SE Minnesota Lake Zumbro Crappie Trollin

When the bite is slow then its time to start moving to find the fish instead of waiting for them to come to you. Trolling a small jig and plastic out behind you and using the electric trolling motor will help you to locate fish that are willing to bite.

Lets face it, not every day will you find a hot bite going on. So instead of sitting there staring at a bobber we have to make the bite happen. Trolling, throwing out a small jig behind the boat, and moving forward with the trolling motor at a slow speed will help you locate them. In this case, I was using a small Mini-mite jig and at times I added a small crappie minbnow to the offering. I placed a splitshot alittle ways ahead of the jig to help get it down further hoping to attract the bigger fish. With it being nice and sunny out and not alot of wave action the fish should be alittle lower in the water column so getting your offering down alittle deeper and still using a light jig will help you into getting them to bite.

I found the bite to be slow and knowing that from being out a couple nights before and with talking to other fishermen I knew that I would have to go looking. Relying on your electonics helps alot. The sonar will show you if there are any fish where you are at and will also show you any humps, brushpiles and/or logs on the bottom of the lake. A GPS will be very helpfull for marking any spots you find with sucken trees and different structure type areas. Its not only a day of fishing but a day of learning more about what the bottom of the lake looks like.

Theres just something about using a good light action rod when catching fish. A crappie, gill, or whatever else you catch feels like a much bigger fish. It adds to the fun. My mission this day was to search and learn more about where the fish might be and to learn more about the lake using my sonar and GPS. A slow bite didn’t stop me from learning or fishing. I caught fish and learned at the same time. Fishing is more than just fishing, its about learning too. Where are the fish, why are they there, and what must I do to catch them are all questions we can find answers to if we spend time on the water searching for answers. Be sure to try to learn something new each time you are out on the water. And then be sure to share it with me . Have fun, catch some fish, release the big ones and keep only what you need for a meal. See you on the water.

Thanks, Bill