Monti area was tough tonight...and the river was down

[Hoffer]

Got back from fishing the Monti area tonight from around 5 to sundown. I think we boated 7 smallies - with the biggest at 19.5. The river is down I would guess 2 feet from the last time out a few weekends ago. The fishing was real tough compared to then. Was it the heat? I have heard on this sight that some guys prefer the lower water levels - but I have always found the fishing tougher when the water has dropped like this...what do you think??? any other reports from the last few days...

[BigMike]

Bummer to hear that the fishing was tough... the only thing I can say is some days are good and some are bad. One major difference between high water and low water is the location of fish. Fish tend to hold tight to cover during high water and in lower water they scatter a bit more. Just wait for another month or so and the water clarity should improve a lot. Then you'll be able to see the river structure better and you'll notice yourself catching more fish away from the shorelines. Good luck

[smallie_hawgin]

BLB and were debating the same thing yesterday.... My take on it is when the river is "actively" dropping it does one of two things to smallies. One: forced crayfish and other minnows out into less protected areas where smallmouth get them and they are relatively inactive becauuse their full or we are not offering something that looks like "the hatch" or two: the smallmouths roofs are coming down over their heads and they move away from typical haunts as a means of avoiding being stranded. I suppose it could probably be a combunation of both. Either way, it generally makes fishing tough when water drops fast. It might help to look at the water levels for yesterday @ St. Cloud.... with the heat they may be generating on screwy schedules which affects water levels drastically. Good luck.

[Royce Aardahl]

I went out from 5 to 7 here last evening to do a little testing. Floated down the shady side and casted a white spinner bait (not a buzz) and I got 6 smallies and 2 northern. Then I went and did the same thing down the sunny side and not a single hit from anything. The smallies I got were out from shore a bit so they must have been waitng for food to come by. The 2 northern hit right on the shoreline so I musta upset their naps or something. The water is about 6 to 7 inches lower than it was thursday so it is dropping steady but slow. Is that considered slow? When that middle gate shuts at sartell it'll drop quicker. It seeams that the turbines are almost always the same in high or low water. 3 shut and the rest open so I don't know what the deal is there. I should visit with those guys up there some day.

[jet man]

fished monti stretch today from 5-7;30 got 10 smallies on four different baits (spinner, buzz, crank, tube) and 4 catfish on a crank bait. lol

Slow but got one 19" and 4 were 16.

[Hoffer]

You guys did better than we did thats for sure. I wonder if we also need to change up our baits a bit. we tend to just stick with Tube jigs and vary the color depending on the result. I like the thought about the sunny side verses the shaded - we usually fish the "south" side of the river for some reason. It seems like the other side often has more silty areas that I dont associate much with smallie habitat. Hope to get out again soon and try again. maybe this time hit the earlier morning before the day heats up. If the river drops too much more - we may have to stick with the lakes - I hit a rock in "reverse" the last time out on saturday and broke off half my keel and damaged the prop pretty good - although it was my "river prop" - it now needs some good mending or a replacement. Anyone know if having a welder patch up half of a missing keel costs very much???

[smallie_hawgin]

We got out for a few hours last night and mangaed 10 smallies and 1 northern. 3 smallies on the sunny side 7 on the shady. Two on spinnerbaits, 2 on cranks, 2 on senkos, 2 on hair jigs, 2 on a Zara...... There's a pattern to figure out eh?? I can't wait for the water to come down to more normal levels..

[EBass]

I made it out there to on Sat from 4-10PM. The fish were getting pounded. There were at least a dozen if not more boats and that's only what we saw.

But we still managed a few. I believe I caught 9 with the biggest going 18" or so but mostly that 14-16" range with some pocket bass mixed in. My buddy caught around 7 I think.

Is it me or does everyone have a jet rig of some sort?

[Keith_MN]

Was out on the river upriver from the Clearwater landing Sunday afternoon and evening. Was by far the best day of fishing I've had on the river so far this summer. But I always struggle when the water levels are high and do better when the water levels come back down to normal levels. I wish I knew why.

The best thing about last night was that I brought a friend along who had never fished the river with me before. I think I can safely say that there is another river convert walking amoung us today. If you are in the market for a triple-bladed buzz bait you better hit the stores soon because I think my fishing partner will be buying them up at his first opportunity.