First stop on the River Road tournament schedule---Pool 5A

Pool 5A of the Mississippi River was our first tournament on the River Road schedule for 2013.  Saturday brought gale force winds and high water but no worries.....the fish would bite.

Most years our first tournament of the year is either held on Pool 9 or 10.  This year we decided to mix it up and fish some waters at different times of the year.  I have had very little early spring experience on Pool 5A so I decided to spend a couple days there to practice.  The first practice day brought
a slow, steady rain all day long.  It wasn't very nice to fish in but the fish bit well and I was able to locate a couple areas that were holding fish.    The key for me was finding points that led into spawning areas protected from the main current flow.  This was no easy feat with the water as high as it was.  Most places the current was flowing through the trees.  I also caught a giant walleye pitching a pit boss to a flooded tree line.




The second day of practice brought blue skies and tough post frontal conditions.  In five hours on the water I got only two bites, one small male and a nice 4lber.  I had three primary areas to fish and planned on spending my entire tournament day in those areas.

Tournament day brought brutal conditions.  The temperatures dropped into the 40's for take-off and the winds picked up throughout the day and would gust up to 40mph.  The good news was the fish were biting.  My first stop landed myself and my co-angler two beautiful 4.5 pounders, one each.  From there I moved to a secluded cut where I had found some smallmouth on beds.  They disappeared, but a bunch of largemouth moved in.  I was able to finish out my limit in there and make a few culls as well.  My co-angler picked up three more himself.  It was shaping out to be ok.  My last stop of the day didn't yield any upgrades and I ended the day with 12.5 pounds and finished fourth.  I needed a couple more like this one and I'd have been in the hunt.

The top three had 17+, 16+, and 15+lbs respectively.  The guys at the top focused on current areas which turned out to be the smart move.  I think a lot of fish haven't made it to the back of the pockets yet, though the 4.6 that I weighed did have a beat up bloody tail and she was shallow.  I think some spawning has happened but the recent weather has them a little messed up.  The following link will give you a look at what the leaders did to catch their fish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=83reQlIvxws

The weekend of May 18th will bring the BFL to La Crosse.  I won't be fishing it but I'll try and bring updates back with results and a recap of the action.  I owe my wife a weekend home before the next flurry begins.