Coon Lake Update

[papadarv]

Checked ice Friday found 9" out 200 yards on Coon. Felt safe going out to last freeze area. Took my Side-By-Side to my favorite crappie hole, before light, in 21 FOW found 7.5"ice with 3" of fluffy snow on top of the ice. Target Crappie & Gills. Not too sure about the Cold Snap effect, fished jigs of many styles Buckshot, Jigging Raps, Tung. plastics. Magic was smallest lively minnow on any of the jugs and for a change we brought lots of them out. Crappies grew from last year at least 1+" on average. First one caught was 11" great size for Coon. Put a dozen or so 9-11" in the bucket of the 25 to 30 iced. Saw quite a few Gills on camera but the size was small using ice mites and worms. Didn't keep any gills. Occasionally a Northern crused the  Sorry Guys and Gals, other than Coon, I won't disclose the exact location as I have never seen anyone fishing it.

 

[metro fisherman]

Nice report! I lived on Coon for many years, the lake has a lot of good structure and weedlines but people tend to grind the classic spots... Glad to see the crappie are finally putting on the size again, perhaps the northern population is finally putting a hurting on the stunted crappie? Side note, has anyone seen any reproduction of the smallies that were smuggled into the lake? I caught a healthy 19" Smallie in the channel maybe 10 years ago, and they turned up here and there at weigh ins too. Ive always speculated someone transplanted them from the Rum River, but maybe someone on here knows the real story?

[crappie todd]

whats the best time for the crappie bite.?

[papadarv]

I find hour before first light than dying off about 9 and starting again hour before dusk to as long as you wish to stay. Usually slows down after 7

[crappie todd]

im retired now so im looking for a decent crappie bite. the ones in your pics look decent. Im thinking heading out from the east access to the deep slot hole.  I'm  from Blaine so its not a bad drive.

[papadarv]

Check the Ice if you plan to drive out. On Sat. last part to freeze only had 7.5". Have not been out since Sat so not sure how much ice was added from this cold snap and not seeing anyone driving on the lake today. I will most likely go out again tomorrow or Sat. Deep hole is usually good choice. Neighbor was catching some on the north shore from east access, across the bay, by what's known to locals as the "Flag Pole" point in 18 FOW. May be a few perms there now.

[crappie todd]

I drove to the east access yesterday. hadn't been there before. saw car tracks going out  but didn't see any vehicles from what i could see.  I have a pick up and wouldn't drive less i saw someone else with a truck. I might give it a shot tomorrow afternoon. will walk out. ill check ice as I go and hope to find 12 plus inches.

i believe i saw the 2 perms off the point you mentioned. 

[crappie todd]

yep, I plan to be on the ice for the 1st time this year. I normally hit peltier but will give coon a shot for the 1st time. ll try the late afternoon early evening bite.

Ill report back ice thickness. and hopefully ill catch a crappie. 

Edited January 21, 2016 by crappie todd
mispellled

[crappie todd]

I found 14.5 to 15 in of ice. a few cars and suv style vehicles all over. I didn't drive out.
i fished 24 ft with crappies and gills mixed. I kept 5 crappies even though they were 8 inches with one 10 inch. I wanted to see what they were feeding on which they had empty stomachs. I caught probably 30 fish in 90 minutes. I fished 3 pm to dark. I used a red marmooska jig with pink powerbait. 

they weren't skinny and with a sharp knife I ended with some quality fish sandwich meat.

[papadarv]

Nice report, cool we now have 14-15" ice on the lake. Surprised you didn't snag a northern in that hole. Many of the prem's on the top of that break are spearing shacks. I think I'll try a few Walleye spots tomorrow. Last year I got quite a few at 15-16 inchers.  Coon has Min. of 17". Maybe they grew a bit over the summer.

[crappie todd]

I was surprised at the water clarity.  wallleyes are a  dream fish for me. I Know how to target crappies but not walleyes.   I drilled 2 holes yesterday to check ice  then one and hit the crappies and gills.

  told my self this year if I catch at least one eye. but so far i have no idea.i might hit rush for crappies then hit one of the eye spots. I heard they are driving all over there.

 I always try to find my own crappie spots and stay clear of others but in the case of walleyes i might need to ask questions on rush.  I didn't know coon had eyes. wouldn't even know where to start.

I use plastics and haven't been in a bait shop for ..?????  I use jigs all spring and summer with power bait being my exclusive favorite. even in the winter.

good luck on coon.

[crappie todd]

I was back on coon this afternoon. I fished a slightly different spot near where I was yesterday. mabey 100 yards difference.The ice thickness was 13 inches in that spot.  still many driving on and one car that did what appeared he had the pedal to the metal  going across the lake........60 MPH maybe more.

fishing was alright. all throw backs today even though they were all about 7 to 8 with a 9 incher today.

[metro fisherman]

On 1/20/2016 at 11:20 AM, papadarv said:

 by what's known to locals as the "Flag Pole" point in 18 FOW. May be a few perms there now.

Dont be afraid to throw a couple flags right on that quick break in the 8-10 FOW range. 

[crappie todd]

back to coon today. drilled a half dozen holes up and down the break-at the flag pole spot. I ended at  my spot in 24 ft.  I caught about 30 crappies with he largest 10 inches and all the rest 8 inches.

the ice measured at 12 inches. thinned out in the  this recent warm weather period.

 

[crappie todd]

Friday afternoon on coon was good. fished 3 till 5:30. probably 30 crappies .All but one was 8 inches and the biggest was 10. seems like I only get one larger fish every time out.also half dozen gills. gills were 7 inches and were fat fillets. 
I kept 8 crappies and 4 gills. potato chip dinner.
there are spots of deeper snow and there is a road going out to the hole. ice was good.
red was the color of the day.

[fishtheflow]

Nice report Todd. I live about 10 mn. from north end of Coon. I haven't ice fished once this year. Noone I know wants to even try fishing. Bought a new marcum lx5i,  so I had better get off my rump. Just a ? . Is the fishing ok out from the launch off of Theilen? And, if  anyone wants some company, let me know. I have all my own stuff.  Moved up here October of 2014. Don't know anyone up here.... Thanks again for the report.  

[crappie todd]

I haven't tried on the other end. I've stayed where I've been successful. while they are not that big, they really have made the wife happy as they fry up nice. but there are bigger fish that come thru. I lost a few bigger ( 10 " ) fish yesterday. so, be prepared that after 15 or so fish you might find a 10 incher coming up the hole.

Im retired so I also fish the week days. some days Im there all alone. I haven't tried it on a Saturday but Im going back about 2:30 today. 

[fishtheflow]

I am semi retired myself.  Need to get out during the weekend myself. In between careers. 55, forced into a career change. Good luck.

[crappie todd]

retirement is something you dream of....then it happens and you wish you had a job. fishing is fun and puts  foodon the table but it doesn't pay the bills. going alone is alright but more fun with 2.

coon was better for gills today. 7 inch fish. caught probably 60,kept 10 and 5 crappies.  small but tasty.

orange banana jig and waxie smooshed up.

Edited February 7, 2016 by crappie todd
added bait

[fishtheflow]

I am sure that is true. I'm going a little stir crazy myself.  

Edited February 8, 2016 by fishtheflow

[crappie todd]

the sunnies in coon, those 7 inches plus, are good if you scale em then fillet. some are fat and some are skinny. 

funny how a 7 inch sunnie can be ok while a 7 inch crappie is consider small. Then comes along a 10 inch plus crappies and it looks like its 12 inches.....until you measure it.

anyone getting anything bigger on coon.?  Im fishing it because peltier and centerville have been dead.

Fishtheflow- where do you normally fish.?

 

[fishtheflow]

I have not been out this year, for whatever reason.  I have been out in Lindstrom area quite a bit in the past. I live off of Viking Boulevard,  near boat launch off Theilen.  Thinking about Hitting that area. Or head East, towards Chisago.

[Rube]

Slipped over to Coon Lake yesterday. Set up in 20 ft of water by the east side community. Stayed about 100 yds from the group. Using a small jig and waxie and bobber, I caught a bunch of 7 " crappies and some 5" sunnies. It was fun, but they were just a "little" too small for cleaning. Would be a a graet outing if you have little ones that like to catch fish. The nice thing is that this was 4:00, not late.

I packed up and went east to Martin- had done OK there earlier this year but not last night. 1 northern that I fought for 15 min. in order to save my jig, no crappies or sunnies. Talked to a group that had set up near me. They had 5 crappies but there were 5 fishing in there pop up clam. Said they got them on plastics, minows and gulp minnows on different colored jigs- no special setup.

See we only got a dusting of snow last night- might head north to Lori or South Stanchfield today. Will give a report and maybe a pic or two.

 

[crappie todd]

my last trip to coon was Thursday. the fish were active but were smaller. Id been catching 8 inch crappies and 7 inch gills over the past trips out there. Thursday was smaller as they ran 5 to 7 inches. A northern grabbed on to a smaller crappie and took me for ride for a few minutes. He let go at the bottom of the hole. 

I need to find a lake with 9 inch crappies and 8 inch gills.  I fish coon because its close and a place to get action for the grand kids. 

 

Edited February 14, 2016 by crappie todd

[Rube]

I could see where the grandkids would love the action. Just wish the fish were a little bigger, don't need to be monsters but maybe next year. One thing for sure if they were in the 9-10 inch range the lake would be loaded with fishermen. I live close to Lake George and that lake is stingy on the bigger pan fish.

Good Luck Fishing

[crappie todd]

I ice fished lake George in the mid 1960's when i was a young whippersnapper with my Dad.                           ( im 62 now ) sunnies during the day and crappies at sun down. pesky pike all day long. was decent crappie lake back then. being a kid then, its hard for me to compare how big were the crappies back then. Maybe 10 inches of which to me being a kid with small hands id lip them and they'd look huge. the water so clear wed drink right from the fishing hole. guess i was just a dumb kid

I haven't been on lake George for seems like a life time. I should go back and check it out this week. used to fish the hole, 30 ft deep. yep, think i will and ill report back. I don't even know how to get on the lake anymore.

[crappie todd]

I  switched things up and fished coon Thursday in the morning. same hole I have been fishing all winter. mostly sunnies and fewer crappies this time. black was the color that triggered a fast bite. red was a hot color as well as orange  in the earlier trips out there ,but the fish were negative towards all but black.

its been fun catching fish every time out, but it was my last trip on coon.Even though the forecast is for  colder weather after next week, id be predicting a early ice out. 17 inches Thursday but the ice is getting soft and this rain obviously wont help. 

late ice is great fishing. I might have to head north soon and stay at the cabin for some bigger fish opportunities.

 

[metro fisherman]

I was on Linwood yesterday, 18"-16.5" of soft ice, the auger bites in nicely. Pike action was good in the AM, sunnies and crappie kept us occupied between flags. Sunnies were more willing to bite. Crappie were found in 14-20FOW and sunnies were mostly in the 20 foot range. Pike were in the same transitions as crappie.

[crappie todd]

id thought id made my last trip to coon, but i got antsy sitting on the couch. so i headed back in the afternoon. i was unsure of a driving on but there were other vehicles on the lake and the east access was dry and in good shape. a bit crunchy driving out....... glad i had my ice cleats you'll need em on probably any lake right now.

ice was 15 inches and soft. i started fishing in the same spot as i have all winter to my surprise it was empty of fish. i drilled shallower and hit  a goose egg, then drilled deeper ( 25 ft ) and hit some sniffer fish. I moved one more time and hit a home run with the fish stacked all the way to 10 feet under the ice in 25 ft. my baits of the past being orange or red didn't produce much so I switched to black and away we went. one crappie and gill after another for 2 hours.  a few keepers but everything was returned.

If i predicted ice out in this area this year, Id figure around the 1st part of April and even sooner. I said I was done before and this time i am for driving on. walking and four wheeler will be good for a while but frankly, i was a bit worried driving on this time- even with 15 inches of ice.  I didn't realize the east access  we are driving thru old reed beds which the ice thins sooner as does all shore line but reeds act like heat sinks and melt the ice sooner. ice melts from bottom up so one never knows what condition they are dealing with. 

be careful.