Greetings All:
Finally, after this brutal Winter we have had, the Mississippi River is starting to open in select locations to do some open water fishing.
With the warmer temps arriving more often, the river tailwaters have opened so that those anglers chomping at the bit to get their boat in the water can finally do so. Areas below the dam in Dubuque and Bellevue are open as of this report. River is up about 3 feet at this time and expected to keep rising due to melt off. Many anglers are already fishing the Illinois side of Bellevue with very mixed results. Don't get caught in this "Bumper Boat" trap. Just because you see a pack of boats does not mean they are catching fish. Right now you can travel down river and find some great spots where the fish are holding and have then all to yourself. I was out this morning and found some nice walleye and sauger about 6 miles down from Bellevue fishing current breaks. This particular spot has produced for me for many years and continues to do so as a holding area for pre-spawn fish. Areas that are breaking the current are producing right now so make it a point to search out these types of locations. Jig/minnow rigs tipped with a nice lively minnow in the 3" size range will do the trick right now. Start without a stinger hook and see how aggressive the fish are. If you are getting a lot of short hits, you can add the stinger hook then.
One last thing. Remember to handle those spawn laden walleye and sauger carefully. Take a few pictures and release the big fish so that they can complete their spawning ritual. If you want fish for the frying pan, there are many smaller males available to catch.
So be safe out there, wear that PFD and look out for ice chunks in the water that are semi-submerged. Also look for more chunk ice to happen as the river breaks up above the dams.
Regards: Lastcast Mike Cyze lastcast13@yahoo.com
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