Mississippi River & large river systems

IowaBasser · 03-06-12, 04:15 PM

May 20th I'm fishing a small tournament on the Mississippi River near Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The problem is I have little to no experience fishing on a large river system. Then why a tournament on the Mississippi you ask? ...My fishing buddy has a nice boat and fishes the Mississippi 3 or 4 times a summer and I've finally talked him into trying a tournament. He wanted to fish where he had some experience.

There are nearly endless back-water sloughes to fish. I've checked out some of the local bass tournaments from May 2011, and most of them were won fishing grass and weeds in very shallow water (less than 3 feet.) That was last year and the Mississippi was near flood stage most of the spring. This year we've had a mild, relatively dry winter and the water levels are down on the Mississippi.

I expect water levels will have a huge impact on fishing conditions. I will be relying heavily on my buddy's knowledge of the river; however I was hoping to pick-up some pointers on what to look for in large river systems.

joedog · 03-06-12, 06:55 PM

Iowa your right, the Mississippi has a ton of productive back waters and sloughs. I'm born in LaCrosse. Rivers are ever changing but I know the shallows do produce early. Another good target is the backs of rock dams or wing dams just like walleye fishing Wing dams, similar anyways.
Pull up the fishing docks in Genoa and I think there's one closer to Praire. There's a Cabelas in Praire and really knowledgeable staff. They all seem to fish and willing to share info. Heck they even set me up with a guy who makes plastics for a certain specific want. Tell the docks your interested in bass and they usually tell you where thier at. Walleys are at the docks. If you can find deeper pockets with any current break, also good or a lagoon leading into a slough thats deeper, just deeper even 2 or 3 feet then comes back before shallower water.
If your able to pre9fish things are easier. Praires a Tour town so information is easy to come by.
And its beautiful along that streach of river, so enjoy yourself. It's nice there.

IowaBasser · 03-07-12, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joedog

Iowa your right, the Mississippi has a ton of productive back waters and sloughs. I'm born in LaCrosse. Rivers are ever changing but I know the shallows do produce early. Another good target is the backs of rock dams or wing dams just like walleye fishing Wing dams, similar anyways.
Pull up the fishing docks in Genoa and I think there's one closer to Praire. There's a Cabelas in Praire and really knowledgeable staff. They all seem to fish and willing to share info. Heck they even set me up with a guy who makes plastics for a certain specific want. Tell the docks your interested in bass and they usually tell you where thier at. Walleys are at the docks. If you can find deeper pockets with any current break, also good or a lagoon leading into a slough thats deeper, just deeper even 2 or 3 feet then comes back before shallower water.
If your able to pre9fish things are easier. Praires a Tour town so information is easy to come by.
And its beautiful along that streach of river, so enjoy yourself. It's nice there.

What do you mean by docks?

joedog · 03-07-12, 04:47 PM

They are fishing like platforms or barges or docks. Public pays to fish off of. They boat across the river, pick you up, take you to platform and you fish . Alot of times they are located near the dams. These guys running them know the water up and down the river. You call and tell them you want bass and if they feel the bass bite is on. It won't be at the dock but these guys usually with out even asking will explain why and where thier at. Tell them you have your own boat and wondered if you could boat yourself to dock. They then usually again without asking will tell you no but if you have a boat go to..... where thier biting. Don't tell them your in a tournament because the locals are loved. Again, be aware that alot of Mississippi Tournaments cover entire pool (the river is sanctioned or split into pools) This refers or tells someone where your at or where on the river you fish the tournament. Like in Lacrosse it's pool like six. This area or pool is large expanse and includes all wetlands and sloughs and what not. Google what pool is Genoa dam in. You fish the Miss. at home right? What pool is in your area? I can explain more but I don't know if you want river knowledge or location knowledge.

IowaBasser · 03-08-12, 09:19 AM

Both river and location knowledge would be super helpful! The tournament is in pool 10, which includes Harpers Ferry and Prairie Du Chien.

IowaBasser · 03-09-12, 09:10 AM

Maybe I wasn't specific enough when asking for "pointers" ...Specifically how do high waters, low waters, and stable water conditions affect bass in large river systems:
1. Where do bass locate during each of these stages?
2. How aggressive are bass during each of these stages?
3. What techniques do you use for these stages?

Even more in-depth analysis might consider not only the water level as high, low, or normal... but also take into account whether the water level is rising, falling, or has been constant for a period of time.

lilmule · 03-09-12, 09:42 AM

A river system is current,things that block current they sit on even in deep water,mooring cells,parked barges,wing dams,piers,docks, bridge abuttments for those in the river system.Jerkbaits ,shallow cranks like sr5-7shadraps.
Front of such for spots,back for largemouths if current lacking anywhere but corners still more important-ie jerkbaits,flukes.To much current back side for spots or they leave entirely.1-1 1/2 mph is about right
Two part system other is backwaters treat like those elsewhere,water is up they move back in the stuff be it brush or whatever,water falling they back off,they tend to have more color year round.Pick several patterns to use that way no matter what can have something to work with.Main river shiners of more importance normally,backwater can be anything from shad to shiners.
Havnt fished that pool but do the ohio all the time,Mississippi just is wider and has more of all of the above.

IowaBasser · 05-07-12, 02:48 PM

I went out on the Mississippi between Harpers Ferry and Prairie Du Chien this weekend to do a little practice fishing for my tournament in two weeks. We caught some nice bass between 2 and 3 pounds, but couldn't put togther much of a pattern. (One bass off a small rocky point on a spinnerbait; One bass off a isolated clump of weeds on a 5" senko; Another bass on a 5" senko near a dock.)

We are planning a day of practice on the water Saturday May 19th, the day before our touranment. For those of you that fish tournaments, if you have the opporturnity to spend a whole day on the water before the tournament what is your strategy?

P.S. If anyone fishes anyone fishes the Upper Mississippi River, any advice would greatly be appreciated!

lilmule · 05-07-12, 04:14 PM

Strategy of any prefishing is to eliminate water and hopefully find a pattern that will hold up later.River fishing would be the most finicky,and tends to be a subject of current.

Kimberly Cook · 05-09-12, 04:54 AM

Agree with you..... Good thinking about this topic...

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilmule

A river system is current,things that block current they sit on even in deep water,mooring cells,parked barges,wing dams,piers,docks, bridge abuttments for those in the river system.Jerkbaits ,shallow cranks like sr5-7shadraps.
Front of such for spots,back for largemouths if current lacking anywhere but corners still more important-ie jerkbaits,flukes.To much current back side for spots or they leave entirely.1-1 1/2 mph is about right
Two part system other is backwaters treat like those elsewhere,water is up they move back in the stuff be it brush or whatever,water falling they back off,they tend to have more color year round.Pick several patterns to use that way no matter what can have something to work with.Main river shiners of more importance normally,backwater can be anything from shad to shiners.
Havnt fished that pool but do the ohio all the time,Mississippi just is wider and has more of all of the above.

03-06-12, 04:15 PM	#1
IowaBasser BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Ames, Iowa Posts: 360	Mississippi River & large river systems May 20th I'm fishing a small tournament on the Mississippi River near Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The problem is I have little to no experience fishing on a large river system. Then why a tournament on the Mississippi you ask? ...My fishing buddy has a nice boat and fishes the Mississippi 3 or 4 times a summer and I've finally talked him into trying a tournament. He wanted to fish where he had some experience. There are nearly endless back-water sloughes to fish. I've checked out some of the local bass tournaments from May 2011, and most of them were won fishing grass and weeds in very shallow water (less than 3 feet.) That was last year and the Mississippi was near flood stage most of the spring. This year we've had a mild, relatively dry winter and the water levels are down on the Mississippi. I expect water levels will have a huge impact on fishing conditions. I will be relying heavily on my buddy's knowledge of the river; however I was hoping to pick-up some pointers on what to look for in large river systems.

03-06-12, 06:55 PM	#2
joedog BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: JANESVILLE,WI. 53545 Posts: 3,415	Iowa your right, the Mississippi has a ton of productive back waters and sloughs. I'm born in LaCrosse. Rivers are ever changing but I know the shallows do produce early. Another good target is the backs of rock dams or wing dams just like walleye fishing Wing dams, similar anyways. Pull up the fishing docks in Genoa and I think there's one closer to Praire. There's a Cabelas in Praire and really knowledgeable staff. They all seem to fish and willing to share info. Heck they even set me up with a guy who makes plastics for a certain specific want. Tell the docks your interested in bass and they usually tell you where thier at. Walleys are at the docks. If you can find deeper pockets with any current break, also good or a lagoon leading into a slough thats deeper, just deeper even 2 or 3 feet then comes back before shallower water. If your able to pre9fish things are easier. Praires a Tour town so information is easy to come by. And its beautiful along that streach of river, so enjoy yourself. It's nice there. __________________ "Fishing isn't life or death... it's more important than that."

03-07-12, 04:47 PM	#4
joedog BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: JANESVILLE,WI. 53545 Posts: 3,415	They are fishing like platforms or barges or docks. Public pays to fish off of. They boat across the river, pick you up, take you to platform and you fish . Alot of times they are located near the dams. These guys running them know the water up and down the river. You call and tell them you want bass and if they feel the bass bite is on. It won't be at the dock but these guys usually with out even asking will explain why and where thier at. Tell them you have your own boat and wondered if you could boat yourself to dock. They then usually again without asking will tell you no but if you have a boat go to..... where thier biting. Don't tell them your in a tournament because the locals are loved. Again, be aware that alot of Mississippi Tournaments cover entire pool (the river is sanctioned or split into pools) This refers or tells someone where your at or where on the river you fish the tournament. Like in Lacrosse it's pool like six. This area or pool is large expanse and includes all wetlands and sloughs and what not. Google what pool is Genoa dam in. You fish the Miss. at home right? What pool is in your area? I can explain more but I don't know if you want river knowledge or location knowledge. __________________ "Fishing isn't life or death... it's more important than that."

03-09-12, 09:42 AM	#7
lilmule BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Buchanan,Tn Posts: 2,685	A river system is current,things that block current they sit on even in deep water,mooring cells,parked barges,wing dams,piers,docks, bridge abuttments for those in the river system.Jerkbaits ,shallow cranks like sr5-7shadraps. Front of such for spots,back for largemouths if current lacking anywhere but corners still more important-ie jerkbaits,flukes.To much current back side for spots or they leave entirely.1-1 1/2 mph is about right Two part system other is backwaters treat like those elsewhere,water is up they move back in the stuff be it brush or whatever,water falling they back off,they tend to have more color year round.Pick several patterns to use that way no matter what can have something to work with.Main river shiners of more importance normally,backwater can be anything from shad to shiners. Havnt fished that pool but do the ohio all the time,Mississippi just is wider and has more of all of the above. Last edited by lilmule; 03-09-12 at 09:50 AM.

05-07-12, 02:48 PM	#8
IowaBasser BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Ames, Iowa Posts: 360	Tournament Practice the day before a tournament? I went out on the Mississippi between Harpers Ferry and Prairie Du Chien this weekend to do a little practice fishing for my tournament in two weeks. We caught some nice bass between 2 and 3 pounds, but couldn't put togther much of a pattern. (One bass off a small rocky point on a spinnerbait; One bass off a isolated clump of weeds on a 5" senko; Another bass on a 5" senko near a dock.) We are planning a day of practice on the water Saturday May 19th, the day before our touranment. For those of you that fish tournaments, if you have the opporturnity to spend a whole day on the water before the tournament what is your strategy? P.S. If anyone fishes anyone fishes the Upper Mississippi River, any advice would greatly be appreciated!

03-08-12, 09:19 AM	#5
IowaBasser BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Ames, Iowa Posts: 360	Both river and location knowledge would be super helpful! The tournament is in pool 10, which includes Harpers Ferry and Prairie Du Chien.

03-09-12, 09:10 AM	#6
IowaBasser BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Ames, Iowa Posts: 360	Maybe I wasn't specific enough when asking for "pointers" ...Specifically how do high waters, low waters, and stable water conditions affect bass in large river systems: 1. Where do bass locate during each of these stages? 2. How aggressive are bass during each of these stages? 3. What techniques do you use for these stages? Even more in-depth analysis might consider not only the water level as high, low, or normal... but also take into account whether the water level is rising, falling, or has been constant for a period of time.

05-07-12, 04:14 PM	#9
lilmule BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Buchanan,Tn Posts: 2,685	Strategy of any prefishing is to eliminate water and hopefully find a pattern that will hold up later.River fishing would be the most finicky,and tends to be a subject of current.

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