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Snell Lengths/reports

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By Guest
in St. Croix River Fishing Reports

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

I'm in a small metro fishing league (measure, catch and release) fishin the Croix tonite, launching out of hudson. Need some help. Some questions:

1) Any thoughts on effective snell lengths. For minnow vs. Crawler lindy's? Jewelry or no jewelry?
2) Minnow of choice, fatheads, small shiners?
3) Cranks, type, color, size?
4) Depths, sounds like 17' is optimal?
5) Any areas producing better than others?

Any help offered would be appreciated!!

TURK YOU OUT THERE?

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addicted Collaborator

addicted

Posted
Posted

Pre fish, pre fish, pre fish

------------------
Addicted

It's not only a name, but a state of mind!

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TRZ Proficient

TRZ

Posted
Posted

crayfish crank has always been my best bet on the croix. Turk said to stay in 12-14 but we got larger fish shallower 6-12, maybe just lucky.

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Turk Veteran

Turk

Posted
Posted

Wallydoggin,

I believe your best bet is to still stay near the spawning grounds and that requires current (higher water flow than lake areas or up north) areas. Work the best breaklines you find, start with your best spots.
I'm finding the fatheads a bit better than the crawlers but I use both.
Cranks working well for numbers. Lures - wally divers, shad raps, rip shads, colors? I like blue, crawdad, chartreuse and firetiger, about medium sized and all divers.
I alway use a long leader at least 4'except under severe snag areas.
Jigs are doing well. 1/4 ounce is great for present conditions.

Do what you know works and take it from there...

Good luck and take something new from each trip for your bag o' tricks.

Keep catchin'
Turk

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walleyefanatic Collaborator

walleyefanatic

Posted
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When fishing around rocks I shorten the snells to < 24" (fewer snags). Had lots of luck with plain snells and fatheads last weekend but most of the fish were small. When we ran cranks we had luck on just about everything (shad style and minnow style) and the fish tended to be larger. Good luck tonight.

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Ferny Collaborator

Ferny

Posted
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How'd you do?
We were up North and picked up 2, 1 dink saugy and 1 dink eye. The white bass were on fire and still squirting. They loved the rattling countdown raps we were throwing. Anything that had a rattle. Man they fight hard!

Too late for your tourney but, I prefer 4' for spinners and minners and bouncers. If you get snags shorten it up.

2'-3' for Lindy's.

Ferny.

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CrapMan Enthusiast

CrapMan

Posted
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Ferny

Where were you hitting the whitebass at.
Any info would be great.
Thanks
CrapMan

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Ferny Collaborator

Ferny

Posted
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North of Stillwater casting at shore to 8' deep. Opener fish were jumping all over the place.

Ferny.

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TRZ Proficient

TRZ

Posted
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was out yesterday, tried crawlwers and got great number of eyes smallies whiteies and sturgeon- but no keeper eyes, then switched back to shads and got we got 3 keepers one a little over 20'. it is a strange thing but the bigger fish seem to like the cranks- i also got the big one on a bigger deep diver hushy jerk-nice new bait great for deeper breaklines. I might just hiot the river again this weekend and avoid the crowds?

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Mr Special Mentor

Mr Special

Posted
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TRZ,
Sounds like I need to fish with you to get the keepers. But I did notice on sunday that the bigger fish were caught on casting or jigging technics versus a crawler on bottom.

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TRZ Proficient

TRZ

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hitting the river for the opener, was a good idea. my buddie got a 34 inch northern, i got 2 keeper walleye 20' and 21' all on large cranks- also got one really nice crappie on a crank so we fished that spot and got about 10- smallest being 3/4 largest was 1.4 pounds-big dark black males. overall one of the best days i've had on the river in a while. smallies were also hitting everything i used-they were nearly impossible to avoid, almost irritating!

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Ferny Collaborator

Ferny

Posted
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Hey TRZ, That's the thing about crappies on the Croix. They're all nice. Were you in the Bayport area? That's usually were I get them on cranks trying for eyes.

Ferny.

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TRZ Proficient

TRZ

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I was closer to stillwater. i catch alot of those slabs in the winter but this is the first time i have found more than a stragler in open water- god they were really all slabs, i let the largest ones go and kept the "smaller" ones but they were 12 inches and over. i hear that the smaller crappies go north and they don't come down to the southern croix areas until they are larger- i believethis because of the hundreds of crappies i have gotten in that area only a handful have been much under half pound.

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