New to the River

[BassNut33]

I have only done a small amount of river fishing, but I am looking to really get into this year. I have a few questions about how to approach it. I am looking to target Bass on pool 2. Where is the best place to launch if you are going to be fishing Bass? How accessible are the backwaters? Being inexperienced I have some fears surrounding fast current early in the spring. I am not expecting to get out there and be successful right away, I really want to experiment and figure things out, but be safe at the same time.

[Judge Smails]

Let me preface this by saying I've never really ventured into any backwater areas of Pool 2, and I also rarely venture past DT St. Paul. That being said, if its LM you're after, I'd recommend going everywhere except the river. For SM, there are plenty of good spots, but I've had my best luck north of the convergence. As for launching, Hidden Falls, Fort Snelling, or Watergate are your best bets.

I'm interested to hear from anyone who fishes lower pool 2 or has a different opinion about finding LM. I've caught 2 in my life, and seen maybe a handful more caught during hundreds of hours spent on pool 2- and only one that was anything more than bait.

[Judge Smails]

Also, I think a lot of people are unnecessarily intimidated by the river. Pool 2 is relatively safe- keep in mind that really big barges have to be able to navigate the same channel you will be traveling on. Debris is probably the most dangerous element I have encountered, and as long as you keep a safe speed and avoid the big floods, you should be fine.

[Chode2235]

I agree. But the river can be intimidating.

The biggest thing is that you need to make sharp turns off the channel, and never drive your boat between shore and a buoy. If you want to go to an island or something, go past the wingdam/buoy and then make a sharp turn and go straight in to the spot, never 'cut across.'

There aren't the extensive backwaters like there are with the lower pools (5 and down). So the best bet is to learn to fish wingdams and edys.

I am pretty new to pool 2 myself, but grew up fishing pool 6, and 5a, so I know a bit about river fishing. For bass, it is all about current (even the largemouths). They really look for ambush points where the current defects. Most people spend way to much time fishing for bass in the "slop" or in backwater bays and the like. But there isnt much of that in pool 2 anyways.

[BassNut33]

Thanks for the advie guys, Chode touched on it. The thing that really scares me are the wingdams, I have heard some hooror stories. I know that the first few times out I will have to use extreme caution. As far as the fishing goes thanks for all the advice. I fished in a tournament last year on pools 4 and 5 as a co-angler and felt lost. River fishing is a different beast. With that said I am really intrigued by the challange of it, and being out on the big river in itself is a blast.

[OLY]

I always like to see people put in their two cents but you guys are way off the mark as far as the largemouth bass fishing in pool 2 goes. There are plenty of backwaters more than a guy could ever fish over the course of a season or two even. I have fished pool 2 my whole life and there are so many areas I have never even been close to fishing. For largemouth on pool 2 your gonna need to head south, and you will want to focus on the backwaters. Look for areas that have depth 4-5ft or more and cover water. Get a good map, stay between the buoys, and keep fishing till you find them. Good luck

[BassNut33]

Anyone willing to spend a day with me out on the river this spring? Would really like to get a feel for it with someone that knows what they are doing. We could take your boat or mine, I run a 17 foot Alumacraft Bass Boat.

[sicheneder]

as long as stay between the bouys on the main river and idle to the backwaters you haven't been to before you should be fine. thats always been my rule in rivers. a buddy and me put a bunch of largies in the boat on pool 2(mostly under 3lbs) after the walleyes weren't hitting last fall in a dead end slough. as OLY said you need to stay to the backwaters or areas of the main channel unless the water is way down they will resort to the mouths of the backwaters and the largest areas of shallow water are below saint paul.

[BassNut33]

Thanks for the advice guys, I am really excited to get out there and learn my way around.