Steam Plant?

[Travis C.]

Question for you steam plant (gallatin) guys.

How much river flow is there in that area during winter? I have mapped it and it's roughly half mile across from coles ferry ramp. That is nothing for my trolling motor or even me rowing my polarkraft over unless there is a strong current.

The trolling motor will move me and another 170-180lb guy plus gear up the Caney on 250cfs so it will handle a little flow.

What you think?

If it should be fine I will go ahead and shut my big boat down for the year and just use the polarkraft since it would either be Caney, GSP or Dale from now on.

[txnative]

Not bad at all. It gets a tiny bit rough right in the boils, but pretty tame everywhere else. As long as no boaters are flying thru, crossing the channel is a cinch, and once you are past or against the island, you should be free and clear of any trouble.


Chris

[Travis C.]

Not bad at all. It gets a tiny bit rough right in the boils, but pretty tame everywhere else.

Chris

You mean up in the canal right? I don't know if I'd be all the way up there so everything else is just like being on the lake current wise.

Can't wait to fling a fly up there next chance I can to get out.

[txnative]

The current picks up the further into the channel you go, of course, but a trolling motor will handle it easily.


Chris

[CreekWalker]

Is my assumption that the water temperature on the river needs to drop below 50 or so before baitfish enter the canal an accurate one?

[Jim]

Travis,

It isn't a problem at all. With different wind and current conditions, you can cross the main channel and get close to the islands or shore to get up to the steam plant canal. Most of the flats on both sides of the canal have good fishing, even if most people are in the canal.

Once in the canal, a trolling motor is an fine, but slow way to get all the way to the boils. But you can fish the whole way and no one spot is that much better than the rest. I have caught good fish from one end to the other.

Only issue is there is not much parking at Coles Ferry Ramp, so on real busy days it may be tight parking.

CreekWalker, the bait fish will be in the area almost all year except in the heat of the summer. The predator fish just have many other places to find them. I am sure some are already in the area, but by mid December it is usually getting good at the steam plant.

I don't hit the Steam Plant early unless it is really cold as the fish are still biting great in other spots during most of November. Plus it gets old fishing only the Steam Plant by the end of the season in late Feb. There is plenty of time to hit the Steam Plant during the winter, so enjoy the rest of the lake while the fishing is still good.

With that said, the steam plant is great fun in the winter. The colder the better. Catching big stripers as it snows is a treat during January.

Jim

[txnative]

Jim is dead-on. I seem to have a higher catch rate away from the boils, but still push up to them to see what is going on. The flats are great, too. I catch a bigger variety of species in or near the flats than in the actual channel. My assumption is that the channel acts as a highway of sorts and the flats are feeding/holding areas, so your luck would improve since there are more fish in the area. But don't take my word for it, spend a few days out there and test out my theory. By the way, weekdays are much better due to the lower number if boats (and less idiots who zoom in and out of the channel...that's my pet peeve there) affecting the fish, especially the larger ones. And yes, Travis, big stripers DO exist and they can be caught at the GSP. :)


Chris

[Mnfishingbum]

I have a 15 foot Jon and have used only a trolling motor many times. You are fine

[Travis C.]

Thanks for the info guys. I will check it out once the time gets right.

[jmsjordan]

last two times I have tried to get to the canal I have gotten stuck when I get out of the main channel. Is there a specific place to cross over to get pass the very shallow flats or to the canal? Thanks
James

[txnative]

There is a deeper channel surrounded by shallow flats in both sides all the way to the main river channel. Once you leave the mouth of the plant, you should be in water deeper than 10 ft. Stay in line with the channel behind you until you have passed the front of the island upstream from the steam plant. You should be in the main channel at this point.

Two things to pay attention to are your depth (should not be less than 10 ft, if you notice the water getting shallow, you are moving out if the channel) and the other is a small patch of rock that is near the end of the steam plant's channel. You won't always see it, since water levels fluctuate, but it is always shallow enough to do damage.


Chris

[TNtransplant08]

I know people in the past have talked about catching walleyes/saucer at the steam plant. Where do you generally catch them, the flats or in the steam plant channel? What do they generally catch them on? Is the place usually busy Friday afternoons?

[gboyce]

When I fish Walleye/sauger in the steam plant I fish the channel for them. There are a lot of different methods you will see up there when they start making there run up the channel. Easiest for me is a walleye jig tipped with minnow and just float down the channel bouncing it. But you will see guys trolling for them ( I never have luck with this for some reason) and some guys will net shad and hook them with a small split shot about 6-12 inches above the hook and cast the currents or drift fish the channel. I do know some guys catch them on the flats but not sure how consistent that is.

[agelesssone]

I think I'm going to hit the GSP for some WEB's (what ever bites) sometime this week. I'll try a few different methods. Going to try trolling worm harnesses, deep running cranks and jigging a minnow. I know that netting shad and using the hook and splitshot will catch everything that swims in that channel.

I just have to finish putting my boat back together. Just a coupla hours left and I'm good to go.

[jmsjordan]

Thanks for the info. Last time there, had to jump out and push boat. Cant wait to hit it!

[TNtransplant08]

Thanks for the info on the 'eyes guys. Seems like livebait is the way to go! I'll have to give it a go whenever I head out there. Thinking about going there next wednesday. Perhaps I'll see one of you there!

[agelesssone]

Boat's done so I'm gettin ready to go to the GSP and do some trolling, casting, jigging for WEB's.

[Jim]

If you are looking for sauger or walleye at the steam plant, it is a hit or miss deal. They move in and out by the day and hour sometimes. I have caught plenty over the years, but rarely target them exclusively. I typically fish for whatever is biting and love to drift a threadfin shad on light tackle.

The live shad will get bit by sauger and walleye, but I miss more than I hook. It is easy to tell when they are bit by these toothy fish as the shad will have triangular tears in it after the fish pulls off. I probably only get 1/3 of the fish that bite. Once I get a bite from a walleye I add a stinger hook to the rig. Most of the fish I catch are on the stinger hook. It is almost a must for these species.

If they are biting well, the jig with minnow or plastic body with a stinger hook bounced directly under the boat as you drift or troll around it probably the best way to catch numbers of fish. It will catch other species, but not as many as the drifting shad rig will.

Any place in the channel can hold sauger or walleye and the drop off at the mouth and downstream about 100 yds can be real good. I fish out to about 35 ft deep and then move back in. This keeps you right on the drop off.

The hardest thing about walleye fishing at the stream plant is ignoring all the other species of fish around you. That is why I mostly fish the drift shad rig. It catches everything. But a stinger hook is a pain in the rear when stripe, skippies, or bass are biting so I don't use it unless I am getting bit by walleye.

Hope it helps,
Jim

PS - Someone mentioned difficulty getting into the steam plant canal. There is a bar at the mouth and it is rarely deeper than 4 ft on top of the bar, it drops off to 10 ft right after the bar so go slow as you head into the canal. If you see 2 ft of water on your depthfinder you have missed the opening and back out and try again.