Thread: fish the mississippi river for crappie /white bass

It has been quite a few years since I fished the Mississippi. But up near the Winfield dam my Dad had really good luck in the fall catching whites and saugers on the Illinois side. He would get up there just after day break and catch the heck out of them until the sun came up and hit the water then they would shut off. I'm trying to remember what lure he was using, I think is was just some sort of silver spinner but not sure. I bet a guy could do ok on the sauger using some sort of bottom rig with a night crawler just below the dam. Another guy I know would catch some nice blues fishing the deeper holes below the dam. Probably not much help, but there is some good fishing to be had once you learn how to fish it - good luck!

thanks kwpippkins I'll try that in the fall

Back before they put the levy around dresser island, I used to fish around the slough side of the island and could catch quite a few crappie. Mainly fished in the fall, when building my duck blind. Haven't been back for quite a few years, so don't know the conditions anymore.
Also did decent around Stump Lake and Calhoun Point back then. Always spotty around Piasa Creek.

3 or 4 yrs ago a friend did good around Alton Marina, better quantity over quality though.

friend does that winfield dam thing with jig and worm in fall and really tears up the sauger there and gets some decent crappie in the sloughs downstream. good hunting.