The week of the Big Muddy. Always the pinnacle of the spring here on the Missouri River near Bismarck. It means a couple things to me. First off, I wasn’t allowed to fish it for the first 10 years of its existence. Sure wish I could have fished back in those days. I have dabbled in it a few times over the last decade and have come close to winning it a few times. It’s a tough one, in my personal opinion the Big Muddy has the best of the best! So for a guy like myself who is on the water everyday, its hard to fish it. I can tell you exactly where I would want to fish it every year. Problem is if you don’t draw a good boat number, or you don’t respect the fellow angler you get to fish seconds. Not easy to do out here with the boundaries so tight.

This year I won’t have to worry about this. I’m not in the tournament so pressure is off. I’ll be guiding daily and tournament mode are definitely two different things. I know there’s a lot of talk about the muddy water, spawn, higher flows etc. but rest assured the fish will bite! My guess lower to mid 30’s to win it Saturday. Even with the dirty water.

Like always I will try and steer you in the right direction. Problem with this week coming up is things are going to change rapidly. Water is going to fluctuate, clarity is going to change, and water temps are certainly going to increase. I feel by next weekend things are really going to fire! I’m hoping May will be off the charts good!

Creeks Chubs, cranks, ripping raps, and jigs and plastics will all play huge roles into catching good fish this week. Remember the spawn is starting, so the fish are all going to be in different moods. They do not all spawn at the same time, so we have all of the above taking place, should be an interesting week.

Fish should push north and should push shallow as they do this time of year when the water warms up. Pick your poison and get after them! As soon as this spawn is over, it should turn into a great numbers bite! My mid week report should be a good one! Stay tuned!