Report from 11/16

[walleyefanatic]

Another glorious weekend day on the river Sunday. Fishing would not be what I consider "red hot" but it isn't "stop" either. Went out on Sunday with a "newbie" so I wasn't able to concentrate as much as I would have like to have but we did end up catching 10 saugers, 3 walleyes, 4 silvers (all of the silvers were over 3 pounds), and a itty-bitty smallie. All the fish were caught on plastics jigging anywhere from 14' to 42'. I wish I could narrow it down for everyone but we explored a lot of different water depths with a little success at all depths. The largest walleye (22") came in 14' and the next largest walleye (20") was in 40' about 5 minutes later. Go figure. Fishing seems to have slowed at Prescott but you could never tell by the number of boats, I almost couldn't get through the channel on Sunday morning. I love being the person saying "should have been here last week" instead of being the one hearing it. I plan on being out next weekend (sounds like it's going to be cold) and I hope the fish activity continues to increase. If anyone sees a red Nitro say hi. I've met a number of nice people on the river this fall which gives me a renewed hope hope in humanity.

[elrom]

I was out Sunday and recalled seeing a red Nitro...always did wonder how many out there fishing the Croix visit this site(I have red Lund Explorer with a 50 Suzuki)...glad to hear you had a succesful trip...gives me hope when I go in a couple of weeks.

[southerner]

The boat was winterized and being tucked away a couple weeks ago but I just couldn't help myself getting out a couple more times. Actually, Walleyefanatic, we shared a brief conversation a couple weeks ago while under the bridge @ Prescott; my white & blue Nitro bassboat might ring a bell.

I agree, this past weekend was quite a bit slower, but there were fish to be had. I found all (2) walleyes in the 14-16' range, and saugers quite a bit deeper along with a mixed bag of other species in 35-40'. Riverdancer was out there (pleased to have met you) on Sunday and also appeared to have been working hard for her fish. I did talk to a fellow at the launch Sunday who said he landed a 40-50lb sturgeon @ Kinni Narrows. I did see him fighting it but can't verify the weight. Nothing else much seemed to be happening up that way though.

I'll see you all out there this weekend. Plastics have been the ticket for me, though the jig 'n minnow combo has been working also.

[elrom]

southerner...I was set to winterize the boat this week until I read some posts...delayed my plan and will get out this Saturday for the morning...I've been using jig/minn combo...you mentioned plastics...I've never used them...what have you been using?...twister tails?...color?...thanks ang good fishin'

[southerner]

Hey Elrom... There are several choices when it comes to plastics. My personal favorite would be 4" chartreuse SuperDoo's mated to a 1/4 oz jighead (doesn't matter color) for vertical jigging. There are actually some other posts on this website that go a bit more in depth on plastics and how to work 'em so I'd encourage you to take a look on this board and the Mississippi 2-4 board. Others: K-grubs (basically fat 5" twister tails on a jighead) and ringworms seems to work well. Those are the traditional walleye plastics but I've also seen them caught on plastic shad bodies and bass worms. Another bonus of using plastics is the fact that your hands stay warmer not having to dip into the minnow bucket or net.

I plan on getting out there noonish tomorrow, hopefully before the predicted big snow hits. I'm not much on pulling my boat/trailer through slush and snow, not to mention ice, but I'm thinking the surface temp of the road is still warm enough to melt most of it and not cause me any problems. Shout out @ the blue/white Nitro if you see me.

Sunday's the day for winterizing, or rewinterizing as in my case, so I'm hoping to make tomorrow count.

So'ner

[elrom]

so,ner...ended up staying at home due to a nasty cold...thanks for the plastic info...hope to use them this Fri or Sat if snow and cold cooperates...by the way, how was fishing and were there other boats like you trying to beat the winter storm?

[wall eyell be]

WalleyeHawk and I didn't wait to be defeated, WE SURRENDERED.
I called him Friday morning and told him "there's a snowstorm comin' winterize your boat NOW".
We towed them down to my friends pole barn and put 'em away Friday evening.

So now I singin' "Waa Waa, I Waaant Iiice"

[southerner]

Well, you know how sometimes you do things and then look back and wonder 'What in the heck was I thinking'? It's not like I didn't know ahead of time that the wind was howling from the north (right down the river), that it was blowing snow, that the whitecaps would be out there. That's not to mention that I ran into Walleyefanatic as he was pulling out after what he described as being three hours of virtual nothingness @ the bridge. Nonetheless my partner and I put in and tried the Kinni Narrows.

The only fish we graphed were in 50' of water on the north side of the Kinni. Try as we might we couldn't get a bite. It was exceptionally difficult keeping the boat positioned with the bow bouncing up and down in the chop. Just keeping contact with the bottom was a task in itself, one made more difficult trying all at once to watch the graph, position the boat, and keep the hands warm. I'm glad I wasn't chewing gum too or I might have been in trouble. Two hours of futile attempts there and downstream @ a usually productive dropoff proved that some people just have to learn the hard way.

So, to summarize, I'm ready for the hard water season. OK, I'm still putting off rewinterizing the boat in hopes of a warmup later this week, but more than likely the next time I'll be out is with my trusty ice auger and jigging sticks as I try to rattle up an 'eye or two @ Bayport.

Anybody else brave enough to admit defeat?

[walleyefanatic]

As southerner already stated, the walleyes and the weather got the best of me on Saturday. I did hook into a couple of giant rocks but unfortunately after brief battles each one of them snapped my line so I didn't get to see just how big they were. It looks like they revised the forcast and it doesn't look like the snow's going away anytime soon. I would like to get out a couple more times this year since I was able to get a new ride and I'd like to take it out and see how she floats. I don't expect it to be ready till after Thanksgiving so I don't mind if the snow stays around till then. I hope to be able to give another report before hard water.

[Thumper]

Hey guys thanks for the reports of 11/23 and 24. I had winterized my rig and was having remorse and withdrawl symptoms, aggravated by hanging Christmas lights. I'm better now.

[walleyefanatic]

I think spring is approaching. The temp is up 2 degrees from last hour. At this pace the snow might start melting by mid December. I don't want to break out the winter gear yet, I love soft water too much.

[walleyehawk]

My boat went into storage Friday and I am already having separation anxiety. I spent Saturday evening stripping my poles down. Man, I need a woman in my life!!

Winter only lasts a few weeks in Minnesota, right?

[walleyehawk]

Is it spring yet?

[This message has been edited by walleyehawk (edited 11-24-2003).]