Haven’t blogged much recently since i’ve been touring the deep south since early january. Fishing the gulf out of Ft. morgan , ala. was disappointing. Fishing Bussey Brake in Louisiana and Greer’s Ferry lake in northern Ark. not much better, only cuz my nephew Darrin–an up-and-coming bass tourney guy didn’t want to target hybrid stripers & walleyes–which are both about ready to make their spring spawning runs up into the Red river and other tribs on the north end of this sprawling highland reservoir–probably by the end of next week.

LMB & SMB will be moving to shoreline probably 2 weeks from now. Bigger fish are holding on main lake point brushpiles in 50-70 fow now–just a long cast from shore in this extremely deep, clear lake.

I’ll be back on the river catching walleyes , sauger and perch early next week. hanging up the guide shingle on March 1 this year.

The reason this blog is about Greer’s Ferry is all about opportunity. Haven’t fished it in years. But this lake gave up my PB walleye (13.2) and my Dad caught his PB LMB ( 10 lbs) at Greer’s Ferry, also my PB hybrid striper (17 lb) after 2 much bigger fish spooled me and broke a rod…so when Darrin wanted to take a road trip, i was all in.

Here are some things to ponder: Greer’s Ferry is just a long day’s drive away–about 12 hrs. from pool 9. We stayed at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Higden located at the Narrows–essentially the crossbar in a capital “H” of this 60K “H” shaped lake. The winter rate here is just $250 per WEEK –at essentially ground zero of an incredibly beautiful highland lake–Lotsa waterfalls framed by 100+ ton boulders.

You can find prime, multi-species action here in about 10-14 days. The PERFECT spring road trip!

Although modern electronics like 360 & Livescope are a definite advantage getting guide Tommy Cauley to mark up a fishing hotspots map is really all you need to be a serious player here. Tommy’s phone # 501 940 1318.

In two weeks deep cranks like #billlewis MR-12 will be killer. We caught most of our fish on drop shot rigs with #Yamamoto plastics and #ZMan TRD & craw Ned rigs, plus a few on #B-Fish-N Tackle Big Dude blades ( which will also be killer in 2 wks.

If you’ve got decent electronics 2 lb. class crappies are essentially sure thing, suspended over and out from deep brush.

Much as I crave fishin’ my beloved Mississippi, at least a couple trips to other venues is a good way to keep your mind right. Paid $60 for an ARk. annual non-resident license with plans to head back down there early Nov. when guide work around here pretty much shuts down for the year.

The only downside of fishin’ Greer’s Ferry is a lack of amenities like restaurants. Twice we ate at the best mexican restaurant in town–pretty much the only restaurant on Tuesday nite. Breakfast every morning was breakfast sandwiches from Sonic. Beer was a 20 minute drive away in Fairfield Bay.

A steady diet of this kind of cuisine is not good for 70 year old guts Oatmeal & toast for breakfast his morning. Fresh walleyes for supper tomorrow night.

Bumper boats yesterday below the dam @ Genoa. Tailwaters will be the only open-water access on the River for at least another week. Walleyes have been holding in 29-32 fow, saugers a little deeper BUT I refuse to fish deeper than 32 fow cuz of air bladder rupture in fish that can be quickly cranked in from deep water.

Most can be released to “swim away”. no different than a heart shot buck. But you can’t hear a sauger ‘crash’ on the bottom like you can a deer in the timber.

A big part of me says this valuable resource could be best protected by closing all fishing north of the Genoa launch until maybe March 15. But 4 out of 5 voices in my head say the last thing we need is more government infringement on our unalienable rights to access the Immortal River.

Just got back from a couple weeks fishin’ the Gulf out of Ft. Morgan, Alabama. Fishing sucked. Unlimited seafood & sugar sand beaches were nice. Where I was going with this is tennis shoes. One mange-bearded, jihadi nitwit stuffs a cherry bomb in his Nikes and everybody younger than
75 has to remove their sneakers before boarding the big bird forever after. What a huge raft of crap!

A couple of years ago the FWS held public meetings over charging hunting & fishing guides a fee for every person they take out on our resource for pay. In spite of overwhelming rejection by the public I’ve gotta pay $3 for every person I take out on the River fishin’ to educate them on good stewardship for the resource.

With tis gin-blossom camel’s nose under the tent of freedom it’s just a matter of time before access is limited to vessels powered by renewable resource propulsion.

The global warming hustle is just another way to control the people. But before i go down this rabbit hole rant, back to the brutal honesty of the River.

The new albin access is still locked up with ice. About 5″ of cloudy stuff just out from the ramp. Some small pocket of open water are beginning to appear.

NOTHING trumps SAFETY on the dangerous Mississippi!! If you launch @ the power plant you can make it up to the Genoa dam–but nothing says ice won’t block the ramp when you try to take the boat out.

Don’t go out there without a workable exit strategy downstream. Victory & Blackhawk park are a couple possible options on the East side of the River. No workable exit options on the West side for 10+ miles downstream. MAYBE highway 82…in a couple of weeks. MAYBE.

Last early spring I got jammed up by ice twice trying to get back to the new Albin ramp and had to go with the Plan B option to get home. Catching walleyes/sauger downstream from the power plant launch is not a problem. Far fewer boat to contend with.

Ice jams WILL be a problem for at least another month even if our El Nino winter continues. Plan on it! If the weather trend continues i might hang up the guide shingle prior to March 15.

Last spring I boated 300+ fish from mid- feb to mid-March, even though having a respectable gut-zipper from serious surgery on jan. 11 put a serious hitch in my git-along.

Lord willin’ this spring will be more productive. Only the Creator knows what’s in store for us. Beyond the reality of the River, any country which allows the government to take down a statue of Tommy Jefferson and sets illegal aliens free after they beat up new York coppers is setting the stage to focus on much bigger concerns than fishin’ in 2024.

There’s a bad moon on the rise

The end of open water fishing season is never easy–even when it lasts into a brand new year.

This morning a commercial fisherman broke open the New Albin ramp. Minnesota slough is still pretty much open. But getting to the fish was a lot like late season duck hunting–breaking a hole to set decoys or in this case to get after fish.

With 31 degree water temp the bite was lethargic. My one legal walleye will provide an especially tasty feast. The half-dozen sheep, saugers & shorts over the course of about 3 hrs. were truly welcome tugs, however there comes a point where being chilled to the bone trumps thrilled to the bone–even with a propane heater in the boat.

Sorry to digress from the fishin’ report. There are three phases in a fisherman’s life cycle. Started with phase 3: getting back from fishing then jumped into phase 1: getting ready to go fishing. Of course the entire cycle revolves around phase 2. If you need to ask what THAT is there is no point in reading my blog.

The open water option will still be available at dam tailwaters for about a week. Lotsa fish there. Easy bite. But playing bumper boats cancels out the fun factor. Only saw one other fishin’ boat out there this morning. It was beached so occupants could walk thru the woods and go ice fishing. After a lifetime of sitting on a bucket the only way this is personally enjoyable is with no wind, above freezing temps and to keep the Admiral from badgering on about how good ice-caught perch are.

Lord willin’ I’ll kick off the guide biz again on 3/15, hopefully getting out fun fishin’ a few times before that. thanks for reading this blog. Will blog again in a week or two

In my last blog there was mention about negotiating the River when ice floes are a factor. Bottom line: don’t launch the boat unless you have a solid ‘Plan B’.

Yesterday I wanted to launch @ Army Rd. east of New Albin. Ice blocked the ramp 50′ out. So I crossed the River and launched @ Blackhawk Park, attacking the ice jam from the River side of the Army road ramp. The ramp is now open, providing quicker access to the River for today’s walleye/sauger catching escapade.

Fish are solidly in wintering holes now. Water temp about 35 degrees. Slow presentation w/ plastic or hair like the Northland buckaroo w/ a A STINGER HOOK vertically jigged & hovered just off bottom works well when they feel like eating.

Slowly pulling a 3-way with a Moxie or Ribb Finn on a 1 oz. jig on the short dropper and a shad pattern FLY on a 4-6′ dropper will also tear ’em up when fish are in at least a neutral mood.

If they won’t eat but you’re on fish they will usually strike a reaction presentation like a B-Fish-N B3 blade Northland Puppet Minnow or buckshot Rattle Spoon.

TUNDRA SWANS tell me when its time to lay up the boat for awhile. They have not migrated to the Chesapeake Bay yet. 3 days after they do, the River will lock with ice to the point where a Plan B launch/recover option is dubious. this is when i’ll start ice fishin’.

the Mississippi River is an inherently dangerous place!! ANY outing there needs careful planning with redundancy for every aspect of the trip. Today’s mission: catch 4 saugers for dinner. This should take about an hour.

Mary “fishing Machine” Christoffer has the best walleye recipe of all time; equal parts bisquik &Corn starch. 1T Vanilla, salt & pepper. Beer and a FORK. Mix the batter til it clings to the back of the fork but not between the tines. Fry for a couple minutes. don’t burn your mouth!

There are still quite a few tundra swans on the pool. Experience teaches that ice is MARGINALLY safe on sheltered backwaters 3 days after these big white birds vector East to spend their winter on the Chesapeake.

On the way to Stark’s in PdC this morning to get the guide boat ready for a hopefully short nap I saw five vehicles parked with folks lightfooting out on the hardwater nearby.

The first folks out there will certainly ponder the p.i.d. perpective before their escapade is over.

Both intrepid and stupid end in “pid”. If you manage to get out & back without getting wet the reward is a Pretty Impressive Dinner. But if you go just one step too far on mostly clear ice which is 1″ to barely 2″ thick this morning the result is a Precarious Immersion Dunking.

There were a couple times in the not so distant past when I was both the first one out on the ice and the first one to fall through. These experiences have taught the wisdom of avoiding the P.I.D. dilemma entirely…waiting for the tundra swans to vamoose before grabbing the short rods & bucket.

This afternoon at the Army Rd. boat launch east of New Albin there was clear ice as far as you could see in both directions. The spud indicated there is just shy of an inch of ice.

Tailwaters below both Genoa and Lynxville dams remain open. Lord willin’ I’ll take the smaller boat out tomorrow afternoon. From now until Spring experience teaches the wisdom of always heading upstream from the launch point. If ice floes start pushing south you SHOULD be able to return to the launch and load the boat.

Even then, heading out without a common sense based Plan B can quickly rachet into a P.I. D. scenario which doesn’t include french fries & slaw.

This scenario happened twice to me last Spring. Both times I had a solid Plan B ready to go. In the first incident the Admiral called 9-1-1 against my specific order not to. I AM 9-1-1! All that was needed was help shuttling the trailer from launch A to launch B. She followed direction the 2nd time around. Same scenario, but with 2 different launch points.

I’ll admit it was a wild ride up the upper Iowa River to the hwy 26 ramp with the big boat kissing sandbars several times when i sped over them @ 35 mph. going any slower would have likely led to visiting the “what to do when you run aground ” playbook—essentially, just going to Plan C.

In the first incident I launched @ Highway 26 and headed up Minnesota slough. The outboard on the little boat crapped out about 200 yds. downstream from the Army road ramp–which was blocked by good, thick , solid ice just a 50 yd. belly crawl from shore. Wearing a PFD while pushing a PFD cushion in front of me I was standing in the parking lot when the NAFD showed up.

The small boat is a 16′ flatbottom jon. Between the launch and anchor rope I only needed about 75′ of line to slide the boat across the ice and winch it on the trailer. I had plenty of rope in the truck which was parked at the ramp just a couple miles away. When I got back the NAFD had used their rope to slide the boat ashore, with plenty of manpower to lift in on to the trailer. Their assistance wasn’t needed, but appreciated. I thanked them with a case of beer.

As a USCG licensed captain I would NEVER expose clients to either one of these scenarios! The Mississippi River is a truly dangerous place!!! From a river rat perspective all decisions include a sober risk/benefit analysis before proceeding.

Anyway…the tundras are still here. Until they leave i’ll be fishin’ out of the small boat with redundant “what if” options fully considered. Bottom line, my arms are far too short to box with God.

Sooo…if you’re compelled to explore the p.i.d experience before the white birds fly. Please be careful & file both a travel plan and next of kin contact before heading out.

Water temperature has dropped to 42 degrees on Pool 9 over the past 24 hours. it will continue to fall into the upper 30s over the next week or so. B-Fish-N Tackle and Echotail blades are my favorite walleye weapon between now and ice-up–which may not happen on flowing water til early December.

Right now the ‘eyes are holding in 17-20 fow. They will slide deeper as surface temps continue to drop. The most effective presentation for me has been spot-locking a little deeper than the target zone and snap-jigging the blade thru the fish holding depth. Presentation will change to more of a vertical jigging presentation as fish tumble to deeper wintering holes in 22-30 fow.

The only downside to snap jigging blades is the back treble hanging up on the line just above the lure. This can be minimized by using a #4 snap (not a snap swivel) attached to a 2 ‘ leader of 20lb floro.

Engage the reel before the bait hits the water. Let it fall thru the water column on a semi-tight line with the rod tip @ a 45 degree angle to the water. Snap the rod tip about 10-12″ just as the lure begins to contact the bottom.

The best rod I’ve found to employ this technique is a St. Croix Avid 7’3″ MLF w/ 10 lb hi-vis Sufix braid.

Don’t forget to let your outboard hang vertical to drain before leaving the boat ramp if the temp is below 32 degrees!

Water temp in the upper Miss dropped 14 degrees over the past eek. It is now down to 42 :prime time for walleyes. The River also came up a bunch in this time frame. It is near perfect level right now, but dropping fast.

That’s okay. Walleyes have already started moving toward wintering holes, “stair stepping ” deeper in the water column as temperatures drop into the upper 30s.

Yesterday I found ’em holding in 16-17 fow….right where you would expect with water temp of 42. GRASS was a major issue. Trolling out of the question . Ditto vertical jigging/drifting. The only efficient fishin’ method I could find was snap-jigging blade baits like the Echotail Teddy Cat and B-Fish-n Tackle B-3 after locating pods of potential walleyes cruising at this depth.

Even this technique produced weeds on about every 5th cast. Every 30th cast produced an eager sheep. Every 80 casts or so a walleye/sauger would find the blade.

Usually in fall sheep stage slightly shallower than active eyes. But with transition going on and steadily falling water level the goats are swimmin’ with the marble-eyes.

The significant cold snap triggered daytime deer movement big-time. I sat in a tree behind the house last Sat & Sun. Passed on 7 deer Saturday and arrowed a 147″ buck on sunday afternoon. He only had a 16″ inside spread and lacked an h-3 measurement on the L. mainbeam. A couple more inches would have made this 6 1/2 yr old heavy-beamed brute with double brow tines a ‘trophy’ by definition. You can’t eat horns. But weighing close to 200 lbs. there will be enough for boat treats–pepperjack/jalapeno/pineapple sticks–from Edgewood locker to feed clients for next year.

An overnite 14 degree drop in water temp is a shocker to fish. air Temperatures have since moderated and will continue to do so. I expect water temp to stabilize right about 42 degrees and hold here for at least several weeks. This translates into REALLY good walleye fishin’!

The guide biz closes down on Nov, 15. Still have open slots if somebody wants to go. I’ll be on the River pretty much every day, regardless until it locks up with ice.

Lord willin’ next year will be my last for guiding. 50 yrs is enough. But fishin’? Every single day I can launch the boat until i croak.

The tug is the drug. There are only a couple of sensory thrills which equate to having a fat walleye thump a jig and leaning back to feel a serious head shake.

This morning the Admiral has me doing yard work. However, a couple hours on the water is in the cards this afternoon. I only need to catch a couple. maybe a couple more or a half-dozen after that….

My name is Capn. Ted. I am a fishaholic

Apologies for not blogging for over a month. Computer problems–and I’ve been too busy fishin’ to get things fixed.

Water temp has been holding steady @ about 55 for several days. Bass are in their last crazy feeding hoo-rah. River is rising like a rocket–almost five feet between this morning and Sat. afternoon.

Ambient temp is supposed to drop 20 degrees late tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow’s trip will be challenging. But it might be the last, best day for awhile.

Yesterday we boated 108 bass in about 7 hrs. But that was yesterday. River will likely rise 2′ by tomorrow. It takes me at least an hour to figure out the fish every single day–when the River is stable.

Won’t know until tomorrow night if it all came together. The Miss is the most dynamic riverine freshwater fishery in North America. that’s why i love her so!

Now that shiny object issues are (hopefully) resolved I’ll try to blog more frequently. Regardless, don’t rely on me for fishin’ reports. consistent success is all about time on the water.

The River is supposed to rise a couple more feet over the next 72 hrs. The only way to stay on the fish is to be out there. So when the sun comes up in a few hours that’s exactly what i plan to do.

So…thanks for hangin’ in there!Talk soon.

The only way i can think of NOT to catch bass on the River right now is dropping a six-inch bluegill into the upstream edge of a deep hole with a pyramid sinker hoping a mudcat will find the bait before a bass can swim down to catch it!

Walleyes are still solidly in the September pattern of cruising channel edge sand flats in 9-11 fow and moving to ambush points like the channel ends of wingdams when actively feeding.

Yesterday I spot-locked in the perfect place to intercept them and was rewarded with 8 bass in 8 casts throwing the MR-6.

Either the bluegill pattern on rocky structures is changing…or the bass just get to the bait first. Ditto crappies hanging suspended in wood over at least 10 fow.

A small rake is in the boat now to clear grass from between branches on snags with a slight current to enable getting down to both crappies & gills. Essentially ice fishing by making a hole through the grass.

Fortunately, some very nice pike are feeding on the buck bass. Several 3/4 oz chrome blue Rat-L-Traps have been garwoofled in the past several days when actually looking for bass to educate. All that ate these lures HAD to be good ones. Have NEVER lost a LITTLE fish!

The biggest source of awe has been the baitfish–mostly shad but also schools of river shiners. Sometimes almost dimpling the surface like shiny silver raindrops.

Water temps have fallen to a solid 64. Ten more degrees and the walleye bite will become substantially more active. Weeds will be an issue. A Pulse-R in purple firecracker/chartruese tail on a 1/8 -1/4 Pyrokeet precision jighead is a great weapon when weeds are an issue, with a small barrel swivel about 24 inches up the line a good “bumper” to keep the plastic working effectively perhaps a little longer.

Today the primary target is bass. Pretty much an excercise in catching instead of fishing. In a couple weeks I’m going on vacation. Fishing of course–Eagle Lake out of Andy Myers lodge.

Dad always said “if you can’t go 1st class, stay home”. Andy Myers has my vote as the best Canadian fishing lodge, hands down. The SMB which swim in Eagle Lake are a virtually untapped resource, as most folks fishing these waters are looking for a PB muskie or walleye.

When all environmental conditions are just right, I’ll throw for mongo toothers. Other times walleyes and those honkin’ huge smallies. This work builds a substantial appetite. The food At Andy Myers is without equal.

As of right now I have 8 open days in October and 5 in November before pulling down the guide shingle for another year. Lord willin’ will pull the pin at the end of the ’24 season…and go fishin’ after that ’til my end of days

We’re within 3″ Mister Twister range of the lowest River level in 35 years going into the transition period between Fogust & Slumptember.

Blistering heat the past several days has pushed water temps up past 80 degrees again after about a week in the low 70’s.

With water so low & clear a floro leader is a good idea when going after fish in a feeding presentation. These conditions have also concentrated the finny forage base with minnows dimpling the surface a great way to locate predators cruising nearby.

Once you find the bait a white tandem spinnerbait, chrome/blue Rat-L-Trap or 1/4 oz B-Fish-N Tackle Big Dude blade is a great way to hook up on multiple species of gamefish….and a 3″ WHITE twister tail will catch ’em too!

With so much food in the water active feeding windows are both short and frequent for bass, pike & white bass. The active feeding window for walleyes is also short–pretty much a half-hour at dawn and again at dusk. The channel ends of wingdams and rip-rapped upstream points of islands are great places to look.

When not actively feeding walleyes and saugers like to loaf over sand bottom with a moderate current in 9-13 fow. A controlled drift along this contour with a 1/8-1/4 oz jig or drop shot rig baited with a half-crawler is a good way to hook up.

Steeply breaking sandbar edges are holding a pile of bass right now. A chrome blue FLOATING ‘Trap is my go-too. Fish may be chasing bait in less than 1 fow–often requiring a long cast to hook up without getting hung up on a sandbar

Bluegills are on fire in 6-9 fow on steep, rocky breaklines.Pitching a 1/32 oz. jig and tiny pinch of crawler into about 4 fow and letting it “pedulum down” is a great technique. The bite will be quick and light when the bait is hanging vertical a couple inches off the bottom. Folks with gutter wino reflexes pretty much just feed the fish.

Weeds are just starting to become a factor on the River mainstem. It’s possible to get away from them by simply crossing the River or revisiting a spot you wanna fish a couple hours later.

Perch have been active in 2-4 fow in the weeds and along weed edges for a couple hours in the morning & evening. Crappies are already in the solid fall pattern of hanging 4-6 feet down in wood where there is at least 10 fow.

My new SEVIIN baitcasters should arrive tomorrow along with a purpose-driven St.Croix rod designed specifically for throwing blades.Christmas in August!!

Use EXTREME caution when navigating beyond the channel!!Sandbars wait just below the surface in spots where you’ve always been able to run willy-nilly.

Set up in at least 4 fow directly downstream and cast a ‘Trap between the willy and the nilly. Set the hook!

White birds diving on main channel rocks are a solid indicator of fish on a rampage right now. But not always!

A couple days ago I saw birds dipping and got over there quick, only to discover somebody’s picnic must have blown out of the boat. There were potato chips scattered across the water, hot dog buns and a package of Johnsonville brats.

I headed elsewhere after realizing it was just a couple terns for the wurst.