Mississippi River set to host another Great Lakes Division shootout
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Great Lakes Division is entering the home stretch, and the fourth event of the year will be on the Mississippi River out of Prairie du Chien on August 17. After a flooded start to the year, the big river is back to normal and should provide excellent fishing.
Tournament details
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Great Lakes Division
Mississippi River-Prairie du Chien
Prairie du Chein, WI
August 17
About the fishery
The Mississippi River is massive, spanning 2,340 miles, but this event focuses on the Upper Mississippi near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. This region of the river is a popular bass fishery that hosts multiple events each year. It’s characterized by current and ample vegetation that makes for perfect bass habitat.
Among the competitors fishing is Mike Brueggen, a bona fide river rat who has eight Major League Fishing wins on the Mississippi. He’s also scored six Great Lakes Division Angler of the Year titles and has seen many highs and lows on the fishery. Right now, it’s about as good as he’s seen it.
“The weights have been up all year long on the whole river, everywhere from Pool 4 to Pool 13,” he said. “The tournament weights have been improving every year, and it seems like they get better every week. They have been trending up, and they have to be at the peak right now.”
Brueggen can’t point to a single reason why it’s gotten so good but believes several factors must be at play.
“It has to be multifaceted, and part of it was probably because of the mild winter and warm spring. The fish were eating all winter,” he said. “There was hardly any ice fishing this past winter, and guys were out in their boats catching fish in February. It might have something to do with a longer growing season, but it has been improving every year.”
What to expect
This spring was exceptionally wet in the region, causing flooding throughout the system. Brueggen says everything is back to normal, and the water levels should be where they typically are. He also notes that a warmer spring pushed fish into their summer patterns faster, and they’ve remained there.
“The water is still up a little bit but dropping and should be right where it normally is for this event,” he said, adding that there will be plenty of ways to catch bass. “It’s going to be typical shallow fishing in weeds, but the whole thing is covered with them, so they can be everywhere. When the water drops, it pulls many fish out into the abyss.”
The entire river, especially La Crosse to the north, receives plenty of pressure during summer. Even so, Brueggen says it keeps kicking out bass.
“We’ve had a lot of big tournaments, but the river seems to be handling it,” he said. “Every year, it seems like more and more come, but the weights have not slowed. They keep going up and up. There was a recent weeknight tournament with a three-fish limit, and it took over 15 pounds to win.”
As for this event, he’s predicting a total of nearly 20 pounds to win it and says it could be largemouth, smallmouth, or a mix of the two.
“Every tournament has been taking over 19 pounds to win, and for this one, a one-day event for a single angler, I’m guessing 19 and a half pounds wins,” he said. “Both species can win, but largemouth or a mixed bag is more likely. I’m guessing that somewhere close to 15 pounds should get you paid.”