Ahhhh..... Felt good to feel that tap.. tap....YANK! again. It's been all too long, and even though none of these fish are monsters of any kind, this was FUN!

Sorry if this post seems like more of a journal entry, but I would like to start recording all my trips this way so I can look back at the in years to come.














Gulp 3" minnow on a 1/16 oz. head swam in and out of the current seams accounted for all 12 or so of the fish I caught between 6:30am and 8:30am. Air Temp: 51 to 55 F, Water temps varied from about 60 to 55 +/- 5 degrees. (cheap aquarium thermometer) Montgomery USGS reporting approx. 1400 cfs.

What didn't work: 3" and larger twistertails, any jighead larger than 1/16 oz, case helgramite, topwaters, large cup of coffee before heading out without emptying the bladder first, walking down the wrong set of tracks only to find yourself on the wrong side of the crap-plant, walking with your rod tip down near the fence that grabbed the last 12" of the end and snapped it off, telling the wife I was only going to be a couple hours...... forgot I had to walk against the current on my way back....


Thanks again for all your help Ken!

Nice report, looks like some quality smallies to me. Sorry to hear about you rod, hope if wasnt to expensive of a model. Was it a two piece? And where did you buy it?

It was a two piece, and I am a little upset with myself for not taking it apart while I was hiking.

Fortunately it was a clearance rack find at BPS. It's a 7' Browning Medallion light action, I think I got it with a cheap browning reel for 30 bux.

I don't think I will be able to get a replacement, but I will look tomorrow at BPS and see what they have. What really kills me is that rod was perfect for jigging tiny flukes at the lakefront for Spring jumbos. I have to find a replacement before the perch move in this Spring or my freezer will be seriously lacking in perch fillets.

Looks like you caught the bigger ones that I missed on Saturday. Yes, I was there Saturday morning on a whim.

Wound up landing 7, but I had 3 at the plant that were heavier than hell. Got away of course.

Big surprise, I wandered all the way down to the wires. In that bend back there I caught about a 2 foot northern. Was trying to figure out how to get to shallower water to get it off the hook, learned years ago not to attempt this with fish with teeth when standing crotch deep in water, and the thing got off.

I was bummed. You don't see many pike down this way.

Haven't had time to give more in depth reports. Including putting up the pics. Too damn busy with little things.

Glad you had a good outing. Told you it would be worth it.

Missed this on my first breeze through.

Special Ed wrote: walking down the wrong set of tracks only to find yourself on the wrong side of the crap-plant,

You should have followed my directions on how to get across from the east side. Saturday it was at about 1100 cfs and it didn't get to my crotch. Walking across the river would have been much easier than the hell you went through. It wouldn't have been that bad.

If you went down to the flats, next time just walk back on the shore. It will take you back to the plant fence. It's not private property. It's owned by the crap plant now. Okay, that would technically be private but they don't care. Even years ago when it was private, nobody cared if you were just wandering along the shore.

There's a closer place to park. I've only done it twice. I don't like to push my luck, but as I get older I care less. The weekends would be the best time to use it. Let's see, I'll make you work for it.

It's part of the plant. Usually, nobody cares.

More hints later.

Yeah, but it was an adventure.

Actually the first few times I fished the discharge, I fished strictly from shore and accessed the area from a closer "municipal-type" lot near a home.

I've never had a problem parking there (usually off hours and weekends like you said), but this time I was up for a good walk, and it's always nice to see new parts of the river.

That area just before the lines and around the bend has some deep water. I walked a little too far outside of a log-jam and found myself chest deep and back-peddling for higher-ground! I'm sure I could have worked that area better and found more fish in that deep slow water. .... but I was running short on time at that point, and had already walked right through the good water.

Other then the broken rod, the real casualty was the two hours I spent scraping those little seeds off my waders. Little green ones, big green ones, the long hairy brown ones, and the devilishly spiky hard little brown ones. I was covered head-to-toe. Never doing that again!

Walleye season is fast approaching, and so far my exploration has not yielded any promising areas. I believe I will need to find some deeper pools with some gravel/rock flats nearby. Perhaps Darth's neck of the woods.

One thing I forgot to add, I saw the swallows low to the water swarming something also. Come to think of it, I was greeted this morning on my way out of the house by the owl that lives in the woods behind me with his signature "hoo-hoo-ha-ha-hoot." Then I saw the swallows all over the river, and on my way out a hawk buzzed me overhead near the pipes. He was on his way to the island, and I kind of got the feeling he swooped in low to check me out. Also stood and watched no less than 6 does in column of file formation make their way through the fence-line and down onto the tracks, only to be followed moments later by a young buck...... wonder what he had on his mind.

Beautiful area Ken, if it weren't for the plant it would almost feel like Rhinelander or Stevens Point.

Hey Ed,

I have kayaked and Canoed a few places on over by me that can have some larger holes. I waded one area (like you I found the hole the hard way) in one I was almost up to my neck and was only 3 feet from an island shoreline.

The hard part for me right now is finding deeper holes when I have little to no experience on the rivers. But I need and want to learn em.

twade