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Location: Jackson, MO | Guys, I am a walleye novice. I have chased the sauger in the local streams here in Southeast Missour and done very well on occasion. I keep hearing stories and rumors of walleye being caught on the Black River and Castor River that are close. People are very tight lipped as to where and how they are catching them. I have read and heard that the winter is the time to get into the fish. What I am asking is how would you guys fish/catch these. These rivers are somewhat small, mostly very clear shallow water with some deep holes. Trolling is not really an option as the deeper water is not very big. Figure I have to throw jigs, but do I bounce the bottom in the current breaks, or do I just find suspended fish and use a bobber and minnows? My poles are rigged with 8lb crystal fireline, but can swith to mono easily, or add a swivel and flouro. leader.
Thanks |
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| Can you get to the deeper holes with a 3-way rig? That's what I'd try. Different sizes of stickbaits from Baby T-sticks, to Rogues, to Husky Jerks. Work these slowly through the holes, concentrating on the leading edge facing the current.
Edited by Shep 2/9/2010 8:56 AM
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | The current breaks are always going to be a big part of your river fishing. Walleyes will relate to current seams weather your on the Mississippi, the Missouri, or on a small river. These are main ambush points for feeding fish, which happen to be the most aggressive fish since they're feeding.
I'd probably look for seams near those holes. Those fish will probably go deeper during daylight in clear water and will move up to those current seams to feed. This will give them the chance to sit just inside the calmer water and wait for food to come by. They love this, it's a way to conserve energy and get the most food without having to get too far from home.
I like Sheps Idea about 3-way rigs and stickbaits (mostly because it's one of my favorite ways to catch them). I'd also pitch jigs with live bait or plastics on all those seams, especially near the holes. I love pitching blade baits, but I'm guessing you're probably going to be working some pretty rocky stuff, and don't want to loose 10 $2.50 blade baits every time you go out. Fishing a float and a minnow can be productive at times, but I prefer to search out aggressive fish and then throw a float at them.
Use the current to your advantage, cast the jig upstream on that seam and let it roll down the seam. This gets your bait in front of as many fish as possible and presents it in the most natural way you can. It's all about the angles. You may fish the same seam 20 times, then one day you'll pitch a jig to it from a slightly different angle and catch 10 times the fish. If anchoring, I'll often re-anchor several times on a single spot just to change the angle of my lure drifting past the fish. It makes a world of difference.
Good Luck
Marshall |
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Location: Jackson, MO | Not knowing what a three way rig was, I did a little internet search to see. Looks alot like dropshotting for bass with swivels (which I am assuming to keep from line twisting). One question: if the fish are suspended at say 10', how the heck do you keep the line from tangling? Seems like the current might keep the "sticker with the hook" off the main weighted line, but just seems like that might be tough.
I am going to give it a shot this weekend. I just heard another "fish story" of a 9lb caught this past Sunday. If anyone gets an itch to try it with me let me know |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | Three way rigs are not ideal for suspended fish. They are usually used in rivers to connect with bottom hugging fish. To be honest, I wouldn't expect too many fish in current to be suspended. We do see some fish suspend during summer, but it's definitely not the norm.
They will suspend frequently on clear water lakes though. This is where open water trolling excels. It doesn't sound like that's an option for you. If you think the fish are suspending, and you can't troll it with crankbaits or leadcore, your best bet would probably be the slip bobber and minnow method. The biggest problem with that is, it really limits how much water you can cover.
Typically if I find fish suspended over a hole in a river, it's because they're coming off of a flat from feeding and swam straight off, and haven't moved back down yet. I assume this because it's infrequent that we see the suspended marks consistently. I have tried to catch those fish with limited success, but we have bigger water to fish, so I can run crankbaits through a 200' hole instead of a 30' wide hole. |
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | SEMOmike - 2/8/2010 8:44 PM
Guys, I am a walleye novice. I have chased the sauger in the local streams here in Southeast Missour and done very well on occasion. I keep hearing stories and rumors of walleye being caught on the Black River and Castor River that are close. People are very tight lipped as to where and how they are catching them. I have read and heard that the winter is the time to get into the fish. What I am asking is how would you guys fish/catch these. These rivers are somewhat small, mostly very clear shallow water with some deep holes. Trolling is not really an option as the deeper water is not very big. Figure I have to throw jigs, but do I bounce the bottom in the current breaks, or do I just find suspended fish and use a bobber and minnows? My poles are rigged with 8lb crystal fireline, but can swith to mono easily, or add a swivel and flouro. leader.
Thanks
Tell us more. Are you using a boat or fishing from shore? how wide is the river? Can you use a boat or is it to small for a boat? Is there a dam on the river? Do you know where the rubble pea gravel is in the river? Need to know more to help.
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Location: Jackson, MO | I'm fishing from a boat. I just picked up a Terrova with I-pilot and have been itching to check it out. Figure that I will be able to control my drift easily now in the current. The river is maybe 30-40 yards wide. There is not a damn anywhere near that I know of the river. I do not know this stretch of the river very well yet, however I plan to make a nice run with my side imaging on to see if I can find the rocks and pea gravel is. In other rivers in the area, it is very obvious due to the banks where the pea gravel and rocks are.
As far as whether the fish are suspended or not, I have no clue. I would assume, like you, that they will be on the bottom. I just picked up a bunch of zone r jigs and plan on giving them a try tipped with a minnow or some type of plastics this weekend. Gotta figure that I can find them if I search enough.
Like I said, this is something that is very foreign to me. I am a crappie fisherman that has started over the last few years to catch quite a few sauger and have heard stories and seen pictures of the people catching rather large walleye up in this area. I am thinking that I might as well figure this out myself. Thanks for everything |
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | OK so you will be using a boat and for the saugers, you have slipped the river and verticle jigged I take it? What is your current water temp down there?
The fish wont be suspended in the river. I suspect its in the 40's and the fish will be on the bottom. Forget the pea gravel, thats later. Slipp the river in the deepest holes. search as they are just like a sauger. The guys are jigging the deep water. |
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Location: Jackson, MO | We had water temps of 38 degrees last weekend fishing for sauger. Do I want to jig on the bottom and bounce jigs ( life sauger fishing), or do I want to slip the river and drag a jig just above bottom? |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | SEMOmike - 2/9/2010 3:26 PM
We had water temps of 38 degrees last weekend fishing for sauger. Do I want to jig on the bottom and bounce jigs ( life sauger fishing), or do I want to slip the river and drag a jig just above bottom?
Either will work. In low water temps, one of the most effective ways of locating fish is dragging jigs just above the bottom either upstream (slower) or downstream. This time of year, you'll want the boat to be moving slowly less than .5mph on the gps upstream, and less than 1mph downstream. If you know fish are in a really confined area, I'd suggest casting to it, especially in clear water, rather than hovering over it.
Locating them is the hardest part. One thing we try to remember on the Mississippi is to not fish much deeper than 25' since the fish will often have air bladder issues from coming out of deep water.
Lower light situations should trigger you to fish shallower, but near deep water. Active fish will also move shallower to feed. Neutral to negative fish will usually sit in deeper holes (especially Saugers). Slipping current is a classic way of catching fish, which leads back to what I said about current seams. If you can fish right on that seem, or have baits on either side of it, the Walleyes will stack up just inside the slower water waiting for food to pass by. You'll often find that one edge of the deeper holes is right on a seem. That's where I'd start 90% of the time. |
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Location: Jackson, MO | Should I respool with something other than the fireline crystal, or can I use crystal with a flouro leader? Jigs tipped with minnows, leaches, twister tails? |
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | The crystals fine. Tie the jig on using a palomar knot directly to the crystal. If you put mono leader on it will just defeat the pupose. I catch as many or more than most with flame green tied to the jig.
This time of the year and water temps dictate a slower presentation usually with minnows. It will be a good start. simply match the speed of the boat to the speed of the current flow that is along the bottom. easier said than done. your line should be exactly straight up and down, not DRAGGING at all. use a jig that gives you complete feel of the bottom, dont go to light. touch bottom, lift and hold 2 inches off bottom for 4-10 secounds, retouch bottom and hold 2 inches off bottom and repeat over and over and feel for a tunk. wont beable to miss it, thats the bite, just like sauger, set and real it in. As you get better, go lighter on the jigs. you will find the weight that is easiest for you to drop and keep straight. |
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Location: Jackson, MO | http://walleyecentral.com/tenpoundclub/?state=MO
These fish are caught very near to where I am going to be fishing. This guy has pictures up in my hometown tackle store. He is very tight lipped as to where and how he is catching them, however the word is he does this on a very routine basis and catched multiple fish every time out. One of these days I am going to see him in the tackle store and follow him, but would rather figure it out by myself.
I'm assuming just tip the zone-r 3/4oz and 1/2oz jigs that I got with minnows and give it a whirl. Don't need to mess with any type of skirt and stinger hook?
The shocking data from the Missouri Dept. of Cons. regarding the Black River (where these were caught) is very close. I need to figure these out. Would love to be able to go 40 minutes from the house and catch 10lb walleye. |
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | he is using minnows, the buckets in the last pic. go to the bait shop and ask what he buys. or see what the most popular minnow this guy carries is. This guy fishes late in the day, probably works till 3 or something. start looking for him on the river in the evening. the sunsetting is a giveaway. what is the speed of the ciurrent in his black river spots. |
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Location: Jackson, MO | The river down there is similiar to all of the other rivers around here in that the water depth varies greatly, can run like a S.O.B. when we have gotten some rain, but right now it is because of all the water in Mississippi River they are all backed up and don't run very fast. When the Miss. R. drops, the water will definitely run alot faster. The water in the winter is gin clear and visibility is in some spots 8-10ft. I need some of you WI boys to come down and shake off the winter blues and show me how to catch these suckers. |
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| I would check out some of the deeper holes with jigs and plastic (ring worm, twister) or a gulp minnow. You can catch them on minnows too but I catch more with plastics/gulp than I do minnows in cold water. With the clear water use natural colors. Vertical jig or drag them slowly up and down stream. If there is a a current break near shore I would cast #13 Rapala floaters at dusk into the evening. You can also swim a 4" twister just off of the bottom with no minnow. The fish will crush it as most walleyes found shallow are there to feed!
After you catch that 10 pounder stop by and see Beav at the Playdium in Cape and tell him I said Hi! Good Luck!
Edited by theviver 2/10/2010 9:01 PM
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Location: Jackson, MO | Giving it a try tomorrow afternoon/evening. I will give you guys a report! Supposed to be sunny, 40 degrees, no wind. Water is falling slowly, and has a slight stain to it. My sauger hole keeps calling me, but I have to figure these fish out! |
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | Let us know how you do. Please send us 40 degrees. This ice fishing thing is getting old. I just need about 33 degrees to get my boat out. |
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Location: Jackson, MO | 
Caught these two today. I think they are walleye or saugeye. I struggle sometimes to tell the difference between the two. Caught 8 fish total, these were the biggest two, largest was almost 17" and the other is 16". Not the big ones liked I hoped, but I'm sure they are in there. I really discovered how to use my new I Pilot today. That thing is fantastic. Once I figured out which drifts were working, I recorded the drift and was able to control direction, track, and speed without touching the trolling motor.
Thanks for all your help
Edited by SEMOmike 2/11/2010 9:48 PM
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Location: LaCrosse, WI | There's an awful lot of folks out there that would think that's a very good first trip. You will learn the areas, consider this trip a victory. You have to crawl before you can walk.
I know guys that can't catch two eater eyes on water they fish 50 times a year. Congrats, and enjoy learning more and more. Keep us updated. |
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| Wow, fat fish! Nice job. Keep at it, and you'll be the rock star down there. |
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Location: Jackson, MO | caught a 22 fish total today, 8 keepers, all but this one was 15-16", this one was 23". You guys really know how to teach how to catch walleye. Only fished for 3.5 hours, vertical jigging in about 13-15' of water. That 10lber is in there, just have to find him  |
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Location: Rhinelander | Nice work, and very nice fish! |
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Castor River, MO