| ND Live Reports |
Good Grief, there goes the jig plan Huge, I mean really huge, 10 plus spring walleyes with the bonus of exceptional numbers of eaters. The bite has been centered in the Bismarck area for some time now so I had a feeling it was a little too early to hit the Washburn area. My fishing buddy Big-G passed on info about an easy limit in the Sanger area so that’s all it took. Off to Washburn. Sand bars as far as you can see with multiple river channels cutting their way through new locations. This is nothing like the last time I was here. The Missouri River is way down but low water is not affecting the spring run of walleyes from SD up through Bismarck and then on north. We put in at the ramp just below the bridge with the strategy of drifting jigs and minnows. Motoring across to the edge of a sand bar we idled upstream to the top end of the riffles and started our first drift. After rechecking the breaker switch I’m left baffled as to why I have no power, particularly since I upgraded with 3 new batteries yesterday. Good Grief, there goes the jig plan. On a calm day I could pull off a drift without the electric but with 15-20 pushing us downstream it ain’t gonna happen. After a frustrating drift I pull out the cranking poles and put on RS-4’s in Firetiger for a pull upstream in 8 feet. Surprise, our first fish. One fish was the limit for the first location so I make a move upstream. I finally find 7 feet of water and with a bit of shallow water apprehension get the boat up on plane only to find I have no steering. Spin the wheel all you want but no response. I had the leaky seals fixed in the hydraulic steering this week. My guess is there is still some air in the line. Good Grief, there goes plan two! A good fisherman takes this in stride and with a positive attitude goes out and makes it a great day. I’m not even close to the “good fisherman” category. I’m still thinking jigs but the walleyes haven’t figured out how to adapt to my weakness and get themselves caught on a poor presentation so back to cranks at the next likely spot. Look for sand bars that break the main current and have just a little water over the top. A nice drop into deeper water is a bonus. I decide on 8 feet and put in two #5 Shad Raps and two RS-4’s. Our second fish is the best sauger I’ve seen since fishing the Illinois River, maybe we are on to something. A color change to blue/silver gets a grin from Levi who reminded me that blue/silver worked the last time we used it. With the walleyes helping out by telling us what they like we settle in at 5 to 7 feet with the best lures being #5 and #7 Shad Raps in Firetiger pulled upstream at 1mph. Levi is all smiles, results of plan 3 and the best lure of the day, a #7 Shad Rap in Firetiger. We caught most of the fish along a sand bar that is marked by the stumps up on the opposite bank. If “go north till you see the stumps on the west bank” sounds a little obscure punch in the numbers on the screen, you will see the stumps on your left when you get here. For a bird’s eye view of the GPS location with Google Earth click below. Normally I’m just a few days late when it comes to the hot bite. Today may be just a few days early for Washburn but still good fish, with no crowds. Google Earth
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