Smitty's St. Croix River Fishing Reports

REPORTS:

7-30-2022 Report
I am taking August and most of September off guiding this Summer. I'll start back up sometime at the end of September. Going to do a little Bass Fishing and catching up around home. Have a great rest of the summer folks, see you in the fall.

Remember: You can always call excellent guide, Charles "The Turk" Gierke, for all your fish catching needs, 651-208-2811.
--Capt. Ron

7-7-2022
June was an amazing month for fishing on the St. Croix River. Most fish were caught on Crawlers and Smitty's Custom Crawler Harnesses with very few exceptions.

Heading to Canada for a little while, 1st time since the China Virus hit us a few years back. Entering Canada has gotten more complicated, but they've attempted to ease the strain with an app called Arrivecan.com which seems to work well so far. No live bait allowed into Canada kinda' sucks but just another work around. Who needs live bait anyhow?

Rumor has it the MN, WI state DNR are considering changing rules for the St. Croix River. 1) The St. Croix would have the same season as the Mississippi Border water, open all year round. I'd vote a big fat "NO" to that. I believe the St. Croix serves as a protected spawning water for the entire Mississippi/St. Croix water system by leaving it closed until the May opener. Why mess with that? 2) Reducing the limit on Walleye/Sauger to 4 instead of 6. I vote "YES" to that since I've wanted tighter limits since day 1. Doing things that help sustain a great fishery with ever increasing crowding is a good thing. Let's pray they don't blow it this time.

All for now. Have a great summer!!
-- Capt. Ron


5-3-2022

Hi Folks,
Been a long winter but I think it's finally giving in to warmer weather. Walleye opener this Saturday, May 7th. Hip Hip Hoo Ray!! Note picture of the Hudson Lake Front Boat Ramp taken today, May 3rd. The boys are hard at it. The plan is to add much more "organized" parking, widen the ramp by 2X and add more docks. The biggest benefit is raising the whole parking area and ramp level by 2'4". This will make shutting down the ramp for high water move to 683.4' rather that the old 681'. That is great!! Needless to say, we will be launching from other locations until this work is completed by an estimate of July, 2022 sometime.

Have a happy spring. See you all soon!
-- Capt. Ron


1-27-2022 Report
Hi Folks,
Been a long, cold January so far. Starting on the Wisconsin Fishing Opener, May 1, 2022 all guide trips will be Monday-Wednesday, starting at Sunrise, 6 hours Max. My plan is to guide primarily May, June, Sept. and October in 2022 with maybe a few emergency squeeze ins. If these days or times don't work for you, I encourage you to get a hold of Turk Gierke at 651-208-2811 and hopefully he can fulfill your needs. As you know gas prices are sky-rocketing for known reasons but my rates will remain locked for the 2022 season. Take care and have a happy remainder of the winter.

See you in the spring.
Capt. Ron

7-12-2021
Hi Folks, The May, June 2021 walleye bite has been nothing short of extraordinary with only one so-so trip that I can recall. Best spring to summer fishing I can remember in my 9 years guiding the Croix.

I won't be guiding much in July and August (plan to do some Salmon/Walleye fishing on Michigan) but will pick up the pace again in September for the fall bite. This is the 1st year that I can remember that the Hudson Ramp hasn't been shut down (during fishing season) for high water at least once. There was talk of modifying the ramp, raising it so it wasn't always the first to shut down for a rising river but so far, just talk.

Current river conditions are normal for this time of year at Pool Level (675.44'). Wate temp 74.8d and the flow at 3090 cfps. The water seems clearer than normal with the same Tamarac red stain but more visibility, probably due to lack of rain and run-off. The crawler bite came on early this year with the early warm up and I haven't changed tactics since then. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" The only changes have been depth and locations. I did modify my presentation some with a revised harness that just keeps producing like crazy and is easy for the novice fishermen (or fisherwoman) to hook up with. I expect the usual switch to cranks sometime this summer and into the fall to locate scattered fish more efficiently.

Boat traffic has been heavy on nice days and is picking up considerably, especially on weekends, so plan your trips during the week if possible. Parking has become a bit more complicated around the Hudson Ramp but thanks to: Katie Soukup, City of Hudson, WI- Parking Enforcement Coordinator, that issue has been resolved. Thanks Katie!! Parking info. and much more is provided as part of the Smitty's Guide Service trip booking process.

All for now! Have a great summer!! See you on the water.
-- Capt. Ron

4-23-2021
Good Morning Everybody!! Hope everyone is having a nice spring (Chinese Covid Free) and getting ready for the May 1 Wisconsin Fishing opener. Right now, on the Croix (Stillwater area), water temps are hovering around 50 degrees but should be moving higher next week as the weather warms up. 60 degree water temp. is what I'm anxious for. That's when the walleye post spawn period is finishing up and the crawler bite takes off with a vengeance. The Hudson Ramp is open and the dock is in. Water level predicted to keep dropping all the way through the opener. This is where I get this kind of information if you want to keep tabs yourself.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mn/nwis/uv?site_no=05341550

May is pretty well booked up now with maybe a couple 4 hr. or 6 hr. trips that could be worked in. There's quite a few openings starting the second week of June and onward which is still a good spring bite so give me a call or send an email so I can get you slotted in there. Humminbirds should be arriving soon, many spotted in Southeast Wisconsin already!
Regards,
--Capt. Ron

9-2-2020
Catching legal sized walleyes has been an extra challenge all this year. My opinion: Need to lower bag limit to something reasonable like 3 per person like most other fisheries in the country. Previous years discussions with DNR have been a dead end with MN and WI DNR needing to talk and agree.

Catfish, Smallmouth and some panfish still available. Hopefully good Eyes will show up in October?

All for now.
-- Capt. Ron

7-21-2020
River has maintained a steady level around normal pool level of 675'-676' for the last couple weeks with a little blurp here and there. Water temps. skyrocketed into the 80's a little early this year, walleyes are spread out into their summer haunts.

Worms and Cranks have been working well, with leeches tapering off. 15-25' has been best for me, even deeper with bright skies. Bite has been up and down definitely showing peaks and valleys during the day. The system is loaded with bait so one must be patient. Last trip out, no fish for the first two hours then all hell broke loose. You've got to be ready to capitalize when this occurs. Lots of over's and under's, eater walleyes are getting a little easier to find.

A good variety of species being caught.
Good fishing everybody.
-- Capt. Ron

10/28/2019
The river went to Slow-No Wake again last Thursday 10-24-2019 so all of my fishing has been focused on one area. The fish are much more concentrated now than they have been the last couple months. The most productive presentation for my boat has been pulling crankbaits, mostly Husky Jerks and Floating Rapalas on 3 ways to quickly adjust to changing depths. Best depths have been 18-27'. Colors in Shad, Blues, chartreuse and Clown have been the most productive. Sucker minnows have also produced some fish but more complex in presentation and not for everyone. There is a tremendous abundance of 13-14.5" walleyes in the system right now which should bode well for future years.

Current River Conditions: Level--684.21' and slowly falling (Stillwater Gauge) (683'= Slow/No Wake Trigger) Flow--15000 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) and slowing Temp.--43.4 degrees and falling.
-- Capt. Ron

10/1/2019
Haven't been on the water much the last couple weeks. Hudson Ramp was shut down (again) for a while due to high water, just opened back up. Water temp. is stubborn at 67 degrees, should start falling with the latest cold front moving in. Water level projections are for "No Wake" by Oct. 5th. Let's hope the prediction is wrong!! Shouldn't happen in October. It's been a real funky year with May and June being pretty good, the rest of the summer pretty sketchy. We've caught lots of fish just not much for Walleyes lately. Let's pray for a barn buster, walleye catching frenzy the second half of Oct. to the end.
-- Capt. Ron

7-29-2019
Hard to believe the summer is half over already, time sure fly's when you're having fun. I'm taking the month of August off this year from guiding to get some things done around the house, button up some loose ends, play a little golf and hopefully make it to my favorite Canadian lake for a few days (at least). Haven't been there for seven years since I started guiding. May and June were Bonkers busy and July interesting also with the fluctuating water conditions and changing bite patterns, etc. I read somewhere that someone believes that the St. Croix walleyes tend to migrate south, back down to the Mississippi during the heat of the summer. I think he might be right, not all of them but a good portion. Hopefully they'll be back by the time I start guiding again in Sept.
--Capt. Ron

Fishing Tip: Carry a hook sharpener on board so you can touch up those hooks dulled by the rocks. Much quicker than tying on a whole new rig. Have a great August!! See you in September!
-- Capt. Ron

7-3-2019
Walleyes are now in their summer haunts. Finding them is really not much of a problem, getting them to bite has been another story. There is a tremendous amount of forage in the system right now and a lot of other competition to steal your bait.

Fishing Tip: When you get the peck, peck, peck of a perch or sheephead assume they've wrecked your bait (tore your crawler in half), so check it often and keep it fresh and attractive!! Get lazy and you'll catch lots less walleyes.

Unfortunately I'll be back to alternate launch sites as the Hudson Ramp will probably close down tomorrow for another week or two. Customers have been advised to stand by for updates. Let's pray the river doesn't reach 683' again. (Slo-Wake)

My main bite is still on crawlers and probably will be for another two months (through August). As fall sets in I will be utilizing crank baits more often. Trips lately have been yielding loads of sheepheads and many other species with the occasional beautiful 15-19" walleye thrown in. For a 1/2 day trip I go through 50-70 crawlers easy with 1-2 people on board.

It's been a fun, productive May and June despite all the challenges. River Conditions: 680.66', Water Temp. 75-78 degrees, Flow at Prescott 9280 and on the increase. (It will be nice when they get the Stillwater Gauges fixed.)

-- Capt. Ron

6-17-2019
Today marks a very special day for Smitty's Guide Service. Today the water level finally hit 681' for the first time this spring. This means that the Hudson Boat Ramp should open making access to the river much easier for my customers. On 6-12-2019 it went below 683' which dropped the Slo-Wake restriction and allowed quick access to many areas of the river previously not practical to travel to. And yesterday, 6-16-2019 (Fathers Day) we did just that, runned and gunned spots to our hearts content producing a fine bag of walleyes in short order. It was refreshing and my ETEC 225 loved it!

For next years prospective customers I'd like to mention the enormous amount of 14-14.5" walleyes that are in the system right now. 2020 should be a gang buster year for even more reasons than that, but I won't get political. Those 14-14.5"ers will be fine, eater size walleye next year given the tremendous amount of forage now available to them. I've been using a myriad of approaches to taking fish lately depending on the depth, bottom structure, wind conditions, sky conditions, customer capability and size of area to cover. Crank baits, Lindy rigs, Jigging and Hook and Split shot all have their time and place. Match them up to the correct scenario and presto, all the action a guy could want. Fish have been caught on sand, rock and muck with Rock probably the best (but most snaggy). Take lots of lures. 15-20' has been best for my boat, going even deeper if there's lots of pressure in the area or it's real bright out. I've been as far north as the new bridge and as far south as the Kinny. Happy to report, there's virtually nice fish everywhere!! (right now but subject to change)

Ron's Fishing Tip: It's crawler time, don't leave home without them. (I just ordered 500 more from Windsor Wholesale Bait in Canada) Great Worms, Great Customer Service! Tell them Capt. Ron of Smitty's Guide Service sent ya'.

-- Capt. Ron

6-5-2019
Fishing has been good, Not Great like last year's May and June.

I'm happy I didn't buy an annual launch permit for the Hudson Ramp as it's been underwater all spring and is still under water, probably for a couple more weeks.
1) Fishing pressure has been light with the difficulty finding launching sites and dealing with the high water, debris, etc.
2) I'd imagine the walleye spawn was probably very successful because where they spawned is probably still under water, good for the hatch.
3) The quality of fish we've been catching has been very good with a 17-18" average.
4) The water temp. has finally hit 60 degrees (about a month later than last year) and the crawler bite is definitely on.
5) We've had some great trips with some very nice people. We've caught fish on crankbaits but mostly jigs with minnows and leeches, and rigs with crawlers over the last month or so.

The river has been under the Slo-wake restriction all spring but will end when the level hits 683'. My Etec 225 is very excited about that!! It gets terribly congested just idling around.

Current conditions: Water level- 685.2' (10.2' over normal pool level. 2.2' over the Slo-Wake Level and 4.2' over where the Hudson Ramp might open) Water Temp.- I saw up to 64 degrees yesterday, very nice. Water Flow (Prescott)- 12900 Cubic Feet/Sec. (It's been as high as 30,000)

-- Capt. Ron


6-18-2018 Fishing has slowed down since last report. The river is rising, Hudson Ramp closed today, probably Slow Wake for the entire river by late Wednesday of this week. How long it lasts depends on the amount of rain up north. The fish have definitely spread out and the rising water level and increased flow rate will probably make the next week or so pretty challenging. I will soon implement cranks into my arsenal to cover water and find fish faster. May and the 1st half of June were exceptional in the quantity and quality of Walleyes caught. We are truly blessed to have such a high-quality fishing water so close to home. All for now,

-- Capt. Ron


6-2-2018 Fishing has been good but they are now spreading out causing me to have to move around to find them. When you do find them, you might find a bunch as they will move in schools together. Crawlers, leeches, cranks in 15-28' all work now. Everything works sometimes, nothing works all the time but something, somewhere is always working! All for now.

-- Capt. Ron

5-13-2018 Fishing is good. Bite is picking up. Cranks and crawlers both working. Water has hit 60 degrees and is heading toward normal pool levels and flow, HooRay! Long lining Leeches soon.

10-21-2016
My last guide trip was 10-21-2016. I've been back out on the water a few times since to test equipment, tweak presentations, and search for new spots, structure and patterns. This winter I will be building some new "specialty rods" to help enhance already proven presentations. I'm anxious for spring, 2017 for sure! Thanks to everyone that fished with me this year, it was an absolute blast! Out till' next year,
-- Capt. Ron

10-19-2016
This fall bite has been absolutely fabulous, limits coming easily if you're in the right place at the right time. With the water temp. still in the upper 50's the fish are still smacking crank baits real well, maybe not the funnest way to fish but a great way to quickly cover water, find and catch them. The bite can be fantastic in a given spot for an hour or so and then turn off like a light switch so be ready to move when that happens and if you're lucky you'll likely find them chomping somewhere else. It's best to have a milk run in mind when you start the day. Most quality fish are being caught on Reef Runner type lures and std. stick floating Rapalas in 18-26' of water. Special note: We are catching some hog White Bass. I am often asked: Are they good eating? I don't know because I have never eaten one but one of my customers took a few home, filleted off the back straps, removed all the dark red stuff, fried it in Shore Lunch batter and reported back that they were good eatin', good texture, no muddy, fishy or gassy taste. That's all I know about eating White Bass.
679.6' 57d, light wind from north.

--Capt. Ron Signing out.

10-7-2016
Trips on the 4th and 5th of Oct. very successful and lots of fun. Walleyes and Saugers are on the chomp with the occasional Cat, Bass or Crappie coming in as well. Fishing depths are still in the 16-22' range with the water temp. stuck at about 60 degrees. Frost warning for tomorrow AM so that will start driving the water temp. down and will hopefully fire up the Fall bite even more. Keep wind direction in mind as it definitely affects the activity in some locations. I'm finding fish are pretty scattered right now across the steeper sand breaks so an agile, fast, water covering presentation seems to work best most of the time. Dress warm customers, cooler temps. soon.

--Capt.Ron Signing out,

680.86' and falling---61d, cold front moving in.

9-10-2016
The cooling of water temps. has fired up the crank bait bite. All Walleye and Sauger caught the last two 1/2 day trips (9/7 and 9/9) came on a combination of Rapalas, Bomber Long A's and Reef Runners in 16-22' of water. If I had to pick one color it would be a green firetiger. #'s were 6-10 legals in 4 hours with a pretty even split on species. The nice thing about cranks with super tacky hooks is fish are seldom lost and it sure cuts down on the mess in the boat (and on me) from live bait and reduces being bothered by perch, etc. Water Level is on the rise, Water temp. is on the drop. Boat Traffic diminishing. Cool, beautiful fall days ahead! 678.85' 71.6d

8-14-2016
Getting bites lately hasn't been a problem but catching walleyes has gotten tougher because of all the competition for your offerings. Catfish, Sheephead, Perch, Smallmouth, Rockbass, Bluegill and Whitebass have been biting very aggressively providing lots of action. We've also caught some huge Crappie with several over 14" coming to the net. They are released. We're still catching some nice walleyes but it's a one here, one there affair. Crawlers have been producing the better walleyes with jig/minnow combos catching just about everything else. Water is rising, supposed to crest at about 680.7' towards the end of next week (8-19-2016) about 2' below mandatory slow wake level (if we don't get any more big rain storms). Hopefully the Hudson Ramp doesn't close as it usually gets shut down at the 681' level. Current Conditions: 678.26' 79d

8-8-2016
There are scads of bait fish in the system with predators in hot pursuit. The pre-fish bite today was sporadic but a lot of fun. Caught many species with Son-in-Law Trevor including, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Big Crappie, Sheephead, Catfish, White Bass and last but not least some very nice Walleyes. Early in the  morning the fish were in the 14-16' range moving deeper as the day went on. Best walleye bite seemed to be towards mid-day. We caught all our fish on crawlers. 678.52 and dropping, 78d wind from South.

7-9-2016
Today's AM trip was with repeat customer and friend Brent and his Uncle Chuck. Walleyes are still easy to catch, the catch is most are too small or large to keep. Probably caught 10-12 unders today and a myriad of other species including Channel Cats, Carp, Sheep Head, Perch, Small Mouth and some I probably forgot. We saw this huge fish (Unidentified) surface right behind the boat, made a heck of a commotion chasing this 6-8" Lamprey Eel that was scurrying for his life right up beside the boat trying his best to get airborne (they can't fly), CREEPY! Fish are bunched up where the most food is, sorting through species and sizes is definitely in order. Our best luck was on crawlers (so what's new?) fishing 18-25' where the most marks are. If you don't see activity on your finder, move until you do, that's the best advice I can give.
675.75  75.5 degree water--Slight wind from SW.

6-28-2016
We are in the peak of the good summer fishing with very few "Tough" days lately. Fish are moving deeper as the water warms up and the bait descends. The Walleye and Smallmouth bite remains strong with many nice fish caught the last couple weeks. We're catching fish both North and South of Hudson with the key being to locate pods of fish and work them methodically. They bite in waves with key times obvious with doubles and triples causing chaos in the boat. We work very hard to keep the presentations fresh and in the right locations. 16-25' depth ranges is the primary zone right now but catching fish at 30' has also happened. Swing out there once in a while to check for activity. Look for thick spaghetti near the bottom, a very good sign. Until Later, Capt. Ron

6-18-2016
Fishing was very good this AM with many nice Walleyes, Saugers and others coming to the boat by noon. We're continuing to pull crawler rigs in 12-18' of water at about 1 mph. Rocks better than sand, walleye often found in little bunches relating to key elements of structures. We often find many other species in the exact same locations so some sorting has to be done. I believe we are in the most productive time of the summer right now and hope that this good bite lasts further into July than last year. Smallmouth fishing is also very good, with one spitting up a whole crawdad this PM, (so that's why they hang out around rocks and rip rap?) Clients love tangling with these spirited dudes. Their red eyes are a great testament to their nature and attitude. 677.8' 75d, slight wind from south. All for now, Capt. Ron

6-11-2016
(Saturday) Fished with Steve and Aliecia from Georgia this morning. Today was unusual as we didn't catch one under size walleye, it was a big walleye day with nothing coming in the boat under 18.5" with several over 20". Sheephead, Sauger, Perch, Rock Bass and Catfish were still biting but no small walleye. Winds were slight from the south and by the time it was time to leave, (about 10:30 AM) the bite had slowed way down and it was getting muggy and hot. All our fish were caught in the 12-18' range with crawlers in rocky areas. This weekend day was typical in that there was a lot of boat traffic and a walleye tourney going on making it difficult to get to and fish properly those key spots that sometimes hold nice fish. Steve and Aliecia were no strangers to fishing however and helped keep our presentations as efficient as possible resulting in some very nice fish. 677.19' 75d.
-- Capt. Ron signing out.

6-7-2016
AM trip with Mike and son Bryce of Madison WI. Cold Front conditions existed with stiff cold wind from the North. Water temp. steady at 67 degrees. Bite was surprisingly good but a bit tentative. I say tentative because we had quite a few drops and a few lost fish on the way in due to poor, non-committal hook-ups. Caught a bunch of U/S walleyes, Sheephead, Perch, a few Smallies and a few keeper Walleyes, a nice Sauger and some hand-size Bluegills. All in all a pretty fun morning with a lot of action. A good take-away from this morning is I'm starting to find walleyes in old familiar places, (early summer haunts) which may be signalling the start of something special. I think the best days lie ahead. All fish on Crawlers, 12-20'----677.7' 67d All for now.

5-29-2016
Fished with my Kansas City buddy Erik today and had a multi-species blast with 6 different varieties caught. We focused on Walleyes in the AM and caught probably a dozen or so and then targeted Smallmouth most of the afternoon with very fine success. The bite was very good with consistent action most of the day tuckering both of us out by the days end. Smallmouth were caught on a variety of plastics and the Walleyes on crawlers. 677.2' 71d Cloudy with wind from south in the morning shifting to Bright and Sunny, North Wind in the PM (cold front).

5-16 AND 5-17-2016
Putting walleye in the boat this week has been much more difficult than last week due to the constant bombardment of cold fronts and the transitioning of the fish from spawning mode into early summer mode. Water temps. have again dropped into the 50's with water levels steadily dropping toward normal pool levels. The forecast is for hotter weather ahead which will improve conditions. We're still catching eyes but it's a one here, one there affair taking much more time to accumulate a sizeable catch. The sheephead are becoming more and more prevalent as was anticipated. Fishing with repeat customer Marschall, Mike and Mark on Monday and Gwynne on Tuesday was a real good time. They are great people with fishing in their blood. Gywnne and I got checked for licenses by the DNR on Tuesday (Afton Area). They said the best bite has been on crawlers according to everyone they've talked to. They were very cordial and professional. 678.2'  59.25d  Cold Brisk Wind from the North both days.

5-10-2016
AM trip with locals Jerry and Dave started off hot with 5 nice box walleyes in the first 30 minutes with a total of 10 walleyes and 1 sauger by 11:00. Crawlers was the ticket today, water is still dropping and has finally hit that magical 60 degree mark.    679.25'  61d wind from the south

2015
11-4-2015: I was out on the river this AM, probably the last time this year. Stiff wind from the south, pool level up about a foot over normal (676.62), Water temp. 50.2d. Went north of Hudson for a while, pulled cranks on lead-core, nothing going on, headed south where big fat walleyes were biting on big fat night crawlers. Called it quits about noon. This was the best summer of  the three I've guided in terms of a steady water level, Numbers and Quality of fish. Had many great folks in the boat this year, lots of fun and laughs. Can't wait until next spring.
--Capt. Ron

10-8-2015 (Thursday): This was one of the beautiful Fall Days for fishing I talked about in the last report. Had 3 great local guys in the boat, Ron J., Tom and Ed that were eager to catch some fall walleyes. Fished a total of 7 spots with 4 of the spots producing 9 nice walleyes between 16 and 19"s (see top pic in 2015 photo section). Water temp. is holding at 60d+ and water level remains stable at normal pool 675.5'. Wind started light from the west in the AM at about 5 mph, increased to 10-15 in the PM from the North (got a little chilly but Ron J. says "better than 90 degrees!") Fall colors not in full swing yet but getting there fast. Call is for mid-70's this weekend (Middle of Oct?) Looks like we get an extended fishing season in 2015 with the good fishing starting in early May this year (Opener), with no end in sight right now. Started fishing both minnows and crawlers but it quickly became obvious they wanted crawlers today so that's what we gave them. All fish caught on crawlers with Lindy type rigs pulled slowly, .4-1mph. The walleyes are fat, stocky and fight well, obviously well fed on the abundant forage the St. Croix provides. Best advice right now: Stay mobile, experiment with baits, give them what they want as preferences seem to change frequently.  

--All for now: Capt. Ron

9-13-2015: Water levels are stable at around 675.5', water temp. rising and falling with the oscillating night temps. The bite is a mixed bag right now, many small walleyes, not many eaters or large walleyes showing up. Saugers are becoming more prevalent in the days catch.. Crappie, Catfish and an abundance of miscellaneous fish, Striped Bass, Moon Eye, Sheep-head, Rock Bass, Smallmouth bass, etc. providing the days entertainment. Crawlers are becoming less effective with minnows taking the majority of the nicer fish lately. There are hordes of large minnows, shad in the system right now. With the cool Fall air big boat traffic is slowing down on the weekends which is nice, Autumn leaves starting to turn color. There's some beautiful fishing days ahead. Capt. Ron

8-27-2015: Haven't reported lately as there hasn't been much change except the walleye bite has slowed considerably in our stretch of the river. An all day trip yesterday 8-26-2015 (covering lots of water) produced one Sauger, no walleye, tons of sheep head and some nice channel catfish up to 23". It was a beautiful and fun day of fishing with a great guy from New Jersey, Russ D., but those wholly bent on catching walleye would have been disappointed. The current is fast, most noticeable at Afton and the Kinni narrows.  The river level is 676.61', about a foot above normal pool and water temp. has dropped to the mid to high 60's. All for now:Capt. Ron   

7-25-2015: The walleye bite is a roller coaster right now. One of my 1/2 day morning guide trips  earlier this week was my first Keeper Walleye blank of the year. The question: Was it because of the banana in the boat? Coincidence, I think not? Seriously though, walleye catching has been an up and down thing for numbers although there's still some great quality eyes coming to the net. It's a good thing that the river offers such a variety of species to keep us entertained when the walleyes are in their stubborn, "I'm bloated on minnows" mood. Depths have been best at 20' to 30' for my boat. I  typically make several passes on my favorite structures, 20' then 25' then 30' to better cover the area. If nothing is produced but I'm seeing fish I'll go try elsewhere,  and return later to hopefully find some in a biting mood. Patience,  keeping your presentation fresh and systematically fishing good quality water is about all you can do right now to put some eyes in the boat. The River level is near normal pool 675.98', water temp. is right at 80 degrees and days are getting noticeably shorter. Capt. Ron signing out.

7-11-2015 For as much rain as we've had the river has stayed reasonably steady rising only a foot or two the last 5 days or so, currently at 677.54. Water Temp. has dropped a bit to the 75 degree level and the bite has stayed pretty good with only one or two tougher outings out of the last 5 or 6.  By tough I mean we're still catching fish but not at the ferocious pace of some of the better days. Patience, mobility and determination is often the difference between no fish in the cooler or "A Yummy Fish Fry Tonight".. For the last few years, July and August have been stellar fishing months. It will be interesting to see if there's any affect on patterns and locations from the very early spring warm up we've had. Until Later, Capt. Ron Signing out.

6-26 and 6-27-2015 Guide Trips: 6/26---Fished a full day with TR from St. Louis MO. Calm winds again made staying in the fishy zones a piece of cake and contributed to a nice limit of fish for TR. (see pics) Presentations are the same with crawlers producing lots of walleyes and other kinds of fish. Best depths for my boat is still 20/25' as that's where most of the bait fish are hanging. Caught fish off a variety of sand, muck and rock structure, trying to stay away from other boats as much as possible as too much localized pressure slows down the bite.                                                                 6/27---Fished a morning trip with Richard and Judy from Lakeland, MN with the first three hours producing not a single legal walleye. Patience paid off however with one hour left in the trip the Walleyes decided to bite and suddenly filled the cooler with nice eaters, along with several others that escaped to be caught another day. A bass tourney going on made maneuvering around some areas a little tricky but the wind being a slight breeze helped us stay on a precise track. Both days fishing with TR and then Richard and Judy was  a real good time.                                                                              677.45' rising----78 degree water with light winds sporadic thunderstorms.

6-19-2015--AM fishing trip with Ron and Butch from Hudson WI. Pretty much a repeat from the last report, fish are in that 20-25' range, some roaming, some related to specific structures. One thing changed however in that the bite was pretty evenly split between Crawlers and Leeches. The leeches were long lined behind the boat on Lindy Rigs. The river was calm this morning making tracking the fish zone much easier. Butch and Ron (Father and Son) went home with a nice bunch of walleyes between 15"-18". (see pics) Butch has fished the St.Croix for years so he filled me in on some of his old hot spots that I'll need to check out when time allows. Happy Fathers Day Butch!! Great Morning on the water with two fine gentlemen .    677.08'  74.9 degrees  Wind SE 5-10 MPH

6-16-2015--PM fishing trip with the Beck Family from Illinois. Caught a bunch of nice walleyes (ranging from 6"-27") and the usual Sheepies, Perch, Catfish a bluegill and I think that's about it. Depths running a little deeper to the 25' level with walleyes somewhat scattered but occasionally bunched in the sweet spots of the structure, a couple doubles and almost a triple right at the end of the trip. The Beck family was a blast to fish with as they sure enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and became almost ecstatic at times especially when the 23" and a 27" walleyes were put in the net. This trip was a pretty consistent bite all afternoon with regular surges of action. Sand produced some eyes, rocks better. Crawlers out shined everything else 100/1 All fish released today. See pics. 677.5'  75 degrees, Light to no wind, partly cloudy

Wednesday 6-10-2015-- The fishing started kind of slow this AM with only a few Sheepies and Catfish willing to bite but as the morning moved on the Walleyes kicked in and started biting pretty good. (See Pics) It wasn't much of a cold front but enough to make a noticeable difference. The best part of my job as a guide is getting to meet and spend time with some of the nicest people in the world (fellow fishermen and women). Don and Kathy from Rosemount are a perfect example. Even when the fishing was a little slow, they were upbeat and celebrating every sheephead and catfish that came in the boat, joking it up and teasing each other. I told Kath that we get a lot of three eyed fish up by the xcel power plant. She said "Really?" Now that's funny stuff. She also asked about catching Sturgeon. I told her we don't catch many but I do see them jump on occasion. Right on cue a 4-5' Sturgeon jumped about 20' from the boat right in line with something we were all looking at on shore. Unbelievable.  All in all a great morning. Can't wait to do it again.
678.43'  75 degree water wind from North 10 MPH

Friday 6-5-2015: Fishing is definitely better in certain locations, find those areas, keep bait in the water and you can't help but get bit. Areas that you  see massive swarms of bait and big fish is the key. Zig Zag your boat shallow, then deep to nail down which depth is most likely to produce. The best depth is obvious when you see nothing in 18', slide to 22' and the screen lights up. Take the time to do your homework and you'll get bit. Mike and Jean from New Richmond fished with me this PM. We tried crawlers and leeches with crawlers being the most productive by far. Besides seemingly hundreds of Sheephead, we put six nice walleyes and saugers in the live well for a fish fry with several overs released. The most exciting, memorable fish of the day for Jean was a Flathead catfish that she tusseled with for 5-10 minutes. It gave a great battle, had her squealing in agony and excitement. "Biggest fish I ever caught!!" she yelled. The summer bite is settling in with fish showing up in past summer's favorite areas.  I love it!    679'-- 67-68 degrees, Light wind from the SE.

5-28-2015--I had the pleasure of fishing with Carie and Heather from San Francisco this morning. I can't say the bite was on fire or that we put a barrel of walleyes in the boat but I can say the bite was fairly steady with this morning being a quality fish trip with walleyes between 18"-27.5" coming to the net along with a couple pretty nice Saugers.  (see pics)  Besides her 27.5" walleye Heather also tangled with another River Monster that was brought to the boat 3-4 times, then would pull out drag again and again finally breaking off but leaving tell tale slime on the line. (MOMBO-CATFISH!)  The weather was beautiful, this being one of the nicest spring mornings I've ever spent on the River. God, I love it!!  And thanks to Carie and Heather for fishing with me. You folks were great! 680', 66 degrees, Wind from South light to 8 MPH.

5-19-2015--Fished with Todd, Kristina and Rebecca this PM. Fishing was tough, walleye's were in a lethargic mood with few willing to attack the bait. Probable Reasons: Water had cooled off a few degrees due to a severe cold front that had moved in Monday (about a 30 degree drop in air temp.)  and the river was up a couple feet and still rising = (Very Unstable Conditions). We caught fish but had many bites that wouldn't totally commit. The only legal walleyes caught were right at the end of the day toward evening. Drum, Catfish, Smallmouth, Rock Bass and Sauger provided most of the entertainment for the afternoon. Todd and his girls were a lot of fun to fish with, very upbeat and funny. 677.5'^  57/58 degree water.

5-16-2015--Saturday Morning Guide Trip with Marschall and Cousins Mike and Mark from Minnesota. Started about 7 ended trip about 11:30 AM. Catching before the impending stormy weather was very good with lots of walleyes, drum, etc. biting very well. Hit two different spots with both producing close to 3 limits total of nice eater size (15-18") walleyes (all released). There's a tourney going out of Beanies this AM so some spots were pretty crowded but everyone in good spirits and most catching some fish. Fun day on the water with 3 very nice gentlemen. Bite on crawlers continues to be very strong, no real need for any other baits.Water temp. cooled down some from last weekend to 59.5--61 degrees. Water also up about a foot to 676.65.

5/8--5/9/2015--Two days of guiding with repeat customer and friends Erik and his son Alex from Kansas City. As you may remember from last year Erik is a Catch and Release guy most of the time so all photos for this trip are single shots and there were many. Friday started out in a community hole close to Hudson but after a few passes and catching a couple nice eyes we moved on to  greener, less crowded pastures. After a couple moves we figured out where most of the Sheep Head weren't  and settled into some real fun walleye and Smallmouth catching. Thanks to Alex's Smart Phone and his intense study of Sheep Head (Freshwater Drum) Biology we determined the differences in conditions that cause mass accumulation of Sheep Head in certain areas this time of year is very likely water temperature. You see through Alex's study it was determined that Sheep Head spawn at approx. 65 degrees so to avoid them avoid that temperature water. It worked like a charm. Alex's background? Teacher, figures doesn't it? Fishing will progressively get better and better as all the spawning activities end and the fish settle into their normal summer locations and patterns. Fishing with Erik and Alex was entertaining and fun, they are some of the most intense, focused and patient anglers I know. All fish were caught on Crawlers, Leeches and Sucker Minnows, quantities in that order.  Water temp. 60.9---64.9 F.

5-3-2015 (Day after opener) :Hi Folks, Got on the water today for some  exploration. With the water temps. near 60 degrees I was expecting a decent crawler bite and wasn't disappointed. Locked onto a solid 19 1/2" about 1/2 hour into the day (started about 10:00) and ended up with 6 total in about 4 1/2 Hours, one under, 3 nice 15-16" fryers and 2 released. (see Photo Page) The bite wasn't on fire but I predict it soon will be. Long, light snells with a full crawler and bottom bouncing 1/2 crawlers on a 4-5' lead was the ticket. Fish are scattered 8-14' deep and starting to put on the feed bag. It's going to be a great summer.

2014

Fishing Reports and Information 11-1-2014 (2014 Wrap UP) We're probably 3 weeks before freeze up below the 94 bridge. Water Temp is at 48 degrees and cooling off fast. Guiding Trips have dropped off lately with Bow Season, School taking over peoples time. For people that ice fish it's a good time to start locating key locations and get them recorded on your GPS, locate fish just before freeeeze up and they'll likely still be there after first ice. Thanks to all the folks that fished with me this year, it was a very productive, fun summer, hope to see you all next year. 
And a big Thank You to all my Sponsors, the great people at Warners Dock, Evinrude (BRP), Stratos Boats, Lowrance, Minn Kota, and St. Croix Rods. Great equipment does make you a better fisherman!! 
And sincere appreciation goes out to my Webmaster, John Ryan of WWW.ONTHEWEBNOW.COM, John did a great job of organizing, posting all the great fishing pics from 2014. Thanks John!!! Charles "Turk" Gierke of Croixsippi Guide Service, thanks for all your support this summer, You're an awesome guide and friend! Kathy (my wife), Thanks for making all the sandwiches, helping keep my boat in order and for your spiritual and confidence building support. You're the best babe!!

10-11-2014-Water temp. is now in the low- mid-50's, bait fish are stacking up in key areas. Find these areas on your finder and go through the hords of bait fish with rigged minnows or cranks, be patient and you will get bit. We can often feel our lines being bumped into be the shad. The last couple outings saugers have been caught in the 6'-15' range. I am starting to contact walleyes deeper in the 20-30' range always related to hords of shad. Good Luck out there, the fall foliage is getting pretty magnificent. 675.75'  53d  South Wind 5-10 MPH

9-22-2014-It's been a while since I reported, sorry about that. Fishing took a turn for me for the worse after a successful guide trip on Sept. 8th. I wasn't surprised as I saw the same situation last year except about 1 1/2 weeks later than this. The water temp. had dropped about 10d in a week which suddenly killed my crawler bite and shifted the preference to minnows. I was a little stubborn in my acceptance of this and it caused me a few tough outings. It's better now since I  shifted/adjusted presentations, locations, just about everything. The fish are also scattered in a much larger depth window which I'd approximate at anywhere from 6-20' depending on time of day and wind conditions. Again it's really key to spend time where you are seeing activity, the more the better. I know there is occasional exceptions to this but day in and day out a full screen will produce better than a blank one. The fish are starting to put on the feed bag. I'm looking forward to some very fun Fall fishing. Keep learning, don't ever give up.      
Capt. Ron
--676.42'  64.8d 

8-23-2014---Fishing from June until now has been very consistent for walleyes and everything else. I've seen the usual shifts of fish further South as the year has gone on but fish are still available almost everywhere if you keep your offerings in areas that show activity. Rocks have been better than sand and there's always an area or two on a piece of structure that has more fish than the others. These areas change as the forage locations change. 675.85 76.3d Overcast with light wind. Capt. Ron

7-26-2014 Sat.--Fished with Marschall from St. Paul and Mike and Mark (twins) from Chicago.The day started  slow  but transformed into a good solid bite by the end of the trip. Probably caught a dozen walleyes the largest a nice 20.25" by Mark right at the end of the trip (released) . These fine gentlemen kept 3 nice ones for a meal and went home happy to avoid most of the Big Boat waves. Presentation remains crawlers fished slow 12'-20' in both sand and rocks. Look for activity on your sounder. If you don't see activity, move . (see photos) 677.38\79.2d\Wind 2-5 out of the South.

7-8-2014--Fished with a great bunch of guys from all around the country, visiting Historic Stillwater for a business convention. Heavy Machinery in Omaha? (That's all I know). Anyway, we fished from 12-4:30 and just had a blast, caught 11 species of fish, many beautiful walleyes (see 7/8/2014 pics), nice Smallmouth, Sauger, Crappie, Blue Gill on and on. Ed the "Baitmaster"? was texting pics to the other boat in the group, taunting and teasing till' his batteries ran out. Ha!! These guys were competive, I mean competive and when Fred landed a nice 19" walleye, he announced that a walleye fishing contest was on!! That lit a fire under an already turbo-charged bunch of fine fishermen and gentlemen. Game On! all the way until the last bait was pulled from the water. (Read Captions on pics to find out who the Grand Champion was) . Water Level --683.2   73.4 degrees. Winds brisk from the NW,, 10-20 mph. (Crawlers  14-20') Good Fishing Capt. Ron 7-3-2014---Today I had the pleasure of fishing with Erik Young from Kansas City, a repeat customer that's a fishing fanatic and all around great guy. There won't be any stringer pictures associated with this trip as Erik is a Catch, Photo and Release (CPR) fisherman. He says "Nah, throw it back, maybe some kid will catch it". If I had to add a theme to this AM's trip it would have to be the word VARIETY. I think at last count, (Erik likes to keep statistics), we were at nine different species by the mornings end including 6-8 gorgeous walleyes in the 15"-20" class with many shorts included (all released).  Water Level 685.6 and falling ---73 degrees, slight wind NE. (see 7-3-2014  pics on 2014 photo page). Good Fishing!

6-15-2014-Todays trip with Jeff from PA cancelled due to nasty weather this AM. The last few outings have remained in the Slow, No Wake format. Pick an area, fish the heck out of it and hope there's some walleyes to cooperate. Rain Gage says 2.28"s since yesterday, Sat. AM. which means it's going to be a while before the slow wake is lifted. The Willow will likely get dirty and probably muddy up the Hudson Channel. My next trips are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday this week, weather permitting.

6-6-2014--Water Level 684.4 temp. 74 degrees. Winds light out of south with storms all around the area. ~~Slow wake will stay in affect until the river drops below 683'. Fished with Mike and Jean, a couple of fun loving locals this afternoon. Pulled crawlers, caught a ton of fish with some very nice walleyes mixed in.  Jean caught her first Walleye ever and many more to go with it.  A great afternoon on the water with some very nice folks. 5-21-2014-Water Level 683.7 temp. 59.5 F. Fished with Dave from Albuquerque NM and his friend Mike from Lake Elmo, PM trip. Started out dragging around cranks with only small fish being interested. Switched areas, went to live bait and all h--- broke loose. The Drum, Redhorse and Whities are on fire right now along with  Eye's mixed in . Many small 14"-15" eyes and some real nice 17-18"ers.  Dave also boated a dandy Smallie. All in all a real fun afternoon with a couple great guys that love reeling in the fish.

5-10-2014--Water Level 685, Water Temp. 54.5 F. I had the pleasure of fishing with two fine gentlemen from Minneapolis Seth and Matt. We live baited most of the day with only occasional strikes on walleyes, ended up with two real nice eater walleyes, 17 and 18". The bite is very tentative with many pickups and drops. Getting around is real slow right now with the river-wide slow wake. I recommend customers wait until the slow wake is lifted prior to booking trips so fish can be more efficiently located. Fishing will continue to get better and better as the water warms, levels drop and we move into the really good months of June-August.

2013

10/23/2013-- (about 50 degree water temp)Fished with 3 Gentlemen from Kansas, Steve, Clinton and Marcus, Jigged all morning with mixed results, Marcus hooked up with a giant Sturgeon that looked like jaws jumping right behind the boat, eventually broke off but provided a ton of excitement. We caught 4 eyes, a couple unders and a couple nice eaters, a big Northern Pike and a beautiful Smallmouth. Jigs were tipped with a variety of enhancements including crawlers (Sturgeon) Plastics (Northern) and Minnows, (walleyes and everything else). It was a pretty cold day (30's) with light winds and snow toward the end of the morning. A fun 1/2 day with some really nice fall fish in the net.(See pics at top of 2013 Photos page)

10/18/2013:Last weekend (10/12--10/13) live bait fishing was pretty unproductive but: Yesterday, Thursday (Water 60.5 degrees) proved to be a blast out there with 5 nice eyes and saugers in about 2 hrs.(all released) It was a beautiful day to be on the river. Crankbaits was the ticket. I'll be out with clients tomorrow (Sat.), hopefully the cold front doesn't slow it down. I'll report back later,

"they call it bottom bouncing, not bottom dragging" 10/9/2013--General Recap of this summer 2013: Fishing from the 1st of June to the end of August was very good, sometimes spectacular with many different species and lots of walleyes coming to the net. As the days shortened and the water started cooling down in Sept. so did the fishing,. The fish went into transition, leaving the old reliable spots and locating anywhere and everywhere making finding them the biggest challenge. Even when seeing large balls of baitfish, the walleyes might or might not be around to bite the hook. Blue Gills, Drum, Cats, White Bass, Rock Bass always seemed to be in the bait holding areas to peck at your offerings.
By far the best/most consistent bait this year for my boat was Crawlers from Matt's Lucky Live Bait Store. Cranks were hot sometimes but Crawlers was definitely my "Go to Bait" fished behind bouncers or delivered by jig or Lindy style. As the water continues to cool into Oct., I will be running minnow/sucker rigs in addition to crawler presentations to determine the days preference and pulling cranks when conditions warrant. I'm really looking forward to guiding again in 2014 as there is an abundant class of 14-14.5" walleyes that should be real nice eaters next year. In some areas we'd catch 3-4 of these for every counter that was caught. We called it "paying your dues".

Good Fishing,
Capt. Ron

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