Presented by Yamaha Motor Corp USA and Warrior Boats Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2023
Contact: Denny Fox, 920-505-0122
Anglers Insight Marketing LLC (AIM™)
A River Runs Through AIM, With Rivers Division Qualifier On Upper Miss At Hager City Sunday; Fish Are On The Move
With water levels quickly dropping in the Mississippi’s pools, it may be a case of guessing where the fish are moving to win it all as the AIM Weekend Walleye Series Rivers Division Heads Sunday, June 11 to Pools 3,4, and 5 near Hager City, WI.
“From what we hear, the knowing Mississippi River Rats say that it may come down to previous knowledge of where the fish go when the water’s dropping, and the fact that where they are today may not be where they’ll be Sunday,” said Denny Fox, AIM national tournament director. “Fishing this river is a totally different animal. Not only are water levels dropping, what the fish will be feeding on factors in. It’s also that changing water temp pressuring them to find spots they’re comfortable with, and to go where the bait is, too. But these teams know where to find’em, so expect possible bags tapping on that 40-pound door when it’s all over.”
That’s the word from the first confirmed “rat,” Maury Schmerbach of Dubuque, who will be on the water with Mike Glynn, also from Dubuque, in a Mercury 200 Verado-powered boat. Schmerbach’s got 50-plus years of tracking walleyes on the river, and about 35 in the stretch teams will be fishing on Sunday, so he’s a good one to ask, and we did.
“Some of the pools have been dropping a half-foot to a foot a day, so where those fish were a week ago, they’re not going to be there because it’ll be dry ground,” he advised.
The river is dropping steady, so these fish are going to be in transition,” Schmerbach said. And on the river, that means getting out of that fast-dropping areas and settling in on others.
“Some of them might be on the wing dams that don’t have a lot of current,” he added. “The way I’d fish those is with willow cats (that’s that small catfish that’s a walleye’s favorite dietary supplement on the river, and which unlike last year are in good supply at local bait shops). Either pool would be good, 4 or 3.”
This spring, the issue was rising water, lots of it, and rapidly, causing the second AIM Rivers qualifier to be cancelled. Now that the water’s quickly dropping, and knowing teams know where to go, but, Schmerbach repeated, those fish will be moving around. Targeting those river wing dams is a common practice.
“We’ll backtroll them or pull cranks with our electric. It depends on how hard the current is. Willow cats are more or less the summer bait. The hotter it gets the better they are. It’s been hot down here (in Dubuque area),” he said, but at Hager City, the forecast is for the mid-50s Saturday night, and high 60s to low 70s when teams leave the start at 7 a.m. Sunday from Everts Resort in Hager City. Count on a lot of running and gunning here to find those fish, he added.
“River flow has a lot to do with this. It’s going to move those fish. It’s all going to look different when we start pre-fishing tomorrow (Wednesday). We haven’t had any rain, and I look for it to stay on a steady drop, and that means those fish in the river, they’re here today and gone tomorrow. That happens a lot on the river. If it was slowly rising, then they would stay put. But this hard drop, the fish get nervous,” he said.
Kyle Brantner of Pepin, Wisconsin, lives on the shores of one of the eligible pools, Pool 4, a multi-mile one known as Lake Pepin. He’s also saying the falling river will be a challenge but is expecting a good time and a good bite.
“I think the water’s at five feet and it’s dropping fast,” said Brantner, who’ll be fishing with Joe Newcomb, also of Pepin. “I prefer it a little higher. The lower the water, the more they’ll spread out, and they’ll start. It can be really high in the summer or low, and it’s finally getting to summer pool levels.
“I think it’s going to be a good bite even if the water continues to drop. It’s been really good the last couple of weeks. The only way I see it affecting this is you might need a small milk run to two, three or four places,” Brantner said.
“This time of year, a lot of anglers are trolling. There will be a lot of live bait. They’re getting big ones, upper 20-inch fish. It’s a pretty popular area for people to fish.” He’ll be on the water starting Friday, since he knows that stretch well.
“We’ll probably be live baiting with willow cats. You’ve got to have those on the river. They call the rig a dork rig,” he said.
You read that right, Fan Nation, a dork rig. It’s basically a Lindy or Roach rig with a bigger sinker, between a quarter-and a half-ounce. Weight goes above the swivel, maybe with a bead or good barrel swivel between it and the leader to prevent tangles. They can be cast towards or pulled in the current. The more current, the bigger the sinker.
“There’ll also be a lot who will be able to troll, pulling live bait, casting cranks, a big variety. The wing dams will be in play for sure especially with the water dropping. Once the water gets a little lower, they start to turn on. The fish will set up in the front where there is less current. You’ll cast your bait and swing it across a small trough in front. They’re usually in that,” Brantner said. He’s planning to concentrate on Pools 3 and 4. Five is a pool too far, he said.
“Five is probably 20-some miles to get to. And it’s always a lottery play when you go through the locks,” he said. You may have a record bag, but one barge tow moving through a lock might just cause you to be late, and DQ.
“They’ll bite one day and the next they move. The more spots you can find the better off you are,” he recommends.
Clark Baldwin has been guiding the river here the last four years and fishing it the last 20-plus. Listen to his words of wisdom.
“I’ve got some good ideas. They’re going to be anywhere from the top end of Pool 3 to the bottom of Pool 4. In the last 10 days we’ve lost five feet of water. We had some pretty nasty floods in spring and we’re going to continue to lose water. We’re going to lose another ¾-foot by Sunday. We’ll be in a pool level of 4, which can make things interesting,” he said. “There’s a lot of hidden structure on this system,” he said, and he’s not just talking about the ones fish like. He means ones that boat hulls definitely do not like. stuff. Like logs, trees and other river jetsam, if levels continue falling by a lot.
“I mean stuff sticking out of the water. It’ll start to be a concern, but it’s pretty navigable. Pepin can be very good and because it’s been very warm and have rising water temperatures, it’s going to fish like mid-summer in my opinion. Fish will be more of their summer haunts.
“The fish are moving around and when water levels drop it changes the current seams, and fish will have to constantly reposition for their food sources,” Baldwin explained. “Willow cats will be in play along with crawlers, leeches, and cranks. You can be pitching rigging live bait, long lining or using lead core,” he said. What will it take to be in the money?
“Two weeks ago, it was won with 40 pounds for five, and last weekend it was won with 21 pounds for four fish. Because AIM is Catch-Record-ReleaseÔ, it’ll take in the high 30s to win it and it’s very, very possible to have multiple bags in the 30s.
“We’re looking at weather in the 70s for Sunday and maybe a little rain for Saturday, but we won’t have to worry about clarity. The water is starting to clean up a little and with the floods, the river system has changed. Well-known spots have changed, but the system is very healthy. On the weekends there’s a lot of recreational boating and weekend fishermen. Pool 4 is almost 40 miles of river so there will probably 40, 55 even 60 miles of river in play. There very well can be a lot of running,” he said.
You’ll also be seeing Baldwin on the water again when AIM revisits the area to fish a Minnesota Division qualifier in Pools 3 and 4 from Hager City on July 9.
Okay, Rivers Division Fan Nation, and the rest of you wannabe River Rats. Here’s the run of show. After Saturday’s online rules and registration meeting, all boats will check in for inspections starting at 5:30 a.m. at Everts Resort in Hager City, Wisconsin. They’ll get the “Go” starting at 7:00 a.m. Boats must check in starting at 3:00 p.m., and the awards ceremony begins at 4 p.m. at The Bluffs Bar and Grill in Hager City. Good luck all teams!
Now, this isn’t AIM’s only show Sunday. Stay tuned for a preview of the big one on Minnesota’s Lake Mille Lacs, where a full field will be battling with the mayfly hatch and the fish at the same time. Last year, 35 pounds did it. What will it take in 2023? Stay tuned Sunday for on-water reports and photos.
The AIM Weekend Walleye Series season is starting to get some serious action as we swing into warm weather. Stay tuned to AIM’s Facebook site updates this weekend on both events. Learn how you can register for the next events at aimfishing.com.
You know you want to. You know you can.
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