search holes

[deeky]

When you are searching an area for fish, how far apart should you drill to cover enough area without missing something? I mostly fish crappie, so the basin search is a big one, but I also want to hit some walleye and northern this year. I know it somewhat depends on the break, weedline, etc. I don't always get a lot of time, so I want to make the most of it. Thanks for the help.

Deeky

[Gissert]

For walleyes, I will drill a lot more search holes than I will for crappies. Sometimes they will relate to that sand or gravel to mud transistion line, and if you are not right on top of it, you could miss a lot of fish.

[Matt Johnson]

I guess it depends on the structure you're on or searching for. If you are fishing a large flat then you can get away with punching holes far apart. But you are fishing a tight inside turn or transition area then you might want to fine tune your approach and punch holes in smaller incriments. When I'm searching for fish I generally try to cover as much water as possible, but I try to focus on "potential" water. Once fish are located, then you can start to slow down and focus on a certain area.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[danny berg]

Just a quick question, do you leave the holes open, that you aren't going to use or do you fill them up so they freeze up faster? The reason I am asking it last year I stepped in two different holes on the same day, made for some cold feet fishing.

[The Grebe]

Probably someone "Filled them up so they freeze faster" and you did'nt see them. Either that, or you have to slow down a bit, not be so rabid to get out there and get em!

Get a pair of them big old Bunny Boots, inflate them suckers until they look like the feet on the Michelin Man, THEN you won't have any trouble! Cut em and leave em, if you are'nt fishing them, maybe someone else will.

How far apart may depend on a number of things.... I have fished Crappies were 10 feet can make a difference between catching and fishing! On Red Lake last winter, it was the distance of the road...one side yes, the other no?

The worst I ever seen it was years ago on Lake Lida, up near Detroit lakes, back when you could only use one pole.

A friend and I sat in a 4x6 fishhouse, had the same kind of gear, used bait from the same bucket, I got about 10 Walleyes out of my hole and he got 1....which he caught out of my hole when I went out to answer natures call.

I kept my limit of nice eaters, all in the 16-17 inch range, asked him if he wanted me to get him some, he declined, "he'd get his own" and I went to visit other members of our party in other houses. He never got a fish out of that house and the other members of the group only got 3 between them? Go figure?

[Finlander]

Check the depth of the water with your locator by putting water on the ice and placing your transducer on it and observe the depth. You can also see if there is fish there if you get a good signal thru the ice. Plus you won't have to drill holes where it is too shallow or too deep for the fish your fishing for.

Find the correct depth and start drilling. Thats how I start

my search for the right spot and then drill a bunch of holes so you can hole hop around and find the bighters!

Good Luck!