Johnson, along with a partner or two, will stay in chest waders while fishing the Mississippi out of St. Cloud so that if, or when, the boat needs a push off a bar, then the crew can just hop out and get moving again.

“Crankbaits can be deadly for walleyes on this section of the Mississippi,” said Johnson. “I like the shad-shaped baits that will just brush the bottom in about 8 feet as you run the lure along the base of the rapids.”

KAWISHIWI RIVER

The section of the Kawishiwi River that Johnson is spending his time on is the South Fork north of Highway 1. “It’s a long portage, but it’s relatively flat,” said Johnson. “Get your permit early for this one because there’s a lot of paddlers that like this section of the river and it fills up fast.”

Johnson said that it’s not difficult to pick out the prime spots where the walleyes will be stationing in the spring.

“I carry a sonar with me, and wherever the bottom falls off quickly is a great spot,” said Johnson. “I just drop a jig-and-minnow to the base of that dropoff and wait for the bite.”

Johnson does anchor the canoe over these locations, using a heavy rock he’s picked up at his campsite.

“There’s no such thing as boat control in a canoe, so you have to be stationary if you’re going to work a location properly,” he said.

A current break along the shoreline is also a high-percentage location, according to Johnson.

“This usually consists of a downed tree that you would normally consider a prime location for bass, but up this far north it becomes a magnet for walleyes,” he said.

To keep from getting hung up in the branches, Johnson incorporates a jig with a weed guard and fishes the lure as vertical over the side of the canoe as possible.

“It often means I’m tied up to the tree,” he said.

* * *

Minnesota has some of the most productive lakes in the country, which means the rivers are often overlooked. “Except in the spring,” said Johnson. “If you have a canoe, the spring is the perfect time to drift the Crow Wing or the Rum. You can’t beat the Rainy River in the spring, and if it’s big numbers of walleyes, there’s not a spot on the Minnesota River where you can’t find some walleyes.”

So it must be true. In the spring there’s hardly a river that won’t be productive. Go find out for yourself!