Maple Lake?

[_GSP_]

Does anyone here fish Maple Lake? If so, how is the fishing? How much snow/ice is on the lakes in the area?

thanks

[mamohr686]

Maple was good for me earlier in the year. It seems that the crappie have been taking some pressure near the highway and that makes it harder to catch keeper fish over 10" there is also a new limit of 5 fish per angler. Ice is about 7 or 8 inches and it hasn't changed since a month ago. Nobody is driving, just atv's and snowmobiles dragging the houses around. I caught 3 fish last night but only 1 kept and I missed another 2. Very slow in general but we did just have a cold front.

[_GSP_]

Thanks for the info. We will be in the area and there was talk of us hitting Maple this weekend.

[mamohr686]

It seems like the night bite is where it's at. They seem to really move in at about 5:15pm and you will get a few fish moving through until about 7pm. I've been using a small glow green jig and small whole crappie minnows and been doing better than most people out there. I would fish other area lakes during the day and set up on maple at about 4:30 no need to get there any earlier, all you will get is minni sunnies on your vexilar before then.

[fisherking01]

In following the crappie fishing on maple lake, it amazes me how consistent it is year after year. The only way a lake can sustain the pressure like maple is to have the 10 inch minimum. It would be nice if they would implement this state wide, maybe even an 11 inch mimimum. Just my opinion of course. The addition of the 5 fish limit is also a good idea for lakes that have so much pressure. Besides if you catch say 5 twelve inch or larger crappies, thats plenty for a great meal of fish.

Good luck on Maple!

[SpearmanInk]

I fished maple last saturday, Jan. 7th with my dad. We did ok, he should of caught his limit of 5 crappies all over 10", with a dozen or so nice bluegills. Our family owns the old farm and all the land on the east side of 29 (between the north bay next to 29, and the lower bay which runs into Reno). We have fished since I was a little, now I'm 22, hadn't fished the lake during ice season since 2002 or so. I go to Bemidji state for college, so to many lakes to fish up there. Was impressed with the crappie sizes for that central minnesota area lake, and it is a good rule for that lake anyway for the pressure it gets. Was disappointed in how rude people are on this lake, because they never were before in years past, and the lack of common sense that people used while fishing on this lake! I have no problem with people driving on the lake with 4-wheelers or snowmobiles, but for crying out loud people need to use common sense especially on this lake to be QUIET, because it is only 10-14 feet deep where most everyone fishes for panfish. They also should use common sense not to drive right through groups of houses or in between people who are fishing in a close area, Go around! It takes only seconds and it will not scare the fish. I just about blew up at some of the people fishing near us on the lake because of their lack of common sense and their rudeness. My dad and I did get a kick out of that everyone had an underwater camera or vex, and we didn't have none of the above and we still outfished all of them. Just some food for thought, just because you have a vex or underwater cam. doesn't mean you will catch fish!

[cylinder]

SpearmanInk, you must have had a great time growing up in that spot. My family has been going up there for at least 1 week/yr for the last 20 yrs or so, and we fish a lot in your area of the lake.

You're right about inconsiderate people out there, but I've only fished it in summer. A year ago I was casting the shoreline on the north side of your place when a big speedboat with skier went between me and the shore. This wasn't a kid; it was an adult who was old enough to know better. He just didn't care or didn't realize he was being an (Contact US Regarding This Word). There seems to be a lot of jetski and skiboat activity, and they make their passes through the fishing areas. It would be nice if the skiers would stay over 50' of water where no one is fishing.

[SpearmanInk]

Yeah it has been some of the best panfishing I have ever experienced in my life. I remember when I was younger and my dad, one of my uncles, and my great grandpa who lived in old farm house, went out and caught 34 or so crappies all over 10"! That was when you could keep 15 crappies, but the rule of a minimum of 10" on the crappies applied. It's where I caught my first big fish that was over a pound, when I was little! Just a great spot, and I love having the easy access to the lake.

Yeah Cylinder I don't know about why people are act like they do on this lake, just proves to me that they are not fisherman, and really in my book do NOT know how to fish. But what can you do about it.