Sartell Area-Mississippi River Fishing Report

[bassNspear]

Hows the bass fishing in the fall. I hear it can be pretty good for smallies up by the dam. My concurn is that i have never fished it before, and wondering about some of the areas that are on the river for water depth. I heard the fishing is good around the dam as well as far north?

[river rat316]

If your talking on the downstream side of the dam, your not gonna get close to it without a jet, preferably a River Pro, if your talking the upstream side it is accesspible with a regular boat both The pike reservor is good to for bigger boats, but I have fished it once and wasn't overly impressed, but I will probably check out that area a little harder this year, I think it was just an off day I was up there.

[catman71]

the rice bridge area is great in the fall. you can run a big boat up that way, but you need to know what you are doing.

north of the rice bridge, you REALLY need to pay attention.

the resovior north of royalton can be tricky, it is big and deep and fish can be hard to locate....

[bassNspear]

thanks all for the help!

[EBass]

That's section has the most and biggest boulders I've ever seen. Be carefull!

[whitetail_freak]

it isnt to bad if you take your time and get down the good and bad areas, i still would be a little worried taking a big boat up there tho

[bassNspear]

That's section has the most and biggest boulders I've ever seen. Be carefull!

this is what im worried about the most. I dont want to wreck anything!

[EBass]

BnS - what size rig were you going to take? It's kinda like a mini Anoka. Meaning there is a deeper stretch for the V-hulls out there. You can go up a lil ways then 3' becomes 6" fast. I've meandered my way in my jon boat with prop and even on shallow drive I still hit something while going slow. Granted the flows were @ normal levels and it was the summer. This section is really geared towards jets, and even those guys hit. But ya gotta pay to play right. You can go and still have the deep section and catch fish, but I wouldn't want to run the gauntlet (under the bridge of hope) with a nice rig or a fiberglass anything.

[bassNspear]

Well we were planning on taken my buddys 186 triton bass boat up there, and thats my concurn that we might not be able to run it up there.

[river rat316]

If you are above the Sauk Rapids dam you will have no problem, just don't go north of the rice bridge at wot until you learn the river. I think Ebass is talking about the sauk rapids/ St Cloud stretch, nasty for sure

[Rick G]

Any thing north of the hospital and south of the Sartell dam is real tricky. Lots of big rocks that eat lower units and props for lunch.

[bassNspear]

thanks guys for the reports. helps me out alot!

[DHanson]

These guys are pretty much right on. I can think of a few bad areas though south of the Rice bridge about a mile that can get bad. From Mississippi River Park and south you are pretty much safe as long as you don't go next to shore too close.

[EBass]

Quote:

I think Ebass is talking about the sauk rapids/ St Cloud stretch, nasty for sure

Yup RR I was.

[bassNspear]

you guys were all alot of help. Thanks again!

[whitetail_freak]

if you go north of mississippi park there is a nasty rock bar on the left side of the river, hit that with my jon boat 2 years ago, and now i catch eyes off of it lol

[bassNspear]

lol, godo way to find new fishing spots, bad way to find them!

Thanks for that information!

[Stick in Mud]

Another great way to find good spots is to break your motor so you have to fish in places you'd normally ignore. One time I was walking/swimming the boat back to shore (the motor might need to be replaced one of these years) when I walked right off a drop off that has since provided me with enough fish to keep me busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.

And the fishing for rough fish is getting pretty good...and I caught my first open-water walleye of the year last night on a big gob of nightcrawlers. It wasn't very big, but it sure looked prettier than a redhorse.

[bassNspear]

i made a trip up to little falls yestereday to get a boat at the Larson Factory, and drove by here when i went up, and there were a few boats out there running around. Looks like the water is up?

[eyeguy 54]

Howdy, If you have a boat with a big spendy prop on it you can go out of wilson park and fish 3/4 the way up to where the old bridge was when the water is up a ways. If you put you boat in and the water is down just fish the shorelines from the landing down to the 10th street dam. Putting in at the SR muni park landing is jet country. Small props will work if it's up and you know where to go but it is bolder city in spots. I have almost all of them named, :>). A couple of them I've had a very close relationship with. lol I used to take my 45 horse up but only when the water was up at least half way on the concrete at the landing. Then with the 25 horse jet later I could go about anywhere. Don't have that anymore but good friends take me in thier RP's now and then.

[Stick in Mud]

I wish I had friends with River Pros.

[bassNspear]

thanks for the report. At least i have figured out where i can and cant go!

[bassNspear]

how has the fishing been this summer? would like to get up there bfore the smallie fishing is over?

[Gordie]

hey BNS if you ever got an open seat let me know would be fun fishing those brown fish again

[Revermann]

I was out yesterday and the smallies were biting pretty nicely. I caught 10 over 13" with the biggest being 18 1/2".