Bluegill fishing at Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)

In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Goose Island backwaters is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.

Crappie fishing at Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)

Spring crappie on Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse) hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 5.6): a creek channel around 19 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. Goose Island backwaters is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.

Walleye fishing at Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)

In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. Black River confluence (La Crosse) is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 12 ft, rated prime for spring walleye. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Sauger fishing at Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)

In spring, sauger run shallow here, mostly 4 to 18 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. Black River confluence (La Crosse) is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 12 ft, rated prime for spring sauger. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait and you're in the game.

Northern Pike fishing at Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)

In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. Goose Island backwaters is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.

How deep is Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)?

Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse) is about 25 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)?

Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, sauger, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp on Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse).

Where is the best fishing spot on Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)?

Goose Island backwaters is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Mississippi River Pool 8 (La Crosse)?

For bluegill, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.