Alma

[CrappieJohn]

I spoke with two friends last night hat have done Alma now a couple of times and the fishing has been pretty good. These are plastics guys and would not give up the sealed deal but I am thinking either the PB minnows or Ringworms on lighter heads in slack water.

They did tell me (showed actually) their results from Saturday and a limit apiece of 17-20 inch fish was easy on the eyes. Like myself, these guys keep sauger and put the waldos back, but still fish of that size are just what the table called for.

(Sorry guys, but when you showed me the well you had a ringie of either fire/ice, firecracker sticking out of the rod locker. lol....just couldn't pass o that)

Anyway....the report was that the water was fairly tame, not very dirty yet and that the wingies were holding fish if you looked for them.

[liphooked]

How is the fishing at Alma compared to Red Wing? i have only fished Red Wing over the past few years but have heard nothing but good things about Alma (except to expect a lot more snags than Red Wing).

Where do you put in and do you fish near the dam or drift the river with Ringworms/plastics?

I wouldn't mind trying Alma but would like more info regarding that section of the river (any water hazards to worry about like wing dams).

"rip some lip"

[Dan Thiem]

The ramp is located near the power plant behind the grain mill.

As far as dangers like wing dams and things, it's pretty much all safe up and around the dam.

[CrappieJohn]

lip...

Its hard to say which one is better since each has merits that makes them great. I fish both, but prefer Alma over RedWing because of the crowds at the latter.

They both have fish and both can be easy to fish or be areal sucker to figure out. My largest open water walleye came from Alma many years ago(25?) and one on the walleye came from there,but not because it was so huge....the gills got cut up and the fish wouldn't recover.

As Dan mentioned, the most immediate access is in town just ahead of the power plant. There are other launch sites, one on the MN side near West Newton and another on the S'conie side further down stream from town. West Newton chute is another option, but the water can be very shallow back in there.

Fishing is everywhere there....at the dam-face, in the channel. It offers extensive rip-rap and expansive sand areas. Wing dams abound along the MN coast and yes, they pose a serious travel threat during normal or low water periods. The wing dams are, however, very easy to read from both directions.

Depending on flow, you can generally get by with 1/4 heads. #/8 if you stick your nose up in the boil at the dam or if the water is up some. There are areas at the dam where eddys allow for 1/4 without any headaches. 6 pound mono is all one needs to have on the reel.

You'll find plenty of things to get caught on until you catch on to what to do. (I couldn't help the play on words)Expect some tackle losses. I do NOT recommend using braids down there. It is cheaper to replace a jig than a rod and of all the rods that I see get schmucked at Alma it is due to braids for one reason or another.

You'll find a lot of recommendations for bait. Bait to me is plastic, so that's what I'll talk of. Exude (Mr.Twister products) 3" twisters are a good choice if the fish are on a bite and you are doing deep, currented water. If the fish are tenetive, I will use three inch PowerBait Minnows (don't use that GULP junk, it does not produce fish in cold water like the Exude Twisters or PB minnows do!)in the chartreuse shad or the rainbow shad colors. The rainbows get put on a black or purple head, the chart.shad on a glow chartreuse head. These get fished in the same type of water as the twisters, deep-current.

The pockets between wingdams will give up nice fish occasionally. Towards the current and channel, expect saugers to hit. As you begin to shallow u by moving towardsshore you will find more walleyes. Waldos will be found immediately in front of, behind, and atop of those wing dams. Light jigs (1/16-3/32) and ringworms fished slowly are good for this. They are also an excellent choice for the shallow sand flats.

Until the water temps begin to approach the 50 degree mark, plastics will spin your web the most consistantly. There will be days when blade baits, such as Heddon sonars, are a real performer. Hair and bucktail jigs are another excellent tool. Most people fish these tipped with fatheads, but I find they work fine bareback. If there are no crowds, a three-way dragged along a zig-zag course towing a stickbait or shad rap can get some nice fish too.

Right now is when you want to fish this dam. Once Lake Pepin and the backwaters above the dam open up, more dead swamp weeds and other winter related debris along with huge ice floes will come through the gates and , trust me, you do not want to be there then. The weeds in the water will make it impossible to fish for the crap on your line and if you make contact with one of those iceburgs while running at full speed, the only thing you'll come home with is a story.

There are dams all the way down to the Iowa border and they all provide for some oustanding fishing. Alma is the closest for me, but really I go there because of the Nelson Cheese Sandwich shop across from Wabasha on my way home. I love the food.....and of course there are my favorite little ladies who work there that I get to fun with!

You go on down to Alma and learn that dam. Its a dandy spring and fall. Pick up a map of the area (pool 5) below the dam and study that. It won't take you long to put together a working plan that keeps you in fish.

[Down to Earth]

liphooked,

I must admit my Alma knowledge isn't as good as most on here, but I've had good success in the late fall fishing the dam. I've pretty much fished a 3 way debuque rig, with a ringworm on one line and a colored hook with a minnow going off the other. My pattern has pretty much been working the dam area on a drift with a vertical jig presentation. I must admit, this pattern has resulted in a greater sauger to walleye ratio than others, but it has kept the action steady and fun. If you put in Alma, you won't have to worry about hazards at all. The landing is pretty easy to find as well. If your coming from Eau Claire just head South at Nelson until you get to Alma. The landing is on the South edge of town as Dan indicated. There are signs to help you find it. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Andy