Report 1/15/08

[Infishquinn]

Thanks again for the bait store location, a self service one at that, what a concept, I like it. It has been a difficult transition from Brainerd, MN. All of my go-to tactics haven't produced, but I had a little action, 5 small white crappies, 1 black crappie, 1 perch, and a tiny white bass. I set up a little ways off of the group on the WI side in about 38 fow. I tried everything I had, from 1/64 oz jigs and maggot, to spoons, to plain hook and minnow. I have never seen fish that are so aggressive, yet finicky. A crappie that will bite a spoon, yet not bit a tiny plastic on a jig. It was frustrating, but I will get it soon I hope. I also set a tip-up in 16 fow with a shiner and didn't have a flag. I will keep at it and figure out a pattern hopefully. Do plastics ever work out there, or have I been there when the fish are off? Well, good luck everyone.

[hunt4food]

I have not tried plastics much. I normally use a red hook and crappie minnow on one line and a small Northland Tackle Forage Minnow with a tiny red treble hook on the other with a minnow. Once I see what they want that day, I switch both lines to that. I have not done well with waxies out there traditionally, but every once in awhile they will work better. I usually carry them with me but seldom use them. A couple of things you may have already learned...drill a separate hole for your Vexilar between your other two holes but down river 4 feet or so from your fishing holes. the current drifts your baits at a slight angle and your Vex will read it better. using a little extra weight will also keep your lines straighter down. If targeting a specific depth, you also need to remeber this because if you use a "depth bomb" to measure your depth off the bottom and then take it off and your line angles with the current then you are actually fishing further off the bottom than you expected. Make sense?

[blueroof]

Hunt4food - good flasher river tips there. LB

[gman2002]

yep if you've never fished the croix those are things you wouldn't think about. i usually go a little bigger than you would think down there for one to keep my line straight and two, them slabs got some big mouths on em

[Infishquinn]

Good tip, I hadn't considered placing my vexilar downstream, but it makes sense. I tried those approaches, and those were the only two things I caught crappies on. When I had a plain hook and a minnow, a crappie would come up to it and the minnow would swim up past my split-shot and then the crappie would turn away quickly, so I tried a jig to anchor the minnow below the shot a bit more, and they wanted nothing to do with that! I tried clipping the tail fin off so he couldn't swim as well, but they were still able to. I'll be back out to experiment some more, with location as well. There must be some spots that don't have so many people, and I bet the fish would be more eager to bite. Is it worth walleye fishing on that same point everyone is crappie fishing off of in NH? Also, do people catch those salamanders all over? I can't beleive those things, I have to catch one, but hopefully not too many more than that!

[hunt4food]

You can pickup a sauger or walleye in those spots, but very seldom in my opinion. You need to be near the bottom to catch them and that means you are too low for the crappies. I target the crappies in the winter and do my walleye fishing during the "soft water" season. If you want to catch a mud puppy, you need to be very near the bottom. believe me when I tell you though.....you don't want to!!!! Those buggers will walk right across the frozen ice until their little feet finally freese down. The sight of their big ugly red gills will leave more bad memories than your first horror film. You may very well pick up a sturgeon or a catfish fishing that close to the bottom so be ready for that too. I have had very little sucess after dark. Seems like 8am-10am and then 3pm-dark are the hours I have best success. No need to be out there too early in the am.