2016 fishing reports

[old timer]

Lilydale ramp is not usable yet. It still has a large ice shelf.

Hidden falls ramp is usable. Ice ramp is about a trailer length wide, 10 inches thick, sloping into a foot of water. Would have gone out today, but I checked it out too late in the day.Somebody get out there and see if the big girls are hungry at the confluence.

[old timer]

Hidden Falls ramp unusable with the cold snap. (Large ice shelf out into the open water.) We did get out a week ago. Only managed two dragging ringworm and minnow. Hopefully it will open up again by this weekend..

[bassfshin24]

I have been day dreaming about Spring fishing on Pool 2 lately. Sure hope this warmer weather opens up the ramps soon. Can't wait to get out! 

[esoxrocks01]

Is shorefishing possible at the moment?  I got the walleye bug, and I'm hoping to hit it as soon as it looks good enough.  Also, an off-topic question, but what is the best method for catching walleye from shore?  Thanks for the help!

[old timer]

Of course it's possible. However, with the low cfs, the fish are not concentrated at current seams, but spread out. They are not at the dam yet. A person could fish off the end of Pike island, but that's a long hike with not real good odds. IMHO.

[esoxrocks01]

Okay, thanks old timer.  I'll wait until at least April when everything warms up enough for them to make their annual run.

[WillieMN]

im interested in fishing from shore in this area too. do you just cast a jig? or some type of lindy rig set up? I envy the boats I see there every spring, but I don't drag my boat home.

[old timer]

The best place to fish from sure IMHO is from the riprap on the MPLS side below the dam. Of course, that is when the walleye move up to the dam. You will know that the case when there are lots of boats fishing, (and catching) there. You could cats a jig and minnow or jig and plastic. Be prepared to lose jigs

[WillieMN]

the dam, as in the on basically down town Minneapolis? im working on a construction project on the U of M and there is a dam right off of the river.

Edited March 11, 2016 by WillieMN

[old timer]

No, it is the Ford Dam. There are two ways to access the riprap on foot. One is parking at the Minnesota veterans home. (Not sure if parking is allowed there anymore. The other is parking at Minnehaha Falls park and walking down. Look at Google maps to get to both of these options.

[expl]

I wouldn't wait until April.The way the weather has been that may be too late.I don't have exact numbers but I have boated a ton of fish,a lot of 12-13" inch fish showing up which is good.None bigger then 26"as of yet but I'm guessing it was at least 8lbs along with many typical males 15-18".Fish when you can,I was catching good numbers of fish a couple weeks ago before the real nice weather even began to warm the water.Get up early or stay late,avoid boat traffic and crowds.The fish are defiantly there.

[old timer]

Found them again after a dry spell. Biggest two were 25 and 22. Not at the dam or confluence. Current seam,  8 fow

[old timer]

Fish are spread out. Small to medium males. Females recovering from spawn? Vertical at the dam on jig and minnow, as well as on 3 ways.  Also bit on cranks at current seams in 8 - 10 fow. Water temp 47.9 degrees

[gdog]

I've never fished Pool 2 before, so when you say "at the dam" which dam are you referring to?  Ford?  Thanks!

[old timer]

Sorry, I thought I replied to you. It is the Ford Dam aka lock and dam #1.

Out Sunday 4/3/16. Slow... Lost 1 fish at the boat. Fished from below the confluence up to Hidden Falls ramp. Went to all my go to spots and nobody home. Tried cranks and blades. Nope. Water temp dropped almost 4 degrees from Thursday. Also very muddy. I'm afraid we are in the post spawn, muddy water doldrums.(walleye will spawn at 44 to 48 degrees).

[CranktheTank]

Made it out with a buddy on shore at Hidden Falls park fishing from shore on Wednesday from 3-6p for the first time this year.  I couldn't stand it any longer and needed to scratch the itch!  I am a novice river fisherman, so that being said I tried to concentrate on what seemed to be eddy's and current seams as I was able.  I used jigs and plastics in a variety of colors and the only action we had were what we would considered two short strikes.  I also tied on a jigging rap in clown color and tried retrieving that to no avail in the same locations.  There were a couple other fishermen along the shoreline, seemed to be that they had the same luck as we were but were able to pull up a carp or two with crawlers.  Just curious, does anyone have any info on general patterns throughout the season on walleye/sauger habits in pool 2?  Not looking for specific locations, but from my research thus far it seems that they tend to migrate up to the dam around spawning time and then disperse?  Please correct me if I am wrong.  Like I said, novice river fisherman!  I am anxious to get the boat in operation and get out and try some more, will report back next time I make it out.  Thanks in advance for anyone willing to share!    

[old timer]

That is correct about dispersal. Don't worry about not catching anything right now. Give the fish time to recover from the spawn, for the water to warm up and clear up. The river changes daily, (water flow, clarity, temp, etc) . That means that what works in one location on one day might not work the next day. Generally, since the water is never very clear, except just after ice out, meat or lures that rattle or vibrate tend to produce better. Here is a link about migration. It is old data, but informative. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/fisheries/investigational_reports/482.pdf

 

[old timer]

Fished 3 hours today. I fish caught. 30 inches. Thought I was snagged. 7 fow,  water temp 59 degrees, current seam, crank bait.

[JFitz]

What a fish! Were you downstream of the dam area??

[old timer]

Thanks. Yes, quite a bit downstream.Here is a slightly better picture.

[JFitz]

Awesome! We've been running into a few walleyes downstream as well. Still fairly deep. Fishing should continue to heat up!

[1eyeReD]

Current water levels?

[JFitz]

Pool 2 has risen about 3.5 ft over the past week. Water is really moving out there! This link is a great resource for water levels, flow, and temperature.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mn/nwis/uv?site_no=05331000

[fisherjmb]

Kind of a late report but I was down on Monday (7/11) morning into the early afternoon. Walleye bite was good. Found fish in faster current in the rocks in 7-11 ft. Jig and minnow caught most of the fish. We would drift downstream with the current and jigged vertically as much as the current/wind allowed. We did catch a couple on a jig/plastic combo. Also a couple trolling cranks upstream. Nothing huge but a good number of fish in the 14-19 inch range. Also caught quite a few cats and sheephead, one pike too.  It's a much different story down there now. With the high water from all the rain up north I am sure the current is really ripping now. Fish will probably be found in slack water areas out of the main current. NWS forecast page says the river in St.Paul should crest at 11ft on 07/25. That's 3ft below flood stage but still very high. Be careful down there if anyone goes out and good luck. I would like to get down there one more time before my son is born the middle of next month but I will have to see what time allows.