What's workin' now?

[The Grebe]

I was out Sunday, I could'nt find a fishing partner, so I went alone. I sure did'nt think that we were in a cold front Sunday, I got roasted!

I found the Crappies with the Eagle, 5 feet down in 11 feet of water. I scoped them out with the Aqua View, threw everything I had at them in a variety of different formats, including live bait, got a couple, but really slow.

Was going to wait around for the evening bite, I was on them and I figured they would go later on, but clouds and thunder rolled in to close for comfort and I figured that if it started to rain, it would be a mad house at the launch, so I folded my tent.

It was all good though, I had a good time being out on the water, I'll get em the next time!

[The Grebe]

This morning, I went back to where I had got on the Crappies on Sunday....This time was different, the biters were right on the bottom in 9 feet of water and I managed to pull 10 nice ones out of the spot in about 45 minutes.

They would'nt touch a minnow, but they were whacking my little pink and white feather jig. I tried a small twister in the same color combo and they would'nt touch it.

When my nephew got off work, I told him about it and he wanted to go back, so we did and we got 1 crappie and missed a couple
and nothing we tried would get them....for today anyways, it was definately a morning bite.

[mnrstrider]

I was out tonight, and I did well, it wasn't gang busters or anything, but I felt a little blind having forgot my LX3... Luckily the fish were pretty aggressive and I was able to locate them with a little searching. Most fish I caught tonight were in the 12-18 fow range, with 1 being caught shallower, and a few deeper, deeper being better either way. I stuck to what I knew worked last time, and I haven't been out again since my last post, which I just looked up to be almost exactly a month ago....

Fish were caught "trolling" tubes red and white again, trolling motor on either 3 or 4 ( out of 10) for speed seems I was running my bait around the 7-8 foot range this way. I have a couple very nice fish last boat side today, that went over 11 for sure, sucks, the one I did put on the tape was over 11 and wasn't as big, as you know the big ones always getaway anyways... The big ones came on an experiment, I switched up to the GULP white 3 inch grub minnow, on my jig, and didn't get near as many hits, but they were big, much bigger than the other tube were catching me. Upsising for bigger fish worked again.

[Corey Bechtold]

I'm headin out tonight after a week absence without wetting a line. I hope to have a good report for everyone when I get in!

Corey Bechtold

[Lost]

Wednesday night the group that went out with Sean on Long Lake were catchin' them in the creek near the shoreline, about 3 feet deep. Not sure how deep the water was at the shoreline. The boat was parked over an 8 foot hole.

[Corey Bechtold]

Tonights report: Crappies! I found the Crappies on a break line from 6-10 feet of water. There were also some suspended adjacent to the shallow water. These fish were very particular to how it was presented to them. What I found to work was holding the bait off the bottom, no jigging, completely motionless. The fish would just take the weight off the line and they were on. White Power tubes and Power minnows worked well. I also got a few on the Gulp 2" white twisters and on Paddletails. Most fish preferred the tubes still. I tried a float but never hooked a fish that way. Numbers and size was there tonight. I kept a few for a meal and when I cleaned them I found their stmaches to be full of insects. I think they were pale morning dunn's, they were also all over my sweatshirt. Should have had the fly rod. I guess I see why they were reluctant to bite. Just like us after a big dinner, we're all full but sometimes just can't help having one more bite . A few other notes: Water temp 75, Water clarity 1', jig size 1/32 oz., color preference White.

Good luck everyone

Corey Bechtold

[The Grebe]

These fish are weird! The Crappies I got yesterday, were in the 10 and 11 inch range.

Today, this morning I should say, fishing the same spot as yesterday, same time frame and everything, I got 10 Crappies and of the 10, there were 1 11 inches, 1 10 inches 2 9 inches and the rest were potatoe chips.

Today they would'nt hit a jig, it had to be a Crappie minnow on a plain hook, hooked through the nose and pulled slowly across the bottom. I tried 3 or 4 different things and the only thing I got them on was the plain hook...go figure?

[mnrstrider]

Yup I had to do it again yesterday, and again another great day on the water, I found my fish back in the spot, I expected to find fish the other day, Luckily I brought the LX3 out there, since my lcd finder didn't want to work tonight (I could've fixed it on the water, but didn't ) Ok enough blabbin'

Fish Yesterday were found more so in the 12 foot range a bit shalower then the day before, again only one fish comming shallower than 12 ft, more fish in the deeper ranges. Red and white tubes were hot once again, and 3 inch white gulp grubs might have been a bit hotter... All nice fish today, not one that went under 8.5 inches, but the big one didn't quite hit 11 inches either. No "big" fish today. Action was very spot on the spot, a drifted over a spot a couple times marking tons of fish off a pretty steep drop from about 7 fow to 12 fow in probably 10 feet, I joked that there was only fish in a 10x10 chunk of water, I finally threw out a marker bouy to mark spot, since I kept drifting off it. Picked up a couple fish just vert. jiggin' and they didn't want much movement to hit it (while vert jigging only), but they seem to prefer it on a drop. But again kicking on the trolling motor they would hit the tubes, way more agressive. The fish I think today were much, much tighter bunched, I'd go over a spot mark a ton of fish, then I tell my uncle that we were going to catch a fish as soon as our baits hit this spot, and sure enough we did, but the spots only seemed to be 10ft x 10ft. Fishing was very good again, and it was another perfect, perfect day to be on the water.

Consequently I found out today I can't catch a sunfish in this lake any more :lol too focused on crappie I guess...

Anyone got any tips on sunfish lately. I tried plain hooks (slip bobbered) with big chunks of worm, and meal worms, and only caught one, then again I was looking in 4-10 fow water for the fish for whatever reason...

Oh I did laugh at all the silly people out there fishing craps with live bait, time and time again these fish in this lake prefer plastics, I learned this one the hard way, and I still test it out, plastics prevail, oh yeah, today I made another believer in plastics

[This message has been edited by mnrstrider (edited 08-14-2004).]

[Matt Johnson]

WOW!!! Now those are BULL gills! Very, very nice! Congrats! Is that Scott I see

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

------------------
Matt Johnson Outdoors
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[This message has been edited by Matt Johnson (edited 08-15-2004).]

[Matt Johnson]

Duck-o-holic,
Any chance I could use the picture of you and the big gill in the middle on my webpage as Fish of the Week for next week? Drop me an e-mail and let me know...

[email protected]

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

------------------
Matt Johnson Outdoors
[email protected]
Metro Area Ice Fishing and more...

Iceleaders
MarCum
Stone Legacy
JR's Tackle
Fish Fever

[The Grebe]

Cheez, the heads on those monsters weigh more then most of the sunnies I've been catching lately! Nice fish!

[Duck-o-holic]

Here's some pics of some monsters a friend and I got last weekend. Paul-- I may need some help getting these posted

All fish came from 12' to 16' deep, and were relating to structure. I'm sworn to secrecy on the location, so please don't ask!
We caught 9" and 10" crappies that were smaller than these gills! These were the largest gills I've ever seen, which isn't saying much... but were also the largest my partner has ever seen... which is saying a LOT! Many of you may recognize him Without his LX-3 that day, we probably wouldn't have had the luck we did.

Oh yeah, I caught my fish on a Beetle Spin, and my partner used a tipped Flu-Flu.

Duck-o-holic

[This message has been edited by Paul Waldowski (edited 08-15-2004).]

[CALVINIST]

Me and my boy had fun on a little lake outside the metro area last night, fish-sunnies and crappies-were very active well into dusk. The ticket was a 1/16 black bodied chart. skirted tube jig tipped w/ crappie nibbler. I cannot tell you how big a difference the nibbler makes! Anyway, in about 3-4 feet water, just casting out along the deep weed edge, and letting it fall. /They slammed it on the fall. Nice outing, plenty of fish to eat. Not really interested in live bait...plastics!

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<><<><
Calvinist
><>><>

[This message has been edited by CALVINIST (edited 08-16-2004).]

[HighLife100]

Holy Sh*@!!!! I've never seen gills even close to that size!

[The Grebe]

Has anyone been doing anything on the pannies?

I hope the pictures of those prehistoric, monster sunnies, afew posts back, did'nt deter anyone from posting info about their run-o-the-mill sized catches?

Boy, what hawgs!....The last time I seen sunnies that size, were in the cooler up in Walker, during a long past, Muskie Derby Days.

I used to make trips to downtown Mpls., years ago, just to look at the sunnies that a sporting goods store named Corey's, in the Foshay Tower bldg. used to display.

Makes me want to get out there and get em! Is anyone doing anything?

[Matt Johnson]

I haven't hit the panfish in over a week. I've been chasing carp lately Nothing big, but still a good fight. Panfishing is slow right now, should pick up again soon...supposed to get some warm weather here the next few days, hopefully it'll add a little spark to the crappies...fall patterns aren't far away

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

------------------
Matt Johnson Outdoors
[email protected]
Metro Area Ice Fishing and more...

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[Lost]

You'll hafta tell me more about the fall patterns. When's your next carp outting? I'd love to join you.

[mnrstrider]

I picked up some panfish the other day up in the Whitefish chain, The fish I found were shallow in 8 feet or less, had 2 other people in the boat fishing with worms, I was just using a plain white and pink tube and was working fine, not fast and furious, but I did catch without doubt my biggest sunny of the year, could barely get my big hand around him to take him off the hook. I when I keep the bait moving pretty good, but after I got a hit I had to slow it down a bit to get hooked up. Water temp in the lake was running in the 66-67 range. Nicer fish came on the plastics.

[The Grebe]

"Their Here!!!!" My nephew and I went out after work this afternoon and we got into some nice, nice, Crappies!

We had several that went over a pound on the digital and we had several on that were so bulky, we could'nt get them before the hook pulled out! Man, it was fun!

We were getting them in 10 feet of water, right on the bottom. I tried tubes and little twister tails and never got a bump. I switched to the little pink and white feather jig and Boom, "Fish On!"

My nephew was using white and he was hitting them pretty good for awhile, then they stopped. I switched to a smaller jig in lime green and away we went again!

At 6:00 p.m. just like someone closed the door and pulled the shade, they stopped and we could not get another fish? We left at 6:30, happy as larks!

Needless to say, I will be seeing if they bite as well early tommarrow morning, as they did this evening.

[The Grebe]

There's gonna be some early hunting comming up soon and progressively quick changes of seasons and the applications that go with them, through all of it...."DON'T FORGET THE PANFISH!" Don't be the one that makes the Crappies and Sunnies feel slighted!

This thread, or a new edition of the same thing, will serve us well in the comming months, lots of good info here, from alot of reliable sources!

With gas at $1.80 a gallon, a quick trip to
this section, for some hard info, before heading out of town, might carry the day!
Lets keep it open (Not hard to tell I like panfish, huh?}

[Corey Bechtold]

Well here's the latest from me. This weekend we fished Walleye's mainly but still managed to put in a little time for the panfish. The Crappies were hard to pattern but the Sunfish were active. The Bluegills were relating to shallow water right next to deep water. While searching for panfish we stumbled on some really descent perch, I mean some were 13 inches and one my bro'in-law caught was 13.75! The water temps are starting to drop a little. We were reading mid to upper 60's.

Tonight I snuck out and searched for Panfish on one of my favorite lakes. I started with a 2" power minnow and a 1/32 oz jighead and caught a 18.5" Smallie to start the night! Talk about a battle on 4 lb test! Then I switched back to a white tube because fish were on the locator but not willing to get all of the bait (missed fish). What I found was mostly Crappies holding tight to the bottom in 8 feet of water. I watched them on the Vex and they were pretty tight lipped. They didn't want to readily hit the bait. They just sort of just hung on. I felt like I was force feeding them. All in all I managed to catch and release 15 Crappies, 10 Sunfish, some small perch and the Sumo Smallie. A lot of fun on the lake tonight and with some stable weather coming things should heat up later this week.

Corey Bechtold

[Matt Johnson]

Sounds like some nice perch Corey! Nice bass too! Those Power Minnows are working for you thats for sure!

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

------------------
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[email protected]
Metro Area Ice Fishing and more...

Iceleaders
Catch-N Tackle and Bio-Bait
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Fish Fever

[The Grebe]

Took a quick trip up to Ann Lake by Mora, last night.

Tried all our favorite panfish spots on the lake and all we got was dinks. One nice pike, 6-8 small bass, a couple little waldos, half a dozen Perch, a couple of pretty big swirls and had a good sized pike cut a small sunnie off, right at the boat.

When they explode like that, you never get used to it, your heart always goes into overdrive for a second or two.

We tried tubes, twisters, small feather jigs, crawlers and leeches, with little activity....their preference last night when we finally did find some? Angleworms!

Just before dark, we found a pocket of keepers in a weed patch, about 5 feet deep.
We had to move fast all evening, because we did'nt get up there until 5.

All in all, it was a pretty good trip, we were able to dodge all the ominus looking clouds and stay dry, we had a little success
on the fish, it was a good drive up and back
and the company was good...I guess when you get down to it, they are mostly all good trips!

[Corey Bechtold]

I hope everyone has a chance to make it out this weekend and find the fish. I'll try my best to get on the Crappies and Sunfish. There better be some good reports when I get back! Good luct to you all.

Corey Bechtold

[The Grebe]

We hit a couple of different lakes this past week, but have to work this week-end on equipment and a couple of off jobs that can only be done on the week end.

Next week the Yeti and I are heading up to big Sandy and/or lake Aitken....get some of those 7 pound crappies and plate sized gills!