Red Wing shuffle
Flip-flopping expected on day two as river continues its transition
RED WING, Minn. – By all accounts the fishing on day one of the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour qualifier on the Mississippi River was superb. Not only was a 40-pound limit registered, but it took over 20 pounds just to crack the top 10. While the opening-day leaders have the spotlight for now, that might not necessarily continue.
As good a walleye fishery as Red Wing is, it is also perhaps the most frustrating body of water. In practice, quality fish will be located in one area for several days. Come tournament time, they disappear, leaving an angler scratching his head. On the other end of the spectrum, places that held no fish in practice are now producing. This is all part of the Red Wing shuffle according to Yamaha pro Ross Grothe.
“The walleyes are coming off the spawn; every day out here is a different day,” he said. “We’ve been having a north wind, and that increases the current flow, which means the fish haven’t really stopped in their traditional areas.”
Grothe said success on Pools 3, 4 and 5 is a matter of knowing where the fish traditionally migrate and being there when they want to eat.
“You have to have the confidence that they’re going to go in your area. Last week Katrina (small Pool 4 honeyhole) was on fire, but yesterday I think only two fish were caught there because the water got too low. Those are some of the things you have to know to be successful.”
On day one Grothe spent too much time running and gunning. He still managed a limit that weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces. Today he plans to hunker down more and keep his baits in the water.
“I’m shooting for 25 pounds today – the sky is the limit. If you get in the right school of fish, where you can turn and burn on them, it can happen in a hurry.”
Logistics
Bay Point Marina, located at 1429 Levee Road in Red Wing, will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Bay Point Marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 295 Tyler Road S. beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
On the Web
For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 5:52 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 53 degrees
Expected high temperature: 75 degrees
Water temperature: 60-64 degrees
Wind: W at 15 mph
Maximum humidity: 44 percent
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy