Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Recommended Posts

Question for those of you in the know, Is it very busy in the crappie areas on the opener. I am trying to stay away from the crowds going for walleyes and am thinking about taking the wife pan fishing and northern fishing in the bays instead. Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

muskieswen,

You wil probably have many panfish areas all to yourself on the opener.

Cliff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the way the weather is shaping up....you may have much fun!!!!....float a good suker for the pike and those crappies love rainbows!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of us are coming up for the opener and would like to try our luck for the Crappies on Friday. Could you share some info on where to start looking? You don't have to give exact locations\sweet spots.

Thanks,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BGP,

I would love to give you some spots, unfourtunatley I do not know of any with exception to black bay which I believe is a community spot. I am going to try bays on the north end of the lakes with hopefully mud bottoms. I am going to look for the warmest bays I can find for the crappies and the weed grown bays for northerns. If I fail at that I will probably chase walleyes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would do exactly what muskieswen is doing if I was after crappies. Walleye opener is often the time the crappies are drawn into the shallow muck-bottom bays because they warm fastest. I'm talking from 1 to 4 FOW, too. I've had my best luck on shallow spring crappies not using minnows, but a tiny 1-inch white Berkley power tube under a slip bobber. Over the last few early crappie bites, that rig has outperformed minnows 4-1. That's especially true if there's just a light ripple on the water, which bounces the bobber just enough to impart a little action on the tube skirt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent advice Steve! The North shores of those shallow bays will usually have the warmest water!

Cliff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clifford, might see you out there if you're on the East Bay. I'm opening on Saturday for lakers on Burntside with Chunkytrout, but am planning to bring Mrs. Catfish to the Big V on Sunday. We've got a coupla friends who are walleyeholics and have a place on Ely Island, and they've shown us quite a few good spots in the last few years.

We'll be in an older (1990) 16-foot Alumacraft Competitor (blue/gray) with one of the last of the tall black 90 hp mercs. Could be she and I will even boat over the 10-pound 'eye I saw last June in 5 FOW while musky fishing at the western entrance to Bass Bay. grin.gif

What you driving this year? grin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve,

I still have my 1775 ProV, 115 Yamaha with Fishing Minnesota. Com stickers on the boat.

Hope to see you out there. I will be fishing the East end also.

Cliff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool. And at least the weather looks good (knock on Lund). Not like that pisser of a Governor's Opener two years back. Took me six months to warm up after that one. Even the muskies warmed up before I did. frown.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have some great news for crappie seekers....guess i dont count for much....but they are moving shallow on days that are just like today...a friend of mine got 16 in fairly shallow water today....i will be there tomorrow....hey set the hook!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any ideas on where we might find some Bass (C&R only)? We will be staying at Muskego point. Thanks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any body fish in Bystrom at all? Looks to me like that would be a good panfish spot. Another one that looked good was wolf bay. Any one tried these in the past? Gary, how big of rainbows do you use? The ones I used last year for walleyes seems too big for panfish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are panfish in Bystrom Bay and in Wolf Bay also in Fox Bay.

Big crappies like the rainbow minnows up to 3 inches long, but the small to medium sized ones will probably work best.

Cliff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

same as cliff said about the minnows...from what i hear this is going to be a good year for crappies

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      I rarely buy live bait in the summer also, with the exception of leeches.  But all of it needs to be kept cool and oxygenated so the bait coolers do prove their value.   You might want to shop around for bait prices though.  Maybe out of the 7 county metro you could call ahead.  I found decoy suckers for $3 each over the winter.
    • gimruis
      Part of my issue with live bait is that it generally results in a higher hooking mortality than artificial does, especially in the heat of summer.  95% of what I catch is intended to be released, so in order to maximize that, it helps to avoid using live bait.  I'm not saying you can't accidentally kill a fish with artificial that is deep hooked, because you certainly can.  But as a general rule, they are more often hooked in the mouth with artificial.   The cost is also ridiculous for some live bait too.  Crappie minnows and waxies aren't bad, but when you start talking shiners, jumbo leeches, and decoy suckers...it gets out of hand quickly.  The last time I bought a big decoy sucker for muskie fishing years ago, they were $14 each.  15 bucks for a dozen shiners and half of them are dead by the time you get to the lake?  Take my left arm too why don't ya.
    • Bloatlord
      End of April is my guess for lakes along the I90 corridor.
    • Rick
      A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management.Discuss below - to view set the hook here.
    • leech~~
      Great.  Have to swing by soon to see what they have, then over to Petti Bros for some jerky and sticks!  
    • Dash 1
      Great news. They opened last Wednesday. Sounds like it’s about twice as big. Looking forward to checking it out soon. 
    • Luv2BowHunt
      It was dismissed before court via email correction from enforcement officer Robert Gorecki.
    • Luv2BowHunt
      It was dismissed before court via email correction from enforcement officer Robert Gorecki. 
    • Hookmaster
      Last weekend I was monitoring a bay on Tonka whether people were still driving out. I saw 6-7 vehicles. In one spot there were 4 trucks with 3 wheel houses. One of the houses was 20 ft+. On Sunday I arrived to see the sheriff put up a thin ice sign that 6 vehicles had driven past.   I returned to fish it last Wednesday late afternoon with 4 vehicles already out. Drove to the spot I fished 2 other times in the last month and drilled the first hole. LiveScope showed the fish 30-50 feet away. Drilled a cluster of 5 holes in that spot and game on. It was almost as fast as you could put your line down. A lot of up bites. After it slowed down on the small jigging spoon, I switched to a 4mm tungsten jig and caught more. The fish shifted 10 feet away once where one of the other holes was and then went back to the initial hole. For crappie, I ended up with a 13, a couple 12s, couple 11s, three 10s and a handful of 9s. Also 4 bluegill either side of 8” plus several smaller of both species. All fish were released. The pictures I posted are the 13 with me, both 12s an 11 and a dink. I measured them on a Li’l Dipper which is accurate from the middle of the hole at the top of the handle. I am going to order a Ketch board. The rod for the tungsten jig is a Tickle Stick and for the spoon a Panfish Sweetheart.   All three times I’ve fish this spot the big fish move out about 60-90 minutes before dark. I suppose they are moving to a different area (weedline?) to feed. If I get out to this spot again this year I’ll try and figure out where. When I drove off the bay there were still 6 other vehicles out.  
    • TomWehler
      Yup. Bullseye on the Ricochet . Bit o simple St Pats humor as that’s how I live n guess this flows thru my fingers.   Always interesting to see how close guesses are here.   where my island is clears out before the bay n large sections of lake so that is fun also. In past a few times last 28 years I hit it right on. Silly icy fun Big Smiles n Keep on Rocken! T            
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.