Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

St. Croix River Fishing Reports


Joe

Recommended Posts

Thanks for the report Old Timer. Braver soul than me today. Probably because of the bad memories of the portable skidding across the bare ice with me inside one windy day years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All the snow has melted and now has frozen over! Better conditions than before it rained imo, with the exception that you slide everywhere! Only kept 5 crappies. Did toss back in about 20 smaller ones along with lots of dinky whities. 38 fow, jigging spoons tipped with heads.

Also, the hill going up from the WI access point freezes over pretty good once the sun goes down so plan accordingly. One suv was stuck trying to get up. Me and my rwd ended up crossing over to the MN access.

Anybody ever get a huge school of fish roaming through showing up on the flasher? At first we thought it might be whities, hoping they were crappies, but didn't catch anything out of the group so thinking huge school of baitfish? Was there all afternoon ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Slow morning for me on the river. First spot had a couple small crappies so I moved to find bigger fish. Second spot one crappie and one sunfish. Third spot all sunfish and tiny white bass. Slow bite, I caught maybe 6 or so fish total. Various colored jigs with euro larva. Pretty cold out, slick ice, use cleats on your boots if you have em.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Slow bite this morning, but the temperature was nice! I brought home 2 crappies, lost a couple that felt good on the line and threw back one little white bass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow the river was packed this morning. Must have had to do with the nice above freezing temps along with an extremely cold front coming in next two days? On a side not, I finally decided to buy another tape measure and hope it would bring good luck so that I could hope to catch a walleye and have to measure if it was big enough. So, I decided to measure my crappies and I guess I'm off on my size estimations because what I called 8in is actually 9. Why is it thought that once the crappie hits 9in they start to get fat unlike the size differences for those under 9?

Fish report though, they were definitely more finicky today buy still managed to help the nephews catch 7 keepers 9 to 11in. I do know most of the guys fishing around us weren't catching anything though heh ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Real slow for me. Cheetah you did much better than me as I got the big skunk. Lookers and one bite. Fished south of the open water. I did hear the turkeys chattering up a storm before fly down up on the WI. side hill. Man, I haven't been down to the river in over three weeks but I've never seen so many people fishing down there in all my life as I did today. Good Luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are a couple pointers to add another fish or three to the bucket during the slow times.

Being a Wisconsin resident I think I have an advantage over the MN people.....I fish three lines.

If the bite is slow, I use these three lines to narrow down just what the fish want or don't want.

Lately, a minnow presentation has been hot, so I set one tipdown with a medium to large fathead minnow and the other with a large or small crappie minnow. A plain red hook with a sinker or two has been good so that is what I've been using.

Now the pointers.....during the off periods...pay a lot of attention to the size and the action of the minnow. Change out your minnows every 10 to 15 minutes and go through the spectrum of minnow sizes keeping track on what sizes you are using. If you get a fish on a certain minnow size search the bucket to find it's twin.

I've been sharpening my hooks lately and I think it makes a difference, but not how you think. I think a super sharp hook causes less damage to the smaller minnows, therefore I get livelier small minnows. If the point of the hook feels like you're pushing a screwdriver through the skin it's dull.

The trend lately has been to smaller minnows, so a nice lively minnow seems to be triggering more fish.

Fiska's always seems to get me fish, but if the crappies are giving that presentation the finger, I usually have a third tipdown or slip bobber ready to go.

Hope this helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The top picture is of a 13" crappie caught today on a very small lively crappie minnow and a red hook and the bottom picture is a 14" crappie I caught yesterday on a medium size fathead and a red hook. Both of these fish were released after I took the picture.

Yesterday was a lot better for me then today. Today I ended up taking home 6 crappies between 9 1/2" and 11"

full-22443-29102-1322.jpg

full-22443-29103-1422crappie.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SM

Hats off to you! While it's every anglers personal choice, it's nice to see trophy crappies going back.

cheets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great Post SM. Thanks for the reminders to keep trying something different, and not sticking with what worked last week. In regards to c and r, I need to discipline myself to reel up slowly so as to not kill the fish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, a white crappie. Have caught a lot more of those this year than last year, especially bigger ones! And I second SM's post! Lazy fishing is the way to go ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks.

hey if you a ever going to be out there and are willing toshow arookie sometips let me know. I havemy portable, marcum and my auger . Justneed some ideas of how to fish the river during hardwater. I'mgoing totry it the next couple of days

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey GSP4me,

Take a look at the threads "fishing reports" and " lure staples". They contain a ton of useful info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok got out of work really late last night. I am going to try and doing some scouting on the croix today spend a lot of time drilling holes and watching the Marcum. I am not looking for anyones secret hole but would like an idea of where to start. would love to ice some crappies and wonder if I should be looking for hard bottom, transition sharp drops or what am I looking for

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The crappies cruise the basin. They generally hang in the deeper water, 36 - 40 feet, but can be found anywhere. Since they cruise, you might mark fish, and by the time you are fishing, they have moved on. My experience with this cold weather has been to mark fish and not have them bite like they had been for the last 3 weeks. This should ease up some when the barometer stabilizes. Some of the people who have a lot more experience on the Croix have developed several techniques to combat lockjaw. Read past posts for specifics. I know this is pretty general, but you have to put in your time and learn from others. (Which the folks on this forum are great about). Good Luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Made it to the river yesterday morning. crappies were on the feed early and were biting from 730, when we got there, till 930. after that they moved and were not in the usual spots. once again plain red hook with small crappie minnow performed well. jigging spoons with head were catching also, but catching more of the smaller crappies compared to plain minnow. wish we had made it out sooner to see when the bite started!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 fow, minnows, fiska, spring bobber, north of crappie town, flurry at 8:50 and 9:20 after that distracted by: new heater going out,(bang on it to repair),cap for thermos breaking, wind shifting and picking up trying to blow the house away, dead battery on vehicle when tried to move it to block the wind.(jump start from buddy who joined me). Pretty amusing actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 fow, minnows, fiska, spring bobber, north of crappie town, flurry at 8:50 and 9:20 after that distracted by: new heater going out,(bang on it to repair),cap for thermos breaking, wind shifting and picking up trying to blow the house away, dead battery on vehicle when tried to move it to block the wind.(jump start from buddy who joined me). Pretty amusing actually.

At least something was active out there! grin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 fow, minnows, fiska, spring bobber, north of crappie town, flurry at 8:50 and 9:20 after that distracted by: new heater going out,(bang on it to repair),cap for thermos breaking, wind shifting and picking up trying to blow the house away, dead battery on vehicle when tried to move it to block the wind.(jump start from buddy who joined me). Pretty amusing actually.

hope your spot is doing great! thinking mine got pressured due to the amount of holes that we see are around in between trips. didn't have much of any new holes between trips before but now, different story :-(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fished today from 6am-10 outside of the permie town In 36 fow for two hrs marking fish here and there but they wouldn't take anything. Jigging Spoons with waxie and minnows. Deadstick with Red hook with minnnow. Fiska with waxie and plastic. They would come by and stare. Put the camera down and saw a tail of a big fish. Few minutes later, something hit the camera as they were swimming by. We moved to 30 fow and marked some but not as much as the other spot. Put the camera down again and spotted a crappie staring at us for a while before swimming off. No takers today. Called it a day.

Looking to target some white bass. My first year fishing the croix during hardwater. Where should i look and how deep???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fished from 5:50am to 1pm today.

Got Crappies from 5:55am to 7am. Nothing after that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fished today from 6am-10 outside of the permie town In 36 fow for two hrs marking fish here and there but they wouldn't take anything. Jigging Spoons with waxie and minnows. Deadstick with Red hook with minnnow. Fiska with waxie and plastic. They would come by and stare. Put the camera down and saw a tail of a big fish. Few minutes later, something hit the camera as they were swimming by. We moved to 30 fow and marked some but not as much as the other spot. Put the camera down again and spotted a crappie staring at us for a while before swimming off. No takers today. Called it a day.

Looking to target some white bass. My first year fishing the croix during hardwater. Where should i look and how deep???

Looks like you are on the right track. Are you using a foam or spring bobber? Sometimes when they are finicky, all you will notice is a little dip of the spring bobber, and I mean little (1/2 inch.) When they are on a tear, they will bend it down 2 inches. Also the fish you are marking could be schools of baitfish, schools of tiny white bass, individual white bass etc. Or as your camera showed, finicky crappies. We have also been able to tempt them by agressively jigging something flashy to pull them in and they may bite on the deadstick. As far as water depth, for me, deeper is better, but that depends where you are set up in the basin. Hope this helps. Good luck and hang in there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Similar Content

  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Kettle
      Walked today and yesterday, flushed 9, shot at two and got two. Hopefully next year I'll have a dog to hunt with. Still warm up here, skim of ice on ponds. Weather has been nice. Hopefully walk a bit more the next few weeks. Been pretty cautious walking for birds to not interfere with deer hunters. There sure are not the deer hunters there used to be 
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  The focus for many this week is the ongoing deer hunting season which is a big tradition in these parts, even for avid walleye anglers.  There were some that either already harvested their deer or are more into catching fall walleyes than hunting.     Those that are fishing are taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and excellent walleye and sauger bite that is happening across the lake.  Cold weather is in the forecast in the upcoming days and weeks so that is also getting many excited. The best depths on the south end of LOW are 22-28 feet of water.     Vertical jigging with frozen emerald shiners is catching most of the walleyes, saugers and jumbo perch.  Depending upon where on the lake you are fishing, some slots and big trophies are in the mix as well, but most reports are talking about good numbers of eaters.    Jumbo perch are coming in good numbers this fall which will serve ice anglers well.  Watch out for an occasional pike or even lake sturgeon mixed in with the walleyes.      There are good numbers of walleyes and saugers across the south shore which is setting up nicely for early ice.   On the Rainy River...  There continues to be good numbers of shiners in the river, and consequently, there are good walleyes in the river as well.     Walleyes along with saugers, pike and some sturgeon are coming in up and down the river.  Most walleyes are being caught in 10-25 feet of water in various stretches of the river.   Jigging with live or frozen emerald shiners is the key. Some anglers are also still slow trolling crankbaits upstream to cover more ground and find fish. Both methods are producing solid results. Sturgeon fishing remains strong.  The catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is open into the spring when it changes to the "keep season" on April 24th. Up at the NW Angle...  As temps are getting colder, most are in the woods hunting and not fall fishing, however, for those who bundle up, fishing continues to be excellent.     A nice mixed bag with walleyes, saugers, perch, pike and crappies being caught. Very good muskie fishing with the colder water temps and shorter days.  Some big fish and some good numbers are being caught amongst the islands.  Both casting and trolling is getting it done.  
    • gimruis
      I hunt in the rifle zone so I don't have a need to use a shotgun to hunt deer, but I would be looking at this if there was ever a need to.   There could be state legislation introduced next summer that eliminates the shotgun zone completely.  It has bipartisan support.  Wisconsin removed theirs years ago and MN is usually later to follow.  They've tried to pass it more than once and it came up just short both times.  Probably just a matter of time.
    • Wanderer
      Oh, h e l l no! 
    • leech~~
      Screw that, here's whatch need!  😆   Power-Shok Rifled Slug 10 Gauge 766 Grain Grain Weight: 766 Shotshell Length: 3-1/2in / 89mm Muzzle Velocity: 1280
    • Wanderer
      20 ga has become a real popular deer round in the last 5 or so years.  The rifled barrels are zinging those sabot slugs with rifle like accuracy out to 100 yards easily.  Some go so far as dialing in for a 200 yard shot but really, by 150 they’re falling off pretty low.   I have a single shot Ultraslug in 20 ga that shoots really well at 100 yards.  Most everyone I know that has bought a slug gun lately has gotten the Savage 220 in 20ga.  Problem can be finding the shells you want.
    • leech~~
      My son always bugs me about getting a nice light over-under 20ga for grouse hunting.  I say Heck no, I'm getting a 3 1/2" 10ga so I can put as much lead in the air that I can!!     So, I'm keeping my 12ga.  
    • 11-87
      That’s almost exactly what I was thinking.  Have slug barrels for both   One for turkey and one for deer.      I have a 20ga mosseberg as well. (Combo came with the scope but never used.   I always liked the 12 better
    • leech~~
      Wanderer is right on the money and covered it well.  I was wondering too if you had a slug barrel for one of your guns?  If so you could make that your slug gun with a scope, and the other your turkey gun with the Red dot.  As you can afford it. 
    • Wanderer
      Kinda depends on if you want magnification or quick target acquisition.   More magnification options and better accuracy with a scope.  You get what you pay for too so get comfortable with a budget for one.  Tasco and Bushnell work but I find they lose their zero easier, have low contrast and don’t gather light well in low light conditions.  That said, I’m still using one I haven’t replaced yet.  Vortex has been the hot brand for the past several years for bang for the buck.  Good products.  Nothing beats Swarovski though.  Huge dough for those.  Burris is another decent option.   There are some specific models for shotgun/slug hunting in the economy brands and bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticles.  Based on experience I’d recommend not falling for that marketing ploy.   Red dots are usually lower magnification and easier to get on target.  Reasonably accurate but don’t do well with definition, like searching the brush for your target.  I put a HAWKE red dot on a .22 for squirrels and it’s been good.  For turkey, that’s probably the route I’d go.     If your slug shots are normally not too far and too brushy, I’d think a red dot could work there too if you’re only buying 1 scope.  You’ll be better off dimming the reticle to the lowest setting you can easily use to not over shine the target and get a finer aim point.   If you don’t have a slug barrel, you might appreciate one of those.  I had a browning with a smoothbore slug barrel that shot Brenneke 2-3/4 inch well.  The 11-87 would well fitted with a cantelever rifled barrel. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.