Half & full day
Open Water Fishing
The bread and butter. Walleye, smallmouth, crappie and catfish on the St. Croix and the Mississippi, four or eight hours, everything supplied.
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St. Croix River & Mississippi Pools 1–4 · Stillwater, MN
By appointment (612) 219-6165
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St. Croix River Mississippi Pools 1–4
You tell us what you
want to catch.
We’ll go find it.
Guided fishing out of Stillwater, Minnesota with Captain Jamison Johnson — U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain, thirty years of fishing and twelve of them on this river. Sturgeon, walleye, bass, crappie and catfish.
By appointment · Gear, bait and tackle included
USCG Master Captain
Licensed and current
30+ Years Fishing
Twelve of them on the St. Croix
Private Trips Only
Your group, never a shared boat
Everything Provided
Rods, reels, tackle and bait
Why fish with us
Most guides take you fishing.
Jamison takes you after your fish.
There is a difference between a boat ride and a plan. Before your trip, Jamison wants to know what you came for — a first walleye for a nine-year-old, a sturgeon that bends the rod in half, a quiet afternoon chasing smallmouth along the bluffs. Then he picks the water, the bait and the hour to match it.
Thirty years of fishing, twelve of them on the St. Croix and the Mississippi, means he already knows where they sit in high water, low water, cold fronts and dog days. That is the whole job.
“I’m more detail-oriented than most guides out there. I do my best to put people on fish — and on the fish they came for.”
Capt. Jamison Johnson
0
Years of fishing
experience
experience
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Species we
target year-round
target year-round
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Mississippi pools
in the rotation
in the rotation
0
Years on the
St. Croix itself
St. Croix itself
What we run
Pick your kind of day
Half day or full day, open water or hard water. Every trip is private — it is your group and your captain, nobody else.
No rods required
Fall Color Tours
The valley from the water in late September and October. Enclosed cabin, heat, restroom aboard.
Your boat, our captain
Sober Captain
Have your own boat and a group aboard? Jamison will run it for the day so everyone can enjoy the river and nobody has to wonder who is driving.
Property owners
Nuisance Wildlife
Trouble with critters on your shoreline or water? Give us a call and we will take a look.
Know your target
Five fish worth the drive
Lake Sturgeon
The river monster
Armored, prehistoric and strong enough to pull the boat around. The St. Croix holds a genuinely healthy population, and they are worth every bit of the fight. Every single one goes back in the water.
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov, plus hard water
- Where
- Deep holes and current seams
- Keep
- Catch and release, always
Walleye
The one everybody wants
Minnesota’s fish, and the reason most folks book. River walleye move with the water, so knowing which pool and which break is working this week is the entire game. Anything over 23 inches goes back.
- Best months
- Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov
- Where
- Wing dams, breaks, tailwater
- Keep
- Under 23″ per regulations
Smallmouth Bass
Pound for pound, the scrapper
The St. Croix is quietly one of the better smallmouth rivers in the upper Midwest. Rock, current and clear water — they hit hard and they jump. A great trip for anyone who would rather cast than sit.
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Where
- Rock shelves and current breaks
- Keep
- Mostly release
Crappie
The kid-pleaser
When you want bites instead of waiting, this is the trip. Slab crappie stack up in the backwaters and under the ice, and they are the best fish going for getting a young angler hooked for life.
- Best months
- Apr–May and Dec–Mar
- Where
- Backwaters, brush, ice
- Keep
- Yes, within limits
Channel & Flathead Catfish
Summer nights, heavy rods
Warm water turns the cats on, and the Mississippi pools hold some genuinely big ones. Simple fishing, serious pull, and a good excuse to be on the river when the sun goes down.
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Where
- Holes, timber, current edges
- Keep
- Yes, within limits
Timing
What’s biting, and when
There is no bad month out here, only different fish. Here is roughly how the year runs.
Mar — May
Spring
Walleye stacked in the current after ice-out, sturgeon waking up, crappie pushing shallow. The busiest and often the best stretch of the year.
Walleye · Sturgeon · Crappie
Jun — Aug
Summer
Smallmouth on the rocks, catfish after dark, and the cruiser out on the sandbars. Early mornings and evenings are the ticket when it gets hot.
Bass · Catfish · Beach days
Sep — Nov
Fall
The good one. Walleye feed hard, sturgeon turn back on, and the valley lights up. Color tours and fishing trips both book out fast.
Walleye · Sturgeon · Color tours
Dec — Feb
Hard Water
Once it locks up we go after sturgeon and crappie through the ice. Four or eight hours, and yes, it is worth the cold.
Sturgeon · Crappie
Where we fish
Forty miles of river, and four pools
The St. Croix from Taylors Falls down to Prescott, then the Mississippi through Pools 1 to 4. Different water, different weeks, different fish.
Fishing trips — the Warrior
The Beach House Marina
101 Lake Cir, Bayport, MN 55003
Park next door at Lakeside Park and walk over.
Cruises & tours — the house boat
Boomsite Marina
9369 St Croix Trail N, Stillwater, MN 55082
Parking is on site at the marina.
30
yearson the water
Your guide
Captain Jamison Johnson
Jamison started fishing at four years old and never really stopped. Twelve years ago his family landed in the St. Croix River Valley for work, fell for the place, and stayed. What was a lifelong obsession turned into the job.
He holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain’s license and volunteers at youth fishing clinics around the valley. Patient with beginners, straight with veterans, and particular about doing it right.
- U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain — current
- Thirty years fishing, twelve on the St. Croix
- Youth fishing clinic volunteer
- Good with kids, families and big groups
The fleet
Two boats, so the day fits the group
Fishing rig
2020 Warrior V2090
Fast, tight and built to fish. This is the boat when you are here to catch something and want to move when the bite moves.
- Length
- 20 ft
- Power
- 200 hp Yamaha
- Guests
- Up to 3
GPS · Fish finder · VHF radio · Wireless trolling motor · Livewell
Comfort rig
32′ Sun Tracker Cruiser
Enclosed cabin, air conditioning, restroom and a galley. The one for families, bigger groups, color tours and beach days.
- Length
- 32 ft
- Power
- 150 hp Mercury
- Guests
- Up to 6
A/C · Restroom · Kitchen · GPS · Fish finder · VHF radio
Good to know
What’s on the boat, what’s on you
We bring
- Rods, reels and tackle
- Live bait when it applies
- Cooler with ice
- Thirty years of knowing where they are
You bring
- A valid MN or WI fishing license
- Polarized sunglasses and a hat
- Non-spray sunscreen
- Clothes for the actual weather
- Food and drinks — alcohol in moderation, no glass
How we treat the river
- Every sturgeon goes back, no exceptions
- Walleye over 23″ are released
- We treat the river with respect — pack it in, pack it out, and leave a spot better than we found it
From the boat
What folks say after
Placeholder review copy goes here once Jamison sends over the real ones. Two or three sentences reads best in this card.
Placeholder review copy goes here once Jamison sends over the real ones. Two or three sentences reads best in this card.
Placeholder review copy goes here once Jamison sends over the real ones. Two or three sentences reads best in this card.
The proof
Recent days on the water
By appointment
So — what are we going after?
Tell Jamison what you want to catch and when you can get out here. He will tell you straight whether it lines up, and what will.