need some river help

[dave]

ok all i know i dont post often but that because the only time i have somthing to say is when i need help. which seams to be a constanly.
i fish a small dam here in misouri at stockton lake. the past month they have started generatinf water and the walleyes had seamed to vanish. the current during discharge is strong enough 8oz weight wont stay down. i have been fishing after the dischage stops in to the early morning hours but havent been getting anything from here except for flathead catfish.
last night i was down their fishing about a hour before dark. they were running the water wide open. after a half hour or so of not being able to find a place in the slack water areas that held fish i had decided to try somthing new. i used my big cat fish rod, 4oz. weight and a yellow 3 inch grub on a 1/2oz jig head. i then cast it into the boils from the turbins and slowsly retrived it as the current pushed it back to me. this first cast got me my first walleye of keeper size(23") in over a month. but that was it i casted to the same place and many other areas around that place and nothing.changed colors and rigging as the water started to drop and nothing.
now i am under the impression that walley are schooling fish and where you find one you should find more. i am also under the impression that they do not like this heavy current. was this fish a fluke? if so where have all the walleye gone? thanks dave

[RANGER]

I'll try to help you with one method we use, here in Western Pa., when fishing the northern reaches of the Allgheny River, including the tailraces of Kinzua Dam. It is called "Hot Shoting" and this is how you do it:

Standing (or in a stationary boat) UPSTREAM let out about 20 ft of line with a crankbait tied on. (Depending on depth, select one that will run in the lower 1/3 of the water column. i.e. if the river is 10 ft run a 6 to 8 foot diving bait. If it consistently smacks the bottom, run a shallower one). Hold the pole high and s_l_o_w_l_y let the bait work side to side a number of times with fluctuations, or smooth sweeps, 2 to 3 ft up and down stream. With a seven foot pole you should cover approx. 10 to 12 ft of river width (at least). No strikes? Let OUT another 6 to 8 feet and repeat. Continue to do this until you hit fish or are more than 75 ft downstream. Once done, move LATTERALLY and start over. Once you cover this area, move DOWN river past the 75 ft limit and do it again.

If the river is too shallow for cranks you can substitute spoons such as Krocodiles, Stingers, Dardevils, Pimples etc. Too often we overlook spoons for Walleye and I happen to think that they are quite effective. Especially the lighter, tighter ones.

This can be VERY effective! Smallies love it too! The trick is to work it as though you would invision a tired baitfish struggling UPSTREAM against the current and NOT making much headway! Then, hang on to your hat! A hint: My reel lets out 18" on the backreel, I keep track of the number of feet I have out this way.

Have at it!


RANGER


"KEEP YOUR LINES WET, YOUR POWDER DRY and THE BEER COLD"!

[dan(or)]

Current makes the world go round.... I think your assumptions are correct, with one exception.

Correct:
1. The fish will move out of high current areas into the breaks or on the edge of slack water areas. They tend to go closer to shore to look for a current break, possibly downstream.

2. The more current the more weight, out on the Columbia River 8 oz is not unusual for a year with a decent snow melt (not this one = drought)

3. Slow is the key; the fish won't move far to grab the bait.

4. You must be on the bottom.

One exception

That walleyes are a schooling fish. Walleyes in a river don't school, but rather inhabit niches or breaks in the current. Finding one doesn't mean much unless you start seeing a pattern of areas they are occupying.


Other info

River fish are making a decision, either I eat it now or it floats past the fish...

The other possibility is that the fish go on a feeding binge when the current increases, (bigger fish would have the advantage in a changing or faster current situation). So you might try being there as the turbines come on, just my .02 worth.

dan
Out in Oregon land out ready to head up on the Columbia for 2 weeks of walleyes fishin! Oh YEAH!

[Starfish]

Dan, are you having good luck lately at McNary (or elsewhere)? Are three-ways producing for you this year with the low water? I've heard of some success there on blade baits but haven't had the chance to go.

I've been thinking of trying a combo salmon and walleye trip to Wanapum now that they opened for summer chinook there.

[Chairman]

Are you able to fish from a boat or only from shore? If you have a boat there is a technique called handlining. It is a wire line and 1.25# weight. Off that we use long leads 15 and 30'. It is a perfect way to work those fast water walleye.

[dan(or)]

Starfish,

I haven't been up this summer except for three days, July 2,3,4.. not many fish. About half on three ways and half on spinners. 32" and 30" were released, after that it was dinks and not many.

I am headed up for two weeks starting tomorrow :-) Plan to fish below John Day and McNary before return to the daily grind.

dan
Out in Oregon land where there isn't much water flowing and less people fishing for Walleyes.

[dave]

this dam is off limits to boats and to make matter worse the fishing area stands about 40ft above the water. at one time i wouldnt fish it because of this but when seeing other catch many good walleys had to start. then shortly after they started running water more often and it seamed to mess my pattern up. now i am trying to get a pattern on these fish.
went back last night and was useing a jig and crawler.this produced one 17in walleye and a bunch of small flathead catfish.but i did watch a couple out of nice walleyes feeding on some of the dieing crappie that was floating on the waters surface.tonight i think i am going to take some top water lures with me and see what happens.

[RANGER]

Man! That sounds like a doozie to fish! I think the top waters are a good idea but I would also consider the floaters like the original Rapalas'.

Look for the eddys and slips in the water and float your bait into a position that will bring it on through the "best" area, whatever that proves to be: inside, outside, down the middle......

Where the "boils" are are where the boulders are and I suspect feeding Walleyes (and Smallies) lying in behind the boulder, within the hydralic, waiting to smack a baitfish swimming by. Our method mentioned above is designed to exploit this behavior if you can deploy it in any way, say, from a shoulder or juting land mass above the water that will swing the bait into position?? I don't know without seeing the area you're trying to fish. But it's a thought.

Depending on the depth of water and the speed of the current, in the river, those boils set a piece behind the object and you'll have to discover where it is by trial and error, and loss of terminal tackle, unfortunately. As an example: Current = 3 mph, depth = 5 ft, boulder = 2 ft in height, boil = approx 10 ft behind it. That's close without doing calculations.


RANGER


"KEEP YOUR LINES WET, YOUR POWDER DRY and THE BEER COLD"!

[Gord]

Try an original rapala or a spinner rig with bait. Tie them behind a three way rig. Use a heavey weight to sink it and let the currant provide the action.

[dave]

ben thinking about useing a spinner rig but was affraid that the current would tangle it. but i guess i have nothing to loose but a rig and have everything to gain thanks dave