Opener Excitement

Yikes…those are good size! Susuki! This is the year 2004! You didn’t take along your hand held GPS from JollyAnn Marine? (sorry for the plug, but I am the ’04 poster child). You could have shared the spots with the rest of us…If you would have had a couple more hanging there, it might have reduced the presure on the Croix this weekend!

Nice fish..I still like the flats over the rest. Your in control of the reel and it’s more like hunting with fishing tossed in at the end. I was out for 10 hours fishing and if the sun would have stayed up ( Ok, I’m busted…if my wife wouldn’t have been along) I would have stayed out another 10.

Back to the St Croix….everyone is using minnows on opening?

I’m taking minnows but they will not be my go-to bait unless they prove to be the main menu.
I have always done better with crawlers early, regardless of what others do. Crawlers are #1 on the river in my book.
I’ll be more concerned over my rig presentation. Snell length, hook color and bead color. Those are the things that have always worked for me in the past. I will try jigging if the rigs aren’t working but in years past persisitance with bait rigs and crawlers have always put keepers in the boat on opener.

Oh by the way Briank, any chance you could start spelling my handle correctly? SUZUKI

Quote:

---

Oh by the way Briank, any chance you could start spelling my handle correctly? SUZUKI

---

I think his issue is dislexia animesia………… or something like that………….. I can’t remember.

Stillakid2, that was me in the alumacraft. made it out again tonight for some whities. Sorry for any confusion my last report may have caused. My temp. reading of 48 was not from the marina it was the main body of water. However, tonight I found some water as high as 55 in shallow protected areas. Main river was about 50 and will probably decrease by opening morning with the cold we are supposed to get. Regardless of what the temp. or years past I am bringing crawlers and minnows, the fish will decide what’s best.
Trolling cranks should be a good option too.

Good luck Saturday,
Lindy

I was out again for a spell and with the warmer weather, there was a small “cruiser hatch”, as if the wind wasn’t messing things up enough! Anyway, I couldn’t locate the biters. Not even a nibble! This will change and they’ll be back, but it’s disappointing when you know a bite is coming on and suddenly things shut down. Did you have any luck chasing the whites?

Quote:

---

Oh by the way Briank, any chance you could start spelling my handle correctly? SUZUKI

---

Ya know MIKE? I have never been very good at Japanese!

Sorry, thanks for pointing it out. It’s funny, my fist real motorcycle was a ’72 Suzuki…you would think I could spell it for pete’s sake!

I was out Wednesday morning about 4 a.m. water temp in Afton was 52. Hooked into two Sturgeon. The first one was a baby, but the second one was the biggist I’ve ever seen. Because they are out of season, I was a little nervous about weighing it. It ran between 30 and 36 lbs.

Never had a cat bite….

Once the sun came up I headed “up north” and tried my luck at Crappies and whites. I quit fishing and went home after boating 4 eyes. A 17, 15 and two 6 inchers. Since again…the season wasn’t open, I figured that it could be said that I was targeting them…when I wasn’t …they were targeting me

I don’t think that a judge would buy that

PS for the record Mr CO, …I didn’t keep any.

Got 1 crappie last night and a mild hangover this morning.

Hangover????? You slept in until 7:15!!!

You better get to bed REALLY early tomorrow night!!

Sandbar

I said mild. Must have been a comination of the heat and those 8 Canadian beers. I better stick with domestic this weekend!

Speaking of beer. . . Any of you guys into Belgian beers. I have just gotten into Chimay’s – – man . . . Delicious and they pack a better punch than my ex-wife!

No but I’m going to try it. Had some Chech beer recently and that stuff was potent as well.

What are the water levels like around Stillwater area? I hope its not to low?

Suzuki,
My In-Laws own a house right on the Vaca Cut, just to the gulf side. What you described is exactly where we fish, several miles out, on the wrecks, in about 12-14 feet of water. Sure is a beautiful part of the world.
Chimay makes a wonderful product, but only one that I can enjoy when I know I am staying home

Down below the trecle bridge by the dam on the malelu, or however you spell that, caught about 15 crappies in an hour not huge but it was fun, headed back there tonight. One last day of crappie fishin before the eyes on saturday. See you out there lindy.

Hey boz! Welcome to the board! And your first post was a report! Thanks!

What area are you going to be fishing Saturday?

Usually on opener the islands are pretty much under water and i try and fish those, but this year its a different story so i’m not sure quite what i’ll be doing. I’ll bring the minnows and the crawlers and hopefully run into something along the way. I’ll check back sunday and let ya know how i did.

Were you still Lake Front side or in that bay between the bridges? There’s a spot below the first bridge that gets real shallow and wondering if they’re getting up in there?