Fishing From Stillwater Bridge

[FshBloodRiverMud]

Please stop. Or at least attend (be close to) your lines.

[Mike_Bennewitz]

Aye Aye captain! I never leave my rod or move more than a few feet from it, as I fear a fish taking it in the drink or (as I am assuming this thread is regarding) a boat tangling in the line. Then again, I fish from the shores and only get on the bridge if I need to free a snag. Keep eyes out for passing boats folks!

[FshBloodRiverMud]

Actually it is because i came flying under the bridge at midnight (SPOTLIGHT BLAZING); stayed at least 75' away from the two guys standing on the bridge, and swung away further when one started running towards me (I assumed some jerk was going to make an attempt to spit on me or something). Anyway, i hooked their fishing line on my bow(Big Green MONO stuff), likely took their rod flying off the bridge, and quickly cut the line to avoid any getting in my prop.

Wouldn't happen if they were near their rods.

So there's that...and

I also don't know how someone is going to lift up a big sturgeon or catfish from the bridge. They'll most likely cut the line and leave 30' of line attached to the fish - definitely not a good method of catch and release.

[OnAFly]

I walked across that bridge last night. Someone has been up there leaving cutbait, bait bag, line, and hooks lying around. If fishing from there is allowed, it won't be for long with that carp going on.

People leaving garbage around like that are what give sportsmen a bad reputation in the eyes of non-sportsmen. I'm continuously impressed by the complete indifference some people have to everything/everyone else around them.

[Mike_Bennewitz]

Actually I might have a general idea of the folks leaving fish parts and tackle/garbage on the walkway. I have spent a few nights the past week fishing off the bridge with a co-worker who together we are called the "fishing fiends" at work. We did EXCELLENT on the catfish over the past few evenings. I even had a Flathead on that broke my 65 pound line as it was at the surface. An old timer watching along side us said he has seen that same fish (it had identifying scars and a fin was missing) before and it has broken 80 pound line as well. So I am SURE a state record Flathead is there now.

Anyway the fish parts are Mooneye we catch for cut bait, but I throw my heads and tails in the river when I am done and clean up my stuff with a trash bag. Overall I would say about half the folks out there are good enough people to clean up but there are some regulars out there who have left some messes I try to clean up but some stay later than 3am like myself.

As far as boaters are concerned, I stay within 10-20 yards of my rods just to make sure, and I don't cast out a country mile, I hooked that monster Flathead straight below the bridge anyway. But I always have reeled up if a boat can't see us or our lines, and I see many others do the same as well. But a few nights ago a guy on his pontoon came down, and started telling us we obstruct boat traffic and shouldn't have any right to fish due to that purpose. He told us to leave and when I said this is public waters and a public bridge, he proceeded to two of my lines and 3 other fishermen's lines and cut them off with a knife. Those 6 oz no-rolls are about $4 each and the hooks and line cost quite a bit too. I would guess he cut about $30 worth off us and he didn't care a bit. That's just wrong and I did get an ID of the pontoon so if it happens again I will call him in to at least have an officer there while we settle this. No offense to those just passing by or anchoring near our fishing spots, but getting on your boat to drive down and chase off innocent fishermen by cutting their rigs is just plain rock-bottom wrong. Okay, rant over, I need to tie up more leaders for my trip this afternoon!

[tunrevir]

Mike he may get an expensive surprise if the line wrapped around the prop. That superline does a number on the seals and I have even seen where it has cut grooves into the shaft over time. Repairs are in the 2000.00 range if the lower unit goes out. Karma dude, karma!

Tunrevir~

[FshBloodRiverMud]

Mike, You're obviously fishing with larger bait, and likely targeting larger fish using a 6oz weight. How do you land these fish from the bridge? Once landed, how do you release them? Belly flop?

[john.wells]

Mike B: Harassing or interfering with a person lawfully pursuing game or fish is a crime. Be sure to get the boat number if that Bee Ess happens again, and call your friendly Conservation Officer or Sheriff. Take pics or video if able.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

I watched a boat get hung up last night on someone's line.

Looked like lots of yelling.

Know how hard it is to see the fishing line at night?

Probably best if those fishing from the bridge reeled in when a boat goes by.

[john.wells]

I agree with both ends of the conversation. Common courtesy and common sense are becoming lost skills.

[Mike_Bennewitz]

Went fishing last night and a few boats came flying by us again but no contact between line and boat was made. But we have noticed one thing to now keep our eyes on and that is the upstream portion of the river. During heavy road traffic you can not hear boats north of the bridge when they are headed south. I saw one individual get very upset that he had to reel in his furthest out rig and he proceeded to throw the head and tail portions of his bait fish at the boat when it slowed down.

Another boat anchored about 50 yards downstream of the bridge for the night and either them or another boat ended up calling the water patrol. They stopped by and had a conversation regarding fishing and boating privileges around the bridge. Here is a basic summary of what we were told.

In the past, fishermen were not allowed to sit and fish off the bridge itself due to the issue of boating collisions with lines and tackle.

However, the ability to now fish here does not mean that we can just expect boaters to know there are lines in the water at night and even during the day. Many boats, especially on weekends and holidays, are from out of town and some are from a few states away as well. Some of these boaters, along with some local boaters, unfortunately don't realize that people fish the portion of the bridge just east of the lifting portion and end up as the poor souls who have to deal with damage to their boats or even themselves or passengers.

This does not mean that boaters have any rights to expect us to see each and every one of them though either. A run-in is bound to happen at one point or another. If a boater is moving Northbound along the river and sees rods or people sitting or remaining stationary on the bridge, it is a courteous gesture for the boat to pass under the bridge in a safe zone, typically the lifting portion as most people don't fish there for that reason. Likewise, if a boat is really moving or is traveling Southbound on the river, they usually can't see anyone on the south side of the bridge and fishermen in the boats path should reel in as quick as possible to avoid an incident.

The officer did tell us we can flash lights at them and if road traffic isn't bad we can give them a verbal alert to our presence, but just to get their attention and alert them to our lines. If they are moving to fast to avoid them, or just don't take the care to move, it's up to us shorebound fishing folk to reel up quick. The main reason for the officer to come out was he was told the past night a boat had hung up on a line and quite a few choice words were apparently used, and he just wanted to warn us that as fishermen we have responsibility too since boats can't always see us but we can usually hear their motors.

So I see this going both ways for bridge-fishermen and boaters.

For the bridge-fishermen:

- Don't put your rods across a 50 yard section, if two boats are coming your losing one if not both, or even more if a fish grabs one too.

- Be reasonably alert to the upstream side. Boaters can't see you and it's usually too late once you see them below you headed south.

- Use brightly colored lines. Orange and bright green Mono along with yellow braid is much easier to see at night (i don't even use bite indicators with yellow braid).

- Have a flashlight handy for the occasional unaware cruising boat.

- Stick to fishing the non-lifting portion of the bridge, that lift is there for boat traffic anyway.

- Be respectful if a boat surprises you and cuts you off or spools your line or whatnot. Remember, it's $40 to fill a Penn 330 with braid. It's over $100 for a boat seat and ten times that price if your line gets into their prop shaft and lower unit.

- Reel in if you have to, and DO NOT wait until last second. The boats presence would spook the fish anyway.

For the boaters:

- Please be mindful that bridges are wonderful fishing structure and shore-bound fishermen (like myself) utilize this, so just keep an eye out once you get within 100-50 yards of the bridge.

- If you are headed Southbound, the Stillwater side is best to pass under as no one hardly ever fishes there.

- The above goes for Northbound boats as well, but you can usually see us fishing.

- Do slow down if people on the bridge are signaling towards you. Remember, you are in a boat and MUCH more mobile to avoid collision than us fishermen.

- If anything occurs, make note of it and come back to ask who"s rig it was. This helps ID a boat if authorities get involved and can make it clear if inattentiveness was at the boater or fishermen's fault at the time.

- Watch speed at night. Not only can you move too fast to see us or our lines, you can move too fast to notice a little 10' row boat with clamp on lights attached. I have seen canoes lost to big Warrior's and Rangers on my hometown lake before.

Both parties:

- BE RESPECTFUL AND RESPONSIBLE!

For those wondering, we drag fish the length of the bridge to Lowell Park or the WI side rocks and have someone below grab the line by hand and land the fish. I got a 50 pound Flathead recently that way. I only haul up Mooneye and Crappies if I am on the bridge as that won't be an issue on 6lb line.

[DTro]

That pontoon wasn't the same one you were catching fish out of this spring was it? LOL

On the bright side, I'm sure nobody will want to go bridge fishing over there now that they know about the big flatheads that lurk there.

[RumRiverRat]

That bridge is loaded with monster Flatheads.

The single best place to fish for GIANT Flatheads in MN.

[aanderud]

Those 6 oz no-rolls are about $4 each and the hooks and line cost quite a bit too. I would guess he cut about $30 worth off us and he didn't care a bit.

One thing I was going to mention, Mike -- especially if you're fishing in snag-prone areas -- is that sinkers are MUCH cheaper online at auction sites like 3bay and whatnot. Sample prices that I've seen are 50 of the 5 ounce sinkers (250 ounces) for $30, with free shipping, for example. That's under 2 bucks per pound (almost 16 lbs for $30). Other folks sell mixed-bag (pick your quantity of each size) for roughly $2 per pound.

That means you could buy TWO of the 6 ouncers and ONE of the 4 ouncers (16 oz total) all for under 2 bucks.

You probably have to buy 15+ lbs to get to the $2 range, since shipping is a fixed rate of like 9 bucks on those things. So, go together with a buddy if you want the best deal, and order like 20-30 lbs of them.

[B-man715]

That bridge is loaded with monster Flatheads.

The single best place to fish for GIANT Flatheads in MN.

Rum, I'm not embracing your sarcasm

[Mike_Bennewitz]

Dtro, I am happy to say that it wasn't the same pontoon I am SURE Steve would have chased that boat down to the Mississippi delta in Louisiana if he had seen that happen to us.

Rum, I have to admit, after seeing pictures of the fish caught in the last month there, I won't have any doubts about where I will be found most of next summer! As of now I am working on getting a bait tank set up at home so I can have bullheads, along with searching for a cheap freezer as dad won't let me keep Mooneye in our kitchen freezer lol.

[SteveD]

One of the reasons you get so many boats, especially the BIG boats, running under the WI side of the Lift Bridge is that side is higher and provides more clearance for boats to get under the bridge and avoid waiting for the bridge to lift.

The WI side is known as the Wisconsin Gate and supposedly provides about an extra foot of clearance for running under the bridge. Most pontoon boats, like mine, that have their bimini tops up almost all the time need right around 10 feet 4 inches of clearance to get under the bridge. If you look at the last bridge pier right at the WI end of the bridge it has a large footage sign attached to it that provides boats with how much clearance is available at that bridge pier.

I always run under the Wisconsin gate because I know that I need 10 feet 4 inches of clearance with my canvas up otherwise I either have to lower my canvas or wait for the next bridge opening.

A lot of boats run the Wisconsin gate because it has a clearance sign and they can tell if they can make it under OK. The signage makes it a quick, safe transit spot for going upstream or down. I would venture to say that the last thing they even think about is somebody fishing from the bridge. I wouldn't have paid any attention to fishermen before I read this thread. From now on, I plan on going to No Wake well before going under the bridge and honking my horn to see if anybody is up there.

I agree you have a right to fish there and I don't consider it a hassle to slow down and look out for fishermen. If nobody is around I will cross under the bridge nice and slow to make sure I don't hit any fishing lines. We can all get along and enjoy the river - not a big deal to me.

I may even stop and fish there and catch Mike's state record flathead that he let get away.

[Mike_Bennewitz]

Oh no! That was supposed to be MY record Steve! If you do catch that one (his head looks like about 15 big sinkers hit him and left white scars, and I did see a really big hook next to mine before he broke off) I want my hook back!

I guess I didn't know there was more clearance under that area. I will move my efforts a bit west I suppose. I have noticed though, that those who attempt to fly through at wide open throttle tend to use that area more as well. It's not the bigger boats I am concerned with, as the majority of them tend to slow down to make sure there is clearance, but I just can't believe how fast some of the small speed boats and fishing boats will go though. I could easily see a collision happening here at night if two boats attempt the same section at higher speeds.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

I like to go flying through there at night. I suppose I could slow down.

[charlie vaughan]

I fished the bridge last weekend hoping to catch a bunch of sturgeon like i usually start to do this time of year but i only got ONE if i were to geuss it was a little over 4 foot,but i am looking forward again to this coming friday as i will be fishing overnight with some freinds for some sturgeon off the bridge or the river boat docks.