Who needs Red Lake???????????

[Shack]

I hit another local spot again tonight.

This time I drilled a series of holes and watch my electronics for the large red bars, not the small yellow/green bars.

I was alone and I caught my usual crappies. I happened to look at my graph and I saw a rather “very” Large red bar near my bait. I waited for my spring bobber to move. It did. I set the hook and drag was a peal’ in. I got it almost to the top of the hole and it was off.

I was excited, but dismayed.

I reeled the line up and glowed the hook (I was using a minnow, small minnow) and set it back down to the bottom. About a foot from the bottom, I noticed a display of yellow/green/ red on my flasher. I stop the descent of the jig. BOOOM, the spring bobber bent and I was in another drag peal ‘in situation. I got my biggest crappie of the year (so far). I know I had a bigger fish on tonight, but lost it up the column.

This was pretty much a metro area crappie and it was released.

More to come...

P.S.

I will have a 16" by ice out. That is my goal and I almost to that goal....

They are getting bigger by the week.

[Nate McVey]

Nice job Shackbash! That is a dandy!

[eyehead]

Nice fish, be sure to post a pic of that 16" slab when ya get him.

[Shack]

I know I had 16" plus fish on tonight.

All the info is here to get them.

The major key factor in the end is, give the fish 2-5 seconds longer on the spring bobber, before you start reel'in.

That is the mistake I made on the first big fish, then this one followed with'in under a minute and I gave this fish those seconds. It worked out.

When the big ones come in, they come together I have found.

[Scott M]

Nice fish shack.

I had to learn to give those crappies a little extra time when using a spring bobber as well. I was so used to bluegills where you had to stick them as soon as the spring moved...With a crappie they need to inhale that baby, so give it a second or two before you set the hook.

Good luck with the 16"er.

[tisosy11]

Very nice shack!

[Shack]

Thanks da_chise31 and tisosy11

I will also give some info I found last night that was working for me. Just before sun down I was outside hole hopp’in with the flasher to find the bigger fish. To my amazement, I found these larger bars on the flasher in 4-8’ depths. Once I got my self in an area where I marked a consistent amount of fish, I set up the porty for the evening. I set up in 7’ of water and started getting the usual metro crappies about a 1-2 feet off the bottom. I still would see large red bars come in right on the bottom and adjust my jig right above them with out as much as a bend on the spring bobber. Then around 6:55pm, the big red bar showed up in the bottom again, so adjust once again. This time the spring bobber bent down and I prematurely started reel’in, missed and then got the fish in the images above.

I was using Frabill 24” spring bobber rod, with (Sorry I forgot the size) small Ratso green glow jig. They did not like just the jig, but would come in for a look and I would switch quickly to a grub (with no luck) and then to a Micro small crappie minnow. They wanted meat last night. The smaller crappies would go after the grubs, but the big one wanted a minnow. I was using 2lb Vanish line, drag set on medium to light (with very little tension, when line was pulled out of reel), spring bobber and just the jig/minnow combo. Glow, glow, glow. They love the fresh glow. Do not be afraid to reel up when they are down at the bottom and glow jig. They will stay in the area.

I would name the lake, but it is a very small west/north metro lake with very little pressure. I would be hung up and left to dry if I named the lake.

Also I got another small bonus last night. My first walleye of the year threw the ice. I had no idea that this small lake had walleye in it, at least I have never caught one before or heard of one being caught.

I figure I would give back some info, because of all the info I have got this season in this forum.

Good luck!

[DTro]

Nice fish!

I see you been workin on that smile....atta boy.

[vitalshot5]

nice fish in the pics but they are no where near 16"ers....keep us posted.

[Shack]

I know I will get thrown to the wolves for this one, but it was a good 13”. I did not have a tape measure that night (I have since made the adjustment and marked a ruler on my inside support pole for shack), but the center console in my porty is exactly 12” across. With the fish straightened out, the lip tip even with one side and the tail went past the edge (slightly pinched) at least an inch. But yes, I do have a long way to go. I figure "think positive". It helps immensely with catching fish. I am setting my goal for 16”, which I think is possible, but may not happen. I was able to sneak out last night and did find them, but the big ones did not want to bite. I caught the usual crappies, a nice perch and two massive bull heads. I have a good track record going over the last month. It is pretty neat to pick a lake, study the lake, go out of then realm and have success. The chances of a 16” are possible, but we will see. The next couple of weeks I should see some nice ones come out of my hole.

Here is my resume (of sorts) form FM crappie school. It’s the last month’s time line and what a little effort and work for one lake (no body fish's) can do. The first pic is the oldest and the last pic, well you know. It gives you an idea of where I am heading with this lake and my winter crappie fishing in general.

Good luck...

[tisosy11]

Shackbash - you use a tripod and a remote to take your pictures?

[Shack]

LOL .

Ya, it's about 45 years old and the brand name of it is brother in-law. Had to fit that one in.

Yes, when I am alone I have a timer on camera and I have high sitting seats in my porty, that work great as a tri-pod.

It takes some skill to take a good picture and practice, which I have been doing.

I used to take images of every fish, now I am down to just a couple a trip .

[Mr_Lunker]

where abouts are you fishing if you don't mind emailing me.

[Shack]

I have given it a lot of thought and I have come to a conclusion about giving out the name of the lake/slue. With all my gossip and bragging powers aside, I am not and will not name the lake. Sorry if I come off as a [PoorWordUsage], but as much info as I love to give out, this one thing I am going to keep for my self , my brother in-law and kids.

The main point of this thread I started was not to brag about some secrete lake I know about, but rather to have people think out of the box and try some areas, lakes or slew’s that you would never figure being any good. Also to show what reading the info here can do for ones crappie bite. Plus, also to give hope to the metro area crappie fisherman, that there are still some monster slabs in the metro area. I have caught nice fish in the past, but after reading and studying the info from this site, can almost predict what my out come is going to be at the end of the night.

Dtro had a post going some where on FM early this ice season about charging the bull rushes or something like that. It was him getting out to a swamp/lake no one fished and giving it the old college try. Well, he failed terribly , but this instilled a notion of thinking out of the box and going to areas other people do not fish.. Which I did and have had great “luck” on a first time shot.

So, when you see that “no name” lake on the side of the road going to work everyday, give it a try. I am sure people have laughed at me in their cars when driving by at sun down, but I am the one laughing now, that I am getting some hog crappies.

[danwilliams]

Shack....think you're right not giving up the name of lake....it couldn't stand the heat...

I'd like to get around to snooping around down there where I grew up once more..a couple come to mind that I wonder if they still have fish or have they been hit hard.....one of them may well be your hole...although I think you're fishing a little closer to metro...

I have fears my panfish lake up here I've been having fun at all winter winter killed last week...hope I'm wrong. But something strange sure happened to it...

Almost forgot main intent of posting.....Nice work! Recon can pay off...

[PerchPounder]

Who needs Red Lake? Not us.

[Quackaddict9]

there are no crappies in Red Lake anyways! so why go there?

[late night]

Why go to Red Lake? Why for the two walleyes of course!

[tisosy11]

Those are some great looking crappies!

[one_walleye_willie]

I've been to Red Lake twice the last 2 years and have yet to catch a crappie. I don't understand why people travel hours to Red lake. I have 3 local lakes that I fish that have been producing crappies all winter. I believe there are many good crappies lakes in the state, the big difference is these other lakes don't have resorts and so called guides bragging all over this site about how great the fishing is. I enjoy seeing all the pics of fish and appreciate how you guys don't say where they were caught.

[Sandmannd]

You da man Shack. Way to put up some numbers in the metro.

[ozzie]

the reason I go to Red is that I know when I get into the crapppies that they are all going to be 13.5 inches and I will probably catch 20-100 walleyes while searching for the crappies. I know that after a trip to Red and catching those crappies I have a hard time going to any local lake and catching 7-12 inch crappies!!!

[Quackaddict9]

Red Lake is fun, its challenging.. you gotta find schools of crappies and once youre on them, game on! Nothing beats these 14"+ slabs and youll have a good chance catching alot walleyes too while looking for them. I know its not as good as before but I still love going to that lake and fish.

[Shack]

I named this post to be funny. Red lake is a lake of it's own and if you have a chance to head up that way, I would not think twice about going.

Main point of this thread was show guys who do not get a chance to get to Red, how they could get out n Metro or near Metro lakes and with a little work and trial and error, you can find monster crappies.

I love Red Lake ..

[MuleShack]

way to score some slabs in the metro shack.

For those who never caught a crappie on Red, they are in a league of their own...

catching a 13" here vs a 13" up there is like a quarter back to a line backer. Those fish have some shoulders up there...at least the ones we caught.