I believe we’re about done with our last little burp of winter. St. Paddy’s Day is next weekend. By then a lot more than the main channel will be open. Not saying we won’t get another snow–or two–before the lilies pop up, but we’re definitely in the outer rings of Spring.

Tonite i’m doing a seminar at the Driftless Center in Lansing “Walleye Fishing on the Upper Mississippi”. Presentation starts at 7.

Plan is to take folks through seasonal patterns and presentations, but it will likely go like most fishin’ trips: get to the ramp with a plan and five minutes later you’re headed up the River instead of down with an entirely different plan.

With over a half-century of hard fishin’ on Ol’ Man River there are soooo many rabbit holes to go down. But that is half the fun.

For years I’ve gone out there with a plan. Sometimes almost smug, thinking everything was dialed in. Finally, I realized God is in control, with HIS plan to send fish–or NOT. all you can do is go out there and try hard.

Right now, the River is running a little dirty–which is to be expected. Levels are about the norm for having backwaters still packed with ice. This picture will change drastically over the next 10-14 days, as ice blows out of the backwaters and the River sees a substantial rise.

Until then, the walleye/sauger bite will be in main channel wintering holes and adjacent flats, with perch becoming more aggressive under the fading ice–also on flats, adjacent to open water.

Pike are very active now, both under the ice moving toward spawning areas and near the confluence of tribs with the main channel.

The next few days should be super for one of my favorite early-Spring things: setting tip-ups for pike in ice covered bays with the option of vertical jigging nearby for walleyes.

Although the end of march and first week of April are pretty much spoken for, I still have a number of openings both before or after, if you’re looking for a guide…not that i’m real eager to work. Work cuts into fishin’ time. Usually can’t fish when I’m workin’, even though my work is fishin’.

Maybe I’ll sell Sally, my old plow horse, and by an ox. Then I can be a true oxymoron.