open water

[CrappieJohn]

I fished a narrow chute of open water at my favorite puddle yesterday. As luck would have it, the weather was poor the evening before and dropped a couple inches of slushy snow/ rain in the area. The barometer was on the rise when I left to fish and things were typical cold front. I managed three so-so crappies and had a northern do the bite thing. Water temp was at 40 degrees where I sat, but was at 35.5 where the run-off enter at the ice sheet and that water slowly crept over into my area and things went south from there. The water was dirty as well. I know that the larger fish were there, but the conditions made for a tough bite. I plan to try it again this morning and have high hopes of doing a bit better.

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Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom
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[CrappieMagnet]

Hey Tom....

Are you using plastics now?

Just curious...

CM

[CrappieJohn]

Magnet....Indeed, plastics are what I will always start with, but this is truely cold transition water and I will haul a few minnows just in case they have a preference for them....as yesterday showed.
For many years I have watched very carefully the correlation between water temp and plastic...mainly profile. Right now I will use primarily 1" twisters for Exude and Powerbait. Both are a scented product with the exude out in front of the powerbait "usually". Each can have it's day and outfish the other. Just to keep thing in check I'll throw out a tube if the water is terribly stained or dirt-laden as was the case yesterday. The tube simply offers up a thicker target in the dirty water. But yes, plastic is a good choice right now. I fish an open water lake all winter ansd all I ever use is plastic. That lake is heated and offers fishing when it is well below zero. I do not use that lake as a standard or a benchmark for my plastics fishing because of the heating factor, but when I begin on my other puddle it is plastic that I generally try fist off....and with some pretty amazing catches at times. If you are interested in a bit of comparative observations, e-mail me and I'll get a bit more in depth about the temp/profile issue. By the way, today's plans have been changed by none other than the WIND.

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Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom
[email protected]

[Corey Bechtold]

Hey Tom, have you tried the Berkley Power Nymph's or the Exide Spiders yet?

[CrappieJohn]

Coery....I have used some of the gulp products, but not too many of the powerbait products other than the 1" tweisters in about three colors and again the 3" power minnows, walleye formula, for the waldos and sauger. Once I hit the open water, it is usually plastics with maybe a minnow or waxie once in a while. In this yet cold water, the minnows make finding the fish easier, but once they've been marked, I switch to plastic and do as well or better than the minnows/waxies do. I have tried a couple of the gulp products thru the ice with so-so luck and those gulp minnow worms in two and three inch have gotten me some of the waldo sorts, but not near the productivity is found with it as with the power bait. I find the scented products work well in water up to about 46-48 degrees, maybe 50 during cold fronts, and then I don't need scent at all.

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Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom
[email protected]