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<p>Granite Falls Dam being removed!</p>
<p><a href="http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x2056583094/Removal-of-old-dam-near-Granite-Falls-to-help-Minnesota-River">http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x2056583094/Removal-of-old-dam-near-Granite-Falls-to-help-Minnesota-River</a></p>
Thats great news, probably the best for the Blue Sucker. Now they can go all the way to Big Stone, I do beleive.
There's actually two dams there, this just takes out the lower one. It only adds 3 miles to the free run of the river because of the other dam 3 miles upstream in downtown Granite Falls. But it does add a big huge whitewater spawning rapids which will definitely help blue suckers. I'm hoping the former dam site will be open to fishing, too.
Heck yeah, that would be a cool road trip fishing spot for a day or two...
Just talked to Chris, the guy mentioned in the article. He says they expect blues to use the area a lot. In fact, they've found quite a few blues in the stretch between the dams over the last few years. Here's a few pics of blue suckers electrofished between the two dams over the last couple of years:
Oh wow. That's pornographic.
Redhorse ID cheatsheets, gars, suckers: moxostoma.com
2020: 10 days fishing 11 species 0 lifers. 2019: 34/45/13 2018: 39/40/5
Oh yeah it is. Bad time of year to be posting stuff like that...
The dam will be removed by the end of February. Kayakers like my brother will start running the gorge at the end of March. I plan on being there this spring. These rapids have been buried for a hundred years, and the Great Blue Suckers have been spawning there the whole time. This is going to change the Minnesota River. It might bring the lake sturgeon back, but it sure as hell is going to mean more blue suckers to catch.
Let there be fire!
There was a 3 mile long Eden of Blue suckers?! How did I not know about that....
Also, that severaly contradicts the idea that they need long stretches of open river to migrate, good spawning habitat and backwaters to rear young. Apparently, you just need spawning habitat.