Yes, the backwaters are still HOT!!!!!!!!

Mike/HOF and I did the backwaters again today and yes, lots of very good panfishing is still available. Easy to take a meal home and they were easy to fillet because they were big. Mike out scored me in size with a 13 1/2 crappie plus many 11’s. He also hooked a 9 1/4
gill. It started out kind of iffy and we were constantly looking at each other for a hint.
Then around 2 PM, it was like someone threw on the light switch. Slam, bang, and bingo, the bigger ones moved in and provided some pretty nice not stop action. Mike continued to use hair and of course I went with Mini Mites and Flicktails. At first we tipped them with waxies, but as the day progressed, no need for meat. Mike fished them right around 2 feet deep. I started deeper but accidently discovered a rewarding something. I got lazy and my bobber kept sliding upward. I was fishing probably no more then a foot deep and maybe less when that is when I got into the bigger gills. It was crazy, once I was about 6 inches below the bobber and I hooked a nice 8 1/2.
So lesson here is work the column, start maybe at 3 1/2, then raise it in increments until you find the big boys. Colors today because of the cloud cover were darker, deep red, etc.. It is still good, so get out there.

Yep, those panfish have put on the feedbag and are really going strong! It was a great day to be out!
With the water temp getting cooler, it will soon be time to start using small minnows. I think having lots of small jigs (both hair and plastic), waxies and minnows will have you prepared for whatever the fish will bite on. Be ready to try a number of different baits and try different depths until you find the right combination. Don’t forget to make changes when the bite slows down. Often, a small change in depth or a color change will be necessary to keep catching panfish this time of the year. I even used Chena Bait yesterday and it worked well!
The fishing is great right now!

Good Fishing,
Mike

Thanks for the report guys. Everytime I turn around Mike is sneaking off to go fishing. Must be rough, huh Mike. Keep the reports coming guys. Did the paddletails come in yet? Thanks, Bill

Hey Bill,

We did get in the new walleye paddletails from B-Fish-N Tackle. They look very good!
Still waiting for the Culprit crappie paddletails to arrive.

Good Fishing,
Mike

Ron and I went over to the backwaters again yesterday. The weather was a bit wet and cool, which seemed to slow the bite a little bit. We still had no problem gettting a couple meals of nice gills to 8+ inches and crappies to 13 inches. The best bait yesterday was a flick tail jig with an orange body. The fish were very shallow, about 1-2 ft.
Thanks for another great day Ron, even though you really kicked my butt yesterday!

Good Fishing,
Mike

Yes Mike it was another great day. We always manage to have fun and catch some fish. I don’t know about kicking anyones butt, but we both got an education again. We saw an excellent example how some species can be only interested in one type of bait.
Mike and I both fished a wooded area and when each of us cast, we both landed within a 15 foot circle. Mike was using hair and got a bluegill on each cast. He could not buy a crappied. On the other hand, I was using a flicktail and could get a crappie on each cast. Could not get a bluegill to take it. So we knew both species were there and in there tight together, but each had a definate preference. Depth varied again from right around two feet and yes all the way up to only 6 inches below the bobber. Some of the biggest fish were taken between 6 inches and down to only a foot. Now if we only can get some decent weather to last for a couple more weeks, panfishing should be good right up to first ice.
Tonight, I am going to sit in the den, watch the election results and start digging through my ice-fishing gear.

Sounds like you two Panfish Gerus are having alot of fun. About time Mike gets beat! lol. [couldn’t resist Mike] Ron I see you have been hanging around Mike tooooo long if you are thinking about ice fishing already. For you ice fisherman-Mike has 20,000 ice fishing jigs at his store so Hooked On Fishing is THE place to get your ice fishing stuff. Mike really knows his stuff for ice fishing as he spends more time ice fishing than anyone I know. Keep the reports coming guys. Thanks, Bill

Hey guys, I know you guys fish these areas from shore but do you have any idea how deep the water is to get back there by boat? Deep enough or too shallow? Thanks, Bill

Hey Bill,

Yes it’s very shallow in places, but you can get a boat through without any problems if you are careful.

Good Fishing,
Mike

Is it spring yet?!!!! Yes I know you are anxious for ice but this sounds like way tooooooo much fun to have that open water go away. But, then again it will be there under the ice and so will the fish. Am watching my grandson today as Mom and Dad are working and then moving stuff into their new house later today so am sitting here on my favorite fishing website dreaming of fishing and more fishing and even more fishing. Think maybe I have a one track mind. Maybe we could talk about something different like walleyes and bluegills and crappies and all those northerns that Jake left us in Lake Zumbro. [hi Jake, ] And then theres all those great lures for catching those under water creatures and great rods by St. Croix and etc and etc and etc. Gee, is it time to go fishing yet?!!! Think somebody needs a fishing fix. And then theres all those walleyes on the Mississipi River that can be caught on the B-Fish-N plastics. Yah, lets talk about fishing for a change. Anyone out there know a cure for fishing? If you do please don’t tell me unless its MORE fishing.
Thanks, Bill

Hey Bill,

Lucky for us, I don’t thing there is a cure!
Ice fishing is looking very possible for next week in some of the MS backwaters. The weather sounds like it is going to get rather chilly and should make ice. You can bet I’ll be keeping an eye on the ice. Several areas around Kellogg and Wabasha had skim ice already on Wed. afternoon. Shouldn’t be much longer! Don’t forget to have an ice spud to test the ice before trying to walk on it.

Good Fishing,
Mike

Needed a break from thinking about fishing so my grandson and I drove out to HOF. Don’t know how that was going to help but went anyways. Think my van has auto pilot that goes straight to HOF. And of course I bought some goodies so I would have more fishing stuff to help me not to think about fishing. Then when we got home Nate was home [he lives next door] from fishing and he wanted to go to HOF and of course we went along as we hadn’t been to HOF for such a long time [5 minutes]. And of course I bought some more fishing goodies. Man I must love that place. And now the weather man is calling for snow tonight and tomorrow and I don’t want to put the boats away and go ice fishing yet. Gee, sure hope James doesn’t read my posts or he will think I have lost it for sure. Anyway since I picked up the Walleye Searchers scale and am taking it to the Turkey Combo Tournament weigh in tomorrow maybe my friends fishing the tourney can help me forget about fishing by bringing in some nice baskets of fish to weigh. Maybe the weather man will be wrong [he usually is] about the colder temps for next week and it will be warm out so I can go……fishing, what else?!!!
Thanks, Bill