The first thing each morning and last thing at night I check the pool 9 hydrologic table and forecast on wunderground.com…figuring the River level has gotta shoot back up to the action stage cuz somebody flushed a toilet in the Twin Cities. Over the past 72 hrs. we have received about 4″ of rain locally. But the hydrologic prediction only nudged up a bit. Holding steady–right now–for the next week or so.

This ‘low’ water has revealed quantum changes in areas away from the River mainstem–most notably sandbars and shoals where they’ve never been before. Plenty of ‘new’ snags are out there, too. Just waiting for your prop to come whizzing overhead.

Siltation over the past couple years and islands created by USACE to limit wind fetch have fostered development of considerable weed growth–some good, some bad.

Most exciting is development of distinct weed edges which make perch and bluegill fishing much easier. Perch tend to seek out elodea. Gills do too, but really like transition zones between eelgrass and American water lotus( lily pads) . AWL also attracts crappies. All the pannies are there to chow on benthic macroinvertebrates ; the edumacated term for “bugs”.

I like fishing a 1/8 oz. Northland buckshot rattle spoon along deep weed edges for perch. Short walleyes and the occasional legal are there in the mix. My 2nd rod is an amazing 9′ St. Croix panfish rod. the reel is spooled with 6 lb. Sufix braid. this one is rigged with either a Teddy Skunk Perchanator when looking for perch or the considerably lighter Bimbo Skunk when gills or crappies are the primary target.

I suppose using 2 lb. floro might result in more bites when fishing water with at least 2′ visibility. But if you’re fishing where the fish are, you’ll get hung up. Using light wire hooks and a straight pull-back on the rod without stressing it will free your bait about 90 % of the time when using braid…90% more time fishing instead of tying knots means more fish. Enough foot-long perch, crappies and 10″ bluegills don’t seem to mind the heavier line to make this more productive than boy scout practice through hook eyes which get smaller every year.

Of course, bass & pike are cruising near the pannies. That’s a whole nother blog. I have the day off. The Admiral wants perch for supper–and i know where they live. gotta go.