Our unusually warm mid-winter weather continues to make open-water fishing a treat rather than a chore. Here’s a quick update on the sauger and walleye action at the upper end of Pool 4. While the warm air temperatures may soon be a thing of the past, the saugers and walleyes remain quite agreeable.
I was able to get away for a day to enjoy what has become a reliable pattern for eyes and saugs in my boat since December: dragging jigs and BFT ringies shallow during low-light periods and vertical jigging the edges of deep holes during the mid-day hours. While the mid-day bite had been slow for a couple of my January trips, this day saw a nice up-tick in the mid-day sauger activity. We put 3 fish in the boat that were between 18 and 20″ as well as a couple of handfulls of shorter, but very aggressive fish. The first two pictures show these larger saugers. These fish have the feedbag on TIGHT! All of the walleyes we took came from shallow water (10 fow or less), with the largest hitting the tape around 18″.
One thing that we noticed this trip was the large number of dead and dying shad in the calmer pockets of water. While it was common to see a handful of these buggers every trip in December and January, we literally saw dozens upon dozens of these guys on this particular trip. Easy pickin’ for an eye or a sauger in search of a quick bite! The other thing that separated this trip form some of my other recent trips is that I finally got my sturgeon for the winter! After switching away from using the old-reliable jig/minnow combo last year, I have had a hard time getting one of these prehistoric beasts into the boat. Well, I finally convinced one to munch on a paddletail in 26 fow…he’s no giant, but he took to the camera well. Thanks for not selling me any minnows Dean….I had a moment of weakness, but I’m much better now.
My baits of choice have not changed much in the past month but colors certainly have. When dragging ringies shallow, chartreuse/pepper, purple/chartreuse tail, and firecracker ringies are doing the trick. Vertical presentations were calling for superdoos in lime green, chartreuse/pepper, and hot pink, or paddletails in charteuse/pepper or catalpa/chartreuse tail. We’re using 1/8 or 3/32 oz plain precision heads for dragging and 5/16 oz orange or lime green precision heads for our vertical work. At the start of your next trip, be sure to stop in at Everts Resort and chat with Dean…he’ll bring you up-to-date on the latest fishing conditions, and will make sure you hit the water with the most appropriate bait and tackle for the job. Until next time, see you on the water!
Nice report sir!
I knew somebody had to have got out there today. It was absolutely gorgeous. And, of course, I couldn’t go today 
Gonna try Sunday when its 15 to 20 degrees colder 
dd
nice going there mr. brook trout , what was the water like dn. that way . i was out on #3 and it looked to be a little dirtyer than the last tome i was out . i got 18 or so sauggys and 1 eye today .the paddle tails did the trisk for me .tryed a littlr draggin but i think there was to much curent were i tryed .my bro and dad are comin dn. next wk. ,think well get dn. that way then .thanks for the report … pfluggy
Perhaps a touch dirtier than my last trip down, but I had been off the water for a couple of weeks. Maybe Dean or Dustin could chime in on this….I think Dustin had a trip in the last couple of days.
Thanks for the report Jason!The water clarirty remains good even with the flow rising this week.This pic shows Jim & Wayne with some very typical fish being caught right now.I would mention that hairjigs vertical with minnows are a close second to vertical plastics ie:superdoos,padlletails,and ringies right now.We are also seeing some fish caught pitching 1/4oz blades as well.
A walleye guy one bad catching some “rough fish”.
Another “rough fish” landed.I am told people actually try to catch these things?
LOL
Those last two fish are two of the ugliest saugers I have ever seen.
THATS IT , WHAT THE …. HAS HAPPEND.
NICE FISH THE LGM.BASS HAVE MUCH OF A FIGHT IN HER.I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE OUTHER LGM.BASS DN. IN THAT AREA BUT NOT IN JAN/FEB.
PFLUGGY
THINK ALL US EYE GUYS SHOULD GET DN, TO EVERTS AND TRY TO SAVE WHATS LEFT OF DEAN.SM.BASS IS NOT TO BAD ,BUT A LGM.BASS THATS JUST TO MUCH
DAEN,DEAN, ALL THIS NICE WEATHER MUST OF DONE SOMTHIG TO YOUR LEAD HEAD JIGS
JUST KIDIN YA
HOPE TO SEE YA NEXT WK. KEEP THEM FISH WOARMED UP FOR US
Nice report Brooktrout. Dean…what the heck are those you are holding?? That must be those flying carp or big head carp or whatever they are called
I”m not sure either Scott,but they sure did smell!
Treat em carefull Dean!
WOW DEAN I DID NOT KNOW YOU EVEN TOOK PICTURES OF ROUGH FISH. HAD A GREAT TIME YESTERDAY. THANKS FOR THE GREAT TIPS!! SEE YOU SOON. HARD TO BELEIVE WE LEFT AT 6:45 LAST NIGHT AND GOT HOME AT MIDNIGHT
John these guys are being sacriligious to our favorite Brown Beauties!
Nice report Brook and Dean!
Pfluggy,
Were those 18 saugers very big? I seem to catch a much larger average size sauger on Pool 2 vs. Pool 3. Thanks for the update.
Boone
Don’t know about Pfluggy’s fish, but every one of my 18’+ saugers were over 3 lbs on the digital. Big bellies on those mamas.
JUST GIVN’YA GREIF RIVERFAN AND TOM.
Dean. Leave my fish alone!!!
That’s it!
You put that fish down right now young man, and go in the house and wash your hands with bleach! 
Ish.
THATS WERE YOU HAVE BEEN HIDEING.
THE GUYS WITH MEAT ON THERE JIGS AND STINGER HOOKS WERE GRTTING MORE FISH BUT A LOT OF DINKS . I TRYED GULP AND GOT THE HANG ONS TO .I DID KEEP 2 THAT WERE ON THE SMALL SIDE AND DID GET A FEW MORE DINKS , BUT THE PADDLES WERE GITTIN THE NICER FISH FOR ME.15-18″.
TUCK!!! I remember you were holding a few of those beautiful green fish last year!!!!
Yeah, but now he’s reformed!!!
Bass = Nich,Nich Let’s have a Soaker!
Jason and Dean,
thanks for the reports!!!!
Bassin”” in Feb, GOT TO like it. Dean be careful, we don’t want to see you passing to the
DARK SIDE..
Jack..