Lately I have had some time to hit several pools to see how the bite is coming along.   Each one was totally different and also different techniques to trigger the bite.

 Let's start with pool 2.   Marty and I fished several area on this date, we used a camera also in the areas to see if the fish we marked we're walleye and sauger.   Spot one Marty caught a nice keeper sized sauger while I was under the hood with the camera.  This area only had a few fish in it at the time so we moved on to the next area.    We were dragging jigs and keeping eyes on electronics and noticed a couple young men catch some shorts vertical jigging.  Paying attention to your surroundings is always a bonus to tell you what the walleye want. 
 

We then moved upstream to another area and found a few walleye that wanted to cooperate not only for our boat but for the others around us.  We were using plastics on this date and it seemed the guys using minnows with a slow presentation were doing a little better than us. Clean water and low flow make sure you always have meat. It was a fun day out with Marty and glad to see my fishing partner is back from his long winter travels. 
 

Next is pool 4.  March 3 rd I have Steve Draginis join me and we worked our tails off on this date to put fish in the boat. The day time bite at this time was tough, tough,tough. We did boat a few but not what I expected with the water temps warming up. Steve as always it was a great time in the boat with you and good luck on the circuit this year.   Congrats to the gentlemen who won the freeze your butt tourney in the tough conditions.  
 

Next I had Tom (the gun) and Kevin Albertson.  We headed out right away and got into some perch and crappie.  The. We switched gears and put a couple sauger and walleye in the boat.   Kevin had the hot hand today boating the most and biggest for us.  Nice job Kevin.  Tommy as always it's fun to hear your stories and keep at it those fish will reward you soon when they come up out of lake pepin.  
 

Now to pool 5.   Yesterday I went down to pool 5 launching from Alma.   We started downstream from the launch and I seen some fish on the locator and about one minute in to fishing a new pool for me I feel Bam on the new limit creek 6 footer.   Bring it up and a nice 14 1/2 inch sauger.  Even I get excited when I fish a new place and catch the right species that fast.

 After fishing this area for quite sometime and boating several fish I decided to move along and check other areas out.  This was bonus because both Nick and myself got into several nice perch and even a bonus 21 plus inch brown trout.  To catch these fish we used just a 1/4 ounce jig tipped with a minnow.  Biggest thing to get them to strike was let it lay.  What an absolute blast today and I look forward to another day on pool 5 in the future.  It was nice to have most of the pool to about 15 boats.  The guides in the area have a gem of a fishery down there too.  
 

The conditions are changing rapidly as I write this report today.  Our water has come up 3 feet in a week with the meltage and the recent rains.  The clarity has diminished to about 2 ft in most places.  Water temp has come up to 38 degrees.  Remember it's gonna get busy out on the water with ice going out of most lakes.  Be patient at the launches and remember  to drain your trailer on the cool mornings. 
 

Good luck out there guys and gals !!!!!

Mississippi River, St. Croix River, Pool 3, Pool 4, Walleye Fishing, Sauger Fishing, Red Wing, Hastings