Catching crappies on clear nothern MN lakes?

[Avid Angler]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to get some advice on fishing the clear waters of northern MN for crappies.

My family and I are heading up to the Backus area for a week at the end of July. I am used to fishing lakes with water clarity less than 3 ft for crappies.

Can you guys give me some tips on how to find those fish and what you are using to catch them?

Thanks for your help.

Avid

[Bigtom]

I had good luck with a black flu flu with larve on sunny days. Or a green and chartruse flu flu. I found some by the pencile reeds mixed with sunfish they were small but big ones probebly would move in at night.

[OnAFly]

Try weedlines and over basins adjacent to weedlines if the water is warm. Look in the weeks towards evening.

A great tactic is trolling the basins next to a weedline with small crank baits like Rattlin Rap #3 and small Salmo Hornets. It's been my most effective midsummer crappie catcher in the past.

[Avid Angler]

Thanks guys.

I like to troll the #4 rattle traps as well. I use that method to find crappies on these southern MN lakes. Once I find them, I slow down and go through them swimming some type of 1/8 oz jig and minnow combination. Pretty effective.

Avid

[Scott M]

I've fished some of those lakes in the Pine River-Backus-Longville-Hackensack area and have done well in the summer pitching jigs on deep weedlines. Trolling is a thought too. I'm sure you'll have a great trip and catch lots of fish. Good luck.

[Jim Uran]

Weedlines(preferably cabbage and coontail) next to dropoffs to deeper water are an excellent place to start!

I like to slip bobber those areas, I don't let the float sit there for more than a minute than I reel in and cast to a fresh spot! Most of the time I just leave it there for 20 seconds or so, than reel in slow and cast it somewhere else.

Also jigs and plastics work in those same areas, work every layer of the water column. The aggressive fish will be up higher, but sometimes the more neutral fish will be tucked in along the bottom of those weeds but will take the right offering.

[paceman]

I really enjoy summer crappie fishing. I usually will troll a small hair jig or twister tail type plastic along a weededge. Once I catch a few and find a pattern I will start pitching the jigs. I have been really slaying them the last 10 days.

[stoneeyes317]

Paceman:

How late into the summer does this work for you? I will be up to Star Lake in early August and I've had problems catching crappies there the last few years. If this is a good pattern I will try it out.

Thanks for any reply,

eyes317

[Bobb-o]

Pitching jigs like the 1/32 oz Lindy Jig into the weed edges and slowly dragging them back down off the weeds generally works for me. Depending on how you fish, tip them with either a minnow or a plastic and you should be able to find some good fish. The crappies will use these weeds to hide from predators and sunlight during the day on clear lakes and will dart out to feed on unsuspecting prey. As the sun begins to fade to near the tree tops they will move out from the weed edges and start feeding more actively.

[paceman]

They are stilling biting really good. Simply tossing jigs along the midlake weedlines.

[SteeveeD]

I had good luck last week casting 1/16 road runner with a 2 1/2 gulp minnow over the weeds early in the morning on a clear lake.