St. Croix River- St. Croix Falls, Osceola...

[Ace]

Hi all,

My dad is thinking we should try the Saint Croix on Monday, putting in at one of the landings in St. Croix Falls and working down. We will head up early in the AM and fish into the afternoon...I've never river fished, don't know what we should target or what we should use for bait or tackle...Any suggestions or tips?? Thanks!

[tunrevir]

Lots of info on the St. croix forum. If you are going from the falls south, jig and minnow, shad raps, surface plugs for smallies and spinnerbaits for bass and pike. The water is up but there are some shoals that you will have to watch out for. Walleyes can be had in the 15-20' range, smallies are uptight to the shorelines right now and the pike are as well. If you see downed timber it will typically hold pike and smallies, the rock areas will have a variety of fish and vertical jigging with a minnow is always a good way to go. Live bait rigs with cralwers will get you bit as well but the jig bite with minnows up that way has been pretty decent as of late. Above the falls there is some really deep water with lilly pads a fast sloping bottom where you can find crappies both suspended and tight to the banks. Think brush and rocks, further upriver it shallows up and there is some pretty decent smallie action casting to shorelines and working both spinnerbaits and surface plugs like a skitterpop. Jig and minnow will take the suspended crappies once again. If you anchor up on some of the deeper holes cats and even sturgeon can be had. Suckers either dead or alive fished on the bottom, bullheads if you can find them for bait. Good luck, hope this helps.

Tunrevir~

[Ace]

Thanks for the info! I posted on the MN forum as well, so we'll see what other replies I get...I have leeches and crawlers, whatever bites, bites:-)