Belle

[69Dave]

Anything going on out on Belle, thinking off going out there this week. Any info. would be helpful.

[Chad Peterson]

I have heard some very good reports from Belle. Now, if they are true..............not sure. Walleyes seem to be what is bitting.

Sniffer

[LMITOUT]

Seems as though the size has people leaving as fast as they were showing up.

[pike doctor]

Belle has been pretty good for walleyes and crappies. I heard a guy got a 17" crappie out there last night. I took a portable out to Cedar and did fairly well on some real jumbos. I drilled about 150 holes to find them. Otherwise, Waconia and Pelican have pretty good bites going for panfish.

[Brownton]

Belles been over fished, don't waste your time.

[Bottle Fish]

I drove by there yesterday and there was at least 100 houses out there. I also heard the giant crappie story although I was told it was 18" and 4lbs. I highly doubt the truth to the report though. There are plenty of other lakes to fish with far less people on so I would really consider a different lake.

[GBP52]

Actually that story is legit, I saw pictures of it and know who caught it! Thing is a sow and it measured 18 1/4.

[Fever]

Gotta see a pic... It started as a 17, then an 18 now an 18.25. that is a pig Congrats to whoever caught it as it's a true fish of a lifetime. My personal best is a 16.5 inch 2.7 pounder from just last Febuary. Looking forward to seeing someone post a picture of that fish as there aren't many of them out there.

[Avid Angler]

I did not hear about that pig, but would love to see a pic.

I fished Belle over the weekend, but was not inpressed with the size of the crappies.

I think one more summer of growth will put some nice size on them. Most are around the 8 inch size. My 4.5 year old son had fun reeling them in.

I am guessing that some of these 8 inches are going home. I hope you have a sharp knife.

Avid

[Iceman18]

I was out on Belle over the weekend and it was a zoo. Houses coming and going all night. Caught alot of crappies around 8-9 inches and never found a walleye. I think one more year will be good for that lake.

[CaptainMusky]

I was out on Belle over the weekend and it was a zoo. Houses coming and going all night. Caught alot of crappies around 8-9 inches and never found a walleye. I think one more year will be good for that lake.

It wont matter if people are keeping those 8 inchers.

Belle ebbs and flows so much. It is either feast or famine out there. I remember in the dry years in the 80's when you could drive a truck around the outside of the whole thing. Not much for fish in there for several years.

Man did we use to get walleyes and crappies out of there though. Nothing like it used to be.

[GBP52]

Here's a picture. Taken off of a cell phone, but its atleast a picture. Definately doesnt do the fish justice.

[Avid Angler]

It definitely doesn't look 18 inches. Maybe 15 inches.

[Brownton]

come on guys, we've all ied in are lifetime about true size. What matters is the moment in tome when we feel like a little kid. If I pulled that crappie out of my hole I was spaz with joy. DO NOT tell me any of you don't do that.

People leave those 8 inchers a lone at belle. Walleyes are small there too, look like little pike. 6 inches at the most and girth Maybe pushing 2 inches. For the rest out you that dosn't know what that means, think of 7 inch baby pike.

[harvey lee]

I talked with a fellow I know and he said the majority of the eyes are babies and the crappie were also with a few woerth keeping.

The report did not excite me at all and I am not going there to catch mainly dink's. Let um grow up or at a minimum, throw them back.

Could someone have caught a nice crappie, why sure but that does not sound like the norm but rather 8 inchers.

[69Dave]

Well thanks for the imfo guys, everything seems small. Is there any kind of bite on Ripley at all???

[mascad]

Here's a picture. Taken off of a cell phone, but its atleast a picture. Definately doesnt do the fish justice.

I'll say it's just under 15" (using the old middle joint of the index finger being 1" rule)

[pike doctor]

That fish is well over 15". Put your fist together like his is in the picture and measure across. I think that his fist is probably about 3 inches wide. There are 5-6 fist going the length of that fish, making it a minimum of 15". I came up with 18" using a piece of paper to mark it. Great fish. Wish I had her for my wall. The mouth looks like I could settle a bottle of premium in there and she would swallow it.

[Hester]

I agree.

[Fever]

Well, first off. Nice fish. Definately a quality wall worthy Crappie. Like I stated earlier my best came last year and was 16.5 and weighed in at 2.7 on the digital scale. That fish looks to be the same or otherwise real close to my 16.5. Real tough to say as you can tell he is holding the fish out but the knuckle rule is usually good. Thing is to get an accurate measurement you have to have the mouth closed, and pushed up to an end of a measureing board like the dnr uses, gills shut, and tail pinched. Just using the knuckle rule it looks to measure about 16 ish plus maybe a little. the hand thing doesnt work for me at all as it's much more difficult to say a person's hand is 3 inches across based on a pic of it with a fish being held out towards a camera. Anyway. NICE FISH and congratulations!

[Fever]

Here is mine from last year. My son (5yr old at the time) standing next to me puts the fish in perspective.

On the small lake that I caught that fish out of I was catching 9's up to 11's fairly consistantly then the big 16.5 decided to roll up and smack a white and red glow devil with a waxy suspended at 15-16ish feet in 20fow. I thought I had a bass on as I'd caught them there before. Then I saw the speckles under the ice and about messed my underarmor. You could have dang near fit a baseball in that mouth.

[jmg]

Fever--Cute picture! Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Brownton]

nice picture man, thats a memory that kid with take to the grave. And good size fish.