River and active bass temps

[shiltsy]

Hey guys... I've done mostly lake fishing and am intent on learning more about river fishing this season. Two quick questions:

1. do river smallies and largemouth both stay pretty inactive until the 50 degree range?

2. what time of the year does the Mississippi around the metro hit the range when they start getting a little more active?

Thanks!

[goblueM]

i'm no expert on fishing the river early, but they will be biting long before 50

folks out on the St. Croix catch em thru the ice fairly regularly

[OLY]

You can catch a few fish right after the high water/flow in the spring drops, but the fishing is way way better once the temps hit the mid 50's. The fish really stack up in certain backwater bays and lakes starting as early as late april and the fishing stays pretty good through the month of may. Last year fishing was really good through the first week of june and then it gets pretty slow untill fall

[Larson15]

you can get the smallies to bite all year

[EBass]

Quote:

2. what time of the year does the Mississippi around the metro hit the range when they start getting a little more active?

That's called bass opener which I believe is May 29th. (always two weeks after pike and walleye opener) Normally it's right around the spawn 60-65 degrees. Depends on the spring weather

[Sproguy]

Shiltsy,

The bass will start biting as soon as this ice clears itself off the main channel and the backwaters. I caught fish as low as 45 degree water temps in past springs. Pool 2 fishes really small when the water is high due to the lack of backwater but you can start launching the boat anytime in the next couple of weeks. I personally am going to wait until the really high water (flood waters) clears and it goes back to just plain high water. Floods are not high water, they are dangerous.

It is a long run down river but during high water it is easy to get back behind Gray Cloud island. Lots of good stuff to fish and they will bite as soon as the ice clears. I personally have always waited until around the 15th of April.

Go for it! The river can be a lot of fun and can be a real challenge this time of year which makes it even more rewarding!

[JBMasterAngler]

EBass, below the ford dam the bass season is continuous all the way down to the iowa border (except for the stretch from the hastings dam downstream to the WI border...inland rules apply). Catch and release only from ford to hastings dam of course. Anyway, I know of a few people that fish along the shorelines from hidden falls up to the ford dam with tube baits or jigs and minnows and catch a few this time of year...but as the water gets warmer they will become more active.

[shiltsy]

Awesome feedback - thanks guys! This weather the past two days has been pure torture not being able to get out on the water! Oh well, good boat prep time.

[river rat316]

EBass, below the ford dam the bass season is continuous all the way down to the iowa border (except for the stretch from the hastings dam downstream to the WI border...inland rules apply). Catch and release only from ford to hastings dam of course. Anyway, I know of a few people that fish along the shorelines from hidden falls up to the ford dam with tube baits or jigs and minnows and catch a few this time of year...but as the water gets warmer they will become more active.

I think Ebass knows this

[JBMasterAngler]

Be that as it may, someone else might not have

[river rat316]

whatever

[riverrat63]

i would wait till the water goes down i have cought them with crankbaits in april when the water was mud and and hight the temps were from 40 to 45 uwhen it this muddy i would go with some thing with sound and flash in clear water i would go with a smaller jig or a shacky head with a black blue fleck shacky worm. from alma down to iowa there is tons of back waters u can pick from and some of them are easy to get to this time of year u should have no problem finding cleaner water.

[Irish]

Do any of you fish the largemouth spawn in the backwaters?

[ikeslayer]

nope never - do they spawn even?

you can see them sometimes but the river isn't called big muddy for nothing

[OLY]

I have a few areas on pool 2 with enough water clarity to sight fish as long as it isnt deeper than 1.5 ft you can see them. Catching them is a different story. For whatever reason it seems much harder to catch river bass of of beds than lake fish. I guess it has something to do with distance, you need to be alot closer to the fish to see them on the river, so I am sure they know what I am up to.

[WyoChris]

chuck a jerkbait towards the shore.... real slow. Give it a tug, let it suspend for a few seconds, then give it another tug. Great strategy for those very early spring bucketmouths.

[ikeslayer]

speaking of jerkbaits - caught my first open water river bass last week on a jerkbait. nothing like 41 degree water - probalby should have chased eyes but i have the bug.

not usually one to doctor a picture but this pretty much was an address

Enjoy the sportshow everyone - i am going bassin

[st.crioxfishin]

Nice Ike!

[bassfshin24]

Is anyone gonna head out on the river anytime soon? When is a safe time to get the boat out there? I've never fished the river before so im a little nervous to get out there for the first time. I would love to get out soon. On pool 2 where to you guys usually put in at? What areas are good starting points for some largies or smallies?