Anyone been to Crow lately?

[Down Deep]

I'll be heading up to Crow Friday, 3/10. Plan on fishing Crow, Otterskin, Rowan and LOW. Any reports would be appreciated.

[Duffman]

Fished Crow last weekend, we got into a few lakers. I think the weather had a lot to do with the bite. The crappie bite was non-existent on LOW while we were there, we got into some, but nothing like years past. We averaged about 7 lakers between the three of us for the morning bite, a couple 5 lbers were caught. Just fished Crow for the trout, no idea on the other lakes. Good luck.

[Down Deep]

Thank you. I wonder what has happened to the crappie bite? I was up in mid-January and we only managed about 40 total fish for 4 guys and about 10 hours over two days. The size of the fish are dramatically smaller as compared to the last several years. I haven't heard a good crappie report for 2006 from anyone that I know who has fished Stevens Bay or the Hay Island area.

[jasonk]

Could it be all of the netting? $2.50 a pound for uncleaned crappies.

[jerkin'm]

Or the hundreds of people that have been sitting on top of them for the last couple winters? Both,is my guess...

[Mad Mulcher]

Back in 1999 or so the crappie limit was cut from 30 to 15. The crowds didn't get any bigger and its been the past 2 years that the population has nose dived. My guess based on that small ammount of info is that something other than angling pressure is to blame.

[jerkin'm]

From my eyes the crowds HAVE gotten bigger in the last 2 years compared to about 6 or 7 years ago...A lot more promotion of the area for winter fishing it seems...

[Gissert]

Fishing pressure and netting both probably are a factor in the noted decline of crappie action. There is also a third factor that might be afoot.

When we were there about this time last year, we ran into another problem. The first night, we hit them pretty good. Then next day, the bite was off significantly. The third day, you could not hardly entice anything to bite. There was some big hatch going on under the ice, and that is all the fish wanted.

[jasonk]

We had a good discussion about this last fall. Here it is.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=644410&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1