Kayak time

[Bass Thumb]

3 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

Thx for the bobber info rickg !  much nicer than the spring ones I was using.

Would you guys mind elaborating?

I had a hard time finding bluegills today, but I did catch quite a few cats.

Water was between 59-62 degrees and we tried anywhere from 2' to 17'. 

Edited April 23, 2016 by BeaverIslander

[eyeguy 54]

All of these are CPR.   So they can get to 10 inches !!!  maybe.. lol.  Very shallow has been good Beaver.  Gulp waxies and small minnows and regular wax worms. Rick has nailed a couple dandies on tiny raps. little hustler tubes and small twister tails worked good in the dirtier water also.   Fishing in the yak has really been fun.  I am new to this early panfish stuff. RickG is a great teacher. 

I was using the thill spring bobber and the line works its way up the spring and is a hassle. The mr crappie weighted works much better. 

[Bass Thumb]

3 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

All of these are CPR.   So they can get to 10 inches !!!  maybe.. lol.  Very shallow has been good Beaver.  Gulp waxies and small minnows and regular wax worms. Rick has nailed a couple dandies on tiny raps. little hustler tubes and small twister tails worked good in the dirtier water also.   Fishing in the yak has really been fun.  I am new to this early panfish stuff. RickG is a great teacher. 

I was using the thill spring bobber and the line works its way up the spring and is a hassle. The mr crappie weighted works much better. 

I'm new to this panfishing business in general. This last ice fishing season was really my first serious effort at panfishing. I've been a bass fishing one-trick-pony for most of my life. It's not easy finding these panfish sometimes. Sometimes I suck at it. I'll be back out tomorrow on a different lake, not on the Chain.

Today, I was mainly casting or vertical jigging 4-5mm ice fishing jigs tipped with plastics or 3/4" piece of nightcrawler. In the thick stuff, I'd use the spring-type bobbers and twitch them. 

I have no interest in keeping these fish. I do CPR about 98% of the time. Honestly, I would rather go to Bravo Burrito or Chipotle and get some take-out after a fishing trip than come home and clean fish.

[big10inch]

8 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

All of these are CPR.   So they can get to 10 inches !!!  maybe.. lol.  Very shallow has been good Beaver.  Gulp waxies and small minnows and regular wax worms. Rick has nailed a couple dandies on tiny raps. little hustler tubes and small twister tails worked good in the dirtier water also.   Fishing in the yak has really been fun.  I am new to this early panfish stuff. RickG is a great teacher.

I was using the thill spring bobber and the line works its way up the spring and is a hassle. The mr crappie weighted works much better.

do you guys continue catching these gills sitting on their spawning beds?

Do youg

8 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

All of these are CPR.   So they can get to 10 inches !!!  maybe.. lol.  Very shallow has been good Beaver.  Gulp waxies and small minnows and regular wax worms. Rick has nailed a couple dandies on tiny raps. little hustler tubes and small twister tails worked good in the dirtier water also.   Fishing in the yak has really been fun.  I am new to this early panfish stuff. RickG is a great teacher.

I was using the thill spring bobber and the line works its way up the spring and is a hassle. The mr crappie weighted works much better.

 

I prefer slip bobbers

5 hours ago, BeaverIslander said:

I'm new to this panfishing business in general. This last ice fishing season was really my first serious effort at panfishing. I've been a bass fishing one-trick-pony for most of my life. It's not easy finding these panfish sometimes. Sometimes I suck at it. I'll be back out tomorrow on a different lake, not on the Chain.

Today, I was mainly casting or vertical jigging 4-5mm ice fishing jigs tipped with plastics or 3/4" piece of nightcrawler. In the thick stuff, I'd use the spring-type bobbers and twitch them.

I have no interest in keeping these fish. I do CPR about 98% of the time. Honestly, I would rather go to Bravo Burrito or Chipotle and get some take-out after a fishing trip than come home and clean fish.

 

[sunniewally]

Fly fishing for those slabs this time of the year can be very productive.

 

[Rick G]

@big10inch.  No, I don't fish for bedding panfish for the most part.  I don't like to see those big males disturbed when they are doing the breeding thing. I prefer to hit different lakes or other species if the fish are on beds. Thats the good thing about having a few different lakes around.  

[eyeguy 54]

not spawning yet.  They are feeding.  Will leave them alone while spawning. 

I dont care much for a slip bobber while fishing super shallow.  And with the tiny baits the line wont slip down. I have been a bigger fish chaser most of my life and went after panfish once in a while but really enjoying learning more about panfish the last few years and targeting them more often. And we love to eat fish so gotta keep some once in a while. 

58 minutes ago, sunniewally said:

Fly fishing for those slabs this time of the year can be very productive.

 

 

that sounds like it would really be fun. might get in trouble tho if I started another hobby !  

[Bass Thumb]

What type of fly rod are you guys using for panfish?

I have a 9' 8-wt for largies and a 9' 5-wt for smallies. I suppose the 5-wt would work but it would be a little stout.

[big10inch]

Light line goes through a slip bobber with ease, allowing the slow drop speed most big gills and epecially crappie can't refuse. More of a less spooky entry too.

[eyeguy 54]

fishing with light line and 1/64 oz jig I wont use a slip bobber.  just me. have done it in the past but this is so much easier.  lotta times now fishing 6 inches to a foot under the bobber. that mr crappie bobber is perfect. i do like a slip if fishing deeper.  I prefer 4 pound test for these spring time hunts. good to have on when those monster bass hit. different strokes for different folks.  

[big10inch]

Thill Wobble bobber, best slip bobber out there. You might want to give it a try eyeguy54. 4# goes through it without any problems.

 

[eyeguy 54]

been there done that.   wont do it again. 

but I would use a slip before the one with the spring on it.  but only if no mr crappie bobber within reach. 

[Rick G]

Well, out again today, hit one of my favorite spots on the Western side of the Chain........lots of big ones, 10.25in gill and 13in crappie were top fish of day. 

[eyeguy 54]

nice !

 

[Barefoot]

White hair jig with a feather (64 oz) with red thread tie and red eyes under a slip in 2-3 ft has been my go to last week and a half.  Focus on structure and mud bottoms and you'll find them.  Bite for me has come on late in the day when temp climbs over 61 and they move back shallow.  Cool weather has them moving in and out in my opinion.

 

Fished today and guy with me could not get bit around large schools with any other color or jig.  White shrimp fly on the fly rod has been equally as good once u find them.  That's crappies though.  Not very good at finding gills though.

Are others finding them scattered in flats over weeds or on structure??  My fish have all come on structure and will not eat unless u are right in the structure.  1 foot shy and no bite.

Crappie bite is hard to beat when u locate them. 

 

10 hours ago, BeaverIslander said:

What type of fly rod are you guys using for panfish?

I have a 9' 8-wt for largies and a 9' 5-wt for smallies. I suppose the 5-wt would work but it would be a little stout.

I have an 8 wt.  Caught anything from redfish, smallies,  stripers and panfish on it.  5 would be more fun for panfish but the $$ tree hasn't fully bloomed yet.  Popper flies in summer for panfish is a blast.  

 

 Any other fly fisherman in the Cold Spring area that want to go sometime let me know.  The Chain or upper miss..  once the flow drops in the summer.  If u find the crappie piled up somewhere tie a shrimp fly or small clouser on and watch them flash on it.  It's a blast.  Hit it on the drop most of the time.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Barefoot
Spell

[eyeguy 54]

what are the red eyes under the slip?

 

[Barefoot]

4 minutes ago, eyeguy 54 said:

what are the red eyes under the slip?

 

Red eyes on the hair jig.  Seems to make a difference over the pure white head.  For some reason they are liking white this year with a touch of red.  Water has been really clear where i have been and might be why

[eyeguy 54]

got it. thought you might have something else on the line. lol   I have used a tiny split shot right at the bottom of a slip bobber which ends up a lot like the weighted mr crappie bobber. so many bobbers, so little time.   nice to be able to cast them a long ways also when needed. 

[big10inch]

 

Nice fish R G! We have been catching fish like that for weeks out there. Warmed up fairly fast this year.

[sunniewally]

I like using a fly this time of year because the because you can cover an area a lot easier then casting a bobber rig and most of the time a lot more productive. where I fish the clear water make the fish pretty spooky and I can use my electric to slowly move along the shore lines.Its much easier and productive to fish right up against the bank with a fly because of the shallow water they are in. I use an 8 1/2 5wt rod and its just a blast. being doing it for 50 some years and just can't beat it when you get on to a good bite. the ipilot and spot lock sure makes it easy!

[big10inch]

Are you fishing nymphs?

9 minutes ago, sunniewally said:

I like using a fly this time of year because the because you can cover an area a lot easier then casting a bobber rig and most of the time a lot more productive. where I fish the clear water make the fish pretty spooky and I can use my electric to slowly move along the shore lines.Its much easier and productive to fish right up against the bank with a fly because of the shallow water they are in. I use an 8 1/2 5wt rod and its just a blast. being doing it for 50 some years and just can't beat it when you get on to a good bite. the ipilot and spot lock sure makes it easy!

 

[sunniewally]

I fish a few variations of a wet fly black knat, various colors of a timberwolf, and a version of matuka. basically just need to keep it simple and a size 10 is what I use. some bigger on the matuka.. 

[eyeguy 54]

can you do it from kayak or too close to water when sitting? 

 

[sunniewally]

I can't, too  old and crippled but my buddy does it alot. he has a lot better chance of sneaking up and not spooking the fish. Nice quiet way.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by sunniewally
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[eyeguy 54]

not fun when these bodies dont work like we want. but fishing sure helps the attitude.  

[Rick G]

Cold, windy day....but had some free time :-)   Found nothing in under 5ft, deeper holes in the backwaters held a few

[big10inch]

There are very few spots near St Cloud that would have water that calm today. Lived in St Augusta for a while.

 

 

 

 

[Naturboy]

I feel like the kid in the Surf Ninga movie that spends all his time waxing his surf board but never getting on it. I've been adding things and reading how to do it maybe next week I'll get an invite so I don't go solo on the first trip, hint, hint

[big10inch]

Nice fish R G, for todays conditions man!

 

[Rick G]

15 hours ago, big10inch said:

There are very few spots near St Cloud that would have water that calm today. Lived in St Augusta for a while.

 

 

 

 

Then you likley fished this lake more than once