Bass Migrations on the Upper Mississippi River
I live in MN and fish a lot of tournaments on the Mississippi River (most in La Crosse WI). I constantly study the available information on seasonal migrations, but I find that the majority of the info pertains to lakes and Reservoirs. The Upper Mississippi River has massive areas of backwaters and secondary channels in addition to the main channel. I would love to hear some input on where the fish stage prior to the spawn, where do they recover after the spawn? It seems on lakes it’s a little more cut and dry. Main points, then secondary points and eventually the backs of pockets and creek arms to spawn then backtrack to summer on the main lake. Does this translate to the river? Thanks guys
Ryan
Ryan, I am a river rat and have fished the upper Mississippi River. I have never fished there in the spawn or winter patterns. In most rivers, I look for areas that have lower flow than the main river. Deeper steeper rocky areas are often the best place to look. On a lot of rivers, these are man made. Harbors or other dredged areas out of the current. The bass in rivers often spawn in the same areas they spend their winter. They simply move to the bank. Post spawn bass are found back out in the current. They have to feed as soon as they can to recover from the spawn. Look for this to happen in the current where the bait is.
