Time to go shallow?

[Fever]

Just wondering what peoples thoughts were about these late ice Panfish. With 02 levels getting lower and lower in the deeper parts of the lake I think the aggressiveness of the fish that inhabit those areas will be less. So I'm thinking it may be time to move a bit shallower. I'm going out later this afternoon to try the shallow bite. Gonna put out my real weeds and a few crappie decoys and drill a bunch of holes and try to find em. I'm thinking the 8-12 foot range compared to what I was fishin in the 18-22 range.

[GatorBait]

I've been getting big gills in the 6-8ft shallows for the last two weeks. I think it's a great idea right now.

[Eric_Kruger]

ive been fishing 5-7 feet as well for the last few weeks!

[MuleShack]

I agree, found a bunch of nice sunnies in 6-8' yesterday.

[landscaper]

yep i have the same idea as you guys

Hitting up the shallows here this coming week for some pannies and to try out my new ice 55!!

[Jameson]

My spearhouse has been in the same spot for maybe a month or so. 10 FOW, next to a shallow bay. At first I was seeing very few sunnies, and hardly any pike. I have been seeing increasing numbers of sunnies for the last two weeks, and today their were hoards of sunnies under the house. So yes, I think they are moving shallow. BTW, I couldn't get a sunny to bite on a vertically hooked jig today, turned it horizontal, and they were slamming it!

[deadeye]

I think shallow is the way to go a good portion of the winter anyway if you want big gills and crappies. It always seems like there aren't quite the numbers that you find with the deep schooling fish but the size makes up for it.

Its weird though. Today I got a bunch of really nice gills mixed in with the crappies in 25 FOW so I guess they are all over. Just got to play it by ear sometimes.

[Ed Carlson]

As we creep closer to the Vernal Equinox on Mar 20 2010 it is a sure bet fish are on the move too in response to the longer days.

Shallow is a very good bet as the days lengthen.

[RumRiverRat]

Curly leaf pond weed is growing in the lakes that I fish.

Find new weed growth and you find fish.

The new growth is the only thing that keeps one of the lakes from being opened to liberalized fishing.

[slurpie]

I was in 10' or less yesterday where i seen some sunnies weeks back never seen one today.

[Fly2day]

Was out Friday morning in about 30 FOW and it seemed the closer to the bottom I got with my bait the more action, and bigger crappies I would catch. Sounds like it depends on the lake right now.

[waterbound]

I've been getting some nice sized sunnies in holes over 20 feet deep (but the fish were suspended from the bottom to about 6 feet under and the big ones were on the top of the pile) and out of the spear hole in about 10 feet.

[SFC]

For sunfish the only bites th last few weeks were on a horizontal jig. Every bite or fish caught I had to adjust the jig so it was perfectly hori. or no more bites. I could see the fish in about 9 ft. real lite bite. sucked it in then spit it out & gone. First tick set the hook.

[Fredd]

I fished a lake yesterday and fished 13' of water on the south end and 7' on the north. Sunnies both places but much more aggressive in the shallows.

[mr_jman]

Had a slow day today in about 12' but yesterday moving around in 8' - 10' was very productive!

[waterbound]

I should add that when I was catching fish they were biting very light, sometimes the rod barely moved at all, if any when they bit. Usually I would only catch the fish if I got lucky and was jigging the same time they bit. Deadsticking was effective but often fish spit the jig before I could grab the rod. I had much better luck fishing through the spear hole because I could set the hook as soon as I saw the fish inhale the jig and I didn't have to wait for the rod to move.

[shizzy]

18FOW for me. the were all 1-2' off the bottom, but now I have been finding them all along the water column. light jigging has worked best for me. very light bite as well.

[fishguyd]

Depends on the conditions at hand, Some lakes can maintain shallow O2 all winter long, some cannot, each system is a little different. However, this winter a shallow pattern did hold almost the entire winter on many lakes that would normally produce deeper fish, ya just never know for sure. Good Luck, Capt. Josh

[MidCoast]

I was fishing 30 feet yesterday and I was still catching nice size panfish deep.