Johnson breaks Pool No. 4 into three distinct regions. There’s Lock and Dam No. 3 where many of the anglers migrate in early spring. Lake Pepin is another unique spot that provides quality spring walleye potential. Then there’s Wabasha, which has a multitude of backwaters and bays, and is one of Johnson’s favorite late-spring spots.

“This section of the Mississippi River is open year-round, so you not only get some of the early spring spawners up at the dam, but you can follow the migration back to the lower end of the pool as they move from one end to the other,” said Johnson. “From mid-April until early June, there are walleyes spread out all over in this pool.”

Instead of joining the crowds, Johnson likes to fish the edges. He describes “the edges” as spots where you can see the current ebb in front of a backwater area. Wing dams are also one of his favorite spots to tempt walleyes.

“Where a backwater or a channel breaks off the main river, there will be a spot where the current lightens,” said Johnson. “You can actually easily see this. Walleyes will slide up to this edge and sit in an indentation on the bottom where an eddy has cut a dip. It’s a great spot to pitch a jig-and-minnow.”

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Pool No. 5 & Pool No. 5A

If you want to fish wing dams on the Mississippi River, these two pools will provide you that opportunity. Johnson puts the boat in at Winona and heads upstream, working his way back from one wing dam to the next.

“If the river is high and the current is moving, I spend most of my time on the downstream sides of the wing dams,” said Johnson. “Slower current means the walleyes will be sitting on the upstream sides of the wing dams and they’re a little easier to get a lure in front of.”

Wing dams are notorious for eating lures and jigs, so Johnson recommends taking plenty of tackle along. One of his favorite techniques for working the upstream sides of the wing dams is a three-way swivel rig with a crankbait.

“The dropper should be about 18 inches long and the line from the swivel that holds the crankbait should be about two feet long,” said Johnson. “Some guys anchor above the wing dam, but I like to use the bow-mounted electric to hold position and then drift the lure into where the walleyes are right above the dam. I can just lift the rod tip and slip the boat over a few feet to another spot and then drop the lure back down, which lets me work from the shoreline edge to the tip of the wing dam. The current keeps the bait wobbling and you don’t need a lot of line out to put the lure where you want it.”

On the downstream sides of the wing dams it’s hard to beat a jig-and-minnow, according to Johnson. You cast the jig upstream toward the wing dam and let it settle to the bottom, hopping and popping it over the rock and rubble where the walleyes are sitting.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

St. Cloud

“I’ve got a beat-up prop I put on when I fish the Mississippi around St. Cloud,” said Johnson. “I won’t take my boat there if the water is low, but when the water is higher and the chances of me beaching on a gravel bar are low, I’m going to chase some walleyes there.”

Johnson admits that the Mississippi downstream from the St. Cloud dam can be full of surprises in the form of shallow gravel and sandbars, but if you’re careful you can navigate the deeper channels and get into some phenomenal spring walleye fishing.

“The bases of those shallow bars are loaded with walleyes and smallmouth bass,” said Johnson. “What I do is tie on a 1/4-ounce jig and tip it with a small sucker minnow. Just drop it right over the side of the boat and work it on the bottom over that rubble and sand.”