Went out to WBL Sat. when the snow was flying-clear lakes like WBL can be excellent when it is snowing.
Have caught them out from Bellaire in the snow in the past but Saturday they did not show up. Was in only 10 fow, are they deeper?
Does anyone go out of a park besides Bellaire? Feel free to PM me, totally get why people are tight lipped about metro spots. Had fun catching pike-I also know the lake has a night bite. Thanks.
Wow, que the crickets. Ideas?
Think I was fishing a weed flat of submerged stuff. tiny sunnies and pike were out there-were crappies burried in the weeds or did they move out to the edge or slide to a basin? Might go again this Sat. because the pike were fun. Would bring my camera this time. Thanks.
You think u were fishing a weed flat? Do u have a map app or paper map? Or a depth finder/graph/flasher? It’s not hard to tell if you are in weeds.
I know some guys stay shallow majority of the time but I’d definitely be looking for crappies in deeper water right now.
We were getting them in 26’-30’ last weekend a little further north of there. Plain old basin fishing. Started an hour or two after dark and caught them until about midnight. Small aggressive schools would come thru about every 10-15 mins, didn’t feel like hole hopping.
Some metro lakes i do ok on weedlines for crappies, usually punching holes for sunnies tho. Best was on Harriet during a snow storm, dang near had my limit of crappies and eyes that night, some kids were pulling their buddy on a snowboard behind em on the parkway when I left at night.
We fished the basin up nort this weekend, Saturday pulled 7 limits of craps.
Thanks guys-From what I’ve heard WBL is not much of a basin lake like darker ones nearby-but what do I know?
Next time I fish it I could see staying ’till after dark. I BTW always use maps and my vex, my GPS brought me to were they were before think I marked that spot in December though.
Its been a long time but we used to do decent on the birchwood area flats. If the weeds are still good there it can be good. Just need to get away from crowds. Bellaire always used to be a town.
Fish white bear just like any other in our area.
Just like nick above said, a hole will produce fish, just like forest lake, rush or where ever the basin will bring you 100s of 7 to 9 inch fish. The weeds will bring fewer but typically bigger. Just depends.
Thanks! I especially like the tips specific to WBL.
WBL is not like Rush (have fished both) I do not go there for 7-9” fish the lake is trickier but has bigger fish.
Thanks! I especially like the tips specific to WBL.
WBL is not like Rush (have fished both) I do not go there for 7-9” fish the lake is trickier Ibut has bigger fish.
The lake fishes very similar. If you don’t think so then that’s a good start on the problem, I wasn’t saying your going for 7 to 9s, I said that’s what most basins offer just like nicks 7 man limit. It’s a pretty fair guess. I’ve fished wbl for many years. Hard to tell me it’s not like the others in our area lol.
Break the lake down in sections and disect from there. Lots of good fish in wbl
My opinion: the lakes are not that similar. Would say you are off by 30 miles (distance between N. branch & WBL) Some lakes have a solid basin bite some do not. Some orient to weeds, many lakes have both. Any lake in the 7 county metro area that has bigger crappies does not give up big fish easily.
Well if you don’t feel like breaking it down and fishing it like you would the other then I’d say good luck. Hopefully you find them. 30 miles means nothing when they both fish very similar as to where the bigs are vs the numbers. I only brought up rush guessing that’s where nick was. I could name about 10 lakes in-between that are also very similar in how you’d break them down looking for bigger crappies.
Best way to ‘break it down’ is to ditch the stereotype. WBL is very unique IMO.
I hate rushes weed edge. Its so dirty it ends in less than 10ft it seems. I dont really venture up there a ton but musky fishing it is tougher.
Best way to ‘break it down’ is to ditch the stereotype. WBL is very unique IMO.
What stereotype? I’ve fished them both 100s of times I was trying to help you. That was my first mistake I guess. I suppose I wasn’t giving you my spot so my help isn’t good
I hate Rush, mostly because its a zoo.
I never asked anyone for a spot. You and only you if you told me to go west I would go East 
I never asked anyone for a spot. You and only you if you told me to go west I would go East
I’ve seen you fish and can understand why.
Dang, let it go. And you still have my highly valuable headlamp!
rush guessing that’s where nick was
We were around pine river area, don’t really consider rush up nort 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
rush guessing that’s where nick was
We were around pine river area, don’t really consider rush up nort
Well it was a good guess. I don’t consider it north either but I’m not sure where every one lives.
Dang, let it go. And you still have my highly valuable headlamp!
I don’t recall, left in my truck ? Been a long time.
I hate rushes weed edge. Its so dirty it ends in less than 10ft it seems. I dont really venture up there a ton but musky fishing it is tougher.
That’s a new thing in the last couple of years. Weeds used to go to at least 12ft. Now they stop in 8-9ft.
I’ve never seen east so dirty in winter as this year, it’s usually pretty clear in the winter. Can barely see the bottom of the ice this year.
I think the biggest issue is lake associations removing weeds in the spring time.
Tim, why do you even ask for advice if you don’t listen and argue?
Tim, why do you even ask for advice if you don’t listen and argue?
I don’t believe tim likes the bearcat, any time I comment on anything he posts he responds to me like that. Crazy after all the times I’ve given him good information on a hot bite so he can catch fish for the family fish fries. But from the messages I got from a few other members your not the only one to see that.
Lol! Thanks for some good ideas, thanks for the laugh! Appreciate you Bearcat.
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