iceman37 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Any Pa. anglers out there? This weekend ought to bo good to get on the ice, lots of cold weather here. I live near Black Moshannon, and Sayers lake. I fish for pike, pickerel & bass, but would like to catch perch & crappies by jigging. Could anyone tell me what good jigs-bait combos. work the best, and at what depth i can constantly catch theese fish? good fishing iceman37 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkevinb Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I am from northwestern PA, Meadville. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice9 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I grew up in northern Virginia and fished PA a lot, mainly for smallies and trout. Now I live in Minnesota.You'll find northerns, and probably pickerel, near weed growth edges if they are fairly deep. If there are no or few weeds it becomes tougher to locate these fish, but woody cover will also hold them. They'll feed in daylight and low-light hours and become tough to catch after dark. A larger bait in a stationary or stable presentation is good, hence the use of tipups a lot. A deadsticked minnow under a float is also good but secure that rod because when they take it they'll go off quickly. Pike also take dead baits, and larger baits tend to take larger fish.Perch are also daylight feeders. You tend to find them in the shallower structures of lakes up here, and on dropoffs and rocks as much as weed edges. Up here they're markers for walleye feeding areas--small perch are key forage for walleyes. Use small jigs and any bait you'd fish for local panfish, especially crappie minnows or minnow parts. Perch up here tend to be pretty bottom oriented--rarely suspend.Crappies tend to be deep-water suspended in the winter. Look for a basin or hole near good weed or wood forage areas that might hold them in the warm water months. THey'll move around in groups and if you can find a few you usually find a bunch. They can be very picky biters, and will often contemplate a bait from an inch away and then refuse it. Also they can bite very lightly, so look for spring bobbers or slip-float rigs that will show a very subtle bump. For example, if you rig a small jig under a bobber the strike will often make the float rise or fall over as the fish takes the bait--that is, it isn't pulled down but actually lightened. Expect to hunt a lot for crappies but once you find an area that holds them it will be reliable for a long time.good luckIce9dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice9 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 oh, also, crappies will feed best in low-light and often on into the night like walleyes.Let me know how it goes.Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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