My notes from the boat, written up after every trip. If you are deciding when to come, this is the page to read.
Updated .
Sample readings for this concept site. The live site would show the National Weather Service gauge at La Crosse next to these notes.
| Day | Stage |
|---|---|
| Mon, Sep 21 | 7.0 ft |
| Tue, Sep 22 | 7.1 ft |
| Wed, Sep 23 | 7.3 ft |
| Thu, Sep 24 | 7.4 ft |
| Fri, Sep 25 | 7.4 ft |
| Sat, Sep 26 | 7.3 ft |
| Sun, Sep 27 | 7.2 ft |
| Mon, Sep 28 | 7.1 ft |
| Tue, Sep 29 | 6.9 ft |
| Wed, Sep 30 | 6.8 ft |
| Thu, Oct 1 | 6.7 ft |
| Fri, Oct 2 | 6.6 ft |
| Sat, Oct 3 | 6.5 ft |
| Sun, Oct 4 | 6.4 ft |
| Fish | Where | What's working | How good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye and sauger | The Wing Dams (spot 1) | Quarter-ounce jig and minnow, slow drag downstream | Good, and better every week |
| White bass | Lunch Bar (spot 6) | Small silver spoon thrown into the boils | Good when the birds are working |
| Crappie | Stump Flats (spot 3) | Slip bobber and a 2 in tube, 3 ft down | Fair, best on calm mornings |
| Largemouth bass | Heron Slough (spot 2) | Squarebill crankbait along the wood | Fair, slowing as the water cools |
| Northern pike | Rice Bed Bay (spot 4) | White spinnerbait on the outside weed edge | Slow, the weeds are dying back |
Northwest wind, 38 degrees at launch.
The wing dams were the story again. The walleye are sliding up onto the rocks earlier in the morning now, and the best one went 24 inches on a quarter-ounce orange jig.
The backwaters are clearing up. I could see the stumps in Stump Flats from the boat, which means the crappie can see you too: longer casts, lighter line.
Calm and grey until ten.
Half day with a dad and his two kids. White bass were busting shad off the end of Lunch Bar from 8 to 9, and the kids hooked one on nearly every cast. The ospreys showed us where to go.
Afternoon trip was quieter. A few crappie on slip bobbers in Stump Flats, all released.
First frost on the boat.
Filming day for Sunday's episode. The water dropped two degrees overnight and the walleye bite went from slow to steady in about a day, which is how fall works out here.
Reminder for October and November: parts of the refuge are closed to boats during duck season. I fish around the closed areas, so plans can shift a little.
River falling after the rain bump.
Current was still strong on the main channel, so we stayed in Heron Slough most of the morning. A few smallmouth on squarebills and one heavy largemouth off a fallen oak.
Rain overnight.
The river came up about four inches. Muddy water in the main channel, but the backwater lakes stayed clear.
Pike in Rice Bed Bay on white spinnerbaits, though the weeds are starting to brown out. That bite will fade in a couple of weeks.
Walleye on the wing dams get better every week until the ice comes. Weekend dates go first.
