WELL, BIG SNOW ARRIVED!!!

Greetings All:
Well, the forcast snow did arrive. Here in Pools 12 & 13 we had just under 8" on the ground. Now it is the very cold weather moving in to make your river fishing trip quite cold. You can still launch in Dubuque and Bellevue and fish the tailwaters. Floating ice in the river but you can slowly get around it if you take your time. Great time to have waters mostly to yourself. Lots of fish are available though. 


After plowing snow this morning I went out in Pool-13 and scored a really nice limit of walleye and sauger for dinner. Nothing like some fresh fish from the very cold water.  Orange 1/4th oz. Fireball jigs tipped with a 3" minnow was the ticket. Get tight to bottom though for best results. 


Dress VERY warm and you can still get in some great fishing before total ice up.


Regards:  Last cast / Mike Cyze           lastcast13@yahoo.com
 

CURRENT CONDITIONS OF RIVER HAVE CHANGED!!

Greetings All:
River lock and dams in Pools 12-13 have put gates of dam into Winter set. This means water is blowing through and this has scattered fish out. Look for them to slowly return  in a few days or so. Also, be aware of chunk ice starting to form in river and it can damage your boat and lower unit of motor.  

Still some nice fish down river but getting to them a bit harder with ice. Go slow and you will enjoy a great day on the river. Snow expected on Saturday with 6" possible.

lastcast / Mike Cyze       lastcast13@yahoo.com

COLD WEATHER EQUALS HOT FISHING!!!

Hi All:
Just a quick update on the walleye & sauger action on the old Mississippi.  In Pool-13, some very nice walleye away from the dam downriver this morning. Fish those current breaks and back eddy areas with light jig/minnow rigs for best results.  Use lightest jig you can cast, tip with a nice lively minnow and work the area completely. Keep rod tip high to help avoid bottom snags.  If your not feeling bottom and getting hung-up occasionally your not in the correct fish zone.  

Dress warm because the air is cold and you can get very uncomfortable quickly if not properly dressed. Dress in layers for best results.

All those folks up at dam playing bumper boats are missing the boat, (no pun intended) on all the huge fish available down river away from the crowds. Just you and Mother Nature, it don't get any better than that!!!

Good Luck & Best Regards:   Lastcast / Mike Cyze                lastcast13@yahoo.com

Big Walleye & Sauger Available!!!

Greetings All:
Well, as the weather turns more crummy, the river fishing is really picking up. Was out yesterday and this morning and both days caught limits of nice big walleye. Fish were down river from dams a good 8 miles in a side bay with rocky humps nearby. Bright jigs, 1/4th oz. tipped with a big shiner minnow was the ticket. 
No stinger hooks needed for these babies as they were super aggressive in taking the bait. Bright colored hair jigs also excellent. In fact, many fish caught on a minnow-less white head jig with white and orange hair. Great fish catcher.  Dress warm and don't forget that rain suit to break the wind and stay dry.


Good luck and great fishing.            Regards: Mike Cyze / Lastcast                  lastcast13@yahoo.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!

Greetings:


Just want to wish all you "River Rats" a Happy Thanksgiving that's filled with family and good friends.


Let us not forget those in the Armed Services of our country  that keep us safe and include them in our prayers. 


Thanks also for making this blog as successful as is has been.


Best regards to you and your families.


Mike Cyze / lastcast13@yahoo.com

Bumper Boat Fishing Has Started!!!

Greetings All:
Well, as expected, "Bumper Boat Fishing" has started in full swing below the dams in Dubuque, Bellevue and Clinton. Like sheep, anglers follow the pack of boats to an area if they are catching fish or not.  Don't get caught in this trap. Head down river and find one of the many spots that hold a lot of fish but never see an angler. Look for current breaks and also steep tapering shorelines to hole some nice walleye and sauger. 


Remember,,,NOT ALL THE FISH ARE UP IN THE TAILWATERS IN THE FALL!!!! 


Many are down river just waiting for your bait. So don't get caught up in the "Bumper Boat Fishing" up at the dams. It's usually not worth the aggravation you will find as other anglers fish just inches away from your boat. 

So head down river and find your own honey hole. You'll be glad you did.

Till Next Time,,,,Take Care & I'll See You On The River..........................

Mike Cyze / lastcast13@yahoo.com  

Great Weekend Weather,,,Great Fishing!!!!

Greetings All:

Well, Mother Nature is blessing us with some beautiful weather to be out on the river. 

Fishing action picking up on a daily basis with nice crappie in the backwaters and good saugar fishing in the main river.  Look for those crappie to be holding close to structure laying in the water. Small minnows best under a small slip-float rig. 


Look for those saugar near the wingdams that run out far from shore. Vertical jigging best method along with trolling 3-way rigs. Don't be surprised if you tie into some really big stripers also cruising those wingdams. 


Tailwater fishing not really in full swing yet but some fish coming in. Mostly small dinks. 




Weather forecast to be excellent all week long so if you have the chance, get out and enjoy yourself.


Dress comfy, and make some Fall memories.


Till Next Time,,,,Take Care & I'll See You On The Water,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Mike Cyze / lastcast13@yahoo.com.

WALLEYE & SAUGAR ACTION PICKING UP!!!

Greetings All:

Went out this morning and found lot's of nice walleye and saugar down river from dam in Pool-13. Some boats up at dam but great fishing still down river a few miles. Long wing-dams fished with a white hair jig tipped with a ringworm did the trick. Some fish wanted a nice slow bottom presentation, some taking snap jigging method. Try both and let the fish tell you what they want on that particular day. 


Some nice big stripers mixed in also. I'll be having fresh fish fillets for dinner tonight!!!

Till next time,,,,TAKE CARE AND I'LL SEE YOU ON THE WATER!!!!


Mike Cyze,  lastcast13@yahoo.com

River Action Picking up!!!

Greetings All:
Well, the river is finally settling down and the fishing is picking up. 


Walleye & saugar are starting to show up now that the gates on L&D 12 are closed. Also in pool-13. Good action today until lightning came along with rains. Fish taking an assortment of lures with jig/minnow rigs producing the best. Some anglers jerking sonars up by dams with no luck other than an occasional drum. 


BIG stripers on sand flats schooling shad. White hair jigs the ticket here. 
Backwater crappie action also picking up with bluegills spotty.

Heavy rains pounding area again and this will muddy river up a bit. Hopefully not to bad. 

Come back soon for the latest information on the "Big Muddy".

Till Next Time,,,TAKE CARE AND I'LL SEE YOU ON THE WATER!!!!

Mike Cyze / LASTCASTOUTDOORS.COM          lastcast13@yahoo.com

MID-WEEK FISHING REPORT FOR MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Greetings All:

Well, the great weather is continuing and the fishing is also getting better. In pools 9 thru 11, look for panfish active in the backwaters and side sloughs. Walleye and sauger still slow but some holding on downsides of long wingdams on the inner half. Jig and twister rigs tipped with a big minnow best bet now. Use a jig just heavy enough to cast easily.
For those panfish, small minnows for the crappie in deep water close to in-water structure. If bluegills are your choice, use small larvae type bait with a small ice jig suspended under a small float. Try and find weeds that are still green. Don't waste time in brown weed areas.

Big white bass in pools 12 & 13 on flooded sand flats still very active. Jig and twister tail will take a lot of big fish right now. Fan cast the area completely to locate fish.

Weekend weather forecast to be wet, cool and windy if you plan on heading out on the river. Dress warm, bring that rain suit and enjoy yourself.

Till Next Time,,,,Take Care & I'll See You On The Water......................

Mike Cyze / lastcast13@yahoo.com

White Bass on The Move

Greetings All:

Even though the Mississippi River is still on the high side in Pool-13, huge white bass are available to anglers working the flooded sand flat areas. Orange Fireball jig, 1/4th ounce caught 30 big slabs in a little over a half hour today. Took a few for the deep fryer and released the rest. Big schools of feeding fish are cruising these areas from the shoreline shallows to the first drop-off near the main river channel. Best luck in towards shore where current was less heavy. 
Look for plastic shad bodies in 3" size to start catching some real monsters. They are always great this time of the year but many anglers fail to use them. 

Get out and enjoy some great angling while weather cooperating. 

Till Next Time, TAKE CARE & I'LL SEE YOU ON THE WATER,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Mike/Lastcast                            lastcast13@yahoo.com 

MISSISSIPPI RIVER FINALLY RECEDING!!!

Greetings All:

Well, the "Old-Miss" is finely receding from it's record highs. Water levels are dropping and look for the fishing to slowly get back to some normalcy. Backwater areas still are high but very fishable. All species that have been there waiting out the strong currents of the main river can still be caught. As waters continue to fall, look for these fish to start making a move back to their main river locations. Also look for panfish such as crappie to remain in the deeper backwater areas for the Fall season. Expect some great action for big slabs. Small baits will be the ticket near shallow water structure. 
Main river walleye & sauger action will improve as river continues to settle back to a more normal stage. 

Look for what's left of October to be excellent for all species. Especially those very big white bass that are roaming the flats of the river in search of forage. Fish of 3lbs. plus are not uncommon. 

Remember with the on-set of cooler weather the waters are cooling quickly. Slow that bait down for better results. 

Thanks for checking in with LASTCASTOUTDOORS.COM, the finest river fishing blog on the internet. 

Regards: Mike/Lastcast           lastcast13@yahoo.com. 

END OF WEEKEND UPDATE

Well, tough weekend in general on the Mississippi River. Very high water in pools 10-11-12-13 & 14 have fish scattered out. Backwaters best bet. Also fish flooded grass areas you find off main river. Catfish in them feeding on nightcrawlers coming out of the ground for air. Some nice cat's to be had.

All other species tough to find right now. Sharpen those hooks up because when river recedes, fishing will be really good.

Fall, a great time to be on the "Big Muddy".


Till Next Time, Take Care And I'll See You On The Water,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Mike, Lastcast.

White Bass In The Backwaters

Greetings All:
Headed into some of my favorite backwater areas earlier today and found some nice white bass back there avoiding the fast moving main river. White hair jig was the ticket. Make sure to trim hair on jig so that it is just past hook bend, otherwise you will get fish hitting only hair and not getting hooked.
Look for areas of sandy shore lines that taper off into deeper water. White's using these areas to school bait fish and attack them.  Biggest white bass of the day was a beautiful 3.6 lb. fighter. Look for October to bring great fishing when river recedes.


Take care and thanks for checking in.


Mike Cyze/LastCast                lastcast13@yahoo.com

High Water Has Arrived!!

Greetings All:
The high water I spoke about has arrived. Pools 10,11,12 & 13 are all high and getting higher as of this report. River also very dirty with duck weed and debris floating everywhere. If you must wet that fishing bug, hit the backwaters for some fish.  Don't expect big numbers but you can catch a few if you work at it.

Hopefully after around Saturday the river will start it's decline and we can get back to the good fishing I was experiencing. Look for October to be a GREAT month on the Big Muddy.

Lots of big white bass waiting for your bait. Before rise in water, white's of 3lbs.+ were starting to show up. 

Look for updates as conditions are constantly changing.

Best Regards: Mike Cyze,,,,,,,,,,LastCast.            E-mail: lastcast13@yahoo.com.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON THE RISE!!

Greetings:
If you are planning a trip to the Mississippi River in the near future, check ahead first. Huge rains in Minnesota and Wisconsin are causing big rises in water levels of the river and this will all but shut fishing down. Flood stages expected to be reached in some areas. High water like this not normal in the Fall of the year but Mother Nature has different ideas.
Check back for updates.

Mike Cyze/Lastcast Outdoors

WELCOME TO LASTCAST OUTDOORS FISHING BLOG

Welcome to the most advanced fishing information blog on the internet. Your host, Mike Cyze is nationally known as one of the most knowledgeable river anglers ever in both the US and Canada. His ability to catch fish in the toughest conditions has made him a legend in river fishing circles across the country.
Mike concentrates his efforts on the Mississippi River to hone his skills and develop new fish catching methods that help anglers all across this great land of ours.
As a seminar speaker and radio show host on ESPN "Double Team" Radio, Mike shares his knowledge with others in hopes of them catching that big one themselves.
You can also read Mike's column's in such popular publications as, Midwest Outdoors and also Adventure Sports Outdoors.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to LASTCASTOUTDOORS.COM where you can share and learn from each other. Let's have fun and tight lines to everyone.
Till Next Time, Take Care and Look For Mike On A River Near You!!!