Dubuque/Bellevue Tailwaters (Pools 12/13)

Looks like Monday will be a go for me. I will finally be getting on the river.

With gas at over $2/gallon , we’re thinking of fishing closer to home and hitting possibly Dubuque or Bellevue. I have never fished either pool 12 or 13. Curious if anyone could share any local techniques or potential areas to target? Anyone been out on these pools lately to know how the bite is going, if at all?

Thanks,

Joe

I was out at DBQ this past weekend and did well. However this week has brought the barges and the dam has changed the gates to their summer position (water flowing under the gates instead of over the gates). I don’t know if this will change the bite. We caught nice saugers up near the dam this last weekend and nice walleye downstream along the edges of the channel. Everything was caught on plastics either vertical jigging or pitching.

I have heard 2nd hand reports out of Bellevue and what I have heard was good. I would shoot for whichever location is closest for you. Let us know how you do.

Eyehunter

‘Eyehunter:

Thanks for the update! I suppose we’ll just have to flip a coin Sunday night or Monday morning, as we have also heard some reports that Bellevue has been pretty steady from others. Have they put the floating docks in at any of the ramps in Dubuque? There’s a small chance I might make it out tomorrow with my son, having the dock in makes getting the boat out so much easier when you’re solo or with young children. I know, I’m a wuss…

I suppose these pools are no different than any others, probably our best chances at getting our jigs in front of some larger fish will be a little downstream from the dam working sand dunes, rip-rap shorelines, or other protected areas between wingdams; where the fish can get out of the main channel current.

My oldest boy wants to go fishing today; I toyed with taking him out to DBQ or BLV, but with a cold wet snow coming down and temps in the low 30s , I figured it was recipe to sour him on the sport, we have a lot of years ahead of us, that’s the last thing I want to do. Most 6 year olds don’t quite have the endurance limits we have.

If you are familiar with them, have you found the “hotspots” maps for these pools of any value? I am sometimes leery of venturing to “new” pools, but the only way you learn a specific fishery is to spend time on the water. Assuming we make it out, we’ll have a report up Monday night.

My nieghbor fished Bellevue Thursday and did very well. He was pull 3 ways with a Rapala slowly, said he caught 34 fish, both walleye and sauger.. Ron

The docks were not in as of yesterday but they should be putting them in soon. I have never really used any of the hot spot maps as I have fished pools 9 thru 14 for most of my life. I do have a navigation chart that has some of my secret spots highlighted. I don’t use it but someday if I live to be an old forgetful geezer I may need it to remember where to go. Maybe my daughters can sell it when I’m gone. I do take it with me when I fish pools 4, 5 & 5A as I like to mark where we find fish.

Pool 12 & 13 are pretty much like most any other pool except I think they both have the greatest number of fishable wingdams. By fishable I mean they are not silted in and have good water both in front and behind. Pool 12 has many, many dams that have 10′ to 15′ of water in front of them. Don’t pass on some of the shallower dams though. I know of several that only have a 3 or 4 foot of water in front of them with only a foot or two going over the top that hold good numbers of feeding walleye. These dams have good deep water behind them to hold the fish when they are less active.

I will be out Saturday at DBQ to hopefully find a few eaters. My daughters want to eat fresh fish. The fish we caught last weekend all went home with the guys that shared my boat. They were having a fish fry last Sunday night. I’m down to a bag of northern fillets and a bag of bluegill fillets in my freezer.

Eyehunter

Quote:

---

I’m down to a bag of northern fillets and a bag of bluegill fillets in my freezer.

Eyehunter

---

I hear ya brother, I’m down to one freezer-burned bag of Alaskan Pollock…

Alaskan pollack? And I thought I was hurting. I refuse to buy fish except for a can or two of tuna every year. I did get out a few times ice fishing this year due to the closed tailwater areas. My daughters had never really eaten any fresh fish except for walleye and sauger but they loved the bluegill fillets and they want more of them. I guess I had better start keeping some of those big bullgills we catch on the wingdams in the late summer/early fall. I had forgotten how good they are. There have been days I have caught and released a dozen or so huge gillies while walleye fishing. I should make it a point to target the gills a few times this year.

Eyehunter

Well, with it being such a nice Saturday afternoon, we decided to take a family country ride, despite the high gas prices. As a sidebar, it cost me $35.66 to fill up the new AWD Sienna mini-van, which unfortunately, barely gets 17 MPG.

Since it had been some time since I had been there, we decided to head to Bellevue and make an afternoon of it. There’s a nice ball field near the lock and my sons and I played soccer and touch football in sight of the tailwaters while my wife took the baby out for a walk in the fresh air. They probably have the nicest Subway sandwich shop I have ever been to, complete with a patio deck overlooking the river and LD12.

We have a unique way of compromise at my house, and while it was sheer torture to see the other boats out there with me shorebound, I got to at least get out and sorta “scout” the tailwaters in preparation for Monday; plus, I got to be a good dad and spend some much needed time with my sons throwing the football.

The bite seemed to be going OK over there. I saw quite a few small fish being caught and at least once nice sauger (looked to be > ~18″) make to a net from my vantage point. Based on some conversations at the ramp, most guys who were looking for meat had at least 3-5 greasers to take home. I saw about 20 boats working the immediate tailwater area. Monday can’t come soon enough…

That had to be a killer. Did your wife feel sorry for you at all?

Nope.

But with mid 60s progged for tomorrow, I didn’t expect her to.