March 2015 - Crappies and Sunnies

[VTX1800Shanty]

Dad and I are planning on some ice fishing north of Grand Rapids this coming weekend when the forecast is 33 degrees. I'm not looking for anyone to share their "secret lake" but I am hoping some of you will share how the bite is going. Crappies and Sunnies are goal. Are they deep or shallow? Morning, Night or all day? Waxworms, minnows, or other? Also, how good and thick is the ice? Any info is appreciated so Dad can catch a few. Thank you.

[Deet]

No replies? ouch.

I don't have much for recent fishing reports, but I can say the ice is good and thick. Excepting current areas or springs (or any other obviously hazardous areas), the ice should be between 2 and 3 feet thick everywhere with 6 - 12" of snow on top. No melt has started - not even close.

As for time of day, that's totally going to depend on the lake (primarily) and the weather (secondarily). Except for on very stained waters, I'd make sure you fish right up to or through dusk, even if (or ESPECIALLY if) you haven't had any action during the day. That's assuming you're on fish.

I'd probably still check deeper water before the shallows during daytime. If you can't find them, start working your way shallower. If you know there are fish around, but can't seem to find them during the day, pick a likely-good shallowish spot and "wait them out" until sunset.

Right around this time of year is when I'd start getting really good action in shallower water at sunset in years past.

[amoebus]

VTX - I will be up there next weekend so I am interested to see how you do. I AM looking for you to share your secret lakes! 8^)

I have been up in Dec and Jan. Dec was tough fishing - the sunnies must have still been in the shallows because I couldn't find them. The Jan trip was better and the fish were concentrated - not in the deep holes, but in the 20-30' range. I will follow Deet's advice of checking shallower again.

The Jan trip found me belly deep in a channel (it was -11F). I had cut a hole 15' away and it was 24" of ice. I hiked back to the truck, unfroze my overalls and fished 2-3 more lakes (staying away from channels). Be safe out there - if there is any current, the ice depth can change rapidly.

I looked at your post again and thought I would answer some of your questions - we never fish with minnows because we hike to most of our lakes. Waxworms or plastics seem to work when the fish don't see much pressure.

[VTX1800Shanty]

No replies... ouch indeed. However out of 731 views, 2 were kind enough to share their info. Thank you.

I went and this is what I found. About 36" of ice. 6 to 12" of snow.

You were spot on with the lake dependent. Dead sea on 2 lakes. Mediocre on another. Hot on another.

Mediocre lake found fish at 18' chasing up to 15'. Lake depth was 32'.

Hot lake found fish at 28'. Marcum was full from 26' to 23'. Lake depth was 37'. All bluegills, no crappies. Action was on wax worms.

A neighbor buddy was fishing another nearby lake with crappie minnows in 32' of water with the crappies suspended at 15' but he said the crappies were all under 9" or smaller, so I didn't join him. He said quite a few people were on the lake and keeping their limits of 8" crappies which didn't intrigue me.

[Deet]

Fished a small lake on Saturday afternoon that had lots of small to decent crappies and sunnies a couple years ago. I was hoping the big year class of little ones had grown up by this year. No such luck. In fact, we didn't even get a questionable keeper. All 5 - 8" crappies. No bluegills. The fish were located everywhere from 15' of water to 25' (max depth), but located 12 - 14 ft down no matter the bottom depth.

Last night I buzzed onto a tiny backwoods lake that had been in the back of my mind for a few years. Figured it would be boom or bust. Swiss-cheesed the lake and found a very surprising max depth of 38', but couldn't even graph a fish with about a third of the lake drilled up from 8' down to 38'. Then just before sunset, I started graphing packs of fish coming through way up high (3 - 5 ft down) in my shallower holes (8 to 12 ft). Finally caught one - tiny perch. Then a few more. Then a crappie! Keeper! Then proceeded to catch about 8 more crappies, all TINY, and one respectable pumpkinseed. And by dusk they were gone, the bite was over.

What was really strange is these fish didn't relate to bottom at all. Even the perch. Everything came through at 2 - 5 ft below the bottom of the ice. I never graphed a fish at any of the deeper spots I had drilled. I maybe should have pushed even shallower than my 7 ft shallowest spot. So I'll have to keep that experience in mind as I try new lakes this time of year.

[VTX1800Shanty]

It sounds like you were on the lake my neighbor went to. All 5 to 8 inch crappies. I have my eye on some backwoods lakes as well, but I think I will wait until spring and carry the canoe. It will be work, a lot of work but hopefully the experience will be worth it. Bonus if I catch nice fish.

That is strange they didn't relate to the bottom. This has been an odd winter for fishing. Glad you caught a few keepers.

[rascal23]

How's the acesses holding up? We'll be fishing Bass as well as a few others north of Grand Rapids. Hoping to drive, but will walk if have to.

[Slimdart]

A small lake I fish I have been catching crappies from 0-4ft below the ice. In 18 feet of water. Good thing they are keepers because every time I set the hook I bang their heads on the bottom of the ice.

[amoebus]

Fished Sat and the ice was 30". Not sure if I would drive because it would get 3" of water/slushy ice on it by evening. We fished from 8am-2pm and saw 2 fish - both crappies (10', 13.5"). During that time, we drilled about 50 holes (ran out of gas, hiked back to car to get more). Then like Deet, we finally found them in 15'. We carved out 30+ holes and could follow the schools of sunnies, some crappies, and lm bass as they moved around the bay. From 2pm-8pm the action was really fun. We caught another keeper crappie (11"), but not many more - all smaller. We caught 20-25 bass up to 15" (on panfish rods and tungsten jigs, they were really fun). But, the two of us must have caught 80-100 sunfish in that time. We kept 20 sunfish - all 8.25-9" and could have kept double that number in that range. We threw back 5 bigger ones - none got to 10". Easily the best panfishing that we have had. Up cleaning them until 9:45pm - wished that we had kept less at that point.

Sunday (different lake) was as cold as Saturday was hot. 5 hours fishing, 70 holes, 4 fish caught - all sunfish with the biggest not reaching 5".