It’s been a long winter for sure! I’m still dabbling in the ice fishing department while it holds up, but I’m finally dusting off the JT Custom long rods a little bit up around the Garrison Dam tailrace region here on the Missouri River.
What to expect if a person decides to fish below the Garrison Dam? Well, don’t expect it to be fast and furious. Blue collar bite would be a fair understatement term for sure. Now, the one thing I can guarantee you is you never actually know what you may catch. Probably one of the coolest things about fishing this clear water stretch of river. One cast could be a catfish, the next cast a carp, ten casts later a ling or eel pout, 40 casts later a Walleye and the next cast a pike. Just crazy to me how this diverse system can be.
Another issue is boat traffic and noise. The water is clearer than your bath water and these fish know your around, trust me. You can look over the side of the boat and literally watch walleyes and fish cruise by. Absolutely fascinating to me to see these fish moving around in there own environment.
Another amazing thing to me in this area is how you can watch certain guys who have been fishing up there forever catch fish when no one else around them can. I absolutely love this part of the equation! It’s mysterious and intriguing to me to watch and learn all the small details of this place. It’s not for everyone, I’m not gonna lie. You need to be tough and you need to be patient to fish the tailrace.
It’s simple fishing but it isn’t. Really hard to explain how anchored up and pitching jigs and minnows could be challenging? Well, until you have spent some time fishing here, you will never appreciate that exact statement. It’s an experience to herd to put into words! I am however booking some early spring trips up here if interested, or should I say tough enough. mikepelusooutdoors@gmail.com