FLOATOPENSFRIDAY,

MARCH 222013

FISH ALLDAY

FOR ONLY$1800

Hours6:00 A.M.

to6:00 P.M.

Noreservations

needed.

Mississippi River Fishing News 2013

FREEGreat Alma Fishing Float

P.O. Box 372Alma, WI 54610

RETURN SERVICEREQUESTED

AAllmmaa FFiisshhiinngg FFllooaattTThhee GGrreeaatt……

Tim and JimLodermeier yourowners and operatorsof the Great Alma FishingFloat for the 27th year, arehappy to welcome every-one to join them for anotherfun year at their fishingbusiness.

“We’ve enjoyed seeing oldfriends and meeting new onesthrough the years, it’s like goingto a reunion half the time.Where else can you go to workevery day and see people enjoy-ing themselves doing a sporteveryone can belong to both youngand old.”

By Amanda, Emily, and Shannon Lodermeier

10. Look once, twice, and thenlook one more time before cross-ing the railroad tracks. Trainsdon’t stop!

9. A quarter and a nickel havetwo different values. Our apolo-gies to all of you out there whowere short-changed during theseearly transactions (circa the early1990’s). 8. A valuable lesson in Quality

over Quantity: The sunfishdon’t bite in the same place

as the sheep head, and it is thesunfish that you keep!

7. Fifteen two, fifteen four-the combinations are

abundant. Learn themfast, or be left in thedust...that makes a

smart cribbage player. No one atthe Float lets the cute kids win!

6. Eggs over easy and scrambledeggs...these are not the same.

5. Bored in the kitchen? Cook apiece of bacon, they will come.

4. If you push a dog off of thedock, the dog will learn how toswim. The same does not applyfor your sisters.

3. People pay for drift wood butthey don’t pay for clams!

2. Seven year olds can make a lotof money in tips. However, theydo not have the self control toavoid spending half of it at KwikTrip on candy.

1. It takes a village to raise a child.Thank you for being our villageall these years!

Top 10 Things We LearnedGrowing up on the Great Alma Fishing Float

Vol. 24 #1 w w w . a l m a f i s h i n g f l o a t . c o m Fishing Report 608-685-FISH (3474)

Tim: 651-380-5322 almafloat@yahoo.com Jim: 651-380-7296

2 – The Great Alma Fishing Float 2013

Brian Brecka, Wisconsin DNR fisheries biologist – Alma

Although the Mississippi River can beintimidating to fish, its mix of backwa-ter lakes, running sloughs, tailwatersand main channel habitats offer spectac-ular angling opportunities. Varyingdepth, cover, substrate and flow haveanglers anxiously wondering where tostart, what to throw, and what theymay catch.

Over the years, we’ve sampled thefisheries within the habitat mix. As fishpopulations and their size structuresvary, our surveying techniques allowpredictions of fishing success today andinto the future. The following highlightsa few fish species you may encounter.

Bluegill: Recent surveys indicatebluegill populations are healthy. Seven-inch and larger bluegill are available toanglers, while surveys also show greatnumbers of smaller fish waiting tobecome part of the fishery. Anglersshould have no problem findingbluegill in seasonally productive spots.In most cases, bluegill will be found inslack water habitats during the winter,migrating to flowing channel cover dur-ing the summer, and returning to back-water habitat in the late fall. Fishingwingdams during summer and fall canalso be productive. Summer and fall can

also be a great time to fish tailwaterhabitat.

Walleye and Sauger: These speciescontinue to be the most sought afterrecreational fish on the MississippiRiver. There are fair numbers of walleyeranging from 15 to 20 inches as well asfair numbers of fish below the 15-inchsize limit. Sauger can be just as plenti-ful, ranging from 12 to 16 inches.Predictable locales for sauger occur nearthe dams in fall, winter and earlyspring. Walleye tend to concentrate nearthe dams in the spring and fall, thesloughs in early summer, and wing-dams during late summer and fall.

Yellow Perch: Yellow perch popula-tions in the river have been increasing,and exceptional fishing can occur. Oursurveys have shown good numbers ofperch in the 8- to 11-inch range. Yellowperch do well when there’s plenty ofvegetation, and for several consecutiveyears they have reproduced well. Theirseasonal movements often provide agreat fishery in the tailwater reachesbelow many locks and dams during thespring.

Largemouth Bass: The largemouthbass population continues its steadyincrease. The current population oflargemouth bass, above and below the14-inch size limit, is exceptional.

Surveys have shown great reproductionthe last few years as well. There’s nodoubt there will be good numbers oflegal fish for years to come.

Smallmouth Bass: Smallmouth bassare a favorite of many Mississippi Riveranglers. Maybe not as common as inyears past, good numbers of fish, bothabove and below the 14-inch size limit,are available. Larger smallmouth bassin the 3- to 5-pound range are notuncommon.

White Bass: White bass populationsare fair in the Mississippi River.Previous to 2012, there were a few yearsof low reproduction, and this hasdecreased the population. However,during 2012 the white bass hatch wasphenomenal in many areas of the river.These fish were four to five inches dur-ing fall surveys, so it will take a coupleof years before they become part of thefishery. Improvements are on the hori-zon for white bass fishing.

Northern Pike: The northern pikepopulation is currently considered fair.But with fast growth rates and low fish-ing pressure, decent fishing is stillexpected. While some inland water bod-ies produce 16 to 20 inch hammer han-dles, pike on the river are generallylarger. 2012 did bring record settinghigh summer water temperatures that

negatively impacted northern pike.Northern pike are a cool water species,and die offs did occur during July.

Channel Catfish: We don’t often sur-vey channel cats on Pool 5. But it’s notbecause the fish aren’t there. Data fromother parts of the river along with localangler catches show a strong channelcatfish population. After their summerspawn, the tailwaters of Pool 5 are agreat locale to catch these whiskeredfish.

Whether it’s a spring walleye run, asummer topwater bite for largemouthbass, or fishing stink-bait for channelcatfish, 2013 will be a great year to fishthe Mississippi River. Memory-makingadventures can be found whetheryou’re targeting your favorite species orfishing for “whatever’s biting.” To helpensure success when fishing the river,adapt to the changing conditions suchas water level, water temperature, flowand forage location. And please use thefishery resource wisely, follow adviceabout the number of fish meals you cansafely enjoy, support conservationefforts and introduce fishing to some-one you’d like to see enjoy fishing asmuch as you do.

2013 Fishing Forecast, Mississippi River - Pool 5

“Hey, what kind of fish is that!?”someone asked me as I walked aroundthe corner to see what everyone wasstaring at. Now I’ve been on theMississippi River running a fishingbusiness for over 25 years and I had noclue. Well it just so happened our localfisheries “czar” was heading up a youthouting that day so I turned to him andsaid, “Well Brian what is it?” He shookhis head and said “No clue, I’ve neverseen one before.” We checked it overfor teeth which it had and at first a pira-nha came to mind because one wascaught around Buffalo City a few yearsago, but no they weren’t piranha teethand I’ve seen piranha before anyway.The orange sides and a black spot onthe tail did make it look like a tropicalfish but something other than a piranha.

The fisherman responsible for this“fish tail” is Loren Lepoudre a recenttransfer from the Twin Cities who nowlives in Pepin, Wisconsin and a longtime patron of the Great Alma FishingFloat below Lock and Dam 4 where thisevent took place. Loren claimed he wasfishing for anything that bit and didn’tseem at all surprised when he pulled inthe fish.

The next question is, is this anotherinvasive species taking over our river?

Should we send out the DNR cavalryand start installing electrical barriers?

Or dump some sci-fi hormones in theriver to prevent breeding?

Maybe someone dumped a truckloadof these fish in the river to eat all thezebra mussels.

What a mystery!No let’s not get carried away yet. As

it happened the next day another fisher-man on the float I was telling about ourmystery fish and showed him the nowfrozen specimen and he smiles andsaid” I know what that is, it’s an Oscar,we catch those in Florida or you canraise them in an aquarium and by theway they are good to eat.

So, ok we now have an ID on thisswimming weirdo, but do we just sitaround and wait for nature to take itscourse? Or should we take action! Lookat the Asian carp invasion now makingtheir way up the Mississippi, the goodnews on the carp is the commercial fishmarket folks enjoy another target fishand I believe someone eats those too

but can they be controlled. Time willtell.

Back to “Oscar,” that’s his new namefor obvious reasons. My vote is wequickly nip this baby off before it getsout of hand. I feel we should introducea 1 million dollar grant for a five yearstudy done by me to see what impact“Oscar” will have on the river. I willafter that time give a detailed report onall Oscar activities in a stretch of theriver designated by the grantee. I feelI’m the only qualified “Oscar” winnerbecause of my vast experience with thisOscar so far.

If Oscar becomes a new class of gamefish “which is my goal” and for an extrafew hundred thousand, I think I canmake it happen. It could make the rivertowns wealthy with new fishing luresto sell and who knows we could haveOscar tournaments up and down theMississippi. Boat companies will comeout with all new Oscar boats and wewill all enjoy going out for a Fridaynight Oscar fry at your favorite restau-rant. That measly million and a half tome will end up looking like pennies inthe end.

I don’t know about you but I’m get-ting all excited about Oscar and maybeif all goes well we’ll all be Oscar win-ners in the future.

That’s all for now and may you allenjoy our wonderful resource.

Oscar expert Jim LodermeierOr soon to be Jim Oscar Meyer

Mississippi Mystery Fish

The Great Alma Fishing Float 2013 – 3

Night Fishing

Name ______________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Send to:The Great Alma Fishing Float • Box 372, Alma, WI 54610

The Great…

NEWS 2013Alma Fishing Float

FREEYes, put me on your mailing list.

Senior DiscountEvery Thursday!This year, seniors that are 60

and over will get a$3.00 discountevery Thursday that we’re open.

The Great Alma Fishing Float opens Friday, March 22 this year, andwhile we have great daytime fishing, we also offer an enjoyable,relaxing, overnight stay. The float has 3 separate bunk rooms avail-able-2 rooms that can accommodate 4 persons each, and 1 roomthat accommodates 2 people. There are bunks with mattresses andheat or AC in each room. Bring your own bedding, clothes, fishinggear, food and drinks. You can bring charcoal and use our grills ifyou want. Check in time is from 3 pm to 6 pm when we close for theday. You can get your bait or tackle right on the float after you getsettled in. Check out time is 9 am. You can call 651-380-5322 or651-380-7296 for availability, reservations, and any other ques-tions you may have.

NIGHT FISHING RATESMarch, April, October- 4 bunk rooms- $152/night,

+ $38 per each extra person2 bunk room- $ 72/night,

+$38 per each extra personMay thru September - $35 per person.

NOTE- There will be the regular $16 charge if you plan on fishing during the day.

There is no other way todescribe

the fishing inMarch of 2012. It started out

with days in the 50’s and justkept getting nicer, so as wewere preparing the float for

another season, which isabout a month of repairs, and

weren’t scheduled to open untilthe 23rd of March everything was

great until someone decided it’s time to catchlunch. Well we like to keep a pole or twohandy in case an early season perch or wall-eye happens by and boy did the work stopcold that day. Everyone dropped their ham-mers and we could not keep the perch, wall-eye, and northern off the hooks. We gotlucky because we were pretty much ready toopen by that time and even opened a fewdays early due to great weather and tons offish biting. We have never seen this numberof northern pike and jumbo perch caught ina spring and reports up and down the riverwere the same.

March Madness

4 – The Great Alma Fishing Float 2013

Time to leave Dan, theboats heading to town andas always what do we hear,“one more cast”, and whatdo you know he hooks apretty cool looking paddle-fish. In the 26 years we’veowned the Alma FishingFloat only a handful ofpaddlefish have gottenhooked and what I mean bythat is usually foul hookedbecause they are planktoneaters and haven’t beenknown to eat live bait.Paddlefish can get big withthis one around 35 poundsor more and are also pro-tected so we snapped a quick photo and off it went. Now Dan can come out this year and givelessons on how to lasso a paddlefish.

Amanda Lathrop picked a beautiful day in midApril to try her luck and did she ever with a 31pound sturgeon, 50 inches long. This sturgeonhad a DNR tag which was sent in to get a his-tory on when and where it was tagged andreleased. Sturgeon are a real thrill to hook notonly for the size, which reach over 50# aroundhere, but they will jump clear out of the waterand when that happens everyone gets excited.Of the two types of sturgeon this is a LakeSturgeon which are protected around here andare also the larger.

This may sound fishy but this was a typicalstringer of northern caught last spring. Mostfish were caught on minnows both large andsmall fishing with a river rig on the bottom butlures of every make and model seemed to showsuccess to one degree or another. This stringerof 4-6 pounders was caught on March 24th.

Steve stayed over night on 3/29/12/ and waspleasantly surprised after a long cold night ofwalleye fishing with his buddies to get a nice 8plus pound walleye at first light and a shorttime later pulled in another one a little bigger.It’s all about the right time at the right placeand Steve had the right mix this morning.

Wow!! If I hadn’t seen it, this picture would be hard to believe. Just look at all those jumbo perchand throw in half a dozen big northern and it’s a crazy day of float fishing. That was MarchMadness for you and Jerry Brummond, Tim Cox, Kev Taylor, James Schaffer and Alex and BillDrummond did the opening day blowout with this catch on 3/21/12

Woody decided retirement is ok, after movingto Alma for the summers and enjoying thegreat Wisconsin outdoors including a few stopsat his local favorite fishing hole, Woody showsus how the big boys are landed. Early spring of2012 was a northern pike paradise on theGreat Alma Fishing Float and here Woody dis-plays the trophy he caught at 40 inches and 18pounds.

Trevor Schultz gets top honors this day with histrophy smallmouth bass he caught on thisbeautiful mid-summer day. Of course he hadassistance from his 2 side kicks Hunter and theold man Tommy. It’s nice to see these guys geta chance to relax and fish a bit now and thenbetween cutting fire wood and helping poor oldJim and Tim around the float, they deserve abig fish. Thanks guys!

The UNI- University of Northern Iowa- alumni

Team pro 5 year old Ridge Lodermeier withone of his many bass in 2012)

The Great Alma Fishing Float 2013 – 5

How many of us can say wecaught a walleye this size at thisage. Now he is going to comeback and expect an even biggerone this year. Well you neverknow what might show up onyour line. Some days we see over12 different species of fish caughton the Alma Fishing Float ofevery size imaginable. That’swhat makes the Mississippi Riverso much fun to fish.

Northern action was fast and furious for most of our spring days with this 18 pounder caughtand released being one of the monsters of the year. Throw in a bass now and then and these fel-lows went home with some great meals in the making.

Fried catfish, broiled catfish, catfish cakes, smoked catfish,catfish bloody mary, catfish hot dish, cat soup, catfishgumbo, rocky mountain catfish, catfish jelly, canned cat, FallCreek boiled catfish festival, whatever do you do with thatmuch catfish? Last year these guys had catfish whiskersgrowing on their chins by morning.

We’ve had some really nice stringers of walleye caught in thespring of 2012 like the one Carl and brother Alex are holdinghere. These two have been fishing on the Alma Float sincethey were knee high to a grasshopper and have taken hometheir share of fish from walleye to sheep head.

Nathan Lodermeier with his super jumbo 15”perch

Ed Stern former student of the school ofLodermeier Tech College of how to catch morefish, must have rolled over long enough inclass to catch a few tips on northern catching101. We always wondered how he could stayout of trouble and this is a good example being5 is the limit on northern and he’s always hadtrouble with numbers. Maybe he brought hisinvisible friend along again. We are veryimpressed Ed.

Duane, Dave, Mel, and John stop by everycouple weeks for a day on the Alma Float hop-ing to gather a few fish of any kind for them-selves for eating or delivery to the EagleCenter in Wabasha on their way home to dropoff some rough fish they caught for Eagle food.Well they sure picked the right day last Marchbringing in a pile of northern weighing in at85# of live fish. Needless to say the Eagleswere not getting much lunch this week.

“That’s a big sturgeon” someplaces you can go and actuallyfish for sturgeon but on our partof the river it’s a surprise catchalmost every time which makesthe fun of getting one on the lineexcitement for the whole float.This is a lake sturgeon which isthe most common around Almabut on occasions we get a small-er shovel nose sturgeon.

Another nice spring northern pike!“Hold those fish up and smile!” These two young guys withtheir two nice walleyes couldn’t be happier!

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6 – The Great Alma Fishing Float 2013

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OPEN YEAR ‘ROUNDDaily & Weekly RatesMastercard or VISA

3 Miles North of Alma on Hwy. 35Phone or write the Reidt’s

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1110 Hiawatha Drive E., Wabasha651-565-9932 | www.BigRiverResort.com

ROOMS: Charming river town resort. Our specialty is clean, comfortable rooms at a verygood value! Free shuttle from marinas to resort.One block from city pool. Free wireless internet!RV: 25 spacious sites with full hookups - 30/50amp electric, city water and sewer, cable TV, and wireless internet!CABIN: Luxurious one bedroom cabin with full kitchen and patio.

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Located in beautiful Alma, WICall 952-221-4847

for rates and reservationsthemanor.vpweb.com

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Cable T.V. & A/C • Critter Cleaning HouseFull Kitchens/Baths • Docking available

8 Miles south of Alma…Just off Hwy 35 ~~ FOLLOW THE SIGNS

By Boat: Enter Channelat Marker 746.6, then go southwww.wardsriversidecabins.com

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email:rooms@fountaincitymotel.com

“Wings Over Alma” is a multi-purpose center downtown Alma. Locatedacross the street from the Alma Hotel and Mississippi River Pearl.

The center offers a 50 foot viewing platform overlooking the upperMississippi River Fish and Wildlife Refuge and equipped with spotting scopesand binoculars to view a variety of wildlife year-around, river activities and theGreat Alma Fishing Float. The Mississippi Flyway bring hundreds of migratingbirds past the deck, and dozens of winter-feeding eagles can be viewed belowLock and Dam #4.

Inside the center is a rotating art exhibit. Museum displays and a small giftshop are also available, and a visitor information center.

The center is open 7 days a week all year around from 10 am-5 pm andsome evenings when there are special programs.

You are welcome to browse, have a cup of coffee, linger and enjoy theviews! For more information: 608-685-3303 or wingsoveralma@yahoo.com,www.wingsoveralma.org or center@wingsoveralma.org.

InDowntown

Alma

Open 7 days a week, year round, 7 am til bar close

Great Food and Daily Specials, ColdDrinks, and Live Entertainment!

Stop by for our famous Bloody Mary’s!

Check out our full menuwww.buffalocitycove.com

Beautiful Patio/deck area,

big screen TVs for watching

your favorite teams. Come

by boat, car, cycle or

bicycle.

On the banks of the Mississippi!Enter channel at marker 746.6and go south - large dock area.

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608-248-COVE (2683)

• BroastedChicken

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& Shrimp Fry

NorthEnd Pub & Grill214 N. Main Street

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Bring this ad in and receive yourSECOND DRINK 1/2 PRICE

The Great Alma Fishing Float 2013 – 7

River Realty211 S. Main St.Alma, WI 54610riverrealtyinc.com

Call Paul at608-685-4461

“Catch a good deal on cabins,hunting land and homes.”

Located in the Bank of Alma

JIM & TIM LODERMEIER

Cell: 651-380-5322Bring in Your Trophies

NATURETAXIDERMY

Seasonal Hours(Starting March 1- November 30)Monday-Thursday 10 A.M.-5 P.M.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9 A.M.-6 P.M.

NationalEagleCenterAmerica’s EagleEducationDestination

Wabasha,Minnesota877-332-4537651-565-4989

Top Prices for CleanAluminum Cans

All Your Recycling NeedsWorking for a Cleaner

Environment - Do Your Share!!

Arcadia/AlmaRecycling

Arcadia Hours:Mon.-Thurs. 1pm - 5pm; Sat. 8am - Noon

Alma Hours:Wed. 9am - Noon; Sat. 9am - Noon

608-323-3385

Overlooking Mississippi River fromatop the Alma Bluff

Free Wine Tastings 10-5 dailyTours by appointment

Event Center accepting reservations

S2015 Grapeview Ln. • Alma, WI 54610608-685-6000

www.danzingervineyards.com

Danzinger VineyardsDV

Groceries • Clothing & More!Locally produced flour, coffee and dairyproducts, children’s toys and books, oldfashioned cards, jewelry, funky shoes,

sweaters, Alpaca woven scarves, binoculars,metal and wood Alma signs, DVD rentals

EXTREMELY NICE PRICES!100 N. Main St. • Downtown Alma

608-685-2652

• Est. 2011 •

ALMAGENERAL STORE

Dock yourself at. . .

FelicePatraInn

Walking distance from float pier.

609 N. Main, Alma, WI608-685-4512

Cell: 715-579-4483

Kiehl’sBAKERY

Breads, Cakes and Pastries105 S. Main St. Alma, WI 54610For orders call: 608-685-4040

“Four generations of quality bakery foods”

Bring this coupon in for a free beer or raildrink or $2.00 off any appetizer.

AlmaHomestyle

LodgingOPENING APRIL 20133 Bedroom, 2 Bath, Full Kitchen,

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Schreiner’sSport Shop

Live baitand tackle

Licenses • Beer • Pop

Located at the south end of Alma608-685-4336

ALMA TOWNHOUSEVACATION HOUSE

104 South Main StreetAlma, Wisconsin 54610

Night and weekly rates: two bedrooms,sleeps seven; full kitchen, sun porch (overlooking the Mississippi River),

living room and bathroom; located walkingdistance from downtown and the fishing

float dock; no need for a vehicle. Cater to fishermen and hunters.

Call for Reservations: 715-926-4782 (business office)715-926-3139 (home phone)or 715-579-6843 (cell phone).

Kate & Gracie’sRestaurant

215 North Main, Alma, WI608-685-4505

Fine DiningGreat Wines & Spirits

Wednesday - MondayOpen 11 a.m. to Close

Closed Tuesday

�Lil'sCOCHRANE INN

111 N Main StCochrane, WI(608)248-2999

Thanks to Kerry Carter our web master for keeping our web site

new and improved!www.almafishingfloat.com

8 – The Great Alma Fishing Float 2013

Lucky or good? Depends who you ask. Bob Frobe and Hooter show off these nice walleyescaught a day apart in April, and being the sportsman that they are, both fish were released aftertheir mug shots.

“Hey Donald, you got a bite!” Give it time, lethim run, now, set the hook! The fight is on andDon Adams is a happy camper when thebiggest northern he ever caught is in the net.Bet that will look great on your wall!

These are the type of walleyes that draw the anglers out in the spring be it frost or high water.March and April offer the best chance at fish like these.

Veteran float fisherman Dave Lucas andhis friends have been fishing the springrun for many years now, and always giveit their best effort. I’m not sure if theyever had a “perfect” night to fish- wind,rain, blizzards, or floods are more thenorm. But, the fish are still out there, andDave found a good one.

Looking for some hot fishing advice? Or maybe you want topractice netting fish or need a burger or mess? Well all youhave to do is find our faithful handyman Buck Jensen andgo stand by him. You’ll get the first two without asking, andhe’s always happy to do his magic behind the grill. ThanksBuck!

The boys with Nathans 40” pike

Another fine trophy for Dee Kordecki of TeamKenosha.

Finally, after fighting and losing three other big sturgeonduring the day, this fisherman and his daughter got onelanded at the end of the day. Suddenly all those broken lineswere forgotten.

Early in the spring, Frank brought his son out to thefloat, and with their combined fishing skill, put ahurt on the pike and one nice bass.

Wow- that’s no bluegill! Like thisyoung man found out, you can beenjoying the day catching panfishand sheephead, then set the hookon one of the monsters of theMississippi, such as a big cat,buffalo, or a cool sturgeon likethis.

Tired and beat from a hard night of fish-ing, Denise Shannon has just enough leftto hoist her big pike for a victory pic.