz baits and big in line spinners like mepps. The color of the water and how much current im in has a lot to do with what I throw and the colors I choose.

[Stick in Mud]

In the fall, everything works...but the bigger is usually the better. Big swimbaits and jerkbaits (both hard and soft) work wonders, as do big cranks and topwaters. I usually don't use jigs much in the fall because the fish are aggressive enough to hit other, more exciting lures that can be fished a lot faster.

[Brian H]

Use caution on the river. Fished it last year for the first time and just about ripped the lower unit off. I was looking at my depth finder when it said 12ft and before I could even trim up it was maybe 8" What a fun place to fish though... Caught tons of smallies. Find some current and you'll find the fish.

If you have a locator mounted to your bow mount trolling motor use that one. It tells you the bottom is coming up fast, gives you time to react before the bottom hits the skeg.

[eyehead]

If you have a locator mounted to your bow mount trolling motor use that one. It tells you the bottom is coming up fast, gives you time to react before the bottom hits the skeg.

[bassNspear]

great advice yall!

Are most of the smallies in the main river or on backwaters?

[Stick in Mud]

I think they much prefer the current to the backwaters, but I could be wrong. I've never spent much time out of the current because the fish always seem to be there.

[bassNspear]

cool. Thanks for that information!

[whitetail_freak]

basically for smallies what i do is put the boat in above sartell dam, fish up one side and back down the other depending on how much time you have.. pretty simple

[cloud eye]

? When you guys talk about fishing north of Sartell dam. Are you reffering to right above the dam. If so any tips on how to avoid going over the dam. It seems kinda scary to get close to it. I have seen some guys do it though.

[bassNspear]

good point. Im sure there is a cable or something like there is on Horseshoe to you dont go over the cable?

[whitetail_freak]

i wouldnt go by the dam if they have the big gates open at all, that makes me nervous. otherwise you'll be fine.

[nater]

If you launch on 55 on the east, there usually isn't that much current. I don't fish it often, but looking to more this summer. I've done good for smallies along shore and walleyes out on bars in the past. This year I'll be looking for muskies though.

[bassNspear]

nice, thanks for the reports everyone!