Our local walleye fishing club, CRANDIC, is having a tournament out of Dubuque, IA on June 6th. Its been years since I’ve fished Pool 12 which extends from Lock and Dam 12 located at Bellevue, IA upstream over 26 miles to Loack and Dam 11 at Dubuque. On Friday, the 21st, campground friend Steve Ballou and I put the Ranger 620 in the water above the dam at the Spruce Creek boat ramp and headed north. The morning was “misting” as we left but a couple hours into our day the rain dumped on us big time! My plan for the day was to go about half way up to Dubuque checking out spots from old map research I’d done looking for historical walleye spots during early summer. This time of the year does find most of the fish relating to “wing dams” (piles of rock extending out to the river channel). We tried fishing some selected spots but the south wind hampered good boat control. We ended up pulling leadcore line with crankbaits up river in an area that looked “fishy” to me. Just a couple minutes into the pull, Steve had a fish on! A nice 22-inch walleye was in the boat, measured, picture taken, then released to grow bigger! The River has a slot limit which means all walleyes 20-27 inches long must be released. Fortunately, these fish will count for us in our Catch, Record, Release tournament. The heavy rain and wind put a damper on our day but I was pleased we had found an area that might hold some tournament day fish. On Saturday, the 22nd, I pulled the 620 up to Dubuque and met Chris and Matt Speicher, along with Jack dog, for a day on the River. It was a real treat to have those two with me because they ALWAYS catch fish! Same game plan as Friday–check out wing dams and look for active fish. Again, the south wind hampered casting cranks over wing dams so I ran the boat while they cast the best they could. I’m pleased to report Chris caught some really nice walleyes including one over 25 inches he said was his biggest on the River! We did pull leadcore, too. The outside rod on Matt’s side of the boat slammed back in the rod holder and he thought it was a snag–nope…a big sheepshead! We continued down river and came to where Steve and I left off on Friday. I had forgotten what happens when there is a nice warm day on the River near Memorial Day weekend: every one with a boat is on the water!! We ended up checking out a couple wing dams up by the Lock and Dam then put the boat on the trailer. Chris headed home to Hampshire, IL, and Matt spent the night and morning with me Sunday before heading back to Ames, IA. It had been too long a time since I’d shared a day with my sons fishing for walleye! By the way, Matt has bait vending machines available to you in central Iowa if you’re over that way. Be sure to check out Spike’s Bait Facebook page for locations or to contact him for your live bait needs. Two campground buddies, Randy and Bill, took me out crappie fishing with them in Randy’s boat after Matt left. I had one bite while they each caught a fish checking out spots downriver from the Bellevue Lock and Dam. After a few camper chores, it was on the road back home to Cedar Rapids. I leave today for Sturgeon Bay and the second NWT event of the season this Thur/Fri. Then, its Memorial Day weekend! Please take some time this weekend to reflect on the words “all gave some, some gave all” as we remember our generations who fought to keep the way of life we enjoy. Thank you to my fishing partners and to Mike for posting! Tight lines, Spike