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A GREAT END TO A GREAT SEASON!


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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

What more can I say!

My wife Wanda and myself teamed up with Peter Podanov, AKA fisherdog19, for one last hardwater day trip on URL yesterday. We met up at the West Wind access about 10 am as I brought the sleds and felt it would be easier to get unloaded there near the lake. After some quick strategy talk we headed off into the thick fog. Thank goodness for my H2O gps. If we hadn't had that we would have been lost in less than 5 minutes! You could only see 75 yards on the lake at that time. The lake was a slushy mess but getting around wasn't too bad on the sleds and after a 30 minute ride we were drilling holes in search of the elusive URL slab. We caught a few nice perch and walleyes for an hour or so and were hole hopping when Wanda caught the first crappie of the day. That was the last crappie we caught in that spot even after drilling many holes looking for the rest of it's friends. Peter and I headed to another nearby spot which didn't appear to hold crappies after 30 or so holes drilled and fished. We then made a smaller move into another great looking spot. After another 30 holes Peter found a hole with a school of slabs under it. The Power minnows seem to work very well again this trip as they were hammering Peter's jig tipped with the glow power minnow. He had four slabs flopping on the ice within 2 minutes plus a couple crappies that came unbuttoned before clearing the hole. The slabs really prefered the jigging plastics over the livebait this trip and would at times race each other to get to the bait. Here's a picture of the 2" Glow power minnow rigged on 1/32 Scenic Tackle Crappie collarless jighead.

100_0515.jpg

The walleyes however seemed to LOVE a lively minnow on a deadstick. We only caught a few crappies on that deadstick setup with almost all coming on plastics. Wanda was the walleye queen with many caught on the deadstick setup. She sure loves my Scotty Custom deadstick for those URL crappies and eyes. Three hours later we were riding home with three limits of URL slabs. Here's a pic of us with with our fish shortly before we finished up and headed back home.

100_0512.jpg

On a side note. For those who think the crappies are going to disappear on URL when the 1995 class is gone. This winter we've caught fish from at least 5 different year classes. This trip we caught crappies from 10-14 3/4" with most of the fish between 13.5-14.5". You'll have to work for them but they'll be there in moderate numbers.

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I have to agree, that the trip made my ice season. I wasn't able to get up to URL until yesterday, and hadn't been able to get into many crappies this year as time was an issue.

Again, I met great people from this website. Without even knowing me at all, Borch offered a seat to me on one of his sleds after I posted that I was interested in heading up and if he was interested in meeting up.

About 5 hours into the excursion, I was a little skeptical that the trip would turn successful because we had worked a couple areas very hard with only one crappie to show. Well we tried another spot where Borch again drilled 20 plus holes in a big U shape while I dropped the LX5 in each one to look for fish, and cleaned each one out. Well after cleaning them all, and not seeing fish in any of the holes, I was a little disappointed before we even started working them. Well Borch started on one end, and I the other, and the second hole I dropped the LX5 in was stacked with fish that fought after my power minnow. Well Borch drilled about 10 more holes within 15 feet of mine, and after we went and got Wanda and moved camp, we proceeded to catch about 25 fish within an hour, and it took us the last hour or so to pick up 5 more to finish a limit. We lost track of how many walleyes we caught, but I would say it was upwards of 40. We did let one crappie go that probably wasn't even 10 inches. The only difference in what I was using is that I had a pink jig head on.

Again, I would like to thank Borch for his hospitality. There's an open seat in my boat for him and his wife any time.

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Wow, nice job guys! grin.gif

Borch, I might have to twist your arm so I can tag along with you sometime, maybe next year! smirk.gif

I have fished with Borch a few times, and I agree with Fisherdog19, he is a first class guy and a great fisherman. smile.gif

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I was up w/ my wife on Sat. We did not have the luck of the above post crazy.gif We started out about noon out on Hillman's road. We had not rouble getting wallyeyes and moved 3 times and drilled multiple holes at each location, but could not find a crappie. We did get a perch though. It was a great day on the ice even coming home empty handed. Weather was great as was the company and it was a nice way to end our hardwater season. I will still be back to search again!

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Borch,

thanks for posting a picture of the plastic bait that everyone had been using with great success. I never have tried it or own any of those so to see how others are using plastics is great info. thanks for sharing.

mr smile.gif

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You are the man Borch!

Sounds like the tried and true worked for you again and that is working your tail off.

How much gas you run through this time?

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


I was up w/ my wife on Sat. We did not have the luck of the above post
crazy.gif
We started out about noon out on Hillman's road. We had not rouble getting wallyeyes and moved 3 times and drilled multiple holes at each location, but could not find a crappie. We did get a perch though. It was a great day on the ice even coming home empty handed. Weather was great as was the company and it was a nice way to end our hardwater season. I will still be back to search again!


Sounds like you had a good time with a beautiful day on URL with your wife. It doesn't get much better than that! One of the best parts of the trip for me was recounting the day on the way home. Guys like us who's wives look forward to making a trip like this are very lucky in my opinion.

Even so it's fishing and that's the way it can go. We were in an area that has held fish all winter. Although exact location have varied each time out. It gets discouraging when you drill nearly a 100 holes and only find 1 crappie. Then all of a sudden when you least expect it there they are in the next set of holes you drill. There's a sense of relief when it finally happens as you're wondering if it's gonna happen this trip at all. We've been fornunate up on URL to only be skunked once in all the years we've been going up there. Most of the trips have been a lot of holes, a few moves and a lot of work before we have success. But luck is definitely involved. They still need to be near one of the holes you drill and the school have definitely got smaller over the years so it's more of a challenge. So a positive outlook as to they are here somewhere and I just have to find them keeps a guy going until he actually does.

Good Luck!

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


Borch,

thanks for posting a picture of the plastic bait that everyone had been using with great success. I never have tried it or own any of those so to see how others are using plastics is great info. thanks for sharing.

mr
smile.gif


I was thinking that we hadn't posted a pic of the jig thus far. It's been pretty productive for us this year. Glad it helped you out.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


You are the man Borch!

Sounds like the tried and true worked for you again and that is working your tail off.

How much gas you run through this time?


Only a tank and a half through the Nils Saturday.

We actually hit them about 150-200 yards north of where we fished Saturday of that last trip we fished together. We talked about making one more small move and if nother else make a bigger move. Luckily we didn't need the bigger move. After I was almost done drilling the semicircle in that spot I came across one of Jonny's 10" scout holes right next to his tire tracks and the hole was still open. Peter found the school just 50 yards west of his scouting hole. So close... wink.gif

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was out there on saturday the 24th

7 guys, 70 crappies in about 1 hour

released 3 crappies and many many walleyes

5 1/2 miles out of hillmans

smallest was 12" most ranged 13"-14.5"

100_0448.jpg

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Congrats on a great day!

Good to see someone else got into them and right away!

Talk about hand over fist!

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Waska-

Even with a photo like that, your e-mail is going to get flooded with hate mails from those who don't know how to fish Red for crappies and think you are lying.

After this winter, I've seen it all and read it all. Thanks for the e-mails you doubters. wink.gif

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


Waska-

Even with a photo like that, your e-mail is going to get flooded with hate mails from those who don't know how to fish Red for crappies and think you are lying.

After this winter, I've seen it all and read it all. Thanks for the e-mails you doubters.
wink.gif


I've had a few of those as well. Oh well. I don't even know how to photoshop with making it look real and I still get them. frown.gif If I did, I'd be a lot more handsome in all of my pics. wink.gif

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Great day fishing...I also like the added perch on the top of the pile. How many of you guys missed them the first time you looked at the picture? smirk.gifgrin.gif

CA

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Looks Great only thing is I didn't think there was any snow left on red last saturday???????????????

Cool picture

Farmer

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Not a lot of snow. But there was definitely some in areas where it had drifted earlier.

It's funny that we caught all of our fish that day in holes in the snow patches and none on the bare patches.

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Wow thats 69 more Than I caught in 3 trips up there this year. If you need help next year I be ready. Just kidding. That being said nice mess o slabs.blue

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Hey Borch I really would like to swap yarns with ya If you are interested. bluehat28.

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I was thinking the same thing about the snow patch in the picture. Did you have some ice shards in that patch of snow as well, and was the ice "dirty"?

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I dont know, but there was not much snow left anywhere on the lake when I was there last week on wednesday evening. On a side note, thats alot crappies.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


Hey Borch I really would like to swap yarns with ya If you are interested. bluehat28.


Anytime Blue.

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