Burwell40
04-16-2007, 07:44 AM
Well, I finally went fishing on Coralville for the first time Sunday. The weather and my schedule has kind of put a crimp on my fishing. It was a nice day to be out on the water and there were a fair number of boats out for a shakedown cruise.
We ended up only catching 3 channels, a 2, 3, and a 4 lber. Had several hookups that came unhooked. They're not quite as aggressive as I'd like to see, but it's early. There was a tremendous shad kill (DNR fisheries man told a buddy of mine that the shad kill was probably over 75%). I think the cats have been pigging out on the dead shad which might explain the slow bite. Also, the water is still pretty darn cold. We were trolling above and just below Mehaffee bridge boat ramp with water temps at about 48 degrees. There's a chance that folks upstream anchoring in the shallows could have done pretty well.
A word of warning...the channel is completely silted in at Jolly Roger. I haven't tried to navigate it myself, but a couple of experienced catters I know have told me that they couldn't find anything over 1.5'. So, if you're trying to get above Jolly Roger, you might as well put in at Mid-River or Curtis Bridge. I assume there will be the annual sacrifice to the mud gods. Usually, some unfortunate and inexperienced boater will charge headlong into the mud where their boat will remain until the water rises later in May.
I think the Corps may have to rethink their 679' spring water level. It's remarkable how fast the upper end is silting in. It wasn't that long ago that you could navigate the river channel all the way through the reservoir and upstream as far as you had gas to take you.
At any rate, I think the warm weather this coming week combined with the end of the shad kill feast might turn things on. Just remember to bring your bait with you because it'll be slim pickings for shad until a few hatch cycles. I'm hoping that might mean that if you're fortunate enough to have a fresh shad source, you might find some Coralville cats that are starving for a taste of their favorite meal.
See you on the water.
Mike.
We ended up only catching 3 channels, a 2, 3, and a 4 lber. Had several hookups that came unhooked. They're not quite as aggressive as I'd like to see, but it's early. There was a tremendous shad kill (DNR fisheries man told a buddy of mine that the shad kill was probably over 75%). I think the cats have been pigging out on the dead shad which might explain the slow bite. Also, the water is still pretty darn cold. We were trolling above and just below Mehaffee bridge boat ramp with water temps at about 48 degrees. There's a chance that folks upstream anchoring in the shallows could have done pretty well.
A word of warning...the channel is completely silted in at Jolly Roger. I haven't tried to navigate it myself, but a couple of experienced catters I know have told me that they couldn't find anything over 1.5'. So, if you're trying to get above Jolly Roger, you might as well put in at Mid-River or Curtis Bridge. I assume there will be the annual sacrifice to the mud gods. Usually, some unfortunate and inexperienced boater will charge headlong into the mud where their boat will remain until the water rises later in May.
I think the Corps may have to rethink their 679' spring water level. It's remarkable how fast the upper end is silting in. It wasn't that long ago that you could navigate the river channel all the way through the reservoir and upstream as far as you had gas to take you.
At any rate, I think the warm weather this coming week combined with the end of the shad kill feast might turn things on. Just remember to bring your bait with you because it'll be slim pickings for shad until a few hatch cycles. I'm hoping that might mean that if you're fortunate enough to have a fresh shad source, you might find some Coralville cats that are starving for a taste of their favorite meal.
See you on the water.
Mike.