Slow trolling/drifting basin crappies

  • drewsdad
    Crosby, MN
    Posts: 3138
    August 16, 2010 at 5:29 pm #1311889

    Just got back from a vacation about 30 miles NW of Bemidji on a little lake in the area (Balm Lake). It isn’t a great walleye lake; but it does have some panfish and excellent bass fishing.

    One morning as I was fruitlessly trolling for walleye with cranks out in 20+ FOW I noticed that I kept going over a lot of scattered fish from the bottom almost to the top of the graph. Finally I said to myself, “Those got to be crappies.” So I rerigged with an 1/8 ounce purple B-Fish-N jig and a mini paddletail also purplish and started working over these scattered pods with the electric and some wind power. I hit a crappie marathon the whole rest of the week.
    I caught them from top to bottom and even with full size paddletails. I also managed a couple of walleyes, bass, and sunnies as well using the plastics and hair jigs puttzing out in the deep water. Made the whole trip!

    dd

    nick
    Lakeville, MN
    Posts: 4977
    August 16, 2010 at 9:23 pm #893670

    Nice I do a lot of the same around here in summer, used plastics in the past, with really good sucess, but now I think I prefer those really little rapala’s and I don’t worry about the tails getting bit off the baits, but Then again I end up picking up mostly crappie and the occasional bass where are the plastics did a better mixed bag.

    average-joe
    Hudson, WI
    Posts: 2376
    August 17, 2010 at 12:24 am #893712

    Great report DD

    Did you get any pics?

    Any size?

    drewsdad
    Crosby, MN
    Posts: 3138
    August 17, 2010 at 6:46 pm #893950

    The size was pretty much nice eaters or smaller. I do have a few pics, but I got to sort through them. There are a lot of pics of the bears at the Red Lake Indian Reservation dump and the families hanging around the fire or swimming. You know vacation pics.

    dd

    drewsdad
    Crosby, MN
    Posts: 3138
    August 17, 2010 at 8:15 pm #893977

    I swear we did catch crappies and bluegills; but apparently we didn’t take any pics of them.

    dd








    armchairdeity
    Phoenix, AZ, formerly from the NW 'Burbs, Minneapolis, MN, USA
    Posts: 1620
    August 18, 2010 at 1:52 am #894052

    HEY! Is that a lady knitting I see in your boat??

    QUICK! Someone tell BK!

    average-joe
    Hudson, WI
    Posts: 2376
    August 18, 2010 at 2:10 am #894055

    It looks like a fun family vacation

    drewsdad
    Crosby, MN
    Posts: 3138
    August 18, 2010 at 8:10 pm #894290

    Quote:

    HEY! Is that a lady knitting I see in your boat??

    QUICK! Someone tell BK!

    That’s no lady. Thats my wife! Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be here all week!

    dd

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    August 18, 2010 at 8:13 pm #894293

    We do the same thing on Knife lake for crappies in the summer. Slow trolling a yellow twistertail or any yellow jig.

    armchairdeity
    Phoenix, AZ, formerly from the NW 'Burbs, Minneapolis, MN, USA
    Posts: 1620
    August 18, 2010 at 9:57 pm #894311

    Quote:

    Quote:

    HEY! Is that a lady knitting I see in your boat??

    QUICK! Someone tell BK!

    That’s no lady. Thats my wife! Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be here all week!

    dd

    Mike W
    MN/Anoka/Ham lake
    Posts: 13294
    August 20, 2010 at 9:55 pm #894711

    looks like a great trip Joel. So when is Drew getting his own bike. Im sure he would be well behaved on it.

    drewsdad
    Crosby, MN
    Posts: 3138
    August 22, 2010 at 7:27 pm #894901

    Drew on a dirtbike…… Nope. Don’t see that happening anytime soon.

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