Blanchard Access Upgrade

[Tour. Pro 175]

A big thanks to who ever is responsible for fixing up the access by Blanchard Dam!

There is a new large dock that could double as a fishing pier, complete wih benches even cup holders.

The boat ramp also recieved some much needed attention. Rock was added between the concrete planks making for a very smooth boat launching experience.

[mistermom]

Hey TP 175!
Where is the Blanchard dam?

mm

[Tour. Pro 175]

mm,

Blanchard Dam is located 10 miles S. of Little Falls. If your traveling from the cities, go N. on Hwy 10 to Royalton take a left at the lights on Hwy 26 go approximately 1-1/2 miles take a right on CR 258 also known as Hillton Rd go approximately 3-1/2 miles there is a small dirt road on your left hand side, it is just after where the old Soo line rail road crossing used to be. There will be a Mn. Power sign there also.

Good Fishing!

[mistermom]

Thanks sir!
Is that an area where you can take bigger boats? I have a MR Pike 17 and a small grumman sportboat. Which would be better to fish with there? Thanks again.

mm

[Aquaman01]

Sweeeeet. Another Missy fishing pier! Thanks!

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Aquaman
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Peace and Fishes

[Tour. Pro 175]

mm,

The access is a deep water access, you could launch a battle ship. I have a Alumacraft Tour. Pro 175 and have never had a problum.

I also found out that the Royalton Lions are the ones responsible for the upgrade and have taken up the responsibility for future upkeep of the access. Thanks guys!

Good Fishing!

[mistermom]

Thanks TP 175!
I should have guessed from your username that you weren't fishing out of rowboat. I might just have to get up there this fall.

mm

[EBass]

Hey Tour Pro,

How far up can go you in that big boat? And how's the fishing?

[fonz58]

I was just up there this past Saturday. If you head North towards the dam the 1st 1/2 mile is 6ft or deeper. After the 1st sharp bend to the left stay to the left (the narrower part of the channel) Another 1/2 mile or so.....just past the end of the isle you'll need to cut right, as the narrow channel to the left is very shallow (less than 2ft even with the high water) When you cut right you'll have to watch out for the rocks. From that point on, it's 4+ft deep all the way to the dam.....where it peaks at about 12ft in some places.

If you go to the south from the access you want to stay to the right to be in the channel with 6ft+ water in most places, a few miles down you'll find a lake-like pool with water up to 19ft. Just 2 years ago I busted my prop up good on this section as I learned to NOT ride the left side.

Proceed with caution.....because even if the launch will allow you to launch a "battle ship" within a mile (or less)in either direction you will encounter shallow water and boulders. I have a jet, and when heading north (for fun I took the shallow channel to the left and ran in less than a foot of water for almost a mile) All I could think was this is really going to be tough when the water drops. Good luck. Mike

[Tour. Pro 175]

EBass,

I've made it all the way to Little Falls. I wouldn't recomend this for a person that doesn't know this strech of river, especialy this time of the year with the fast water.

I haven't done any serious walleye fishing on this strech for a couple of weeks. Up untill the big storms the fishing was very good. Lots of walleyes with a few 25" thrown in. We were trolling crankbaits at that time, My 4 1/2 year old son had a blast realing in those fish and didn't get bored, that alone should be testiment to the kind of fishing we had. We also caught lots of smallmouth bass with the largest being a 20.5 This is a excellent smallmouth fishery! I was out on Sat. for a couple of hours after our {big storm} casting for muskies. The muskies didn't cooperate {no suprise} It was just a beautiful night to be on the water. The water was very fishable and I hope to get out this weekend.

[EBass]

Fonz and Tour Pro,

Thanks for the navigational report. I do have a jon boat, but it's no jet. It's in the shop getting repaired. Hopefully next weekend I'll get her back. I'll put another post on here asking you about the water level. I atleast want to run up a few miles. And I always run upstream incase anything happens.

[Tour. Pro 175]

I think fonz58 is refering to the access on the west side of the river up by Little Falls. Just N. of this access can be treacherous! This stretch of river between Blanchard dam and the Little Falls dam is almost 10 miles long with only the N. 1/4 having any hazards for boaters excluding floating debris and that is something you always must be cautious for when on any river. On the Southern most part of this stretch the water depth is almost 40' deep this is where the Blanchard access is located. As with any new body of water that you go to, reduce your speed and keep a eye on your depth finder and you should be able to navagate safely!

Good Fishing!

[EBass]

I have launched out of Ripley before. As long as we followed the channel we were ok. We went up a few miles if I recall.

In new water I forsure go slow and have my head on a swivel looking at the FL-18 and what's a head of me.

40 ft is really deep. Does anyone do any cat fishing?

[Tour. Pro 175]

EBass,

I don't even like the ones with hair, sorry I can't help you here.

[EBass]

With hair?

[Tour. Pro 175]

OK skin either!

[EBass]

I get it. Whiskers = hair. LOL Took a while to sink in.

[Aquaman01]

Here's a copy (edited down for quicker reading) of my post for this stretch from Charles Lindbergh State Park up to the Dam - June 6,7,8. Water was lower then by at least a foot, I think.

[[Fishing was marginal, but the navigation adventure went well. It is very possible to launch at the Pike Creek public access and make it as far as the Little Falls Dam spillways. I was in a 14' aluminum boat, stripped down to bare essentials, with the same model 5.5 hp Johnson that Washington used to cross the Delaware. When I sat at the tiller, I drafted about 18" from waterline to skeg, and about 15" if I stood amidships and steered with an oar stuck in the carry handle.

Pike Creek access up to the big manicured lawns and the island is a breeze - no problems. Once you get to the manicured lawns STAY TO THE EAST! There's a big visible boulder in the center, and a smaller visible boulder east of that <<These may not be visible now>>. Let's call these lane markers for lanes 1, 2 & 3. The channel is lane #3 - the East side. Lane two is rocky and shallow - 1.5'+'ducer to waterline. Lane #1 is worse. (I should mention that while marking this area was when I discovered I had air getting into my fuel line and the motor cut out at slow speeds.)This gets ya past the golf course, and in sight of the train bridge at the old Hennepin Paper Mill.

The Channel is still on the East side at this point. I saw scary looking areas that looked like shallow riffles on the surface, but my sonar wasn't sloping up, so I forged ahead, and sure enough - those riffley looking reas were instead DEEP turbulant eddys (marked fish, but didn't care). The River takes a sharper bend before the train bridge, and the channel is still on the east side - tracking the outside of the bend. Now, as I looked at the bridge I was wondering - "Monty Hall - is it door #1,2,3,4,5 or 6? Left to right, it's door #2, or #3. My motor kept quitting while I was trying to find the channel again, so I picked the first one that showed a deeper reading and went for it. Got past the bridge. Shallowest read was 2.5'+'ducer to waterline.

I then saw the tip of the peninsula that is created by the diverted flows from the dam. Where these two flows come together, there is a hole - no, a crater - max. 30' deep. Marked MANY fish in there, but without the ability to hold slow and slip stream in the increased current speed, I wasn't gonna fish it. West side around the peninsula gets 1.5'+ at the sand/muck beach, east side around the peninsula doesn't get too shallow until almost to the big slate & concrete culvert.

At this point I beached, threw back my head in maniacal self-satisfied laughter and had a drink.]]

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Aquaman
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Peace and Fishes