Mississipi Report 10-30

[Hoffer]

Fished this afternoon from about 2:30 to Sundown. Lots of fish! Nothing real big - but a few around 14 and 15 to keep us warm. Very windy and cold - but a fun afternoon on the river - even picked up a few 2 pound walleye that we realeased with the smallies. Good time - and hope for at least one more time out this year on the river. One last thing - anybody know why so many smaller smallies (4 to 6 inches) this Fall?? we have never come accross this before - was it a good "hatch" the last few years??

[Lost]

Any day a fish is caught, no matter what size, it's a good day out. And if you can catch quantities, that's even better! Congrats on a successful day.

Sorry, no clue about the tiny guys. Maybe a question do the DNR could get it answered?

[The Grebe]

We hit the Mississippi, just under the #169 bridge today, we have gotten walleyes there in the past and also a few huge Crappies now and then...that coupled with the ever present SM Bass, you can't seem to keep those things off?

I got 2 of them today, close to 18 inches...my nephew got a

smaller one, we were'nt fishing for Smallmouths, we never do, we get them as a matter of course.

When we got to the spot, there was a boat beached and two fellas fishing. I said hi, asked them how they were doing, and noticed that they had a net bag with a couple of big smallies in it..a couple of little ones also.

I looked into the boat and the fella fishing with the canepole, had a couple of big smallies and a Carp laying there.

The older guy and the younger guy, both talked with some kind of slavik accent, hard to tell if they were Russian, or what? Maybe a father and son?

As best I could, considering the language difference, they did speak kind of broken english, I explained to them that

they were fishing in an area that is strictly catch and release for Smallmouths and in case they did'nt know it, that is what they had.

I explained that it was illegal and that if a game warden happened by, they would both be cooked in deep fat!

They conversed in their native tongue rolled up there gear, threw the fish in the boat and motored up river for a bit, did a U'y, trailered the boat and booked out of there.

They probably did'nt know that what they were doing was illegal, but all those smallies are just as dead! One thing though, I bet they won't be wasted, nor that Carp, they'll feed someone, maybe several someones, several times!