"For 25 years, I've guided customers of all ages, working with schedules, weekday or weekend...to hook walleye, smallmouth, sauger, crappie, sturgeon, and catfish on the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers.
I will do my best on every trip to put you on fish too!"
Charlie "Turk" Gierke
I will do my best on every trip to put you on fish too!"
Charlie "Turk" Gierke
The St Croix River morning fog.
Fall Transition Fishing Season
August 30, 2024
Water temperatures are running from 73-75 degrees. The St. Croix River has been staying about 1 foot above the normal pool level of 675.5 for a month. Recent rains from storms will bring the water up a foot again by Labor Day.
This has been the most unusual shad year I have witnessed. I am seeing shad 10-12" large in schools and shad that are 1-2" in length!? Most years those large shad aren't around, and the little ones are twice as big. What's going on you may wonder?
I estimate that the lack of winter last year did not create the "shad die off." Shad as a species will die in the winter in huge numbers. Shad also can spawn (according to what I have read) 2-3 times a year. So, pair up the lack of winterkill and multiple spawns and that's why I think the current sizing of theses ever-important bait fish is such a rarity.
This is the Fall Transition leaves have started to yellow. Weed beds will slow in growth and begin to lay down, this is important on the river and even more important on lakes with larger weed beds, because gamefish will for a short time hunt these dying vegetative areas and return shallower to forage with better success.
The river water still has a root beer bronze stain but has a green tint from algae blooms as well. Floating grass is still nearly absent, and there is virtually no floating debris either. White bass still eating on the surface and busting minnows.
Hot Summer Fishing Season
July 28, 2024
Water temperatures are running from 77-80 degrees. The St. Croix River is on a slow level drop and now just 3 feet high from a 12-foot peak of water above normal pool levels.
Shad are now formed up in bait balls and fish like walleye will roam and chase them and where the bait go, they go, just like a pack of wolves following a herd of caribou. Of course, the entire population of walleye do not move in one massive school, they have their own packs and follow baitfish in the area they range. Also, oddly the harder the gamefish get to catch is when they are feeding the most - on their natural prey that are abundant.
The river water is starting to clear, and the root beer bronze colored water is becoming more transparent. Floating grass is still on the low side and there is virtually no floating debris either. One neat event was the white bass eating on the surface and busting minnows, I fear that will end with the water clearing now, they will still feed but deeper.
Hot Summer Fishing Season
July 12, 2024
Water temperatures are running from 75-77 degrees and in the late afternoon even warmer. The St. Croix River has been from 12 to 10 feet high for several weeks. Life is evident everywhere on the river there are schools of shad forming, small minnow pods that look like perch are in the shallows, and even a few mayflies on the surface can be seen. One fact about the Hot Summer season is that fish - all game fish will focus more and more of the baitfish- making fishing harder... Above ground critters that signal this fish season are toads and grasshoppers, plants like tiger lilies have been flowers now for two weeks, but plants like wild bee balm are just now showing their pink flowers, wild daisies are also blooming.
Warm Summer Fishing Season
June 18, 2024
Water temps are reaching the high 60's degrees, everything is green, Iris's have already bloomed and are now fading flowers, trees are plainly leafed out, tiger lily's are about to open their orange colors and flower soon. Rains and rains have raised the St. Croix River and creating good flow. Walleyes and bass are looking to take advantage of the highwater and use flow to their preys' demise.
In a matter of about a week when the heat of the hot summer comes the river will jump water temps about four degrees fast and this Warm Summer season will be over, and the Hot Summer will arrive and deeper water spots will pick up.
Spring Walleye Fishing Season
May 18, 2024
Water temps are reaching 60 degrees, trees are 80 percent leafed out, and you can't help but smell the sweet lilac fragrence from their lavender colored flowers. Rains last night in the St. Croix Valley popped life open. Is it me or are you being attacked by demon gnats this year like no other? Morel mushrooms hunters are peaking harvest. All this above ground life is indictive of down below. Walleyes are looking to devour the last of last year's yearlings. When the shad gets gone and eaten, as seen as a byproduct of huge fat deposits in the walleyes, the shad have been eaten and perch and sunfish and young drum are targeted. These yearlings are hard to catch and so your offering is well received.
Spring is charging onto the Warm Summer season.
Spring Walleye Fishing Season
May 6, 2024
St. Croix River
Water temps are finally starting to increase from an extended period of a 50–52-degree plateau. The weather would cool and drop the water to 49 degrees, but now the sun and day length work together to click up water temps slowly and be about 55 in a week. When the water and earth heat up in spring, it is simply a good time to be on the water, especially for walleye as they have come completely out of the post spawn and are biting.
Post Spawn Walleye Fishing Season
April 19, 2024
Mississippi River
Water temps are 50 plus degrees and holding steady for over ten days, walleye and sauger are now in their post spawn stage with belly's flat and indented. White Bass are going very strong and they spawn later and hold plenty of eggs still. Many other species are being caught and it's time once again to catch freshwater drum, some smallmouth bass have even joined into the fray.
Water levels this year are anything but normal and very low. However, the water is 2-3 higher than winter levels though in relative terms it's still low.
Low water allows for a lot of fishing presentations to work (even trolling), the only technique that does not is the 1-2 foot depth targeting near shore with plastics.
Pre Spawn Fishing Season
March 29, 2024
Mississippi River
Nature seems to always even itself out, last February was hot followed by a cold March and now finds early April on track with air temps in the 40-50s and so the seasonal weather is right on track!
In the southern and middle part of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Walleyes will be in their yearly fish or natural season of pre-spawn soon transitioning to spawn once the water temps stabilize at 42+ degrees.
This is good news for anglers who do a traditional river run or two this time of year because stable temps seasonally speaking allows for past experiences to be duplicated as if everything was on schedule.
Two top techniques while drifting traditional areas anglers target on walleye rivers is a subtle hold with a jig and fathead, and a much more aggressive snap or lift with a jig and 3" fluke tail plastic (no bait). Drift with the flow and anglers in the back should use a size weight larger than the bow angler as the back of the boat sways often and the more weight helps vertical happen.
Winter Transition Fishing Season
February 27, 2024
Mississippi River
Fish are moving out of the winter depths and beginning migrations on large river systems such as the Mississippi River. This migration, as the name implies will move fish seasonally, there are daily movements too.
Daily moves find fish seeking a forage base to consume and find areas for rest or security.
It's a good time to fish as fish begin to transition and "go on a run."
at no time do all fish move at once some will run and others stay back. When they run areas such as Dams absolutely congregate fish and this draws huge packs of fish and anglers.
Spring is still a long way away but we are transitioning out of winter right now. Cold fronts will throw monkey wrenches into anglers catches, but warming weather will also arrive and stabilize the bite once again.
August 30, 2024
Water temperatures are running from 73-75 degrees. The St. Croix River has been staying about 1 foot above the normal pool level of 675.5 for a month. Recent rains from storms will bring the water up a foot again by Labor Day.
This has been the most unusual shad year I have witnessed. I am seeing shad 10-12" large in schools and shad that are 1-2" in length!? Most years those large shad aren't around, and the little ones are twice as big. What's going on you may wonder?
I estimate that the lack of winter last year did not create the "shad die off." Shad as a species will die in the winter in huge numbers. Shad also can spawn (according to what I have read) 2-3 times a year. So, pair up the lack of winterkill and multiple spawns and that's why I think the current sizing of theses ever-important bait fish is such a rarity.
This is the Fall Transition leaves have started to yellow. Weed beds will slow in growth and begin to lay down, this is important on the river and even more important on lakes with larger weed beds, because gamefish will for a short time hunt these dying vegetative areas and return shallower to forage with better success.
The river water still has a root beer bronze stain but has a green tint from algae blooms as well. Floating grass is still nearly absent, and there is virtually no floating debris either. White bass still eating on the surface and busting minnows.
Hot Summer Fishing Season
July 28, 2024
Water temperatures are running from 77-80 degrees. The St. Croix River is on a slow level drop and now just 3 feet high from a 12-foot peak of water above normal pool levels.
Shad are now formed up in bait balls and fish like walleye will roam and chase them and where the bait go, they go, just like a pack of wolves following a herd of caribou. Of course, the entire population of walleye do not move in one massive school, they have their own packs and follow baitfish in the area they range. Also, oddly the harder the gamefish get to catch is when they are feeding the most - on their natural prey that are abundant.
The river water is starting to clear, and the root beer bronze colored water is becoming more transparent. Floating grass is still on the low side and there is virtually no floating debris either. One neat event was the white bass eating on the surface and busting minnows, I fear that will end with the water clearing now, they will still feed but deeper.
Hot Summer Fishing Season
July 12, 2024
Water temperatures are running from 75-77 degrees and in the late afternoon even warmer. The St. Croix River has been from 12 to 10 feet high for several weeks. Life is evident everywhere on the river there are schools of shad forming, small minnow pods that look like perch are in the shallows, and even a few mayflies on the surface can be seen. One fact about the Hot Summer season is that fish - all game fish will focus more and more of the baitfish- making fishing harder... Above ground critters that signal this fish season are toads and grasshoppers, plants like tiger lilies have been flowers now for two weeks, but plants like wild bee balm are just now showing their pink flowers, wild daisies are also blooming.
Warm Summer Fishing Season
June 18, 2024
Water temps are reaching the high 60's degrees, everything is green, Iris's have already bloomed and are now fading flowers, trees are plainly leafed out, tiger lily's are about to open their orange colors and flower soon. Rains and rains have raised the St. Croix River and creating good flow. Walleyes and bass are looking to take advantage of the highwater and use flow to their preys' demise.
In a matter of about a week when the heat of the hot summer comes the river will jump water temps about four degrees fast and this Warm Summer season will be over, and the Hot Summer will arrive and deeper water spots will pick up.
Spring Walleye Fishing Season
May 18, 2024
Water temps are reaching 60 degrees, trees are 80 percent leafed out, and you can't help but smell the sweet lilac fragrence from their lavender colored flowers. Rains last night in the St. Croix Valley popped life open. Is it me or are you being attacked by demon gnats this year like no other? Morel mushrooms hunters are peaking harvest. All this above ground life is indictive of down below. Walleyes are looking to devour the last of last year's yearlings. When the shad gets gone and eaten, as seen as a byproduct of huge fat deposits in the walleyes, the shad have been eaten and perch and sunfish and young drum are targeted. These yearlings are hard to catch and so your offering is well received.
Spring is charging onto the Warm Summer season.
Spring Walleye Fishing Season
May 6, 2024
St. Croix River
Water temps are finally starting to increase from an extended period of a 50–52-degree plateau. The weather would cool and drop the water to 49 degrees, but now the sun and day length work together to click up water temps slowly and be about 55 in a week. When the water and earth heat up in spring, it is simply a good time to be on the water, especially for walleye as they have come completely out of the post spawn and are biting.
Post Spawn Walleye Fishing Season
April 19, 2024
Mississippi River
Water temps are 50 plus degrees and holding steady for over ten days, walleye and sauger are now in their post spawn stage with belly's flat and indented. White Bass are going very strong and they spawn later and hold plenty of eggs still. Many other species are being caught and it's time once again to catch freshwater drum, some smallmouth bass have even joined into the fray.
Water levels this year are anything but normal and very low. However, the water is 2-3 higher than winter levels though in relative terms it's still low.
Low water allows for a lot of fishing presentations to work (even trolling), the only technique that does not is the 1-2 foot depth targeting near shore with plastics.
Pre Spawn Fishing Season
March 29, 2024
Mississippi River
Nature seems to always even itself out, last February was hot followed by a cold March and now finds early April on track with air temps in the 40-50s and so the seasonal weather is right on track!
In the southern and middle part of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Walleyes will be in their yearly fish or natural season of pre-spawn soon transitioning to spawn once the water temps stabilize at 42+ degrees.
This is good news for anglers who do a traditional river run or two this time of year because stable temps seasonally speaking allows for past experiences to be duplicated as if everything was on schedule.
Two top techniques while drifting traditional areas anglers target on walleye rivers is a subtle hold with a jig and fathead, and a much more aggressive snap or lift with a jig and 3" fluke tail plastic (no bait). Drift with the flow and anglers in the back should use a size weight larger than the bow angler as the back of the boat sways often and the more weight helps vertical happen.
Winter Transition Fishing Season
February 27, 2024
Mississippi River
Fish are moving out of the winter depths and beginning migrations on large river systems such as the Mississippi River. This migration, as the name implies will move fish seasonally, there are daily movements too.
Daily moves find fish seeking a forage base to consume and find areas for rest or security.
It's a good time to fish as fish begin to transition and "go on a run."
at no time do all fish move at once some will run and others stay back. When they run areas such as Dams absolutely congregate fish and this draws huge packs of fish and anglers.
Spring is still a long way away but we are transitioning out of winter right now. Cold fronts will throw monkey wrenches into anglers catches, but warming weather will also arrive and stabilize the bite once again.
