Small boat on the river, is it possible??

[crownironman]

I would like to fish on the river but I have a small 14' boat with a 9.9hp outboard. I have never tried the river with it because I felt it was too small to be safe and too slow to get to any good spots from the launch in Stillwater. What do you guys think, would it be ok and is there any good places to fish around that boat launch just north of stillwater?

[STILLNOFISH]

Crownironman,

I think you would be fine if you stayed around the liftbridge in stillwater. There is some great fishing around the bridge and the cruisers don't seem to be moving as fast causing a wake around that area. I would not venture to much farther south than the lift bridge, however someone may think different. Goodluck

[southerner]

I agree that you'll be fine anywhere north of the Stillwater bridge. There's plenty of good fishing to be had north of there. I've seen several 12' boats out there, including one yesterday. They seemed to be unfazed by the boat traffic. With a 9.9 you should be able to get around to good spots with no trouble at all.

Good luck.

So'ner

[Mike W]

There is always the upper strechs of the river. W O Brian park, Copas, Osceola, Fronconia.
I started fishing these streches of river because of the boat I was running. Now that I have up graded the rig I still fish up there because of the lack of big boats. I would also much rather watch eagles and deer go by than poeple and buildings.
Good Luck

[hunt4food]

No problem at all. I fished many years out there with exactly that. I used to be able to launch in Stillwater and go north quite a ways. Now, the Zebra Mussel check point stops you from going as far as you could. That part of the river still has some of my favorite fishing spots. Another thing I always tried to do was get out there early. The pleasure boat traffic doesn't get too bad until 10:00 or so. I can have 4-5 hours of fishing in by then.

[crownironman]

Thanks all.

If I fish around the lift bridge do I fish the shores or the piers? What is better on a river, fishing the shore line or out in the middle of the river? I don't care what I catch, I catch and release only. Any color or type of lure work better than others, I've heard others talk about crawlers so I will give them a try, but I like just casting lures also.

[crappie getter]

I always say you could get away with fishing in the big no-wake areas with a little boat. Half the times I stay in the no-wake areas fishing with my boat. The fishing in these areas is usually some of the best on the river. Prescott you can dump in the no-wake area and you have alot of docks or other boats incase you get in trouble. Alot of small boats in these areas!

Try it see if you are comfortable with it!
But always have a backup plan in mind in case problems occur!! Be safe.

crappie getter,

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Chris's Croix Guide Service
http://fishingminnesota.com/stcroixguide/
(651) 458-1899
[email protected]
St. Croix River

[picksbigwagon]

Sorry to hear about your miss adventures up in Danbury. ( look it up on the sconi page )
My friend and I fish the croix in his 14 footer with an 18 on the back. We do fine, in fact we have fished Mille Lacs and Leech in some pretty dicey waters and have survived it. Of course there are a lot more idiots on the croix too. Like last week when we were north of stillwater, just up the river from the DNR landing and this lady and her friend in their 24 foot v-8 thought it would be fun to whip Shooties ( there is another term I think ) about 50 yards away from us. I chalked it up to genetics, anyway, we have had the most luck with anything that is orange and yellow with a leech on it. either anchor up or drift along with the current. Good luck and I hope they catch that Jerk who sucka punched ya!!!!!

My friend did catch a huge crappie while we were trolling for walleye's down at the power plant. In fact we tied into a big school of sheepshead where the old train bridge is down there at the power plant. Yeah, I know they're sheepshead, but when you catch 25-30 2-3 pounders, they are fun.

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[Fish On]

ive ran my 12 foot jon with an 8 on it i just go early and try and get off the water buy 9

[crownironman]

Thanks Picks, I will be lookin for that guy every time I go through there.

[STILLNOFISH]

Crownironman,

I like to fish around the wisconsin side of the lift bridge. First try dragging a crawler along the bottom in around 15 feet. Try both the north and south side of the liftbridge along the rocks. (you will see them). If that doesn't work try the dropoff on the south side of the lift bridge next to the fist piller on the wisconsin side. Good Luck

[Sturgeon46]

Early AM on the weekends the pleasure boaters are still sleeping off their hangovers. Don't let your small boat stop you from enjoying the St Croix.

Like I tell my wife, it's not the size of the boat. . . it's the motion of the ocean - - - nevermind!

[crownironman]

Thanks, it sounds fun. I am going to get a map this afternoon. What about the white bass, do they swim around there? I have never caught one but they sound fun.

[picksbigwagon]

White Bass? Yes if you head upriver from the DNR landing, go past the boat harbor and off to the MN side about 1 mile up you'll find a back water area that we were catching white bass in. Nothing big, saw a number of carp and a huge gar, but we did catch white bass casting inline spinners up to the shore. There is a bluff that runs right to the river and it drops to about 10. Good luck

[Dynasty]

We launch from Beanies and fish that area, there are alot of good spots in that area. You could always try south of the bridge, then when traffic gets bad in the afternoon you could head to the no wake zone and try under the bridge. We have seen a guy trolling in a little 8'-10' inflatable dingy boat under the 94 bridge.

[shale]

A 14-foot can handle anything the Croix can put out if you drive it right. The downfall is that it takes longer to get places and you can get bounced around a bit. I had a 14-foot with a 25hp on the Croix for about 4 years; the longest run I made was from Bayport to below the Kinni Narrows.

I’m also convinced a small boat is an advantage with a shallow bite and calm day.

[crownironman]

What about this week, I heard the water level is really high. Does that make it dangerous? I though about going there on friday morning with my brother if the weather is not too bad.

[shale]

Grab some crawlers, a full tank of gas, your cell phone, and go for it.

[STILLNOFISH]

Crownironman,

I have not been able to pick up to many white bass in the area. I catch all the white bass around catfish point(afton area).

[This message has been edited by STILLNOFISH (edited 06-03-2003).]

[Ferny]

River is 677.3 flood stage is at 683 so it's down to almost normal.
Pick up a Fishing HotSpots map of the upper and lower Croix. You can pick your launch closest to where you want to fish for more time on water. It's filled with good community spots. I started with 2 14 footers and worked my way up to a 16'. I fished everywhere with the small ones. The best tip is to go early and get off before noon. It's pretty much just fisherman during that time.

Good luck,

Ferny.