up high?

[Bodyman]

I was fishing the St.Croix today. In 38' and catching a few small sauger just off the bottom. I was marking bait fish and an occasional bigger fish between 16' and 20'. Thinking they were crappies, I'd reel up to them to see if I could get them to hit. Mostly lookers but I got the first one to hit about 5pm. An 18" walleye, then another 17. I was really surprised to see them almost 20 feet off the bottom. Iv'e caught suspended walleyes before on lakes mosly, but not that high up on a river. Is this a pattern that is normal on the St.Croix

[Turk]

Bodyman,

Walleyes and all gamefish roam the open water in search of food. I can think of many many times I've caught suspended eyes through the ice and openwater. For instance many times when trolling off of a point I intentionally keep the lures ridding out off of the poiont through places where shad hold. Not only all gamefish suspend but rough fish as well we caught a gar over 50 feet of water last summer on a shad rap. Typically through the ice I've found those fish to be crappies but like yourself tagged suspended eyes as well! as you know it pays to fish these marks on your sonar...

Keep catchin'
Turk

[Bodyman]

Hey Turk. I tried again Sunday afternoon, still marking fish up high But none wanted to bite. I did manage to get a couple down at the bottom in 38'. Then I hooked into one that I thought was a huge walleye. Peeling line like crazy, 4# test. I had reopened the 10" holes from the day before with my 6" hand auger. When I did finally get him up thru the 10" hole at the bottom, he wouldn't fit thru the 6" hole at the top. But he wasn't the big walleye I thought I had. A big channel cat had taken my rattle spoon rigged with a minnow head. I estimated him around 10# by the size of his head, which only part of his mouth would fit thru the hole. Trying to get my lure loose the 4# broke and away he went with my spoon. So if you catch a big cat this summer and he has a small rattle spoon in his mouth, It's mine. :-) Good Fishing