St. Croix River.

[muskie77]

Hi there,

I just joined the forums here and was wondering if I could get a little help. My partner and I are coming up there in September for the PMTT and we're just trying to get some tips. I purchased a Hot Spots map and we've been going over different spots to hit but it looks like theres a lot of water to cover. Is there any types of baits that are used a lot out there or that people prefer to use? We've never fished this body of water before and we'll have 2 days to pre-fish so hopefully we can get something going. We took 3rd place on the Eagle River Chain last month and would just like to keep this going if we can! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for the help,

Ryan

[b1gf1sh1]

welcome aboard 77!!

your talking a lot of boats with other entrants in them. all the normal obvious areas are going to get pounded real fast. i'm sure i don't need to mention those to you. if it was me? i would use those 2 days and look for the not so obvious weed flats. they can crop up and disappear in a matter of days, especially on the lake st croix stretch from stillwater to catfish bar. above and below that it's pretty constant. of course there are exceptions, but overall they consistantly have weeds all year in the same areas...

weeds depend on river levels (able to get light). your looking for 5 to 8 fow on the croix. if your real good at locating weeds you can't see there's plenty of weeds in a little deeper waters. the river this year is clearer than it's been since i can remember. zebra mussles are expanding.

as far as lures? natural colors. medium sized. medium sized medium sized. contrast contrast contrast. late september, slow action lures, summer, early to mid sept. fast or slow action. gizzard shad is a serious staple in this river. white or black is never a bad color. silvery is good. honestly the croix is so packed with muskie you'll need to catch a bunch. my best ever came out of there. it was 51 1/2 and there are bigger than that (on a cream/yellow eagle tail. single). hope this helps, good luck. oh...don't forget your brown bucktails, silver blades.

[muskie77]

Hi there,

Thank you very much for the advice! I really appreciate it!!

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

Thank you very much for

no problem 77.

i figure i could explain a couple things, because you know how it is when you explain something, some info is obvious too you so you omit stuff. you may have figured it out but just in case.... also maybe someone else didn't.

on the weeds. i said they crop up and disappear. just a figure of speech really in a way. example. you float by an area on a friday thats a few feet deep and it so choked with weeds and so shallow it's unfishable. bummer because it's pretty good sized. you go home and when you get there theres a huge storm moving in. down comes the rain and up goes the river. by sunday most of the water from far north is down in your area. all the sudden the same area is 6 or 7 feet deep. now it's fishable. same deal with the dam in tailors falls. it can add a foot or so and make an area fishable when they are close enough before. plus areas that were already good are now hard to find because they are too deep and out of sight.

the opposite is true when theres no rain. a fishable area can be useless in a couple days. and an area that was hidden is now plain as day.

it's too bad you don't have more time, like a few months, lol. when the river gets just a little lower than it is now it's real easy to see points, rock, sand, or otherwise out of water that will be underwater when it goes back up. especially those single finger points jutting out from rock faces i mentioned awhile back somewhere. claim it to memory and fish it later. but you only have two days. maybe it will help somebody else.

so, if you see some shallow and boom theres a downpour.... there you go. adjust.

[DaveZman14q]

try the mouth of the apple river as well as inside marinas they will yell at you possibly but they dont own the water

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

try the mouth of the apple river

thats a good area just be aware in order to get to it you will have to start above the checkpoint because your not allowed to go up from the high bridge and if you come from above it you can't go back. (zebra mussles stop/start there)

i assume you will be starting in a central location? if it's below, just for reference, say, the arcola sandbar don't waste your time looking for the apple. you only have two days after all. you know what else to look for. good luck. let us know how you do?

[dcmusky]

Out of curiosidy what does the PMTT do to help the resource? Is there a conservation fund or something? And remember the folks in MN are in the process of trying to get new muskie waters in this state, so your actions as pros will effect this process.

[muskie77]

Once again, thank you guys very much for the info! The tournament isn't until September but i'll for sure let you guys know how it went!

dc musky,

Here's a link to the info on what the PMTT does for the resource. I'm not to sure how long they have been doing this but every little bit helps! A portion of every anglers entry fee goes towards stocking, DNR offices, Managing Minnesota Trophies etc.

http://www.promusky.com/news_&_updates.htm

[b1gf1sh1]

good point Dan

i just looked up the area on the PMTT site for the heck of it and it seems you can't even go above the stillwater bridge. what a bummer, lol. above has a lot, chock full even, of muskie friendly structure and habitat. oh well, i'll have a place to fish then durring your qualifier, which is cool. and it looks like you start in hudson.

Hint: there's a large flats area on the south side of 94. pretty spread out so the water slows down considerably and shad (and emerald shiners ) like to congregate in it. when you see these pods, fish underneath them with a spinnerbait or diving crank. look for the rare visible dollar bill sized if you can but fish any sized pod because they get bigger sometimes out of sight under the smaller ones, not to mention the perch, sunnies and crappies feeding on them. one issue you might have is alot of northern, lm & sm bass and white bass, use the area to feed also so you might hook into them too. but muskie are there. probably the most widely known muskie area on the river, but because it's so large (it stretches from just above 94 to the west side and down a very long way)it's never so full it can't be fished. just the 40 to 50 foot cruisers going by makes it a challege staying inside your boat sometimes . anyway, good luck.

[dcmusky]

That's good to see. I'm glad that the PMTT gives back to the resource and as a muskie fisherman I thank you for posting the PMTT's conservation accompleshments.

[dcmusky]

Also it's good to see some different waters get picked instead of the ussual list: Leech, Cass, Millelacs, Vermilion......

There are other great muskie waters in MN ya know.

[muskie77]

Yeah it is very good that the PMTT gives back. I've fished this tournament for a while and was thinking about giving up but after I read about where some of the money goes I decided to keep going with it! I'll make a trip up there to one of those lakes eventually!

I honestly can't thank you guys enough for the information you've been giving me! I truly do appreciate it!!

[b1gf1sh1]

here's the bridge you can't go past going up, (pic is from eastside looking north) and a smallish sized cruiser you'll be seeing, it's always there somewhere. it makes a nice wake for a 'lil lady

and heres just a throw in for the heck of it. this pic is from up near taylors falls/st. croix falls, way north of the bridge, but it gives you an idea of what the rock walls and cliffs look like. in another post i referenced finger points and these type walls are riddled with them. find these and any predator can be holding there when they are under water. this one in the pic is pretty tight but most are longer. below is a rock outcrop that holds fish as well when it's submerged. these walls are mostly underwater in the stretch you'll be in. they would be worth the hassle to find. but you won't need to look far. they are everywhere...

[muskie77]

Awesome!! Definitely looks like a beautiful area! I Can't wait to get up there!

[Zelmsdawg]

b1gf1sh1,

You are a wealth of information...I think I'm going to try rivers soon (as soon as I have a bad lake outing) and with everything you've posted, I might even catch a fish.

Thanks for sharing so much,

Zelmsawg

[b1gf1sh1]

thanks Zdawg. if anything i've written helps you get one on a river... your welcome. if it helps get one on a lake... that was an accident. i've forgotten alot of stuff about still waters. but be warned... rivers aint for the meek or the fly by nighters. your in or your out. I.E. you stay for a long time or get skunked. good luck.

fish eddies, any eddy, eddy time you see an eddy.