Advice for a newbie

[jvm1]

All I have done is resort spearing so far .Any advice on how to pick a lake, where to set up etc? Going on in my portable this weekend.

I'm trying to stay close to home (Northern suburbs) since it's the first time that i will be setting up in a portable by myself.

Thanks in advance!

[jvm1]

I was thinking of trying Big Marine, I know it's pretty clear with lots of little guys swimming around. That's all I got going so far.

[pikestabber]

Maybe some folks on here can recommend specific lakes in your area, but what I do when trying to find a new spot is go here first. Punch in your county and it will bring up every documented lake in that county. Or if you have a few lakes in mind, search for them individually by name. Lake information is a good place to start, and if you like what you read there, check out the maps section, too, to get an idea of what you're dealing with.

In the "lake info" section, the first thing you want to look at is test net results for both pike and the things pike eat (perch, gills, tulibees, etc.). If there are numbers of pike, particularly pike over 30” and plenty of prey for them, that's a good start. If they don't test many or any over 30" it indicates to me that even if numbers of smaller pike are high, the fish are possibly stunted. It all depends on what you are spearing for... Eating size fish? Potential for a trophy? To each his own.

Next thing I like to look at is the secchi disk reading...this is literally the depth at which a black and white "disk" is visible when it's lowered into the water. If it is clear for 8-10 or more feet, you are usually in a clear enough lake; however, lake turn-over, weed growth, algae blooms, etc., can change clear water into murky water. Sometimes you take your best option and keep your fingers crossed.

The best advice is just to go out and try it. Find a weed line in 7' to 10' and set up on a break if you can (aka, 7-8' on one side of the hole, 9'-12' on the other). Some guys go shallower, some deeper, and most of us experiment with various depths at different times of year. That said, if you find 7'-10' near weeds in clear enough water to see and you spend time out there, you'll see some fish. Then just learn as much as you can each time out and don't be afraid to experiment. Resist the urge to have too many things in the hole at once; resist the urge to jig your decoy too often; be patient! For simplicity, start with just a sucker minnow or just a decoy and sit tight. Some guys run decoys real high, some go lower than the halfway point, most run them about halfway down… All theories work at different times.

Maybe, however, the simplest advice is to drive around to a few lakes and look for a big row of houses, then get in line with them without getting too close... No sense in re-inventing the wheel when you're first getting started!

And be sure to read through the plethora of information in the spearing sections. Many decades of combined knowledge on here… Good luck, report back!

[Gordie]

Here is some info from the past.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3176367/Spear_Fishing_Advice#Post3176367

[Mcfin]

Great advice from Pikestabber. That's pretty much what I do to find a new lake. Before I commit to making a spear hole I set tip ups to find the best spot.

[mrklean]

I was thinking of trying Big Marine, I know it's pretty clear with lots of little guys swimming around. That's all I got going so far.

Watch the weeds out there, I went out there last year hoping to be on the outside of the weeds and was right on them and they were really tall and thick weeds saw a few fish but not what I was hoping.

[jvm1]

Great advice! Thanks guys, I will post a report after I go Monday. I ended up talking to my neighbor last night and wouldn't you know it he used to spear when he was a kid on a lake nearby. He gave me a ton of info so I think I'm going to head there.

I have a small Frabill portable, fits 2 guys, and I just really want to make sure it works for spearing. It's 60x60 so it's small but it should work.

[MJ1657]

That Frabill will work great.

[jvm1]

Well the trip was a success! Thanks everyone for their input.

Went with my buddy yesterday and ended up fishing together in the same house due to terrible slush. There was an inch and a half of water near the second hole we cut.

We made a pretty big hole and sat in the same house. The hole was perfect, we nailed the weedline. Saw 11-12 fish total, most of them small with a couple good eaters in there.

A muskrat paid us a visit in the hole, along with the craziest looking bug i have ever seen.

We had a blast and will be doing this again.

Can't wait to take my 9 year old nephew now.

[pikestabber]

Glad to hear you had success, but you have me curious... Usually lakes with enough weeds to have muskrats milling about are lakes with interesting aquatic insects. What did your crazy bug look like? A stick bug (long, thin, and as the name implies, looks like a twig), or maybe a water boatman (oval shaped and has two prominent legs that looks like its paddling through the water), or something else? Sorry, kind of a bug nerd here

[jvm1]

Giant water bug, maybe not really crazy for some but I've never seen one before, this one was huge.

Edit: not my hand but same bug

[mwal]

Probably what it was. I also see lots of fresh water shrimp AKA scuds, Daphina if you look real close as they are real small but dance up and down the water column. The spear hole natures aquarium. Those muskrats are a real problem if you have permanent with range of their bank dens and the decide to make your house a feeding station/toilet.

Mwal

[jvm1]

What water clarity do you guys normally shot for?

Most lakes around my house are very poor 5 feet average I would say.

Another example, my buddy lives next to medicine lake and wants to try it.

With these snow cover I would think it would even be less.

Trying to find one last spot to cut a hole before season's end.

[mrklean]

What water clarity do you guys normally shot for?

Most lakes around my house are very poor 5 feet average I would say.

Another example, my buddy lives next to medicine lake and wants to try it.

With these snow cover I would think it would even be less.

Trying to find one last spot to cut a hole before season's end.

I speared medicine a few weeks ago water was very clear but with the amount of snow it was black water around the house. If you can get a good area cleared around the house to let some light in it should be good

[mwal]

JVM1

5 ft not horrible I also would do a little shoveling to get some skylights for better visibility. I have successfully speared in 2ft visibility several times this season. The depth was only 5 ft under the ice but decoy disappeared at 2ft so that is where I kept it at and the pike came in. Maybe some came along the bottom but they were invisible to me. On different days I could barley see the bottom but still kept the decoy 2ft under the ice. Let us know how it goes. Remember we are the ones that have trouble seeing it does not bother the fish they seem to find there prey just fine.

Mwal

[jvm1]

Well this opens up a ton of new lakes around my area! Excellent news! Thanks much.

[jvm1]

Do you guys clear a wide area of snow around the house or just a few holes around it?

[MJ1657]

Do you guys clear a wide area of snow around the house or just a few holes around it?

I would clear a fairly wide area especially if its a cloudy sky.

[jvm1]

One more question, do you guys set up shallower in this type of lake?

[hawkeye43]

My best has been 7' with weeds about a ft high.

[mwal]

I set up according to the structure of where the fish will be. It does no good to go shallower to see bottom if that's not where fish want to be. You have to be close enough that the fish can detect your decoys. They usually cruise weed edges or flats near drop offs the weed edges can be inside weededges I learned that tip up fishing. Always put them on deep weed edge after spending most of a day watching the flags sit I moved one to the inside weed edge in about 4 ft of water and it was game on. Odds are deep weed edge but inside has worked as well. It s legal to have an outside line perhaps use a tip up to check another spot close by as long as its within legal distance.

Mwal

[jvm1]

Very frustrating day, the silly spear would not fly straight, sideways everytime! Missed a couple really nice fish this morning! Thanks for the tip on the not so clear lake! Got a new spot that was very fun.

[mwal]

JVM1

What spear do you have? How deep were the fish? Did you maneuver the spear directly over the fish and drop or gently push the spear. It sounds like you are throwing it and the tail is kicking out or its a flat laser spear and you are throwing it at an angle and its planing. Very common if it not forward weighted. Let us know the situation and someone will know what to try.

Mwal

[jvm1]

It's an old one my father in law game me.

Has an L&M sticker on it, 9 tine, no weight forward.

Ideally I'm trying to position myself directly over the fish and might be throwing it too hard due to excitement.

I say ideally because sometimes it's not possible since the fish don't cooperate. Angle shots are a lot tougher.

I was fishing 8-10 feet today.

For what is possibly my last outing of the year it was great! I hadn't been in the house 2 minutes and I had a nice 29 incher in the hole, got that one on the second try. First shot went over her and to the left.

I noticed most my fish came in the hole today and did not stay long, kick swim through in and out or around the edges.

The ones that did give me a chance are swimming happily as I missed them all. Even one that had my sucker for a while, I really tried to take my time with that one.

One of these missed ones will haunt me until next year, it was huge!

[mrklean]

Do yourself a huge favor and get a weight forward spear for next year you wont regret it. I started with a laser one and I missed 7 of my first 8 throws it would sail every time. Bought a weight forward spear and in the past 4 years I can count the number of misses on one hand.