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Minnetonka Panfish


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One 10" crappie skipping a dock. Couple small bass and a small pike all on a beetle spin and missed some strikes. It sure was a nice night yesterday.

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Ebass - amazing how many crappies you can catch while bass fishing grin.gif Anyhow the bite in the shallow bays continues to be spotty. Few fish here and there and not much size - if you exclude those green carp. After dark continues to be a better producer. We caught 9 over 10" last night. Find some sheltered spot off the main lake with rock and some sort of light and you should be in business. Docks would be an added plus. It shouldn't be too much longer and the bigger crappies will make their appearance in shallow bays. I was seeing temps in the low 60s in most of the bays I fished.

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Hey now, I'm using a 1/8th beetle spin. If a bass happens to hit it then so be it. Same with a pike and the sunnies that bite of the tails. Heck I went out on Tuesday evening and was skunked. Actually worse, a pike broke off my beetle spin. Going out tonight with Mr Special.

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I can't seem to avoid the bass so maybe I ought to try to actually target them. I actually caught the same 4lb bass twice last night on two consecutive casts. I know it was the same bass because it broke me off the first time and still had my jig in it's mouth. At least I got the jig back. Also had a muskie nail a small crappie I was reeling in. If you guys are out late go the lighted spot Tonka Boy showed you - I was catching them every cast last two nights after sunset. Don't know how you and TB didn't do well there. Plastics even worked there. If you get bait bigger is better.I used fatheads last night and size improved. On both the crappies and the bass grin.gif

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I put on a big crappie minnow and got a small crappie. I guess a fathaed would've been better, but isn't that targeting walleye tongue.gif

Mr Special got into some crappies and sunnies with his wife and friends. Then we showed up and the fish stopped biting. Figures! I caught 4 small bass on a beetle spin and Rob caught 1 on a crappie minnow. We fished all over from 15ft - 1ft. From sheltered coves, to shorelines, to docks, to rocks and wood. I can't find a crappie. I guess that's what I'm EBass and not ECrappie.

Good luck to all the crappie hunters for the contest. I didn't hamper anyones odds.

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I just got back from fishing my nighttime crappie hole. I thought the weather would have slowed things down, but on the contrary, fish were active. I managed probably 30-40 in a little over two hours. Lots of small fish, but some ran 9" with a couple honest 10" too. I would catch the bigger ones in groups, then they would stop, and the "subservient chips" would start up again. The electric white/blue sparkle (with glow tail) paddletail on a 1/16 oz. jighead worked best of all. It'll be interesting to see how the fish bite over the next week with the weather being so cold and crappy. I got a feeling that ain't going to matter a whole lot where I was fishing tonight.

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Markstanley, I like your avatar. If any fish is worthy, it is that pig you caught at Red Wing! What a great pic!

Buzzsaw, I'll send you a little info on where I have been catching the craps after dark. If your game, maybe we can hook up some night this week.

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That sounds great! Did you have ANY luck on the spot were I was slaying them last weekend?? I'd be game to meet you out there, I usually dump in over at the "old" landing by the Wayzata yacht club as there is never any wait now that the new Grays Bay launch is open. I'm looking forward to meeting you... maybe TonkaBoy can make it out as well!

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I never did catch anything on friday morning, but then again, I didn't really hang around that spot too long. All I caught that whole morning was a sunny and a bass. Pathetic! Loading my boat in hurricane force winds was no treat either shocked.gif. As far as I know, Tonka Boy has been fishing the west end lately. I believe his situation after dark is similar to mine on the east end. I may venture over there some night this week and check things out. Tonka Boy, is this ok? I don't want to crowd you out. Buzz, if you want to meet sometime this week, that would be cool. By midweek the weather is going to be cold, so perhaps monday or tuesday evening? TB or Mark, are you interested in meeting up with us some night this week? Anyway, look for my e-mail...If you want to get out for a couple hours late tonight, like from 10pm till midnight, (or any night this week) we can meet at the gray's bay launch. Full moon tonight!

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I've got a newborn baby girl and a two year old boy so that 10:00 PM til midnight gig during the work week is not in my future, but I could always to the 6:00 - 9:00ish work week deal. It might end up being a better bite again when it starts to warm up, hopefully next weekend or early next week... I could probably do Monday or Tuesday night this week... let me know what you and the other guys think..

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Keep me posted guys. I wouldn't mind fishing the east end some night this week. I'm pretty much open with the exception of tonight.

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Cal, the avatar is the 13lb walleye. I'm up for Tuesday - I'll be heading out at 5 so Buzzsaw and TB let me know if you want to ride along or meet up. I was out for about an hour last night and caught some small crappies. Water temp in the back bay had dropped 7 degrees - was only 55. I was just fishing paddletails, no minnows, and the bite was really light. Missed more than I caught. If rain holds off I'll be out tonight on the west end somewhere.

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The bite was light for me too. 5 crappies in about an hour, one going 11". the water was like glass last night. Where I fish it really helps to have a breeze to get things going. I'm game for tomorrow night if anybody else is. East or west? Makes no difference to me. Buzz, can you get out? Any suggestions on how all 4 of us can meet on the lake?

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I got a pass from the wifey poo.... Since we would all get out there at seperate times we should meet somewhere on the lake that is central to the area we will be fishing.... maybe Big Island?? I plan on putting in over at Grays Bay, most likely around 5:30ish... Where should we meet?

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TB and I are planning to hookup with you guys. About time I do a little fishing on the east end. Be happy to run my boat over to wherever you want to meet first. I could get to Gray's Bay by 5:30, Big Island channel is OK too. Or we could all pile into one boat. What's you choice?

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I'm ok with one boat or two. If Buzz wants to take his boat, then I'll fish with him. Otherwise, we all pile into Mark's or Buzz's boat.

Buzzsaw, it's up to you then. Shoot me an e-mail so I can communicate the plan with Mark amd Tonka Boy. Wow! Mark will finally venture east of the Narrows!

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Calvinist you have mail! I told Calvinist: We could fit all of us in my boat if you guys are OK with fishing til 9:00-9:30ish, if anybody wants to stay out later, I'd say we should bring two boats. My thought is that it would be nice to hang out together in one boat and chat, also, it will be a chilly night so four hours of fishing should suffice. I could be at Grays Bay at 5:30. I drive a silver Tahoe and the Crestliner is black/tan w/Yamaha 150 HP 4 stroke.... so Grays Bay at 5:30 sounds great!

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Hey MarkkStanley, not to bug you but if you ever want some company fishing I live on 19 near the Shorewood Yacht Club. You can contact me at [email protected]. I am retired and fish with either a spin or fly rod and I could go most anytime (Ok not when it’s cold). Enjoy your posts.

chuck

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Chuck, deal if you teach me how to use a fly rod. What do you fish for?? I generally will fish for anything that swims but the green carp (largemouth bass) is on the bottom of my list. I'll email you soon - next week is still up in the air. Sons coming home from college this week and I've got to rearrange the house.

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Looking like a wet cold night on tonka... I'll be there at 5:30 to see how it turns out...

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Mark it is a deal----I would be happy to show you how to use a fly rod. Last summer I spent most of my time fishing for sunnies (Christmas Lake) and then got a taste of smallmouth fishing on the Mississippi. I enjoy sunnies and crappies and I plan on chasing the smallmouth later in the summer. So when ever it works for you let me know---getting the house college proof is important (and likely impossible).

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Would you guys recommend hitting Grays bay or Black lake for Crappies this weekend- it sounds like a lot are hitting Black- Is it because the water temps are warmer- thanks-

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I would lean towards Black but I honestly don't fish either Gray's or Black. Or Seton or Emerald for that matter. Gray's is on the other end of the lake for me. Calvinist can fill you in on Gray's far better than I can. As for the Seton/Black area it's a black hole for me. Can't seem to catch crappies there but I know a lot of guys who do. I would look for deeper sheltered bays this weekend - Peavey, Tanager's, Forest Lake off West Arm and Seton area. Crappies should be holding on the deep weed edge and may start moving shallow if we get enough sun.

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Now I have to get a decent fly rod. Be fun explaining that to my wife! You said the magic words though "Mississippi smallmouth". I fish the upper Mississippi several weekends each summer. Either float it in a canoe from Monticello to Elk River or I take the boat to river above Blanchard dam. Hoping to explore the area above Sartell this summer. Best fishing I do. Looking like Tuesday and perhaps Monday are the only nights I can get out next week. I'll zip you an email Sat sometime to nail down details. And we will have to try Christmas. Been meaning to do it forever just hard to get off Minnetonka.

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The way you fish, Fish to Win you are better off bobber fishing in your bathtub. Come on down to Rebecca in Hastings and I'll show you some Crapeyes!!

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I have caught more fish from the bathtub than you have caught south of the mighty Mississippi.

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    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
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    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • CigarGuy
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    • PSU
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    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
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