Two Pound Crappies, One Pound Bluegills

[fishuhalik]

There are a few out there. I would start my search at Giles Lake by Grand Rapids for gills. It's a special regs lake (5 fish limit) and it's not a secret by any means, but I've seen several 11" gills come out of the lake.

As far as crappie lakes, that's a toughy. There are a half-dozen around my home area that i grew up (grand rapids-marcell) that hold them. They're all under 150 acres and take at least a 1/2 hour walk to get into them, one doesn't have a trail or anything, it's a 3 mile walk following the gps. Do your homework (i'll second lakefinder to narrow them down) and put your time in.

Sorry I wasn't much help, but you'll hear it time and time again, I don't let my mother know about some lakes!

[Zelmsdawg]

So I was taking some time to go through nettings for some lakes I'm planning a trip to this winter in northern mn and thought of this post when I saw the following line...

Black Crappie

Trap net 1.6 1.0 - 6.1 1.97 0.2 - 0.5

Now granted nettings don't mean everything and you'd still have to put some time in on the lake but I think its a pretty good start

Zelmsdawg

[waterbound]

So I was taking some time to go through nettings for some lakes I'm planning a trip to this winter in northern mn and thought of this post when I saw the following line...

Black Crappie

Trap net 1.6 1.0 - 6.1 1.97 0.2 - 0.5

Now granted nettings don't mean everything and you'd still have to put some time in on the lake but I think its a pretty good start

Zelmsdawg

Wow, those are some big crappies if the average is almost 2 pounds! I wonder how long ago it was netted and if it was in the spring...eggs would add a little bit to the average weight. Good to see there are lakes that have been proven to hold or at least once held an average size crappie of about 2 pounds.

[OnAFly]

Yeah, I've seen a couple lakes on there I'd like to hit. A lot of them are surrounded by private land and quite small.

[MinDak Hunter]

I would hit Pelican in Wright Co. I saw many 10+ inch gill taken from that lake last year (not by me). I caught a few in the 9.5-9.75 inch range but no true 10 inchers.

Luck.

[elusivecrappiecatcher]

Rainy lake holds MONSTER crappies! The stringer of slabs in Grumpy Old Men was from Black Bay on Rainy. I know of an even better spot on that lake but getting out there takes a boat with good gas mileage or in the winter a long cold ride on a snowmobile. Heard from my source 2.5-3lbers.....if you can make it to the spot!

It is a really remote and far off place so fishing pressure is pretty much non-existent, plus you are likley to catch 5+ pound walleys all day long as well.

[slurpie]

I find this thread funny cause the same guy started it twice and cant get the info he needs. But the only input he put in was to get a spot unless people made offers through email.

[mikefishing]

Elusivecrappiecatcher- i think i know where that is. i also think i know who your source is because i have been there (with him?) and seen 2.5 pound crappies along with many 25 inch walleyes and even a monster pike caught there all in one day.

[pushbutton]

i agree with slurpie, i think this guy is just putting this out there to do a little pre-fishing, hoping someone starts bragging about one of his buddy's spots.

[Swill]

agree with pushbutton, but good topics anyways...

[elusivecrappiecatcher]

Elusivecrappiecatcher- i think i know where that is. i also think i know who your source is because i have been there (with him?) and seen 2.5 pound crappies along with many 25 inch walleyes and even a monster pike caught there all in one day.

Whats his first name?

[mikefishing]

Scott?

If not the same person i think i know where teh fishing spot is.

[elusivecrappiecatcher]

Nope not the same person.

[mr_jman]

There is a small pond behind my girlfriends house in Bloomington where me or my gf have caught about 5 or 6 gills at or right around 10" and they are both wide and fat! I know we weighed one on a digital scale that went right around 1 lb. Anyways since its a private pond and NOBODY else even fishes it... It kinda doesn't count in my book. But if you just want a 1 lb. gill I would take a look at aerial photos or google earth and find some of these little ponds surrounded by houses and ask permission to go down there. Go in the spring or early summer. They seem to bite all the time but getting a trophy on does take time, however we have caught 2 - 4 in an hours time.

As for public lakes go off the beaten path in the Ely, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, or Bemidji area. All these areas hold relatively untapped waters and I have done well in the Ely and Bemidji areas while going to school there. The Brainers and Grand Rapids areas are almost a given by looking on lakefinder and through word of mouth from friends etc.

I can't give specific lakes out but go to Ely and check out the White Iron chain. It's a big lake/system but so are the Crappies!

[builtFORDtough]

Some of the biggest sunnies I catch are from smaller lakes, the kind that get lots of fertilizer and what not in em. To the point where you dont want to eat them but they can tolerate it good enough. One in particular gets some great green sunfish in it, i dont get 1lb fish but 10" isnt a problem

[Brad B]

If you don't mind travling out of the state you could go over to north dakota and lake metigoshe which sits on the north dakota & canada border. this lake never had bluegill in it but back in 1994 or 1995 the north dakota game & fish department stocked it with bluegill and now these blue gill have made it to the 1 to 2 pound range. I talked to dave Genz at the ice show this year and he told me that he always makes a trip out there around thanksgiving. there was also a segment done on jason mitchell outdoors about this lake. I for one would like to drive out there for fish that size but for me it would be a 8 hour and 500 mile trip.