How to FIND and FISH Mississippi River Wing Dams

[@AnglerX]

Check out Angler X merchandise here anglerxoutdoors.com/shop/

[@OneOption]

Pardon the pun, but this is the best dam fishing video I have ever watched. Telling us how you found the wing dams and then how you navigated them is gold. Very few people share a resource like this and tell others how to use the information. I love fishing Pool 9. Thank you!

[@AnglerX]

I appreciate your comment! Thank you!

[@JolynnAlexander]

Another great lesson of how to fish wing dams on the Mississippi River. The attention to details of how to locate wing dams and identifying key locations is extremely valuable fishing. This video rocks!

[@AnglerX]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Kevin-sq7nm]

Very helpful 👍

[@geneelkins1707]

Excellent video! I fish pool 8 from my bass boat and love hitting wing dams. The first closing dam gets a couple small buoys to identify the cut thru. That top of the west channel is heavily traveled throughout summer. Others may have same comment, but enjoyed yours and good fishing!

[@ChangkongFishing]

"This video has its own soul, very charming and captivating."

[@AnglerX]

Thank you for the comment!!!

[@daleley7645]

Thanks for all the information. My uncle used to find wing dams by going full throttle at all times( he drank a lot).

[@AnglerX]

That’s definitely one way to find them 😂

[@jameshorner6102]

Just found out about this channel. Thank you for your great content about walleye fishing the Mississippi River and love not seeing live scope on a KZbin channel!

[@AnglerX]

I appreciate the comment!

[@ajw0529]

Your videos are the best Lance, but you really knocked it out of the park on this one. The combination of live screen sharing and showing the ripples of the water is what makes this video gold. Keep up the great work, big fan! #FishOn Josh Wilson

[@AnglerX]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@rogernull6151]

Thanks for the tutorial!

[@loulentz3107]

I just came across your channel, and I am very impressed with your video! Very thorough presentation and explanation of wing dams, and how to find them! Thank you very much! I hit the subscribe button, and will be checking out your videos! ~Lou

[@AnglerX]

Welcome to the Angler X channel Lou!

[@CKSOUTDOORS]

Thanks for taking the time to explain these things. Just bought a new boat and trying to learn how to be a good fisherman. Never really got into it because hunting was my world but expanding the horizons now. Love the vids.

[@AnglerX]

I use to hunt ducks, pheasant, grouse, turkey, and whitetails. Now its just bowhunting and fishing. There isn't enough time to do it all so one has to choose. Thank you for the comment!

[@LoOutdoors]

Absolutely killer breakdown - many many many people will gain info on the "sippi from this video for as long as KZbin exists!

[@AnglerX]

People are intimidated by the Mississippi River but with a little insight it can be a great place to explore.

[@ECRDFishing]

I really needed a video like this! Thank you! Very well done! So detailed too, details others do not discuss. AND you catch some lunkers! That is a ridiculously fat smalljaw!

[@AnglerX]

Thank you! I’m glad you found the video helpful.

[@dawg0059]

Thank you for not wasting my time. This was one of most informative videos I have seen in a very long time! Outstanding information presented in a simple way that makes sense...Really well done!!!

[@AnglerX]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tonkeo9005]

This is the type of video that I ve been looking for. Thank you for a very helpful video

[@AnglerX]

Glad it was helpful!

[@anthonyferguson8857]

This was fantastic. Best instructional video on this topic ever. Well done.

[@AnglerX]

I appreciate the comment!

[@fisher_man_sam]

Another one to the bucket list

[@AnglerX]

It's worth taking some time to explore!

[@davidgridley3643]

Wow what an excellent job of educating us on wing dams on the mighty Mississippi. So very informative and inspiring. Thank you for sharing this ..

[@AnglerX]

Thank you 😊

[@jerrythefisherman94]

Excellent and educational video. Would you give some info regarding your boat(model,length),motor size,etc

[@frankstockman5385]

Another great video!! Very informative, to those of us who haven't spent a lot of time on the river, for about 40 years. Thank you Lance and Nikki.

[@AnglerX]

Our pleasure!

[@StormLaker]

There aren't many videos like this out there. Thanks for doing this!

[@AnglerX]

Absolutely!

[@jaxfishn0]

Wow, that was excellent! Thanks for making this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will watch this one again it was THAT good!!!!

[@AnglerX]

That's awesome! I appreciate the feedback.

[@chucklutter7399]

Thank you for yet another fantastic lesson. You did a very good job explaining the maps, using the app and most importantly for me how to read the water. This along with your content from last fall will be what i have, outside of maps, for knowledge when I finally enter the main channel from the backwaters to fish wing dams. Thank you for creating and sharing this content! TIGHT LINES ALL!

[@AnglerX]

I'm glad I could shine some light on the subject. Hopefully you can find time to explore the main channel of the Mississippi River.

[@chucklutter7399]

@@AnglerX I don't have much river experience, I'm intimidated by the Mississippi. Truly believe that the information you shared is more than enough for me to do the wing dams safely. Thank you again. TIGHT LINES ALL

[@shawncressey6853]

Cleared up some questions that I had on how to approach the wing dams. Thanks .Now I'm looking forward to giving it a shot.

[@AnglerX]

Approach wing dams slow and with caution. Good luck out there!

[@riverrat988]

You are the Wing dam master. Great video

[@AnglerX]

😊

[@toddw.9845]

Your best tip was how to read the water , where the wing damn is at , no need for a chart when on the water , Great video Lance!

[@AnglerX]

Agreed! Learning to read water on a river is critical to finding fish. It does take a bit of a trained eye. Without experience the maps can be helpful.

[@Rocket405.8]

I didn't realize how well some of the wingdams show up on satellite imagery now. I could even follow the current breaks on a few of them.

[@AnglerX]

Depending on when the image was shot they can be seen quite well. South winds tend to make them show up well.

[@coreykitzmann8853]

Outstanding video, one of your best yet! Thanks for the time and effort you put into these, i really enjoy them!

[@AnglerX]

Thank you for the positive feedback! It influences the direction of future videos.

[@jayczeczok4587]

Great video. Love catching them small mouth; such great fighters. Do you always fish the top side of the wing dams? Any advantage/disadvantage to fish the down stream side? Thank you for any advice!

[@AnglerX]

I mostly fish the upstream side of wing dams during low flow but the downstream side can hold fish as well. Check out my latest blog on this topic anglerxoutdoors.com/2024/04/breaking-down-a-wing-dam/

[@camaro6810]

This was a great video but maybe if you had a piece of paper and draw a theoretical river with wingdam, and could show/walk through steps of fish locations and boat position etc that would be a cool video. A video on concept and theory like this but customizable with your drawing for potential spots positions etc.

[@AnglerX]

That's an interesting idea! Maybe I should put a small dry erase board in the boat with me.

[@edcygan]

Exactly what I needed excellent info, thanks brother

[@AnglerX]

Great to hear! Thank you!

[@johnjeffrey9856]

Lance, thx for the tips on wing dams.

[@AnglerX]

Absolutely!

[@michaelbjork1799]

love the info you put out in your videos

[@AnglerX]

I appreciate the comment!

[@jamesrevell4625]

You always share so much.

[@markszablewski6619]

Good descriptive video, thanks Lance for taking the time to explain how to 'read the water'..couple of nice fish you managed to catch..😉

[@AnglerX]

It was nice that the fish cooperated to top off the video!

[@g-man7687]

Great vid again your channel is very relevant to me, I’m from Hastings keep up the good work

[@AnglerX]

Awesome! I have never fished up by Hastings. Might have to try it sometime.

[@g-man7687]

@@AnglerX I take at least one trip a year down to La Crosse I really love the water clarity down there. It’s a different story up here.

[@dukemunger6932]

Great video Lance. I'll be hand lining first, then I'll hit the wing dams.

[@AnglerX]

I’ve never tried hand lining.

[@RedBeardedPredators]

Great video! Enjoyed the informative information!

[@AnglerX]

I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@juliosdiy3206]

Man u got my boy exited will set up a trip this spring. Wow those fish r huge.

[@AnglerX]

The quality of fish has been good!

[@CatfishandCrappie]

Great video! I need to take a drive up there and try it out!

[@AnglerX]

The Upper Mississippi River is a fun place to explore!

[@DeanHofschulte]

Thanks for a very informative video!

[@AnglerX]

Absolutely!

[@timross7046]

Very interesting . I've always fished below the deversion dams we have on the yellowstone . Why are you finding more fish above the wing or closing dams ? It would be pretty dangerouse to try to hold above the deversion dams here .

[@AnglerX]

When the flow is right the actively feeding fish are on the upstream side of the dam. Why that is I'm not really sure, but I think it's because some flow goes over the top of the dam while the rest of it curls down the front face bringing food right to the fish for an easy meal.

[@larrygoodmanson8964]

SPOT ON, Lance!!!!!

[@AnglerX]

Thank you, Larry!

[@JonGunnerOutdoors]

Good video. I am slowly learning at least pool 8. Have not been on 7 other than Lake Onalaska. Installing a Terrova on my boat today. Looking fwd to using spot lock. No more yanking on a anchor rope 😊

[@AnglerX]

This type of fishing can be done with a traditional anchor, but man is spot lock nice!

[@camaro6810]

This was the video I was talking about, I have my humminbird with lakemaster, and I printed off the maps you linked for pool 2. Its just tough to tell from the videos if you are positioned upstream of wingdam and casting to the upstream side of the wingdam and pulling back? Or parallel to the wingdam and casting upstream side of the wingdam and pulling back. I wish there was more info on direction of the water flow, and where the fish sit in relation to the wingdam, upstream or downstream....or do they sit on both sides of the wingdam and you just position your boat in whatever way makes it easiest for you to cast to the upstream or downstream side of the wingdam? I actually dont find it that difficult to find the wingdam, I think the part I struggle with is where the fish are in relation to the wingdam, upstream or downstream or both and what that means for boat position, part boat upstream or downstream of wingdam and cast to the edge of the wingdam and retrieve.

[@AnglerX]

There is a lot that can be talked about when describing how fish use and relate to wing dams. Generally, when I'm looking for walleye and hopping from dam to dam, I position the boat on the upstream side of the dam and cast downstream. By bringing the jig into the current back to the boat. This allows me to really slow down and control the fall rate of the jig. Fall rate is especially important when the water is cold and jig needs to hover in the strike zone. Walleyes can be found on the downstream side of wing dams and tend to be more neutral. I find if they are using the upstream side, they are there to do one thing and that is feed! The amount of flow in the river can play a major role in which dams are holding walleye and which side of the dam they will be on. Higher flows will tend push walleyes to the downstream side of the dam where they can get some relief from the current. This whole topic could be a book! I'll have to talk about this more in future videos. Thank you for the question!

[@camaro6810]

thanks for providing more explanation, looking forward to the future videos @@AnglerX

[@denniswilliams280]

You nailed it. Great description of what you are doing. The camera work and the sidebars are very good as well.

[@AnglerX]

Thank you!

[@jdf6574]

Great video Lance

[@AnglerX]

Thank you, JD!

[@B.A.P.]

another great vid!

[@AnglerX]

Thank you!

[@gregcuttill6602]

Good stuff, thank you.

[@AnglerX]

Thank you!

[@brandonfrank04]

Thank you so much! I learned more about main channel fishing in this 25 minutes than I have in the last 4 years of owning a boat. This video was perfect. I see you have an Angler X hat. Do you have a merch store i can buy something to help support your channel and pay you back?

[@AnglerX]

Thank you! You can purchase merch on our website anglerxoutdoors.com/shop/

[@jakebrooks2566]

Great video! What jig are you pairing with the fluke?

[@AnglerX]

Either Eagle Claw Lazer Pro V or VMC mooneye.

[@drdavewi]

Thanks Lance, This is a great educational video. You are giving me the courage to trailer my boat to the big river. Do you know if the Lake Master Wisconsin for Humminbird depth finders has the wing dams, like the Navionics App? Thank you for showing me the Army Corps maps; these look like a great resource.

[@AnglerX]

I believe the Lake Master chips have the wing dams on them as well. I don’t know if they all have them or only certain ones.

[@drdavewi]

🙂@@AnglerX

[@DWSOutdoors]

Could you imagine the amount of computer work combined with proper documantation it took to build that site 🤯

[@AnglerX]

Technology can be good if used properly..

[@andrewwilhorn1066]

Great video. As one starting out, how would one go about deciding what wing dams to initially target? Are there characteristics around a wing dam that make more attractive to fish than others?

[@AnglerX]

I mostly go by depth and flow. I like the wing dam to be at least 12-15 feet deep at the end on the upstream side. Abnormally shaped wing dams are also ones I definitely like to fish.

[@1850Niko]

Is there ever a time to fish the downstream side of the wingdam? Are there different species that prefer upstream side vs downstream side? Thanks

[@AnglerX]

I’ve been fishing both sides for walleye more recently. The current seam that forms downstream off the end of wingdam can hold walleye and sauger. Catfish will hold in the deep washouts on the downstream side. Also, sauger will hangout in the deeper water downstream. Walleye, bluegills and smallmouth like to be near the rocks on the upstream side.

[@indyjones4420]

Are wing dam locations on the Lake Master cards?

[@AnglerX]

Yes. I believe so.

[@jaymcnaughton8756]

Why do you like upstream casting back versus a downstream position working the bait with current?

[@AnglerX]

Casting downstream and working the jig into the current gives me better control of the fall rate of the jig. It allows the jig to slowly fall back to the bottom and hang in the strike zone longer. Also, working it down the face of a rock pile or wing dam is much easier because you can feel the rocks as it slowly ticks them.

[@andrewnevermann4427]

What kind of plastics did you use?

[@AnglerX]

www.liquidwillowcat.com

[@jonrudolph6814]

I am going out Prairie Du Chien this weekend. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[@AnglerX]

I’ve never fished out Prairie Du Chien. I’ll have to give it a try sometime. What species are you targeting?

[@jonrudolph6814]

@@AnglerX always walleye. Maybe smallmouth I do ok most of the time. This area is new to me.

[@AnglerX]

@@jonrudolph6814 river is a little fast and dirty but fish are active. I struggled a bit to find walleye last weekend but smallmouth were hitting poppers on sand drops.

[@DWSOutdoors]

You missed the EASIEST way to find a Wing Dam.... Your lower unit. 👀

[@AnglerX]

Easy but expensive.

[@DWSOutdoors]

@@AnglerX 😂 who said fishing was cheap 👀

[@AnglerX]

True!

[@corylidwin9068]

Great video, thank you.

[@AnglerX]

😊