whens it supposed to start???

[dairyman]

OK--I've been reading about this great spring bite we're supposed to have......I've been on this one lake just about every day lately trying for crappies and had zippo for luck. I've tried ratso,shrimpos,genz bugs ----tipped them with maggots,minnows,minnow heads and whatever else I can think of and it just ain't happenen---I can see em come up and then just set there or go back down. I'm lookin for any suggestions....

[Deitz Dittrich]

Different lake? The late ice bite has started. Maybe change locations on this lake you are fishing. Try and find green weeds! Upsize your presentation. Drill lots of holes.

[rockman]

If that is the lake, and spot on that lake, you want to continue to fish,I'd give 'em a plain minnow set up on a deadstick.Otherwise, like Deitz posted,change spots on that lake to find green weeds, or go to a different lake.It looks like you have pressured fish that are in a negative funk.Just a general obsevation,I think folks are relating the 'bite' to the calendar being March 29th.We have much thicker ice this year,with cooler than normal air temps right now.Not all lakes have not progressed to the fast,late,late ice bite just yet.It will come eventually.Let the ice conditions, and the mood of the fish, dictate technique adjustments, or other location considerations.Not just the calendar by itself,or the current bite being reported on other lakes.

[Stick in Mud]

I've been having some of the same issues with the fish around here (St Cloud), but I've been able to get most of them to bite using more, not less, aggressive techniques. It seeems counter-intuitive, but I've been doing better on jigging spoons (you can change the treble to a single hook for even better luck) or jigging raps (size #3). I even got some on a chubby darter this weekend. As soon as the fish shows up on the vex and starts rising to the lure, I lift it away from the fish...if the fish follows for more than a foot or two, I catch it just about every time.

Another thing that I've been doing is carrying around two rods with me--one with a large presentation, one with the smaller. If the fish don't eat the one, I'll quickly switch to the other. Sometimes the change will induce an immediate strike.

Strangely enough, I have caught almost nothing on the deadstick this spring. I've been lucky enough to find lots of fish this year--often the vex will be completely lit up--but they will only take the jigging rods, not the deadstick. I have no idea why.

[rockman]

Well, it's interesting to see that the phrase,"Go Big,or Go Home",seems to be the ticket for you in lure selection.A guy has to give 'em what they want to bite on-deadstick, or no deadstick.

[Shack]

All of the above!

Also, if you can not find greens weeds, a shallow slight drop off from 4-7' has been a great area to locate fish. Hit them late afternoon to early evening. It is sad to say, but a minnow will work great right now. 3-4 week ago, it was another story.

See the post I wrote "Ya take a guy fish'in". This post shows how things are changing.

Good luck..

[vermilionwally]

Im still catching my crappies in 20-25 feet of water.

[dairyman]

so what are you using for bait and jigs??

[mr_jman]

I finally found a few over the weekend in about 20' of water. I don't think the BITE has hit hard in the Bemidji area quite yet. The temps are so inconsistent! However I also found aggressive techniques worked best. I caught my crappies on a ratfinkee (glow) tipped with a wax worm. But a pink shrimpo (plain or with a minnow) worked also.

Here is the technique that was working. I would jig hard to get them off the bottom when the fish met my lure (on the vex) I would raise my bait about 2" - 3" higher and hold it there. They would hit it (ALTHOUGH IT WAS A SOFT BITE) but it worked about 80% of the time! If not, I just started over! Caught a bunch of fish Thursday and a few more Friday.

[Big Jeff]

interesting topic, I have been having mixed luck, Midlast week we went out and brought 13 home and tossed a bunch back, went back on Friday and they where no where to be found. I found 3 but I looked every where in a 200 yard area around my old holes. There is about 40 feet of water and I checked all the way up to 20 and still found nothing. Do I need to hunt shallower? I am fishing a river does that change? There was also a difference of weather, there where some clouds around mid week and Friday was bright and sunny. Do they move shallow this time of year, even in dark river water.

[TNFL]

We found some crappies in shallow this weekend. 6 feet from the top of the ice 3 feet from the bottom of the ice.

[rangerforme]

I was in the Spooner area in WI this weekend. The late ice bite hasnt' picked up yet there, still catching crappies in the deep holes, not much shallow. Ice hasn't changed in the last 3 weeks, not much has melted. All the fish in the 5 different lakes I fished were very finicky yet, wont' touch plastics, could only get them on a tiny fiska with half a waxie.

[FishinChad]

Ive heard of the crappie minnow bit picking up, so bring some with in case. If the fish are not active, you may have to move, or fish different time of the day, maybe its a night bite. If your fishing deep and are not finding them anymore, search shallower, all the way to the weeds. Just outside big weedflats/spawning areas could be holding fish also. Trial and error works, elimite spots until you catch fish, although this can be tough to do if you have limited time to be out fishing.

[blackdog1101]

I've been havin stellar success on 'Tonka with tiny jigs like 'Gill Pills or Fiskas tipped with little plastic tails. The whole jig & tail is an inch long, or maybe even less. I've been fishing in shallower water, say about 12 feet. My experience has been that the fish are most agressive during the warmer hours of the day, and then the bite slows down quite a bit after dark. I've also been working a few holes, rotating around so I don't hammer one hole too hard. I'll catch 2 or 3 fish in one hole and then move to another hole.

[fisherdog19]

We're still getting them in 20+ fow, but I think they are starting to make their move to staging areas, if they're not already there. It's been a very inconsistent March as far as weather is concerned, and there is still snow on top of the ice. It will happen soon in our area as the temps will hit the 50 within a week or so. The aggressive plastic bite will come soon enough