The walleye and sauger bite over the last month or so has been pretty good.  Now with that being said it seems like this fishery has been extremely busy this year since the third week of January.   Is this normal a guy asked me?  My response was absolutely not.  In late March early April it's always busy. But the weeks leading to this time I have not in my last 20 years seen this fishery take suck a beating from boaters/anglers.   IMO this has everything to do with the lack of ice conditions this year.  Anglers want to fish and they will do everything possible to go, including some guys  unfortunatly wrecking there boats with the low water conditions.   Always be aware folks the river is a different animal. 

Now to the fishing.  We have been doing pretty good when we can dodge the colder temperatures outside.  To say the least over the last week guys have been catching some really nice walleye.  And I see most females being caught by anglers have been returned to do there thing during the spawning season.   We have gotten quite a few ourselves and I do my best this time of the year to return even smaller female saugers to preserve the fishery.   We have gotten fishing every way you could imagine lately from vertical minnow and jig to Dubuque rigging, miller rigging, and casting blade baits.   You pick your poison and go for it.   

Water depths have been all over the board on where we have caught our walleye and saugers.  I've fished in 3 foot at times to 26 ft on other days.  The walleye and sauger have pretty much let a fishermen know where to fish by the activity level.  This can be a great time of the year to catch a fish of a lifetime.   Being patient with other anglers is a must.  Remember not all the folks you see on the river this time of the year are river rats so at times you can be shallow and some rolls into 2 ft of water with the motor blaring and this will spook those big fish back out to the deeper depths.  IMO this big fish bite for pre spawn ears will end soon so everyone will be switching gears and techniques to go after the post spawn walleyes heading to lake pepin.   The upcoming temperatures will control this very soon.  

I would like to thank all the anglers that have shared the boat with me as of late.  It is always a great time seeing everyone enjoy themselves catching fish and nagging on each other.  Water temperature in my boat as of Friday was 44 degrees in most places I fished for my walleye.   Water level as noted before is low a meat 3.5 ft as of Friday but expected to rise another foot over the next week.  He clarity has been amazingly clean for the first week of April let alone all spring so far.  It really changes the bite window.  

Good luck out there guys and gals!!!!
 

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