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The second part of Buttonwood is across from Bluegrass Island and further downstream from part one. This area is much shallower and has many rock shelves you can stand on and wade on to reach the deeper middle channel. Be very careful wading, because there are very deep drop offs.
The water also flows faster here because of the higher rockbed.
Buttonwood and Bluegrass are still fishable when the water level is lower (582 or less). Wading to Bluegrass Island is open once the water level is below 582 and provides excellent fishing.
At it’s narrowest point here, from Bluegrass Island to Buttonwood Park, the river sits at 90-140 yards across (depending on water levels). If you have waded in from either side, you should be able to cast into most of the deep channels and should have no issues accessing the hot areas of the river.
There is a deep middle channel that snakes between Bluegrass Island and Buttonwood. You can wade here so that you can access this deep middle channel. Walleye like to wait in the deeper channels for shad and minnow to come into their area.
Further, upstream on the Buttonwood side of the river (the south side), you can access the deep channel from shore, depending on how far you can cast.
Here you also see the Bluegrass Island fishing area (north side of the river on this map). Most people cross at that rock shelf (at the point where the river forks, in the back channel) that connects Sidecut to Bluegrass and walk over to the main river. Anglers can access the deep channels from the Bluegrass side as well and this provides some of the best fishing in the river.
You can only wade across to Bluegrass if the water is 582 feet (above sea level) or less. If it hits 582, crossing is dangerous and closed. There will be signs posted.
Further downstream, near where the river comes back together, you have great deep holes off Bluegrass Island and you will see lines of fishermen lined up to cast into those
deep holes.
Fishing any further downstream from this major hot spot isn’t very productive when the water level is below 582.