Wing Dams

[Master Baiter]

Anyone got any tips for fishing wing dams? Specifically walleye? I catch fish around them some times, but never walleye yet. Above or below? Do they all hold fish? At the channel end or near shore, what depth? Favorite bait or lure? Any advice would be appreciated :)

[Bret]

Not all wing dams are equal. You will find some to be silted over and not holding as many fish as a rocky wing dam. I like wing dams on the outside bends of the river. I like it even better if the area feeds into a side channel or slough. There seems to be good current flow over these wing dams. There will be fish above and below the wing dam. The rule of thumb is, the above fish are feeding and the below fish are resting out of the current, not that fish cannot be caught below the wing dam at times.
I like to anchor above and in the middle of a wing dam and pitch the whole thing. I will let out enough rope so the boat will swing back and forth above the wing dam. At times fish will be tight to the shore and at times they will be on the tips. I like to pitch ring worms on a light jig so I'm not sinking into the rocks every cast. The current flow will determine how heavy of a jig you will need. You do not have to be tight to bottom for wing dam Walleyes! Casting cranks to the top of the wing dam and retrieving above the wing dam is good also. This time of year if you want to fish with live bait, willow cats are hard to beat.
Hope this made some since and helps!

Bret

[lookin4fish]

bret, that is great infor for anyone new to the river. i myself struggle still with the wind dams and this info will help. my next question, how can a person on a budget afford willowcats??:eek:

[adloos]

My brother actually caught a bunch of nice fish with nightcrawlers the other evening. Sometimes I have even done better with Nightcrawlers than willowcats, but willowcats are awesome though!

[Bret]

Leeches are also a good live bait to have on hand and less expensive than willow cats. When using live bait it does not hurt to have a mix of good healthy bait with you!

[Master Baiter]

Thanks for the help. I'll give your suggestions a try next time I'm out on the river.

[Bret]

Right now the wingdam bite is on fire and there is something for everyone. The big gills are waiting for something to come floating to the face, the small mouth are busting surface early morning on the tops, the walleyes are making there ambush at the tips and there are saugers to be found in the scour hole behind the wingdams.
This is a good time to search for good wingdams. Don't spend to much time at one if you are not getting hit. Move on, you will find a wingdam holding fish. Again, look for some current flow over the top. These are the wingdams that are producing the best right now!

[MossBoss]

Bret, do you usually find the gills on the upstream side of the dams? Or right on the top?

[Bret]

Early morning you may find some pigs on the top but as the day goes on they will move into the trench at the face (up side) of the wing dam.
A 1/32oz jig will keep you from hanging up in the rock as much as a heavier rig. The jig also keeps a guy from hooking gills as deep as a small plain hook.
A slip bobber will also work for keeping you out of the rocks when the gills are on top. Just let it float over the wing dam, crank it in and repeat until you find where the bite is!