Places around Dubuque

I am looking for places i.e. fishing docks….barges in the Dubuque area. Not wanting to pull my boat down there from MN. I heard of a barge at Eagle Point. Can someone shed a little light on that?

I open the float in the mornings the phone number is 608 748 4443 give us a call always glad to help

Welcome aboard Greg! The barge you heard about is straight across from Eagle Point Park on the Wisconsin side. Lake O’leary is right there also…last news I heard was white bass were going pretty good, size unknown. Hopefully one of the Dubuque natives can give ya directions…been awhile since I’ve been there. Good luck.

I know this isn’t really what you asked for but if you have time and enjoy the river you should stop by the Mississippi River Museum. This is great place with huge aquariums and it is well done in co-operation with the Smithsonian. Here is a link with more info.

Mississippi River National Museum

Ken,

You are correct about the river museum. It is well worth the price of admission. I live in Dubuque and sometimes I take for granted what the tri-state area has to offer. The Dubuque/Galena area has become quite the tourist destination. Of course there is the river and all the recreational opportunities that it offers. There are all kinds of other outdoor activities in this area such as hunting, trout fishing, camping and the list goes on. This area is full of history and there are several museums dedicated to the history of the area. Dubuque has 2 casinos and a dog track for those who enjoy throwing their money away. There are many public golf courses to choose from as well including some of the best courses in the midwest at the Galena Territories. There is a network of hiking/biking trails that draw in people as well. If you like to downhill ski there is Chestnut Mountain outside of Galena and Sundown Mountain outside of Dubuque. It seems like there is some sort of festival going on in Dubuque about every weekend. I tollerate all the tourists as long as they don’t anchor on the middle of my favorite wingdam.

Eyehunter

You should tell me which exact wingdam is your favorite so that I know to avoid it

I really don’t have a favorite wingdam as there are so many to choose from. Each and every one of them can produce fish. Time of year, river and weather conditions dictate which dams I fish. There are a couple dams that are near and dear to my heart though. One is a closing dam that turns only at certain times of the day and under the right river conditions and has produced several of my largest walleyes over the years. The other is a wingdam that very few people bother to stop at because it is fairly short and doesn’t have much water depth in front of it. So many people won’t fish dams down in this neck of the woods with less than 8′ to 10′ of water in front of the dam but this “shallow” dam is different. It averages less than 5′ of water in front of the dam with as little as 1′ to 1-1/2′ of water over the top of the dam. There is good deep water behind the dam. It is one of those dams that has consistantly produced for me. The best thing about it is I have never had to share this dam with another boat. Only a handful of my closest friends know where this dam is located and how to fish it and they are all sworn to secrecy under penalty of death. Even when people that know me see me there they just keep on going by thinking I must be some sort of a greenhorn for fishing there. I try to keep a low-profile when I am fishing there never spending more than 15 to 30 minutes there at a time and never getting out the net when there are other boats in the vicinity. On an average day of walleye fishing I may hit as many as a dozen wingdams or more. This is more the pattern as spring turns to summer and the fish are more spread-out than they are in May and June.

Eyehunter