GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Pioneer PBS’s Prairie Sportsman will feature winter fishing on the Mississippi River and the invasion of rock snot in northeast Minnesota streams on its upcoming episode. “All Along the River” will air on Sunday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. on Pioneer PBS.
The first segment, “Pool 4 Party,” highlights Pool 4 of the Mississippi River, located between Red Wing and Wabasha. Pool 4 is a popular spot for walleye and sauger fishing in the winter months. Despite the below freezing temperatures, host Bret Amundson heads out with Tim DeMille from Fine Line Outdoors to take advantage of the open water. Thanks to a warm water discharge up the river, the water upstream of Lake Pepin never freezes, making it an ideal spot for fishing even in mid-February. The area offers a full-service bait shop and 24-hour service for late night anglers and, despite the cold, they manage to find some quality catches and share tips and tricks for fishing the cold winter waters.
In “Rock Snot Invasion,” viewers will learn about the mats of golden-brown goo, called rock snot, that have been showing up on rocks in North Shore streams. Formed by an algae called didymo, researchers think rock snot has lived in the Great Lakes for thousands of years. But the first discovery in a Minnesota stream was in 2018 in the Poplar River. Prairie Sportsman is out with researchers from the St. Croix Watershed Research Station and DNR who are sampling 25 North Shore streams. Rock snot can change the ecology of a river and impact insects that provide quality fish food.
People in Pioneer PBS’s viewing area can livestream this episode at www.pioneer.org/live on Sunday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. “All Along the River” will be repeated on Monday, March 27 at 12:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. The program will also be available to stream at www.pioneer.org/prairiesportsman and on Prairie Sportsman’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/@PrairieSportsman.
About Prairie Sportsman
Produced by Pioneer PBS, Prairie Sportsman is an Emmy-awarded series that celebrates love of the outdoors by featuring stories on hunting, fishing and recreation, while promoting environmental stewardship. Prairie Sportsman’s team is Dylan Curfman, producer, videographer and editor; Bret Amundson, host and editor; Cindy Dorn, writer and producer; and Dan Amundson, videographer and editor. The 2023 season is made possible by funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, Shalom Hill Farm, Live Wide Open, Western Minnesota Prairie Waters and members of Pioneer PBS.
About Pioneer PBS
Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station, dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit: www.pioneer.org.
