S Center and Chisago Sat 2/05/05

What a great day to be in the ice!

Judging by the folks on these two lakes, I wasn’t alone in my thought.

I met up with Chappy, his son, Warrior Riv, Suzuki and Mike Finke. Later Mike W stopped by with his two daughters and in 45 minutes gave us a demonstration of how to locate and catch a LARGE meal of crappies.

We started on S Center and moved shallow for a gill bite. Suzuki finished off his dinner menu with a personal limit of very nice size gills.

Everytime I looked over to Mike F, his ice rod was either bending or he was returning them to the water. Chappy was busy holding on to his fish house as the wind would gust up pretty good at times. I’m not sure were Warrior Riv was. After about an hour, we headed to the deeper water looking for some crappies. From my understanding, when I arrived the crappie action was slow..at best.

Chappy and Warrior Riv had the webber going and were working on hamburgers and beverages. It was about this time Mike W and daughters pull up next to an open hole a hundred or so feet away. Using his Vexilar, he started pulling out good size crappies one after another. It was like he had a pre arranged date with them! Of course I was about 50 feet away and caught nothing!

After a little BSing…I packed up and made the short trip to Chisago. Just as many people and in spots 2 inches of water on the ice. Using the camera in 13 feet of water, it wasn’t too long before I realized that I had my personal limit of 12 fish. I had some time before I had to be home, so I just watched the fish for a half hour or so.

Seemed like there were more bass around than I’ve seen in the past.

I have to put my plug in here for cameras on the clearer lakes in 15 feet or less of water. Once you’ve used a camera, I think most of you will change the way you fish…IMO.

I’ve heard of using everything from pencil bobbers and spring bobbers to banjo wire….when a gill sucks your bait in and spits it out it’s undetectable. You are missing fish! I guarenteeeee it!

One other point to mention. Many times a gill or anyother fish for that matter will pull up next to your bait…watch it…then back off and swim away. With a locator..you’re not really sure what he’s doing down there…just that he’s close. When you see this consistantly, it time to change hooks.

It was nice to meet you for the first time Mike! In talking with you I thought that you should be a guide…then I remembered you were!

Check out Mike’s website here.

Glad you had a good time. Wish I could have stayed around a while longer. I have been guiding there for 7 years now and learned early on, the fish are definatly there to be caught, its just a matter of finding them. Many people laugh at me when I drill a ton of holes and then drive the ATV from hole to hole looking for fish, but when you find them, they are thick. Sounds like Mike W found the hot hole.

Did the camara work better when you put it down the hole in your house?

Mike, I think the visability dropped because the snow is gone. That’s really the only thing that changed…it wasn’t as good on Chisago either.

People laugh at you? I thought that was a fantastic idea!

Wheeling around, dropping you transducer into the open holes….I was watching you…and learning. If fact besides learning about LUCK (MikeW’s) that was the best lessen all week!

Thanks!

Luck? MAybe you missed it Brian but that was a very technical fish finding expidition we where on. It was not like we just pulled up to the first pre drilled hole we saw. Grabbed the only pole we brought with that happen to have some euro larve on it all ready. Dropped it down the hole and starting catching fish.

Okay. On second thought it was something like that. The technical part was the way we parked the van to block the wind while we fished out the door.

Where are we fishing next weekend guys?

I’m thinking of Spring Lake, alittle south of Prior off 170th st. Danny’s got Hockey at 7:15 and then I’m thinking of going out.