Ted Peck Fishing

Pool 9 is at low pool now. In my opinion, more dangerous than when the River is running belly-full at major flood. Navigation in backwaters and running sloughs can be challenging–but rewarding.

Yesterday’s clients worked me hrd. they wanted SMB, then a nice mess of ‘gills for the pan. Throwing topwater, Rat-L-Trap and ZMan ned/TRD they put 25+ fish in the boat, several with substantial dimensions. With less than an hour left I went looking for a mostly submerged tree in that neck of the pool where we were fishing. Hadn’t chased gills there for several years. When i navigated thru this cut the tree-top wasn’t visible just 3 days prior the treetop wasn’t even visible.

But yesterday it had poked thru the surface on the falling River–one little staub in 3 fow surrounded by a forest of fallen trees with much better habitat. don’t know why they like this spot (must be cuz of easy food) but at this pool level gills that never see a hook are usually hanging there.. Took only minutes to put dinner in the boat.

Water temp is hovering around 70 degrees. Looks like this temp and low water will continue for at least another week. Sandgrass has started coming down the River in bales, making crankbait presentation on River mainstem rocks ‘challenging’.

The 1st cold front of fall is imminent. When water temps finally drop to 62 the shad will gather and suspend. Find a pod of shad. gamefish will be hanging nearby.

Last year from mid-Sept/mid-Oct I had five trips where clients boated 100 plus bass in a HALF-DAY. Pretty much fish-a-minute on chrome Traps, 1/4 oz big Dude blades and 3″ paddletail plastics.

It has been said that fishermen are not born liars, but they learn quicker than most folks. No need to lie when the truth is better—and the River when it’s sleepy in the fall holds the ultimate truth.

Like many old guys, I often wake up about 3 a.m. to answer nature’s call. Going from vertical to supine again the brain often starts to work with sleep denied until pondering is resolved.

This night’s torment centered around skinny walleyes. River walleyes usually weigh heavier than the average for their length. Over the past 10 days the dozen or so fish 18″+ were SKINNY…like they came from a mismanaged inland lake. Shorter fish usually haven’t put on significant girth yet. Maybe they are skinny, too. You can catch “eaters” all day long drifting 1/8 oz jigs with a half-crawler on sand flats along channel edges in 9-13 fow now or pulling spinner rigs & crawlers in deeper cuts in running sloughs, Maybe 1 out of 10 fish is 18″+

An oxbow pattern Rat-L-Trap has produced 80% of my quality ‘eyes over the past couple weeks targeting shallow rocks with current in 3-6 fow. Much deeper water is usually under the keel of my Lund– which is positioned in the most effective way to target 3-6 fow. Time of day doesn’t matter. The nicer eyeballs are whackin’ the Trap @ noon on a blue sky day.

Boat position/control when throwing cranks on the Big River is like a trout fisher mending the line to create a natural presentation with a fly–a small but critical detail in hooking up.

With this demon now excised I can try to get back to sleep for a nap before 4 a.m.

SMB have been stupid on channel mainstem rocks fishing wacky rigged Yamamato senkos or Zman black/blue TRDs ned rigged. Always at least a couple 17-18″ fish, but mostly shorts.

Bluegills are easy in 3-9 fow relating to rocks with a little current, also in the wood. Crappies are moving into fall pattern hanging 4-6 feet down over at least 10 fow in the wood. Perch are a little tougher to find. The best place to look is in patches of coontail weed in 18″-3 fow with a tiny pinch of crawler on a 1/32 oz orange jighead.

The River is MUCH more dangerous now than it was at full-blown flood a couple months ago with pool level as low at it was at its nadir in ’23 (which was the lowest level since ’88).

No shortcuts thru running sloughs for this old River Rat until the pool comes up another foot.

Boat traffic has been exceptionally heavy, even during the week….maybe cuz the weather has been pretty much perfect.

Stay safe out there!

In late winter there is a hot bite for walleyes between the time ice comes off til the river starts to rise with snowmelt, usually 7-10 days.

There is a seldom window of opportunity in late summer when water temp drops to 72 before a never-ending mass of sandgrass makes any crankbait presentation on River mainstem rocky structures like wingdams & closing dams essentially impossible.

There was a short window which checked all the boxes late last week. I got out ‘fun fishin’ one afternoon and put 13 legals in the boat pulling a purple ghost MR-6. kept 2 fish.

Water temp went back up to 75 the next day. similar amount of effort where I KNEW ‘eyes were holding produced only 2 legal fish.

By Sunday afternoon water temp had climbed back up to 77. Active-bite window with water this warm is just an hour or so at dawn/dusk.

So this blog is about “you shoulda been here next week”. Water temps are supposed to cool down beginning next weekend. There will likely be a few days when we see that 72 degree trigger temp before the Sea of Weeds shows up.

When the weeds of September make their appearance time will be better spent chasing flathead cats with bluegills (or better yet bullheads if you can find ’em) at the leading edge of deeper River holes along the channel edge.

The best fishin’ should be Sept. 15-20 hen flatties should be active all day long during influence of the full moon.

The Upper Mississippi River is one of the most dynamic, challenging riverine fisheries in North America. THIS is a primary reason I’ve chosen to live here in my waning productive fishing days on the planet.

It takes me AT LEAST an hour to figure out the River’s mood every single day–even being out there 5+ days a week during the open water period. Sometimes all the ducks simply won’t line up. But at least 60+ years of fishing this Immortal River usually reveals why.

I’m no Ron Popeil (inventor of the Pocket Fisherman). No promise of “more fish…bigger fish”. But I WILL promise you’ll get out of my boat a better angler than when we howdied & headed out.

Water temp has dropped from 85>72 over the past week. River levels are at normal summer pool. A sea of sandgrass makes bait presentation challenging BUT walleyes are ready to eat if you can put a weed-free hook in front of them.

Willowcats are tough to come by now. If they were available the action would be close to sure thing as it ever gets on the Miss.

Casting cranks on wingdams or pulling them in running sloughs would be my next choice. If you’re picking up weeds on about every cast this is not an option.

I would much rather use plastics than live bait. But sometimes the real thing is the right thing. A number of fish are holding just off the channel on the River mainstem in 10-13 fow on sand flats. Drifting a 1/8-1/4 oz. #BFishN tackle Draggin’ jig w/a half crawler threaded on the hook can be very effective. Ditto in running sloughs in 7-13 fow.

Spinner rigs w/ crawlers have been VERY effective lately, pulled along the 8′ contour above wingdam rocks if weeds aren’t a factor or pulling DOWNSTREAM in 7-13 fow in the running sloughs @1.2-1.6 mph.

My rig is a 1/2 oz. bead chain sinker with a 30″ mono leader. 2 beads above the spinner blade, 4 below. I use BIG blades–#5 Colorado in hologram shad color. For the hook, A #4 sudden death with a long shank, threading a half-crawler on the hook .

Sheep @ shorts will bend your rod most of the time. but stick with it and you’ll get some eaters and maybe a whopping big pig.

In the past I have avoided politics and religion both when guiding and in this blog. But with the USA & this world spinning out of control I will. This is MY blog, not subject to FB bot intrusion. Read no further if you’re looking for fishing info.

I am a born again Christian and never hide my belief. I am NOT gonna vote for TRUMP!

I AM gonna vote for Constitutional Rights, especially the 1st & 2nd amendment.

I am gonna vote for secure borders. More than an army Division of military age Chinese has crossed illegally into our country over the past 3.5 yrs–not to mention terrorists, fentanyl, and human trafficking.

Seems to me the 1st step in controlling inflation is brining down fuel prices by tapping the vast resources here in the USA. Cheaper gas is the 1st step in providing more disposable income (for real important stuff like fishin’ tackle and guide service!)

I cherish the concept that my vote counts. Our election process has worked for over 200 yrs. Pick your candidate in a caucus or primary, cast your voice for the best candidate in the general election.

Doesn’t matter if it’s D or R. Forget red vs. blue. One party says THIS is your candidate. Then 2 months later says, no….THIS is your candidate. This happends in russia & the thrid world NOT in the USA!

I use St. Croix rods cuz I believe they are the best rods on earth. But if your fishin’ license was only valid if you used a St. Croix rod I would give up fishin’ and spend all my money on canned goods & ammunition.

After seven weeks of flood conditions water level of Pool 9 has returned to normal summer levels, leaving behind a brand new River in the backwaters and running sloughs of the flood plain.

Siltation wasn’t a major issue on the Pool until 2019 when we also experienced prolonged high water conditions. Now that we’re at summer pool level use caution when navigating to honeyholes beyond the channel.

A couple days ago i was headed for one such spot on the upper end of the pool where I have run wide-open to for years. Even with the lowest of pool levels there has always been at least 4 fow
on a 20 yard cut on the way to this sweet spot.

Good thing i idled through there the other day. Just 18″ of water under the keel–and the level has dropped since then.

Following a route on your electronics at warp speed can bring a boat from 60 to zero in about 18 feet! Fog is one condition where following a route on the electronics is invaluable. We experience fog in the River valley about 70% of the time during the month of ‘Fogust’. Usually, the fog burns off by about 9 a.m.–and the humidity/temp jumps from bearable to hotter than Billy Hell.

A sea of sandgrass has made bait presentation challenging on both the River mainstem and in running sloughs for the past week or so. This situation is getting worse, not better. Kinda like September came early.

When you can get a salad-free hook in front of a finny face, your string will almost certainly get stretched. Talkin’ ALL species here.
I’m catching quite a few eyes drifting sand cuts in 7-13 fow. Had to go to a B-Fish-N “draggin jig” for consistent success. Pulling salad off of a jointed crank about every 50 feet is not very productive–or much fun.

There is a legion of 6-10 inch buck bass in the system this summer, both LMB & SMB. Talking fish on every cast. Find them, and quality fish are holding just a little deeper.

Quality SMB have been holding in 6-10 fow on the deep side of main channel rocks. When you slide just a couple feet deeper on a steep break the big marks on the screen are sheepshead–many of mongo dimensions. Don’t disparage these wonderful fish! They pull great!!

My sure-fire goat killer is a B3 blade bait, snap jigged right along the breakline. Find the sheep and you’ll hook up about every 10 minutes. Not a slow bite when you consider it takes a good 5 minutes to tussle with a big one!

For this old River Rat goat ropin’ is the definition of fun fishin’! Every once in awhile the blade finds a quality toother. With surface temp a solid 80 degrees the quality pike are usually in deeper water with a little current or suspended under emergent vegetation–in either case you’ll find ’em where the food is.

Shad are a popular forage for all gamefish. Find a nice pod and the gamefish don’t be far away. I always keep a fluke rigged on a swim jig head–just in case.

With all the high water now downstream I feel like a guy who just had a near death experience with a passing freight train…one month ago I was catching nice bass fishing the flow of a pair of drain tubes which pass under the Army road about a half-mile west of New Albin, 1.5 miles west of the boat ramp. My Lund was spot-locked on the Army road, with 10 fow under the keel.

When the Army road opened up last Friday The Admiral & me drove to the launch in her car. I stopped at the drain tubes. Had this been possible a month ago, the water would have been up to my eyeballs IF I WAS STANDING ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR!

Consider the awesome power of all that water, flowing with purpose down the immortal River!

I have quite a few days still open this month and in September if you wanna book a trip. Regardless, I’ll be out there at least 4 days a week, lord willin’

Pool 9 is falling out of ‘action’ stage to normal summer levels now. The New Albin boat ramp should be open Thurs. or Fri. DNR crews put the courtesy docks back in yesterday. There was about 6 inches of water in the parking lot this morning.

Although access is still somewhat challenging these condtions are absoutely PERFECT for summer fishin’!

Pulling jointed cranks for walleye in 7-11 fow has been frustrating due to so much eel grass coming downstream. A half-crawler on a 1/4 oz jig vertical fished along these contours has been more effective.

Bass are chasing shad wherever they can find a sharp-breaking edge to pin them. Birds have been a big help locating pods of rambling fish. It isn’t uncommon to catch SMB, LMB and WB when you find a bunch of fish.

I actually got sick of catching bass this morning and fished for bluegills, boating a dozen fat ones in about 20 minutes in 11-12 fow. Bass were hitting Rat-L-Trap, Yamamoto senko, Ned and Z-Man chatterbaits. Effective tactic was locating bass either by seeing minnows dimpling the surface or throwing Trap/chatterbait, then switching to Ned/senko once aggressive fish had been stung.

Fishing success on the Miss is a pendulum. It has been really, really bad since early June. Now it’s really, really good and getting better every day.

The USCG has closed the River above LaCrosse and below Lynxville to recreational boating. Pools 8 & 9 are still open BUT access is a major issue.

yesterday I launched @ Blackhawk Rd. & hwy 26 south of new Albin. There was just 4″ of clearance for my boat under the railroad trestle just east of Hwy 26. With another 2+” of rain forecast for today a rising Upper Iowa River will t
take this access off the table for at least the next several days.

Yesterday I caught about a dozen big sheepshead on a ZMan ned/TRD casting to a very small area. A couple of these goats were 10 lb. plus. Big drum like that are one of the best tugs on the River! After 4 days of not fishin’ a good tug was needed to maintain sanity.

Once you find a pod of goats they are almost always willing. sometimes, the only fish that wants to come out and dance. Not fishing is no option. If I can’t get on the River @ Blackhawk & 26 by Monday morning it will be time for a road trip.

Back in ’19 pool 9 was at perpetual flood til late in the summer. April ’23 we had a crest higher than the River is now, but by July 4 last year the River was running near historic low levels.

IF the monsoon upstream abates soon the River will be at very fishable levels by about July 18. It takes about 90 days for a raindrop falling on L. Itasca at the headwaters to reach the Gulf.–shorter time frame if the River is running belly full and angry like she is now.

I haven’t been able to work since June 7. Next trip on the books is July 23.If the monsoon up north subsides the River should be very fishable by then. Success on the River is a pendulum–when fishin’ is bad it simply can’t get any worse. When its good, it doesn’t get any better–anywhere.

Have a safe & happy Independence Day y’all!

USACE projection calls for Pool 9 to rise again, just as fishing was almost down to ideal summer pool level. We are truly looking at 2019–all over again. That’s OK. Locations & presentations which worked so well in the summer of perpetual flood will work again in about 10 days.

Maybe the river will be down to 625 by mid-July. doesn’t matter. The fish don’t leave the River.

Finding and catching gamefish on the Miss is like playing chess. Only the game board which is normally 2 x 2 feet is now 3 x6 feet. Asymmetrical warfare. Easier to pin fish on the long edges than dance around on the middle of the board.

Write off downstream edges if water is coming through the trees from the upstream edge. Downstream edges of islands and running sloughs beyond the channel are real treasures when rising water is fed from downstream.

Worst case scenario leaves essentially the railroad tracks on both sides of the River as edges. Back in ’19 I boated inland from the River heading west up the Army road @ New Albin–approximately 2 miles between town and the boat ramp.

I eased 1.6 miles, finally blocked by a fallen tree. There was still over 7 ft. of water under the boat flowing over the gravel! The river has gotta come up A BUNCH before these conditions are seen again.

Have to put new line on the flippin’ stick reel. We’re headed for a time of flukes and beavers. That’s Okay. More river, fewer boats. Might even start fishin’ on Saturday again

Back in ’19 the River went to flood stage and didn’t recede til have past November. Ultra low River levels we have experienced the past two years are history. But in reality, this MORNING is history!

The River has been running belly full since late May. We have not seen ‘minor flood’ on Pool 9 since 2021 when the high water was driven by snowmelt up north. this Spring there was essentially no snowmelt coming from upstream.

All these notes are truly water under the bridge. All that matters is what’s headed downstream now. Currently (no pun intended) River levels are near perfect on the upper Pool. Several west side boat ramps are inaccessible. Wet foot policy on several others.

Bluegills, crappies and Bass are done with spawning. We are now officially in summer pattern for all species. There is a fair amount of emergent vegetation in backwaters and running sloughs. There has been a good topwater and buzzbait bite for the past 10 days.

With USACE predicting River rise of about two feet over the next week, emergent vegetation will once again become submergent, opening things up for more shallow-running presentations. This is a good thing.

Water is now in the trees bordering many islands in the flood plain. It is not yet running THROUGH the trees, so we still have ‘edges’ which will pin fish movement.

There are still a number of backwater sloughs which load from downstream, pushing clear water to the upstream end of these backwaters, creating very productive edges.

When water starts runnng through the trees it can reach the point where the only edges are River banks on both sides, winnowing easily productive water to the max. We’re not there yet. If the River crests at projected levels the bite will continue to be good all summer. If the River level starts going down after that the bite will be great.

The only constant in river fishing is perpetual change. Accepting this natural truth and adjusting accordingly will make your fishing exploits on the immortal River more consistently productive.

I take no credit for this epiphany. This natural wisdom dates back to the days of ancient Greeks (like my pal Spence Petros) lounging in togas, sampling fermented grapes.

From the quotable Tony Soprano ‘it is what it is’. Even though i’m on the River pretty much every day, it still takes me at least an hour to find fish and a productive presentation for catching them..

A shiny object full of waypoints is of little value on the dynamic environment which is the Upper Mississippi River. Finding consistent success is all about time on the water.

Gotta rig for tomorrow’s trip. Hope the Admiral can get all the pike slime off of my summer toga. Tomorrow’s targets : walleyes and bass. Starting with #7 jointed ShadRaps and chatterbaits with jigs & Yamamoto senkos ready to go

If you’re fishing here the fish are over the next couple weeks, there likely won’t be anybody close to help you in a bind. Be prepared for self-rescue. The only difference between a miniature gherkin and a giant dill pickle usually is a matter of MPH.

The Immortal River runs by its own schedule. Most years bluegills & crappies are seriously spawning on Memorial Day weekend–which is next weekend.

Moon phase and water temperature also factor into timing of the great pannie egg dump. Water temp is already perfect71-73 degrees in less than 4 fow in quiet dark-bottomed backwaters. The full moon is Thursday. My guess is it will be go-time within 48 hrs.

Many panfish spawning areas–especially at the north end of River pools– have visibility of about 3′ right now. No need for electronics. A stealthy approach with the trolling motor and a quality pair of glare cutting Polarized sunglasses greatly enhance success.

Scan around deadfalls, brushpiles and open spots between submergent vegetation looking for clusters of plate-sized, scoured out depressions. If the water surface is flat bluegill activity sometimes results in clusters of bubbles on the surface around the beds.

A 12′ cane pole with 10′ of line and a #6-8 light wire hook baited with a waxie or pencil eraser sized pinch of nightcrawler has caught more bluegills than any other spawning bed presentation over the last 100 years.

Sometimes pegging a PENCIL STLYLE float 6-16″ above the hook will keep your offering in front of the fish more effectively. sometimes not.

Of course, serious anglers are prone to improve on perfection. A $200 fishin’ pole has GOT to be better than one which costs five bucks, right?

I have several #StCroix rod panfish rods from 7-9′ long. Reels are basic spinning cheapies popular with ice fishers spool with 4 lb. P-Line floro
line.

Ice fishing jigs/flies are perfect for chasing pannies on the beds. Black is always a good color for gills. Crappies are fond of pink/white. Perch like something about 1/32 oz with a hot orange head and pukey chartreuse body. When in doubt, tie on a gold jig.

Perch spawned back in March, many on the river mainstem and side cuts off the channel. A major segment of the biomass has since migrated into backwaters and running sloughs in 10″-6 fow where they lurk in elodea and similar weed patches feeding heavily on benthic macroinvertabrates : a fancy word for bugs.

Panfish limits are inconsistent in the three states which border Pool 9. Iowa’s limit is an outrageous 25. In Minnesota, 10-15. Wisconsin, pretty much 15.
Although I disagree with many Minnesota DNR policies the 10 panfish limit is a good one. Ten is the per person panfish limit in my boat. If you want to take home more fish, bring a kid along!

As of today River levels are slowly dropping. Water was standing in the trees of islands in the flood plain between the river banks. The water is now pulling out of the trees, bringing logs, limbs and other dunnage with it. Use considerable caution when navigating, both in backwaters and on the River mainstem.

My guide book is wide open over the Memorial Day weekend. Special holiday weekend rates apply $10,000/4 hrs./no more than 2 anglers. Due to the shameful rise in grocery prices I’ve had to modify the trip menu to Korean War vintage C-Rats. The canned cheese is still good. Meal includes six Kirkland saltine crackers and a 16 oz. bottle of single source spring water from a beautiful tap in Gary, Indiana. Those preferring a vegan option will be treated to a self-forage shore lunch on one of three islands with both dandelion and nettle options. Gluten free Ranch dressing is included.

Rates return to normal on May 28. Calendar is wide open until June 1. I plan on fishing every day, regardless. The bite is HOT for multiple species right now. You don’t really need a guide. All i really offer is a Master’s degree level fishing education, insight regarding the natural world and sarcasm intended to be self edifying .