Crappies on Vermilion

[Guest]

Will be up fishing Vermilion first week of Sept. Staying at Retreat Lodge. Looking for any information on crappies on this lake. Have been up past few years end of July on west end and no luck. Hope to find a few this year. Any ideas or suggestions would be great. Thanks Also any ideas on gills would also be appreciated.

JK

[CrappieJohn]

Smokin...Do yourself a favor and go to the map store, found here on this HSOforum and pick up a map of the lake. When you receive it, set down and look for areas with water in the twenty to thirty foot range with weed beds adjecent to them, near to where you will be staying unless you have a larger boat worthy of navigating larger water. Mid-lake humps with rocks and weeds could be a strong second choice to look for craps. Go prepared...take plastics (tubes, 2" twisters), maribou jigs,minnows, waxies, slip floats and a good supply of stops and sinkers. Look for your fish on the edges of the weeds...they may be high up in the water column or they could be anywhere down to the bottom. If you can control the boat without anchoring, I would suggest not. If you must anchor, do so very quietly AFTER you have found or marked fish on the electronics. Casting a jig, either hair,feather or plastic and letting it freefall drop to where the fish are and then retrieve keeping at that depth will cream the active fish. If they appear to be neutral or shut off, hang a jig or jig/minnow (or waxie) under a float and let it soak in front of thier noses will usually illict a few strikes. If they don't want to hit at,say nine am, come back at three pm and try again. You may want to fish according to moon tables. Hope this wil;l help you out...

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!

[Slugo]

I've not had great luck crappie fishing on Vermillion. I hear there are some dandy ones in there tho...You might want to try the area east of Zupps point. Two bays with deeper water close by. also check with Joe at Northwoods Bait in Cook he usualy has good info.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the replys. Jim know what you are talking about several years ago we were on a Rush Lake in the Detroit Lakes area had a great day and pulled in some dandys. Next day it looked like a parade on the lake everyone following us around to see where we caught them.

JK

[Jim W]

Might be a drive from where your staying, but I located a good spot for Fall Crappies on Vermilion. Might be a timing issue, since I got into them around the 3rd week of September.

It is North of Pine Island. Accessing from the East side, go through the narrow channel by(I believe) Glenwood Lodge.

It opens up again. As you make the turn heading into the next bay there is an island. On the back side of that island is a second one.(lose ya yet?)

Just out front of the second island on the East side is a 26 foot hole. This was the only place I found with water that deep. Sure enough it held some "dinner plates". It is a small area.

I stumbled onto them pulling spinner rigs/crawler harnesses for walldogs.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of telling the Resort owner about the crappies. The next morning there were 4 boats vertically jigging right over the hole. 4 boats and no room for me. Oh well.

If you don;t get into the crappies try fishing the little island/big boulder just after you pass through the narrow channel. It drops to about 22 feet in front. We caught quite a few jumbo perch and walleye there!

Good luck!

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W

[MUSKIES4ME]

SMOKIN; I USED TO OWN A CABIN NEXT TO RETREAT LODGE. IF YOU GO NORTH THRU OAK NARROWS AND FISH THE CHANNEL BETWEEN NILES BAY AND WOLF BAY YOU SHOULD FIND CRAPPIES SUSPENDED OVER THE DEEP HOLE(40FT OR SO)GET RIGHT NEXT TO THE DROP FROM20-25 FT.