Why is it that everyone on pool 2 is talking about when the water level goes up and clarity goes down, the fishing gets worse. Whereas on pool 4 everyone is waiting for high water and muddy water because the fishing gets so much better.
How is this possible?
We’re not waiting for “DIRTY WATER” as much as high water, if there is a gradual flow increase as opposed to the gates of hell being opened, that is what you are looking for, if the water is muddy, you need to seek out cleaner water that does not have a lot of current attached to it. Does that make sense?? 
First everyone is looking for dirty water then they are looking for clean water. Personally I think its an excuse for not catching fish 
Just kidding, amazingly it holds true but if you get too much muck in the water then its a tough bite because the fish cant see. I like it when there is that perfect mid-summer level of muck, no too much but not too little.
Ya i don’t think anyone is looking for muddy water on pool 4. Just some color to the water. With the rising water should come color, just hopefully not chocolate milk.
If the fish did not bite in muddy water there would be no fish in pool 2.They would all just starve to death.
I could be wrong, but I read Micah’s question differently than you guys. I thought he was wondering more about the perceived difference between the P2 and P4 spring bite than the effect of clarity on the bite.
Maybe there is no difference. One thing that comes to mind though is that when the landings start to close in high water on P2 the fishing gets really tough….because you can’t even get out there.
I think #’s and the Minnesota river is the biggest difference between the pools this time of year. There are a lot of walleyes here in P2 but not near the #’s of P4 but the average size of the walleyes seem to be bigger on P2. Same goes for anglers/reports. There are a lot more guys fishing down there on P4 from March-April.
On p2 a good majority use the Minnesota river to spawn and may not get back into the pool till the end of April. Once they drop eggs and start heading back to there summer homes its game on. This is the time when you start hearing the reports again. Muddy or not people are catching plenty of fish then. IMO its more Pool structure and pre-spawn habits that spit the two this time of year more than anything else. I think the muddy water just happens to start during this time.
Its too bad we can’t chase em up into the ‘sota. That would be a blast.
Jason and Buschman, you got guys the jist of my question. It seems that on pool 2 people talk very negatively about the rising water levels and color, even if it is gradual and spread out. Even to the point of talking about fishing above the confluence since the Minnesota is the culprit for the real dirty water. I wonder if you didn’t fish it much further south if you could tap into some of the same “pool 4” type structure as fish go in and out of backwater spawning areas. Certainly not all of the fish go up the Minnesota right! Maybe that’s a “next time out” trip.
Good input though, thanks guys. Anybody else have thoughts on this?
1. MN River
2. Fewer Fish in P2 vs. P4
3. More is understood/known about P4 than P2
I think Joe nailed it — the MN River makes the biggest difference. In Pool 4 a large number of fish concentrate in areas we can fish. In Pool 2, it’s understood a lot of fish head up the MN River instead of to the dam. When the water comes up I’d bet the fish really get a move on up into the MN. Pool 3 is somewhat similar in structure … do people do well consistently below the dam in Hastings? In Pool 4 a ton of fish stage and even spawn in areas where we can catch them.
There are definitely far fewer fish in Pool 2 than Pool 4. The fish that do stay in the Missippi are catchable, but there just aren’t enough fish to make the fishing easy very often. In Pool 4, if all the right ingredients exist on a spot, chances are good that there will be fish there. In Pool 2, the spot might have a bunch of fish on it. Or there might be 2 fish on it. Or there might be none simply because there aren’t enough fish to cover every good spot. It’s an odds thing, I suppose.
Finally, I think there are plenty of unknowns in Pool 2. If fish do concentrate in MN River we wouldn’t know it because we can’t fish there. Everyone knows there are fish at the confluence at some times during the spring, but it’s not all that predictable … they’ll be there one day, and gone the next. Most guys fish between the 494 launch and the confluence … mostly the northern portion of that. People who explore other areas might be rewarded, but my second point about the numbers of fish mean that they aren’t rewarded all that often. I bet most P2 regulars believe that there are fish in Pool 2 that aren’t being targeted right now, but if anyone has found a new, consistent pre-spawn location it’s a well kept secret.
Mike W and I were fishing below the dam briefly the other day. He says to me, “Can you imagine how many fish would be on these rocks if this were Red Wing?”
Anyway, that’s what I think. It’s a great question, Micah.
why cant you fish up the minnesota? its at least 9 feet deep all the way to shakopee with access to a lot of backwaters in the spring high water.
Walleye season is closed on inland waters. 
I’ve discussed this with a few of the guys and i think the exploration to be doing when we get to this point on pool 2 is around pigs eye lake and spring lake; but I really don’t know where. I just have some ideas on what to look for. Last Spring i really stunk it up on 2 until late April when I started catching again in the spots that normally work for me.
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Last Spring i really stunk it up on 2 until late April when I started catching again in the spots that normally work for me.
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I hear you Joel, that is about the same results I have came up with.
P3 is pretty cool. it is a pretty good mix of the two on each side. The one big difference right now is that fishing is closed right now from the Dam down to Prescott. Everything south of the RR bridge is open. There is lots of potential there but off limits. I do know for a fact that there is a lot of spawning that takes place south of the dam there. I dont believe many Mississippi residents run up the Croix. Im sure some do but nothing like we see on P2 running the Minnesota?? IMO the biggest reason is because of water temps. The croix stays pretty cool into may.
P3 has some very unique backwaters and holds quite a few wingdams. Some that are very different from any you see on P2. Lots of fun really. They all seem to be there own body of water but at times seem exactly alike. I have left P2 one day and picked right up on the same pattern on P3 that same evening. And the next week they are totally different 
Keeps you on your toes anyway.
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