[20:03:05] ebijack (mi): Plesas Welcome ZACH BOUDREAU the mwc pro

[20:03:15] Jim Alton: Hi Zach...

[20:03:26] Skeeter: clap clap!

[20:03:32] ebijack (mi): ZACH will host tonight about river fishing, it's an open forum

[20:03:43] Lundman: (clap,clap,clap,clap!!)

[20:05:02] ebijack (mi): you want to start off about finding spots on rivers zach

[20:06:30] ebijack (mi): zach, do you prefer to troll on the river

[20:06:40] KeithK(MI): Zach, what do you look for on a new river you never have

fished before

[20:06:43] Jim Alton: What should you look for when "sizing" up a stretch of river?

[20:06:44] ebijack (mi): and is that upstream or down stream

[20:07:12] ZachB(MN): i troll in there river certain times of year, when the fish are

more scattered

[20:07:28] ZachB(MN): mainly in the spring and fall

[20:07:57] ZachB(MN): i look for the right amount of current first and foremost

[20:08:10] ZachB(MN): and then go from there

[20:08:19] Mud Duck: what type of spot do you prefer to troll?

[20:08:25] ZachB(MN): i tend to start at places that

[20:08:35] ZachB(MN): are very diverse

[20:08:55] ZachB(MN): i.e. have alot of sloughs and backwaters nearby

[20:09:16] ZachB(MN): i prefer to troll the spots that are easy to troll

[20:09:42] ZachB(MN): larges flats or long sections of river channel or a big slogh hole

[20:09:50] KeithK(MI): when you troll do you troll up or down stream and why

[20:10:11] ZachB(MN): i troll upstream 95% of the time

[20:10:26] Lundman: Zach, could you describe where the walleyes position themselves

in each of the three moods, Active, nuetral, and inactive, in a river system?

[20:10:31] ZachB(MN): the fish have a better chance to react to the crank

[20:10:32] ebijack (mi): is that for control zach ?

[20:10:47] ZachB(MN): but i will troll down stream in a slight current

[20:10:58] ZachB(MN): yes ebi, and for control

[20:11:24] ZachB(MN): you can hang the bait in front of them or slip sideways to give

them a different angle

[20:11:41] KeithK(MI): do you S curv when trolling or straight

[20:11:50] ZachB(MN): or even slip downstream with the crank still moving

[20:12:01] ZachB(MN): i try to mix it up keith

[20:12:12] KeithK(MI): I got-ya

[20:12:44] ZachB(MN): i also think fire line works really well in a river

[20:12:46] KeithK(MI): what depth of water are you looking for

[20:13:08] Mud Duck: what # fireline?

[20:13:18] ebijack (mi): do you use 3 ways to get the baits down zach or run deep

divers

[20:13:23] Mud Duck: for trolling

[20:13:30] ZachB(MN): mainly from 5 to 15 feet keith

[20:13:44] ZachB(MN): 6/14

[20:14:05] Mud Duck: thats what i genereally use also

[20:14:14] ZachB(MN): i do both , i mainly troll divers on a flat line no weight

[20:14:22] KeithK(MI): Zach, whats you favorite river to fish

[20:14:31] ZachB(MN): the mississippi of course!

[20:14:34] ZachB(MN): :-)

[20:15:04] ZachB(MN): i like the st louis and illinois alot also

[20:15:19] KeithK(MI): how do you fish a snaggy area with blow downs

[20:16:06] ZachB(MN): if im trolling i will use triple grips on my cranks and fire line and

move real slow

[20:16:37] ZachB(MN): i try to anticipate the snags and when i contact one slow way

down and lift the crank over

[20:16:42] ebijack (mi): zach, what style jigs do you prefer for the rivers

[20:17:06] ZachB(MN): just a regular ole round head jig ebi

[20:17:28] Mud Duck: do you always tip with something live

[20:17:43] KeithK(MI): on the mississippi, what colors do you prefer

[20:17:50] ZachB(MN): not always, it depends what the fish want

[20:17:59] ZachB(MN): if i'm throwing i rarely tip

[20:18:13] ZachB(MN): vertical i tip 80% of the time

[20:18:37] Lundman: when you throw, do you use plastics?

[20:18:56] ZachB(MN): yes i use big twister tails and shad bodies mostly

[20:19:12] Lundman: scented or not?

[20:19:22] Jim Alton: I love the berkley power shad for that role....

[20:19:39] ZachB(MN): i just started playing with scent this year, i normally haven't but

am experimanting

[20:19:48] ZachB(MN): me too jim

[20:20:20] KeithK(MI): I use anise oil a lot for sent

[20:20:35] ZachB(MN): have you had positive results keith?

[20:20:41] KeithK(MI): VERY

[20:21:01] prairiepillow: why anise oil what does it do

[20:21:11] ZachB(MN): i have heard many good things about scents lately, but the

common thread has been cold water

[20:21:25] Lundman: Zach, could you describe where the fish position themselves in

each of the three moods, Active, Nuetral, and Inactive, in a river system?

[20:21:26] KeithK(MI): I use anise all the time

[20:22:24] ZachB(MN): well that is a loaded question mark!

[20:22:36] Lundman: sorry...:-)

[20:23:00] ZachB(MN): i think whatever spot the fish are using the fish that are inactive

TEND to slide a little deepr

[20:23:09] ZachB(MN): but not always

[20:23:27] Lundman: will the inactive fish use slack water instead of current?

[20:23:37] ebijack (mi): how far off of bottom do you look for active fish zach

[20:23:46] ZachB(MN): yes lund

[20:23:57] ZachB(MN): in a river no more than a foot

[20:24:01] ZachB(MN): but i have seen

[20:24:31] ZachB(MN): a few times where the bigger fish were riding as high as 3 feet

up in the current

[20:25:00] ZachB(MN): but this has been in deep holes with very slow current and cold

water

[20:25:01] ebijack (mi): zach, do you tend to keep your jig with in 6 inches of bottom

then

[20:25:16] ZachB(MN): most of the time ebi

[20:25:34] ZachB(MN): but if the fish are aggressive i will go higher

[20:25:40] ZachB(MN): and in clearer water

[20:26:21] KeithK(MI): what indications make you troll instead of jig a river

[20:26:28] ebijack (mi): zach, how do you fish a jig say 3 foot off of the bottom

[20:27:07] ZachB(MN): mainly location keith

[20:27:35] ZachB(MN): if the spot is conducive to trolling i will always troll it as well as

jig

[20:27:55] ZachB(MN): just lift the jig up 3 ft ebi

[20:28:02] ebijack (mi): zach, what kind of speed do you tend to troll in the river

[20:28:28] Skeeter: What about weeds in a river Zach?

[20:28:29] ZachB(MN): up to about 2 mph

[20:28:34] ebijack (mi): your not thinking that your missing fish that are on the bottom

zach by keeping the jig up to 3 feet

[20:29:21] ZachB(MN): you will ebi, but in certain conditions the fewer, but bigger fish

will be higher

[20:29:37] ZachB(MN): if you can see them high, then try it

[20:29:50] Jim Alton: So you'll troll a spot and if you marked fish... go back an jig it?

[20:30:07] ZachB(MN): never contend much with weeds in the river skeet

[20:30:09] KeithK(MI): what baits do you prefer when trolling

[20:30:18] ZachB(MN): you bet jim

[20:30:58] ZachB(MN): shad raps mostly, sometimes a Bomber Model A or a deep

thunderstick

[20:31:17] KeithK(MI): and colors?

[20:31:38] Skeeter: is'nt there alot of weeds in the back bays of the Mississippi?

[20:31:53] ZachB(MN): i'll run half shad or silver and half fire tigerish until i see a

preference

[20:32:17] ZachB(MN): yes skeet but not many walleyes

[20:31:53] ZachB(MN): i'll run half shad or silver and half fire tigerish until i see a

preference

[20:32:17] ZachB(MN): yes skeet but not many walleyes

[20:32:38] Skeeter: 10/4

[20:33:15] KeithK(MI): how about BB and spinners..do you use them much?

[20:33:42] ZachB(MN): i pull spinner rigs on three ways on occasion yes

[20:34:29] ZachB(MN): i just did well doing that on sat as a matter of fact

[20:35:25] Chris G: Zach,are you familiar with the Mississippi River around Merrick state

park on the WI side or I think its Winona on the Mn. side?

[20:35:45] ZachB(MN): yes i know the area

[20:35:56] ZachB(MN): well

[20:36:00] Al: good evening fisherman..

[20:36:04] ZachB(MN): hi al

[20:36:05] KeithK(MI): how do you handle high or low water situations

[20:36:36] ZachB(MN): low water i look slightly deeper and high water i go shallow

[20:36:52] Al: anyone here from Canada??

[20:36:53] Chris G: Is it good walleye fishing there in fall to coincide say with the duck

season say late oct?

[20:37:07] ZachB(MN): very good chris

[20:37:55] Chris G: In the main river or are the back bays also productive?

[20:38:07] ZachB(MN): under normal water levels i would start by trolling the channel

edges around the tips of wingdams

[20:38:35] Chris G: Thanks sorry I type so slow

[20:39:14] ZachB(MN): that in my opinion is one of the best pools on the river chris

[20:40:00] Chris G: great, never fished it but saw a few guys last duck season

[20:40:20] ebijack (mi): zach, do you tend to find fish at the same depth through out the

river when you find the active ones

[20:41:02] ZachB(MN): in the spring i would say yes but there are always exceptions

[20:41:09] ZachB(MN): in the summer no

[20:41:46] Chris G: Zach, do you use Offshore planer boards with tattle tail flags?

[20:41:47] Busy(oh): Do you find current level or lack of it and oxygen supply critical in

mid summer

[20:42:08] ZachB(MN): no i use roach boards chris

[20:42:16] KeithK(MI): do you key on steep banks alot on that river

[20:42:56] ZachB(MN): current is the key in the summer especially

[20:43:11] ebijack (mi): zach, you look for the most current?

[20:43:21] ZachB(MN): not really keith

[20:43:46] ZachB(MN): no ebi i look for the "right" amount, not too fast, not too slow

[20:44:05] prairiepillow: how do you know when you find the right amount Zach

[20:44:11] ZachB(MN): chris, i use fireline alot and their releases are the ticket for

fireline

[20:44:19] Chris G: I see

[20:45:04] ZachB(MN): well, its difficult to describe, in the spring if i can't keep a 3/8 oz

jig down its too fast

[20:45:35] prairiepillow: thanks zach

[20:45:43] ZachB(MN): in the summer, if i cant keep a 1/2 oz lindy sinker down, its

usually too fast

[20:46:26] ZachB(MN): you learn to recognize the right amount of flow for your

particular river over time

[20:46:26] KeithK(MI): Zach, are there any other techniques you use on rivers

[20:46:49] ZachB(MN): well, on the Mississippi River we have alot of wing dams

[20:47:14] ZachB(MN): the require some different techniques

[20:47:31] KeithK(MI): such as?

[20:47:35] ZachB(MN): since 90% of the fish in the river are on them during the

summer

[20:47:56] ZachB(MN): i will usually anchor on a wing dam

[20:48:12] ZachB(MN): maybe 15 yards above the base

[20:48:16] Chris G: Zach, In prefishing a tourney sight ,are you just getting a feel for

what their hitting on or are you actually looking for fish to catch and hope they will be

there for the tourney?

[20:49:05] ZachB(MN): you have to throw a lindy rig above it and jig/sweep it with the

current up and over the face of the dam

[20:49:32] ZachB(MN): also cast cranks to them

[20:49:48] ZachB(MN): or jigs

[20:50:06] ZachB(MN): but the live bait rig is the ticket most of the time

[20:50:24] ZachB(MN): hopefully both Chris

[20:50:33] KeithK(MI): are you using crawlers or leaches most of the time

[20:50:50] ZachB(MN): crawler, leeches, and willow cats

[20:56:09] big man: zach how many days a week do you fish

[20:56:29] ZachB(MN): i try to get out at least 3

[20:56:39] ZachB(MN): usually 4

[20:56:54] Chris G: do you guide?

[20:57:06] big man: zach do you prefer rivers or lakes

[20:57:16] ZachB(MN): yes i do on weekends or during the week with 2 weeks

advance notice

[20:57:27] ZachB(MN): i really like them both

[20:57:38] ZachB(MN): i feel more at home on a river though

[20:58:06] ZachB(MN): well i had better get going

[20:58:26] Chris G: Do you fish just M.W.C.?

[20:58:39] ebijack (mi): THANKS FOR YOUR TIME ZACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[20:58:41] ZachB(MN): yes i also fished team walleye

[20:58:49] ZachB(MN): sure it was FUN

[20:59:04] big man: zach thanks and good luck in the tourneys

[20:59:06] Chris G: Thanks alot Zach!!

[20:59:06] ebijack (mi): thanks zach

[20:59:11] Lu (wi): Bye Zack, thanks

[20:59:13] Skeeter: great job Zach

[20:59:13] ^2old2^ (mi): yes thanks Zack

[20:59:27] Lundman: thanks Zach

[20:59:30] ZachB(MN): thanks alot

[20:59:36] Busy(oh): Thank YouZack,

[20:59:54] MT. Troller: thanks Zach !!!!

[21:00:14] Chris G: Sure will! around oct

[21:00:19] ZachB(MN): ok

[21:00:36] ebijack (mi): good luck this season zach

[21:00:54] ZachB(MN): by guys!