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Turk

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02/16/06 St. Croix River walleye and sauger fishing remains fair, limits are hard to come buy but a few keepers can be caught on most trips. Walleyes and saugers are relating to the sand breaklines in 20 to 36 feet of water. Chartreuse, glow, and firetiger patterns are good color choices. Swimming lures, rattle spoons, and even plastic turn fish. Tip these lures with a minnow, either partial or whole (leave bait off of the plastic though). Crappie fishing is spotty with a decent day followed by a slow day, the bite is hard to predict. The morning bite still appears to be the best though. Same techniques are catching crappies, crappie minnow and bobber suspended off the bottom on a light wire hook or small jig. Smaller crappie minnows are working better than the larger ones for numbers. Crappies continue to roam the basin over the soft bottom in the deep from 35 to 40 feet of water. Ice is from 8 to 12” in most areas of the Bayport pool. A good half dozen inches of snow should help the bite for all species.

Turk Gierke

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Hey Turk, I have never used plastics thru the ice out on the Croix. If I could ask what kind of plastics have been working?? I havnt been able to fish some of the areas I want but after this weekend Im sure we will be out there. Thanks for any advise!

Your local spudbar bandit shocked.gif I still have to get that to ya

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Ratherbefishn,

Ringies! What else is there for walldads! I think the swimming lures are likely the best, but I have caught eyes on ringworms when they wouldn't hit a swimming lure, so they can be the go to lure. I have have always thought that chartruese and firecracker should produce best on the St. Croix, but black and purples appear to be a better color choice.

Joe are you ever in Stillwater? If so you could drop of that spud bar at Jimmy's Bait (On 95 half mile south of town next to Oasis cafe)and tell them its for me. If not, I'll get it another time.

Keep catchin'

Turk

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I guess that was a stupid question but had to ask grin.gif I will get the bar up there for you. I will be down at bayport one morning this weekend and will have to run up and get some fatheads before heading back south to put a couple eyes on the ice FINALLY!!!!!!!

Thanks for the report I'v been itching pretty bad. Almost dropped the boat in a couple weeks ago.

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On sat. i got a 48 and 44 inch sturgeon, wasted 1.5 hours of walleye fishing, ended up with one 13 inch crappie and 2 legal eyes. Sun. moved far south and got 4 crappies, nothing huge. decent weekend many under sized eyes which has been common this year.

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Hey TRZ, what depth do the sturgeon generally come out of? Do you get them on shiners? I'd love to "accidentally" hook into one while "targeting walleyes". Any tips on mooneye/goldeye locations would be great too. Don't worry, I have no interest whatsoever in walleye or crappie spots. ~hogsucker

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Stugeon usualy come out of 30 plus feet, they usually hit spoons that are not being jigged at that moment with a half minnow. The mooneye are basically everywhere over 30 feet, they suspend throughout the lake St.croix area. Usually they suspend about 15 feet down. I have learned to hate sturgeon. few years ago in my permenent shack i landed 30 over 40 inches, was fun at first, now it is just a waste of time. Why would you want to catch mooneye? confused.gif

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Was anyone out fishn lastnight?? I was out there didn't catch anything missed two hits while jigging. There was crowd up by the usual hole did anyone catch anything??? cool.gif good luck!!!

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I don't think those guys who fish 2 feet apart in that colony are smart enough to read and or write. It blows my mind how many guys will be fishing in that colony some days. Of course with no pressure that would be the best spot, and it always is early ice. Yet with all that pressure and noise you would be a fool to fish there. Any other spot on the river over 32 feet is better once the ice is thick enogh to drive. ice fishermen are true sheep, once you leave the herd you are on your way to becoming a real ice fisherman.

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TRZ, Why would I want to catch a mooneye? Because they fight better than a crappie or a perch! And really, what's the deal with you calling battling a tough incredible fish like a sturgeon a "waste of time"? When's the last time a walleye, sauger or crappie gave you 1/100th the fight that an average lake sturgeon does?

Seriously, thanks a lot for the location advice for the Croix. Hopefully this weekend I'll be out there whooping and hollering as a sturgeon melts line off my reel and my wrist starts to cramp.....now that's fun! ~hogsucker

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Mooneye do fight like good, i just wondered if you smoked them or something. As far as sturgeon go i have just had to deal with too many of them, always on 6lb line so it takes forever to get them in and there is just no thrill in it for me anymore. they are also a stupid fish that just sucks crap off the bottom and they always bite,not much of a challenge. Of course if you have never done it, it is an absolute blast. i would suggest using 10-12lb line and pretty stiff rod. Just set the pole on a bucket and when it twitches like a sunny is hitting it, a beast is on. shocked.gif

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I second you on the colony. Usually the further away from everyone the better you do!!!!

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Goin' out there right now...wish me luck! I'll report the news, good or bad, when I get back this evening.

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Quote:

Goin' out there right now...wish me luck! I'll report the news, good or bad, when I get back this evening.


GOOD LUCK BLACK!!!! cool.gif

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Thanks IT, but it just didn't happen for me.

Didn't have as much time to fish as I thought I did, so I didn't hike out very far, pretty much stayed right in front of the beach. Popped holes in 20, 25, and 30 FOW. In the 25' hole had one

looker pop up out of no where on the flasher and watched it as it followed my jigging spoon on its descent toward the bottom. Whatever it was didn't like it when I stopped the spoon at 20' and started twitching it. It just vanished off my flasher, never to be seen again. Had one other looker in the same hole that came off the bottom to investigate my bait, but no bites. And that was pretty much it. Flasher stayed empty for the rest of the trip.

It was nice to get out and try anyways...

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Sorry you didnt get in to em! during the day in 43' they have bit well for weeks up til around 3, dont know which colony is being refered to but I have fished in one most of the winter, I have iced several over 10 many over 12 and a couple over 14.5 not bad for a guy that cant read nor write!!Just a thought,seeing as I am fishing a deep hole where the crappies roam around how can it make them turn off if they were not there when I set up? I understand your point about the cluster but imo it doesnt matter in that situation. Ive slammed craps in the village on waconia with cars hissing by augers going etc. It all depends onthe mood of the fish!! negative makes it tough no doubt but depth is an equalizer! jmtc

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Time was a factor for me so I made it a point to stay close to the beach. I wasn't targetting crappies, just hoping for some 'eyes, saugers, or white bass. I love fishing for crappies. I guess one day I'm gonna have to hoof it over to the Sconnie side and hit the 40' depths, since that's where everybody says the crappies hang out.

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i have been hitting the croix lately and have been doing real good for crappies four of us caught over 60 in a day not a sole around us. here is a pick of a few 15's have not been out in the last two weeks and not caught at least fifteen myself. they are going good right now. 106503106_1baf87136d.jpg

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We might just have to follow you around now since eyes and saug season are closed/closing cool.gif. hahhaha, NICE FISH!!!! I'm gonna sit out at the launch and look for fievel9922!! hahahha!!! cool.gif

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I wear camo too, so if i wear camo and you wear came i think we'll see each other!! hahhaa!!! Hope to see you out there sometime though!! Good Luck!! cool.gif

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we were fishing a sharp ledge with a sandbar near by in about 35-38 fow. most came on red forrage minnow but didnt really try to many other tactics except having a bobber with full fathead down which got fish but jigging outproduced dedstick. all fish came at least half way up from bottom some were really high on vex and seem the higher the more aggresive. early morning was pretty key for us once the sun got up it slowed down still gotfish but not as many. hope this helps a little.

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I fished the croix for a few hours this morning and pulled in 8 crappies with 4 over 10 inches long and the biggest was 13.25 inches long. Lots of fish down in 35-40 feet of water, but mostly lookers. I caught two bigger fish on minnows and the other two on a swedish pimple tipped with waxies. The ice is in great shape still.

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First time on the Croix this year that I could actually said I did really good. I must have cuaght over 50 white bass, all caught and release except for two. I caught one white bass that was over 2 lbs. That thing shot like lightning from the bottom 40 ft of water to 20 ft where my minnow was. I kinda got freak out when I saw it on my Marcum. I actually missed him when I set the hook, but this thing was so fast that when I set the hook, the minnow flew up to 15 ft of water so fast, but the white bass still went as fast as me setting the hook and got the minnow. It was a fun day. I also caught a few slabs and lost a lot more. There is a reason that crappies are called papermouths, because when you are trying to reel them in from 40 ft of water, the paper mouth saying is so true. Here's a pic of one of my slabbers and the big white bass. The crappie is 12 inches and I didn't measure the white bass, but it is way bigger.

fish.th2.jpg

Good luck on the Croix I will be seeing you guys this Sunday on the Croix.

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i thought you were on red lake this past weekend i thought i saw your dog on that forum i could be wrong

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I was up at Red Lake this weekend, but I left the whining dog at home. He only relieves himself where there is branches and vegation. He would have been one whining mutt, since where were miles from shore. I pretty mcuh got skunked at Red.

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I've been out of town for a week, and what do I get on return, a stuck car and two feet of snow in the yard!...

Are any of you guys still hammering the crappies? Anyone been out this week?

Turk

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I havnt been down for 2 weeks now confused.gif Would like to get down this weekend with the wheeler but havnt seen the ice in a bit. Any word on the conditions???

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

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