Spring walleyes on the Wisconsin River at Sauk Prairie

The spring walleye fishing on the Wisconsin River from the Prairie du Sac Dam and downriver toward the Mississippi River has been slow, but it should pick up as the water warms. The frigid winter that Wisconsin had has open water fishing below the dams on the Wisconsin River at least two weeks behind schedule. I’ve been guiding on the Wisconsin River for over 25 years and keep a journal on spring fishing, including when I start fishing, water temperature, weather, and fish caught. In my 25 years of living on the Wisconsin River, it has only frozen over three times. The first time was in 1996 and then it froze over twice this past winter.

 Usually, the largest walleyes and saugers have been caught the last few days of February and the first week of March. This year is weeks behind what would be happening in a “normal” year. The Wisconsin River at Sauk Prairie has been clear of ice since the beginning of March. Cold temperatures lingered, however.  As I write this the first week in April, area lakes, including Lake Wisconsin, are still covered with ice.

 The northern third of Wisconsin had lots of snow along with below zero weather, and there hasn’t been any water yet in this area. Reports are that we are in for a period of high water and flooding once things begin to melt in the north. For now, there are only two gates open with a little water coming. Check on the water level if planning to fish this area. Call Alliant Energy at 800.242.1077 to get information on water flow at Prairie du Sac every morning at 6:00 AM. The best location to launch your boat is at the V.F.W. park, a short ride from the Prairie Dam, just north of town. There is a nice landing and you can camp at a very reasonable price.

 Remember that every walleye is not at the dam. There are 85 miles of Wisconsin River water from the dam to the confluence with the Mississippi River. There are many miles of river that have good holding and staging locations for spawning female walleye. The spawn will occur when the water is between 42 and 45 degrees F. Female walleyes like to spawn in an area with marble-sized rock and gravel with a little water flowing over to oxygenate the eggs. Don’t always join the “flotilla” near the dam. Try fishing downriver a mile or two and look for eddies, bridge abutments, rocks, trees, river bends, depressions in the river’s bottom, and riprap shorelines. The walleyes are looking for something to break the river’s current so they can dash out to grab some forage and go back to their resting location. Walleyes and saugers are searching for the warmest water they can find and won’t chase bait very far. Their metabolism will pick up as the water warms up and the daylight hours increase.

  You don’t have to be on the water at sunrise. Wait until the sun is shining and the water warms up for the day. Wading at sunset and after dark can also be good fishing because walleyes will move very shallow to eat. Try casting longer stick baits like a floating Rapala and retrieve it slowly and use a stop-and-go retrieve with a twitch. Jigs and plastics also work well this time of year.

  I suggest slipping the current and keeping a jig/minnow or jig/plastic tail as vertical as possible as you slowly move down the river. Hair jigs work well with the hair pulsating in the current. A plain hook, a bead, and a split shot do the trick some days, dressed with a minnow. Try to have some different sized minnows because fish want diverse things on any given day. I suggest a medium or medium-light rod about 6 to 6 1/2 feet long with a decent spinning reel spooled with 8-pound monofilament in the green color to blend in with the stained water. Be sure to have various sizes of jigs and plastics in black, blue, white, chartreuse, pink and orange. In Wisconsin you can use three rods, so have different presentations on each one, and if something isn’t working, try something else. Three-ways also work well in rivers.

  The walleyes will be active for weeks now with the females spawning and the males hanging in the dam area longer after spawning. Be safe if wading and use a very slow presentation in all your spring fishing. These techniques and tactics work in most rivers in the Midwest.

 Contact Gary Engberg at 608.795.4208, or gengberg@garyengbergoutdoors.com or visit www.garyengbergoutdoors.com.