Please help the river newbie out

So hoping you guys could help me out. Want to get out on the river this weekend with a buddy. Taking his boat and we are both new to the river, fished the rum a little but thats it. We want to catch and keep some eyes, since were both new to this want to make it easy and safe. We live in the north metro so I was thinking pool 3?. Where is the best spots to launch that puts us close to good fishing areas. If anyone wants to share tactics I really appreciate that. Plan to maybe troll a little and work some jigs and plastics/minnows, curious to what size jig heads you need to play in the current. If anyone is planning to be on it this weekend maybe we could hook up and share some time out there too. TIA

Ya’ll prolly be endin up in pool 2.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

pool 2

There is a whole thread about the pool 2 fishing report. Pages and pages of it. If I were a newbie, I’d read through that and then go there.

John Rasmussen wrote:

We want to catch and keep some eyes

That takes out Pool 2.

You can put in at Prescott and fish the lower St Croix or Pool 3 for keeper fish.

Jig/minnow, trolling cranks or casting to wing dams. Lots of options.

EDIT for a little more detail for a newbie.

You can vertical jig with a minnow or plastic down the main channel of the Croix in the no-wake under the bridge and on down to the mississippi mud line. Then turn around and troll a small crank on a 3-way back up stream through the same fish. Pretty easy fishing there.

You can venture down stream and get anchored up on the last 1/3 of wing dams and cast cranks or pitch jig/plastic to the rocks. Feel no rock, move.

There are areas of rip rap along the shoreline on the track (WI) side of the river. You can troll cranks in these areas as close as you can get to the rocks.

-J.

I have read just about everything I could. Just trying to make it easy and get our feet wet on the river. Don’t mind the idea of paying to launch either if that is a safer option for launching and parking. I know it sounds like we can go catch them on P2. I take it none of you guys fish 3 or 4 much?

Edit. Thank you Jon!

Hastings has a nice boat launch too, that is fairly close to those spots Jon mentioned. I’d go there, or down to Red Wing on pool 4/Lake Pepin. River advice is to be careful when on plane and stay between the navigational bouys until you get a lay of the land. Water is really low now too, so be extra careful when covering some distance on plane. Tough to beat a jig and a minnow or plastic on the river, either casting (which should be easier with low flow) or vertical/45 degree jigging or dragging. Plenty of good trolling runs all over both pools/rivers as well.

Ok if you were me would you launch at Hastings and go down stream and fish or go down to Red Wing and fish up to the dam, which is more productive?

John Rasmussen wrote:

Ok if you were me would you launch at Hastings and go down stream and fish or go down to Red Wing and fish up to the dam, which is more productive?

I’d probably go to Hastings, closer drive and you have Pool 3 and the St. Croix right there. And if I went to Pool 4, I wouldn’t be fishing by the dam.

Jon pretty much nailed it. I’d launch at Prescott. I don’t think there is much flow up at the Hastings dam so I’d focus south.

I’d avoid P4 right now. With the decent weather it’ll be a zoo and P3 will be just as productive or better.

I’d start with cranks on the dams and my second choice would be jig and minnow on the dams. It’s a border water so you can troll two lines if you find any runs you like.

Lotta options…you’ll find em. My guess is the saugers will be on a tear on the main channel.

Flow is really low…we have been pitching eighth ounce jigs on pool 2. Maybe quarter in a couple spots but you don’t want to be too heavy that you are buried in the rocks all the time.

I only fish P4 and weekends can be busy but not always. if you decide on RedWing let me know John and I can help put you on fish. Colvill park is a big and easy launch just have to trim your motor up with the low water according to BK. I was out of Baypoint last week and it was no problem. If i get out friday, i can give you some really current info. i have rarely fished the other pools so no help there

Thanks a lot guys really appreciate your help. Also thanks to the guys that sent me messages, You guys are great! Keep it coming if you like but I know feel like I have at least a game plan.

If you fish P3, be aware that 2 lines is not allowed on the Mississippi north of the split in Prescott.

I would fish P3 exactly how Matt said above, seems to always work just south of town.

John,

I’d avoid P4 right now. With the decent weather it’ll be a zoo and P3 will be just as productive or better.

Totally agree with the above and there’s a tourney this weekend. If you do go to the dam, make sure the person that’s not running the motor, knows to help watch out for the other guy and he might be required to “push off” of other boats. Yes, it gets that tight up there frequently.

P2 is catch and release (for walleye) so P3 and the Croix is my obvious choice with down stream of Red Wing my second.

Good Luck were every you go!

Matt Moen wrote:

Jon pretty much nailed it. I’d launch at Prescott. I don’t think there is much flow up at the Hastings dam so I’d focus south.

X3

I would start on the wing dams south of the launch in prescott and then move deep when you feel the need to go back up river. Jig and plastics at the base of the dams and crankbaits across the face of the dams. These wingdams get very shallow in P3 so avoid going over them with the boat. There are some really good dams in pool 3. Focus on the tips and first few dams in the series of dams. There are some isolated dams that are good too. They should show on your electronics.

3 way small stick baits and dont forget about jigging raps or blades right now in the main channel sections of that area. I generally pull sticks down there now and do well. This is the no wake section and up on the Croix.

I know there was a thread talking about favorite crankbaits but I could not find it. Anyone care to share there favorites.

John Rasmussen wrote:

I know there was a thread talking about favorite crankbaits but I could not find it. Anyone care to share there favorites.

JSR’s for casting. Rapala deep shadow raps are also a good go to for the shallower dams. Kind of a hybrid between a shad style and a stick style bait.

Steer clear of Pool 4 until the weather turns. It will definitely be busy. I’d be looking to Pool 3 or 5 if going out this weekend and wanting to bring a few fish home.

Take very little stock in someone who tells you they caught a ton of dinks or struggled with size, as that is almost a guarantee they were playing bumper boats at the dam killing small saugers this time of the year.

Make sure drain plug is in, otherwise folks with high powered fish finders will be needed to find your boat, and possibly your trailer if your day really went south.

Make sure you have plenty of gas and motor is running right, no fun the last two seconds as you are looking over the dam to whats below, that reminds me, wear your life jacket for above reasons.

Dont challenge barges, you will lose no ifs, no ands, no buts, no maybes.

Be sure to have 2 pound line on one rod with a heavy sinker so you can accidently ding the azzholes boat that ran over your line or cut you off on the way into the chitter when lunch didnt agree with you, or you challenged a barge and found out why you dont do that!

Always go upstream just in case you forgot gas or your motor doesnt run right, that way you can go with the flow back to the ramp where you launched, be prepared to be on the right side so that you are not waving at someone on the dock just before you go over the dam.

Thanks for the great advise Sheldon!!

If we catch any Bullheads I will shoot you a text bud.

Last fall when I moved off the river I gave the location of my honey hole on p3. I checked it out last weekend. Fish present, albeit spread out due to low current. If you jig/ minnow drift it you’ll produce..

That wasn’t the spot I drove up there for, but I checked it. Was on another hot bite but I couldn’t resist scanning it quick. If your comfortable, pull plastics at 0.3-0.5mph on a 3-way. Chart/green core pulsars.

Good luck John. Send me a pm if you need more info

Thanks FRBM. I sent you a PM sir, well two actually.

I will ask one of the questions here also for everyone. How and why is a 3 way different or better than a bottom bouncer. Also what weight sinker on a 3 way or bottom bouncer?

John Rasmussen wrote:

Thanks FRBM. I sent you a PM sir, well two actually.

I will ask one of the questions here also for everyone. How and why is a 3 way different or better than a bottom bouncer. Also what weight sinker on a 3 way or bottom bouncer?

They cost less, have infinite adjustments of weight and height. AND when we drop our rods back to touch bottom a round lead weight will tell you quickly your on bottom versus a 10″ wire that must fall over to hit bottom and will only tell you subtlety in comparison.

Makes sense thanks.

buckybadger wrote:

Steer clear of Pool 4 until the weather turns. It will definitely be busy. I’d be looking to Pool 3 or 5 if going out this weekend and wanting to bring a few fish home.

Take very little stock in someone who tells you they caught a ton of dinks or struggled with size, as that is almost a guarantee they were playing bumper boats at the dam killing small saugers this time of the year.

Can confirm , only small saugers at the dam this weekend . Got old quick for me .

Andy, I got my jigs back last weekend so I can hook you up now. They didn’t clean me out so that’s good for you!

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Andy, I got my jigs back last weekend so I can hook you up now. They didn’t clean me out so that’s good for you!

I’ll look you up in the next week when I’m over that way , will grab a few . Have about 7 rods in boat right now with different presentations haha . Haven’t found the favorite yet.

What rod length and action are you guys using when running 3 ways and shallow floaters on them? If I run a jig of one what weight jig and does color matter?

Also you guys are awesome really appreciate the help can’t thank you enough

John Rasmussen wrote:

What rod action are you guys using when running 3 ways and shallow floaters on them? If I run a jig of one what weight jig and does color matter?

Also you guys are awesome really appreciate the help can’t thank you enough

Usually medium, fast action for me. We’ve been casting 3 ways lately. With the low flow you can run 3/8ths probably or maybe half of you are off the main channel in front of Prescott. Flow is a bit heavier there. Gotta experiment with colors. Purple has never failed me though!!!

Ok any line preferences on them? And what length would you start with for leader to bait and leader to bottom?

John Rasmussen wrote:

Ok any line preferences on them? And what length would you start with for leader to bait and leader to bottom?

Main line is braid and I make the leaders and droppers out of 10# fluoro.

I’m not super precise on length. Usually in the neighborhood of 4’ leader and 1’ dropper.