Any pattern shifts with the cooling temps? Already scouting lakes for ice time-because I do not have an ATV I am looking for smaller lakes where everyone has to walk out. Any lakes for me to consider? Feel free to PM me.
Thanks
Panfish guys are too busy reein’em in to respond.
I’m writing a book.
Nobody is given up info on a lake to try that you can only walk out on in the winter on a Internet forum. As far as the bite fall patterns have not hit yet except for maybe up north. For all species.
Last weekend we found fish in two different areas. Along a shoreline weed edge in 10-12ft and on a steep edge near deep structure in 18-22ft. Pretty standard crappie stuff, summer or winter really.
Small jig with a plastic and a split shot or trolling a small beetle spin both worked. Find them on the graph and catch them.
Rip-I have posted questions like this B4 and others have also said: “you will get nothing” Then I have a tip in a PM- I already have a lake that is walk in only that is pretty good for pannies and bass, would I post that lake name?
no, of course not. Would I PM that lake name to a few people on this site, yessir-some very responsible people on this site a few who I have fished with.
Anyway thanks for the tips, I bass fished today, have to wait a week before I can fish for pannies-water temp took about a 10 degree dive.
tight lines.
I hear ya Tim. Was just stating most wont probably post on main page. I haven’t targeted crappies in a few weeks but know the way 2 hours north of cities was still at 70 degrees. Another week and the fall movement should start happening state wide.
Tim…..this is where logging your fishing trips pays huge dividends. I’m not certain if you said once you did log info or not but being able to go back and look in on similar conditions and calendar times can really pay off. Just a suggestion. On one lake I logged every crappie I caught for 22 years, open and ice.
Logging trips is a great idea, all I do sometimes is circle lacations and write depths on my paper maps (yes paper!)
Thanks for all the great ideas.
With night time temperature in the 30s I’ve found the midday to afternoon bite to be better. Location was interestingly enough in 7-8′ but fish were caught near the surface – 36 fish/4 species. The day was
comfortable: a bit overcast with a slight breeze or clam. Open water between pad islands held fish and no bites near shore structure.
This lake which I hadn’t fished in 10 years seemed a lot different from what I remembered. The last time I fished it I caught 12″ crappie galore. Today the crappie were barely 8″ and the perch, sunfish and bass (except one 1 3/4 lb) were stunted. I will go back this week to find out more locations and hopefully better size fish.
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I’ve been getting out with my brother in law over in Hackensack and the crappies have definitely become concentrated. They’re down in weeds in 25′, it’s a really deep lake, 120′, the fish tend to be deeper than average lakes. Surface temps are in the low-mid sixties and larger profiles have worked best, beetlespins, smallish fatheads on hair jigs(wht or yel) under floats but being worked back to the boat. Many 12-14″ers.
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weeds in 25′, dang.Good job Bell
weeds in 25′, dang.Good job Bell
15′ thick fingers. 
What?
See? I meant to type 15 not 25. Thick fingers. Sorry for the painful exchange!
No worries.
Off structure. steep breaks, 20 ft down over 30 ft of water. number 5 jig Rap, Same for 3 lakes I have fished this week.
I am finding good schools off of points and main lake structure in 15-25 fow over weeds or over the deep weed edge. Typically I find these to be crappie schools however every school I have found over the last three weeks has been bluegill. Anyone else finding this lately? I can’t seem to find the crappie schools. Is anyone still finding them over basins?
The Mississippi backwaters gave up crappies and sunfish today. Pretty shallow actually. With the high skies the key for crappies was shaded water. Crappies to 12 1/2″ Sunfish were quite shallow, like in about 4 feet of water over mud. 10 1/2″ was the largest sunnie.
WE had a pesky pike in the sunfish bay that would attack the fish as we reeled them in. 30″-32″ but full of himself.
That sounds like a great day!
The Mississippi backwaters gave up crappies and sunfish today. Pretty shallow actually. With the high skies the key for crappies was shaded water. Crappies to 12 1/2″ Sunfish were quite shallow, like in about 4 feet of water over mud. 10 1/2″ was the largest sunnie.
WE had a pesky pike in the sunfish bay that would attack the fish as we reeled them in. 30″-32″ but full of himself.
Jigs?
1/24 jigs/plastics, under a slip float. The crappies responded well to a 2 1/2″ purple/chartreuse tail fat impact. The sunfish liked a plastic I make { [similar to a Ratso ice plastic] and keep stored in a jar of Gulp juice, again purple/chartreuse tail.
Thanks,Tom.
Here’s a pic of the plastic used on the sunnies along with its smaller counterpart. The actual bait had a chartreuse tail and last body segment. I’d have shown one of those but they’re all in Gulp juice and I didn’t want to deal with the stuff for a picture. Same exact purple though.
As we move into cold water, for pressured METRO lakes I find fish to get quite particular in presentation and color. Keep changing colors until you find what is the trigger for the day.
Alot of the time is the old standard, which I catch more fish on that not, hook line and sinker. Small lindy with a #6-#8 octu, crappie or smaller fathead minnow. When they are tighter to bottom on the sonar this is a goto
….I find fish to get quite particular in presentation and color. Keep changing colors until you find what is the trigger for the day.
Very valid point. In a four hour slot on the water with clear skies right now color and action can change several times, often several times in an hour.
Hour to hour presentation preferences can change, they may only hit when its still, then only moving steadily, or a twitch…
Nice Bear.
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