What's Workin Now...

[buzzsaw]

You three should head out to Lake Minnetonka this Saturday for the Gander Mountain Crappie contest! The weigh in is at Fletchers at 2:00 PM. It is a great event and that lake holds alot of HUGE Crappies!

[united jigsticker]

I entered it. Not sure if I'll show for the zoo or not.

Today was a good day for Crappies on another north metro lake in 10 feet of water. Females up to 12.5" were biting on white flu-flu's with minnows.

Light lipped they were though. Most times the bobber would either just rise slightly or move to the side a bit.

Couldn't catch a Crappie shallower then 7 feet today, spite surface temps of 60 degrees.

[buzzsaw]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........... Eagle Lake off 169/494 would be my guess. I've been known to be wrong!

[The Grebe]

This cooler weather seems to have put a slight kink in the shallow water Crappie bite.

We got on them last Sunday, a day after the rain, but they were not in such a receptive mood yesterday afternoon. Tons of Sunfish, bass and northerns and we did get some Crappies, not as many and not as big...still pretty nice though.

I guess I just don't have the right kind of plastic in my tackle box, because i could'nt get a thing on artificals, nor could my companions. Add a little meat in the form of a minnow and something would hit it.

We tried in everything from 2 feet, out to about 12 feet and it seemed that the majority of the Crappies we did manage to catch, came from about 4 feet of water, fishing about 2 1/2 feet down with a plain hook and minnie. Whip it out there and let the wind push it along and every once in awhile you would be rewarded with a Crappie, in between the other species.

The crappies that we did get in two different spots, were concentrated into an area maybe half the size of a basketball court, maybe smaller? Get out of that small area, even in like looking water, and you would'nt get a thing. Move back into the small area and you would get one here and there. Quite a chess game, this fishing!

[lunker651]

can somebody post a picture of the puddle jumper and paddle fish? I want to try them out.

[Oldtyme]

I had a question. I had originally planned on taking my vacation last week of April. But the weather wasn't looking good so I moved it back to first week of May. But now that week is looking pretty crappie(lol) so I moved it back to second week of May.

Since our weather is cold & rainy, will this delay the spawn?

Could they spawn as late as mid-May?

[EYEHUNTER10]

Hey corey this is in response to the big rain we had and the rising water and not knowing where the fish went. I was out through all that rain we had and have to say it was some of the nastiest NE wind i've ever fished in and it just poured here for like 2 days and nights straight, I had been fishing a small lake about 1000 acres but rather deep 40 feet or so, I had been shore fishing it alot and had to cast out as far as I could after wading out chest deep to get the slabs all week, well the rain came and some of these fish had been 15" plus all released, but in hopes of my 18" i went out the second night of the heavy rain at about midnight since the lunar table showed 2:00 am or so, I had been picking crawlers in the rain and was soaked and cold any ways so what the heck right? Got out there went through all the work of putting the waders on and wading back into the mucky bottomed bay and nothing suprised since I had done well after dark there recently I went and fished on dry land and did a slow retrieve through the boat ramp and nailed a 15" crappie like 2 feet form shore, the length of my rod would have been to far of a cast that night I had several slabs that size and managed a 16.5" which is huge but I released still hoping for that 18" for the wall but my point is that all that rain made them come into shore way into shore, and it remained that way for several days after the rain passed the lake rose alot, maybe the rain warmed the shallows up that night or something but it must have had more to do with water levels it stayed that way for days to follow now that water flowed downstream form that lake and i'm sure the water levels have went down, and I haven't caught a thing there for over a week they taught me a lesson that night and now I think they are trying to tell me to take the boat after them, with all this cold i havent brought myself to do that just yet, and by the time it gets warm they probably will be on shore again who knows this particualr lake is best from immediate ice out and 1 to 2 weeks to follow and then they dissapear never to be found again until the exact same time 1 year later.

[Matt Johnson]

EYEHUNTER,

Corey is in South Dakota right now prefishing for a tourny this upcoming weekend. Just a heads up so you know why he won't respond for a few days

I've enjoyed your posts the last couple days. Welcome to the Crappie-Sunfish forum!

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[EYEHUNTER10]

Thanks Matt I'm glad you enjoyed the posts I fish alot, I am 30 years old and have fished real hard for the last 1o years or so and am getting a little more knowledge each season. I wish I could get connected up with the right people so I could maybe expand my horizons a little bit. I have always kinda felt sore about alot of tourneys, and simular things that seem to exploit the sport for money, but yet somehow I have a desire deep down to become a guide or something I could do to help others with there fishing, but I wouldn't want it to change the hobby i enjoy at this level, if it became a job to put people on fish or win tourneys I'm afraid it would ruin it for me any thoughts?? I'm sure you guys are involved in alot of these things. Just looking for some friendly advice, or a good way to get started maybe I just need someone to twist my arm, all my friends and rellies say I should be guiding right now, but I have 2 young girls and the money to even get started would be tough.

[Matt Johnson]

EYEHUNTER,

Drop me an email...

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Sportland_Bait]

Hi Lunker, give us a call. We can help you out, we have the states largest selection of Puddle Jumpers.

Here is a picture:

Jason Erlandson

[EYEHUNTER10]

Matt you have mail . . .

[Matt Johnson]

I'll second Sportland Bait. I stopped through there a couple times and they have knowledgable people who really enjoy the sport of fishing. A very comfortable atmosphere as well. Puddle Jumpers are an excellent option for pannies and they really have some unique action.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[fishingmike0770]

From the picture, the Puddle Jumper looks alot like another plastic called the Orbit Bug. Are these 2 platics the same or are they just similar?

[Sportland_Bait]

Orbit bugs are very similar. I haven't had a chance to use them but I'll bet they work similar to a Puddle Jumper.

Jason Erlandson

[EYEHUNTER10]

Ok guys you guys are really gonna make me want to go shopping but gee I just bought 1000 plus tubes/and twisters. Puddle Jumpers look neat but me and twintails don't get along for some reason unless I'm targeting smallies I seem to miss alot of hook sets.

[Lost]

Okay, it's been cold for a week now. Where are they? Did they go back deep as the temps dropped? Will I be able to reach them from shore?

[EYEHUNTER10]

Just spent a day on the water as the weather channel once said it was supposed to be in the 60's when it started snowin on my whinshield when I got to the gas staion I was think'in Mother Nature knows I'm Coming I swear it true its like she knows it inly got worse from there but I did catch a few it was miserable and hardly worth it to say the least brr . . .I'm still cold!! They were in 10-12 feet and the surface temp has now dropped from 58 to 50 degreees they were firmly tucked to the bottom and burried in the weeds. A few fell victim to a very small ratfinky with a waxworm

[fishkid]

my friends and i have been using gypsi jigs and they seem to be working well with out bait.

[fishingmike0770]

I second the gypsy jig fishkid!

[Corey Bechtold]

What's workin now? Well I'd have to say: long underwear, 2 pair of socks, hooded sweatshirt, winter jacket, bibs, boots, hats and mittens! I just got back from a Walleye tournament in South Dakota and man was it miserable. Wind, cold, more wind and cold with flurries and wind, and not to mention that when the wind hit the waves and forced the sray at you it was like having your face pressure washed. But on a good note, the first place check seemed to warm me and my brother in law up nicely! I hope to get back to my real passion, Panfish, this weekend if the weather improves.

Good Luck,

Corey Bechtold

[delmuts]

hey corey ! congrats on the first place! i hope we can put the winter clothes away soon !

[Matt Johnson]

Mr. Bechtold,

You failed to mentioned the first place finish when you left a message on my phone the other night, you dirty dog I want to hear about this...

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[EYEHUNTER10]

I have a question regarding jig head weight when trolling for crappie if a fixed float is used for targeting crappies that are 6 feet down in 10 feet of water, and also a better float solution as the fixed floats damage the line and the slip knot bobbers dont work in the situation?? I would like to keep using the 1 inch tubes or twisters in this scenario my problem is my jigs floating up to much no matter how slow I go and I need to go faster they were slamming it at sunrise with 6-8 feet of line behind the bobber with a orange jig head red/white tube but i was going 2.2 mph so i know i wasnt getting down far enough to get at some of the larger 15" slabs that were biting that morning.

[CrappieJohn]

If you are trolling at 2.2 mph and getting fish, they are hitting aggressively. Head weight will not mean much in this case so up the weight. 1/4 ounce heads catch an awful lot of crappies. At that speed they are not studying the bait, they are hitting out of reaction to its presence. Head color would likely be a moot issue.