Hotspotoutdoors

hey how's the fishin by the dam been lately?

maby if you stop asking the same questions time after time and good guys out here try to help you maby they would stop thinking you are playing a game.

Oh sorry, im not trying to be annoying or anything, its just that i am trying to get some info on how to be a little more successful at the dam, I havent been havin any luck there when i've been fishin, when targeting smallies or pike. sorry if i've been annoying at all.

please look at all previouse posts including mine. all have been helpfull. after all the information and daily reports you still ask the same questions over and over. its not annoying, its playing a game. we are here to help when we can. good luck.

alright ya idk i'm not tryin to play a game or anything, i'm just tryin to figure out what im doin wrong cuz im just confused why im not catchin anything, i have been doin all this stuff, anyway hopefully i'll be able to catch some nice fish at the dam soon. And good luck to u all!

always try different spots, if something isnt work its not working for a reason so change it up what works for a guy one day might not work at all the next. The river is a tough place to fish water levels change all the time and that area gets fished hard all the time. Just gotta figure out what works for you, the only thing i fish with on the river is a jig and twister tail but thats just me

oh ya i used that today and actually caught a few smallies! anyway, what color of twister tail do u prefer? and do u use the grub kind, or worm? jw cuz i have both? ya i tried the big side, and the small side, no luck on the small side, which side do u prefer?

Hey anyone fish the cr dam lately? i was thinkin about goin out there tonight, and was wondering if the fishing is picking up.

I've given CRD 4 tries this year.. each one just as bad as the last. I still haven't landed a fish there this year.

I don't know what's wrong, but randomness is supposed to be streaky I guess so it may just be bad luck.

Last year I was all over the suckers/redhorse/carp, but not so much this year.

I've been down there a half dozen times this summer and its been roughly the same story ever time, lots of random fish. I've caught lots of sheephead, some carp, suckers, smallies, catfish. Unlike last spring I never really found the crappies this year or the walleys. I havent been down there lately because I've been busy with other things but usually you can pick up a few walleyes in the fall and theres a some dandy's around. I can imagine that the water is starting to come down now but some of the spots I like to wade out to have not been accesible this summer because the water was so high.

oh alright, do you guys fish w/ worms on the bottom? and where do u usually fish? i usually fish for carp from the boat launch.

Went out tonight below the small dam. No water coming over so it was real still. Hooked up with something big on a shiner under my lighted bobber. Got it up to shore after a 10 minute fight, thought the fight was over, and it made another run and broke me off at the bobber.

I normally rig up for a slip bobber, but I rigged it with the spring since I was only running 2ft deep. I got to watch a real big pike or nice Musky (judging by the hell it kicked up near the shore) swim away with my bobber, then it popped off. Stupid $7 bobber sitting there floating 15 ft away and no way to get it.

sounds like fun.. sucks u lost the fish tho, where were u fishin in only 2 feet of water below the small dam? it seems like everything is deeper around that area? do you have a lot of success using minnows around there, i've never tried that, in the summer, i fished there a ton, casted my tackle box at the pike there, but no takers, maybe its cuz the water was too warm???

drove down to the coon rapids dam today and took a look ant lake cenaiko also. the boat landing area is still locked up with ice but the river is flowing heavily above the dam and the water is rushing out below the main dam as well. the coon rapids side of the dam is still froze up along with the backwaters up to the main river area. lake cenaiko has some water on it along the shoreline and i saw one person fishing on the ice for trout. as soon as the ice leaves the coon rapids side of the dam area and the backwaters there should be some action for crappies near the dam and catfish and carp by the dam and in the backwaters. good luck.

Thanks for the info reinhard1.

I've never fished there, but checked it out and chatted w/ some guys fishing the area. Don't know if I'll ever try it, but it's in the back of my mind.

I was going to go look at it today, but thanks for the report.

once that area [i call it the slow side of the dam] coon rapids side, thaws out the crappies should be stacked good near the dam wall. i've never kept any but some are up to 10in. there. has anyone kept any and if you did how were they. i always see people catching and keeping small channel cats there also. anywhere from 12 to 16 inches. i have cought bigger ones down further in the backwaters. fun place to fish early in the year. just not brave enough to eat any. good luck.

I used to eat fish out of there all the time, but haven't for years. I just fish for fun pretty much now.

that's what i do, fish for fun there. i usualy go there with my grandkids so they can tangle with the carp and channel cats. the fish are probably good to eat there but just dont have the zimmerman in me yet for that. good luck.

stopped by the dam today. at the boat landing, it's almost all open. there were a couple of guys fishing there. on the coon rapids side [the slow side] it's breaking up pretty good. i did not see anyone fishing there on the walkway although there was an area about 20 foot were you can fish. by the end of the backwater there is a lot of room to fish off shore. good luck.

Thanks for the update, sounds like it's gettin to be about that time...

i think that update i made was april 8th . but the "quiet side" should be ready to go now. still a lot of high water below the dam but the backwater area is fishable plus the bay in the boat landing. good luck.

do you get a lot of cats in the "quiet side"? I ran over there once last year walleye fishing with a buddy but didn't try for cats

Ha! Good Point... Just got back from 'bama, think my mind was still down there drinkin sweet tea and rollin in bbq sauce.

Sometimes you do, many 12-14" kitties.