What's workin' now?

[The Grebe]

I took off on what CT was doing and have been hitting a small back water in the river. I've been getting afew Crappies and a walleye, here and there.

The Crappies won't touch artificals, hair or plastic and I have tried a wide spectrum of colors. They will grab a jig head with a minnow attached....the minnow has to be a medium sized fat head. I don't believe I have caught even one keeper on a Crappie minnow?

Shiners are to expensive to fart around using them in a snag filled river, but I bet that would work pretty good?

I have to cut back on the super quality bait in order to have enough to buy gas to even go fishing!

The fish have been biting just before dark...I stayed tonight until just after dark and all I got was a Bullhead.

I did'nt bring any kind of light, so once it go to dark, I had to leave. I do believe I'am going to try them again in the morning after I get the troops headed in the right direction...hav'nt got after them with the big minnows in the morning yet? I'll keep yall posted.

[Corey Bechtold]

Glad to hear that there are still a couple guys who haven't given up on the open water fishing. I hope that this weekend I can get on the slabs of Fall. I'll have to be sure to take along some hair jigs as it seems that they have been working for you guys. Thanks for the report.

Corey Bechtold

[The Grebe]

This is for any and all of you Crappie meistros out there, what do you think this rain is going to do to the bite, or lack thereof?

We have been getting some serious rain and I suspect it is gonna dirty up the nice, clear, turned over water, especially in the rivers...what do you think boys?

Whats the game plan? Anything specific, or just keep hammerin and figure it out on the fly? I have been getting a few nice Crappies out of the river, but you have to work for them. In your opinion, is this rain a good thing, or a bad thing?

[Corey Bechtold]

My opinion is that it shouldn't matter much. These fish are sensing the ice coming as the water temps drop and they have the feed bag on. If the lakes get a little stained just vary your color selection to see what triggers them. I'll post a report if I get out.

Corey Bechtold

[Matt Johnson]

I agree Corey, a change in location might not be the issue, but a change in presentation might be the better choice. The crappies are on the move and the rain shouldn't have a huge effect, especially since we didn't experience a cold front with the rain.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[CrappieJohn]

I guess I don't get too nervy over some stained water, or even dirty for that matter. I'd be more concerned with radically raising water levels. If the water does not come up, fish like you do in the spring when things get dark and murky on you. The same situational changes will apply.

In a few weeks we will begin to see some serious cooling taking place. As the water temps begin to drop you will want to begin looking to water that holds wintering fish....and that water in between.

[Oldtyme]

Hello again from Indiana.....

Since our weather is similar.....I have to ask.

Del mentioned shallow water to target the crappie? Is this a good place to start this time of year?

The lake I go to has underwater weeds down to 10 feet deep (the weeds were still there last week anways) It then goes to normal bottom/no structure down to 24 feet max.

I usually will catch them throwing beetlespins or bobber/jig/minnow over the top of the deep water weeds (7-10feet). Last week though.....nothing.Notta. (well bluegills)

Could it be a result of the "turnover turmoil" turning off the fish? Or am I just in the wrong area?

Thanks a bunch.

[CrappieJohn]

Could be turn-over issues, maybe not. If you know the water you are fishing, where are the crappies found prior to the serious pre-spawn activity? Think about this....as the fish move from winter water to the spawning water they go through several water preferences following a fairly defined line. In the fall they will tend to reverse the direction and those preferences. The difference is that they do not spend nearly as much time moving from one area to another in the fall.

These fish will be anywhere in the water column right now. Daily weather and atmospheric conditions will play heavily on where they are going to be found along with food sources and structural attractions.

The biggest turmoil right now will be the turn unless real heavy rains have messed with the water levels. I'd give them a couple days and re-approach themfrom the same standpoint as the last successful outting and go backwards from there.

[The Grebe]

Purrrty slow this morning! I hit my regular spot on the river and the water has come up significantly...4 inches of rain will do that!

I had to fish a different area, one that is normally really shallow. I got a half dozen Crappies, a good sized sunny and a hammer handle.

The specks were small, about hand sized and get this...for the past few days, nothing but fatties would get them...today it was crappie minnows and nothing bigger.

A yellow jig head and minnie...nada....plain hook, nada...plastics, nada...a 1/32 oz. pink jig head and crappie minnow..."Feesch on!"

It was pretty cool this morning, kind of eerie with all the fog. For awhile, visibility was about 10 feet on the river.

Some honkers came over pretty low, they came in on silent wings and when they where right over me, they blasted me with a volley of amplified honks! Hell, I thought a car had launched itself over the enbankment! Woke me up, thats for sure!

[Corey Bechtold]

Glad to hear that you got a chance to get out. I'd like to get out before the storms and wind tomorrow but the wifee has me doing some kid halloween mumbo jumbo tonight.

[CrappieJohn]

Let me guess.....you have to dress up as a carp.

[Matt Johnson]

... "Corey the carp" or is that "Corey the sucker" I donno ... carp...sucker...whats the difference ...

Its pretty windy down in the southern part of MN right now...

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[united jigsticker]

Hobbies are a good thing right? In moderation, having more then one can be alright, but when you get more then one that you want to spend significant time on...well...that significant time runs out for other things.

So get to the point Jigsticker...

Ok...

Last Sunday, the weather was pretty darn nice. And I thought I should have been fishing. After all, as Corey reminds us everyday, the open water season is getting shorter and we need to take advantage of it as much as possible.

Well, as nice as it was, I have to say that I watched the Vikings instead, just as I do every Sunday during the fall. So, no fishing on an otherwise flawless day.

Now, today was a good day to be fishing. But I had to work. Don't get me wrong here, work is NOT my hobby. But I do need an income to support my fishing habit.

So what's a fella to do?

Just trust that Daunte will get his roll on, and go fishing? I can't do it. I have to watch them. But I want to go fishing too. Such decisions.

I guess none of this really matters to anyone, since it contains no value of "what is workin now" in regards to the bite.

....maybe I'll just delete it...

[delmuts]

for the past couple of weeks the guys have been doing well on crappies with plastics and hair jigs. with the storm coming in tonight (friday) will have to see. the water clarity in this little lake is very clear! at day break the fish have been all over an area. by day break they move to the brush piles, and or deep. minnows haven't been the best of baits lately. all you can do is experiment. try over the weeds( if still green) or along side them. from 1 to 4 ft i prefer a fixed float. after that you will either have to go to a slip bobber or as a freee swiming jig. as we have talked about before, the float is a depth control device as well as a strike indicator. we have been using either a 1/32 white hair jig, or a white plastic tail( jigs & spins wedge or shrimpo)on a 1/80 or 1/64 jig. i may have repeated myself? ( i'm getting old you know!!!) del

[The Grebe]

Dress up as a Carp....that got a chuckle out of me! I'm gonna use that on the crew on Monday....I'm gonna tell them that they are going to have to start dressing up in Carp outfits to satisfy the clients.

A couple of weeks ago, I went over to the dollar store and got them some of them really little yellow hardhats with the binder chin straps and in a really serious manner told them they had to wear them for safety reasons.

Maybe I'll have to break them out again in the a.m., when I pick up my nephew to go fishing for a couple of hours..tell him he has to wear it or I won't take him...he might do it?

[Corey Bechtold]

Boy you guys should be on Comedy Central! Is there a blue light going off, whooooo good times. LOL

I think I would dress as a stick and put X's over my eyes and go a a dead stick. Here you go Tom!

[The Grebe]

We hit the river again this morning, the rain really took care of the Crappie spot, that's for sure!

We did manage to get a half dozen, between two of us and a few sunnies, a bunch of Smallmouths, Rockbass and pike, and again, like always, we tried everything we could think of and they are still hitting on the jig head and minnow combo.

The wicked current makes it difficult to present anything effectively for any length of time.

We went and looked at another of our spots on the Rum and that was shot also...I guess we'll just have to wait it out?

[delmuts]

a question for the grebe, tom and matt ? the little lake i've been fishing ; the hot bite has been on either a plastic wedge or shrimpo.all white. ( they are both about 1 in long) or a guy has been doing real well with a 1 /32 oz. white hair jig. my puzzlement is? guys are trying small minnows( 3/4 to 1 in) with no luck. i have tried hair jigs in 1/80 and 1/64 oz. in white with no luck. the crappies have full bellies. is there some kind of a larva that is hatching ? this is in the mornings, and the bite is good till 10:00 or so. the afternoon bite is again different story.( from what i've been told), the minnows work and so do darker colors of plastics and hair jigs any spectulation? del

[CrappieJohn]

Next time you fillet one out, open the gut. If it is full of a sandy, grainy material they are feeding likely on minnows or other small crusteacheons. If the material is blackish and a thick goo, its bugs that they are dining on.

Try taking a 1/32 flu-flu and thinning the hair down to about 12 strands...literally. Try this with a unit that has a black head and ,say, orange or pink feathers. Up here the 1/32 is a good size jig with sparse hair because much of the forage base is about that size. Thinning out the hair with the black head makes the jig look like nothing more than the lateral line of these forage fish and the black head ( eyes necessary!) simply gives the crappies a target end.

[Corey Bechtold]

I'm no Matt or Tom but if I will let me offer some advice. Next time you make it out try and have a couple nymph flies with you. Start with a prince nymph of a pheasant tail nymph and just run it under a float if Fly fishing is out of the question. Slowly retrieve it and see what kind of reaction you get. I have done well with the Fly rod late season on the panfish. This is a great way to score with these finiky fish. Let me know if you can try this technique and/or if it works for you.

Corey Bechtold

[Bob/Mn]

I made my last soft water trip Monday and winterized my motor and boat.

I spent two hours fishing for Crappies and found the fish were in 28 to 32 foot of water. The fish were in a neutral mode and bitting very lightly. The bait they preferred was a 1/8 once inside tube head with a Bl/WH 1 1/2 inch southern pro tube tail, tipped with a crappie nibbler.

[The Grebe]

Del...I'd go with Tom, Corey and Matts advice, seems pretty solid to me? These guys know their stuff! I'm not one to get into finess fishing, all the little nuances of making a fish hit, I'm a bit more crude then that, I just keep winging until something lands!

Like I stated in an earlier post, what I lack in knowledge and ability, I make up for in presistence and tenacity!

Because of the line of work I'am in, I get the opportunity to get out alot, in areas that are not to far from our base of operation.

I get the opportunity to swarm them, hit the fish with alot of different stuff, on the same body of water and after a time, you will either find out what they are hitting on, or go home empty, only to join the battle another day. I don't mind, it's where I do my best thinking!

[delmuts]

thanks guys ! i have been pounding them with the white wedge( custom jigs and spins) on a 1 /80 oz. jid head, fished from 8 in to 5 ft below a thil bobber. another guy is using the shrimpo or gusto in white and teaching me a few tricks. another guy is using the 1/32 white jig. he's teaching me too!! what i have been seeing inside the fish is a black goo. the fly should work early as the fish are all over the surface. as it gets light , they start moving deeper. we are fishing off of a pier that sits in 13 ft of water. the water is very clear. like i said ; i have been trying many other things just to see if they will hit. i've been told that in the late afternoon the fish prefer darker colors and even minnows. i was just curious. del

[united jigsticker]

Finally!

Made it out today and caught a number of Crappies in 25-40 feet of water. A minnow head on a 1/32 oz jig did the trick for me.

Took home my limit, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into those crispy fillets for tomorrow's lunch.

[Corey Bechtold]

Good report UJ! Was there any size to those fish? What were the water temps? Finally, were the fish schooled up and holding in one area or were they grazing? I hope to get out tomorrow with the kids and try for some panfish. I'll keep all informed as always.

Corey Bechtold