After spending Saturday indoors listening to the wind howl 30mph+ all day I was chomping at the bit to get back out on the ice, so needless to say I was excited to see Sunday’s forecast of warmer temps and calmer winds. When I woke up Sunday I was pleased to see the weather man was right on the money. I spent the morning with the Mrs. and then hit the ice around 12:00pm. A friend of mine was already out there, so after a quick “how do ya do” it was time to catch some fish.
We were fishing a large sandy area with scattered vegetation. There were fish in almost every hole, so finding them wasn’t an issue. The problem was most of the fish were near the bottom and difficult to make cooperate. The trick was staying on the move and locating suspended fish. If you could find 2-3 suspended fish in a hole it was a completely different story. They would almost race each other to the bait and crush the lure. I was using a small horizontal chartreuse jig again.
Throughout the day we walked in circles checking hole after hole looking for suspended fish. Between the two of us we iced conservatively 75+ crappie and a handful large gills. Some of the crappie were smaller 8-9″ fish, but for the most part they were nice 10″-12″ fish.
It was another great day on the ice, and with all the tragedy going on in the world right now it truly makes a guy realize how great we have it here in Central Minnesota. God Bless everyone effected by the quake and those that are there helping people in need.
Sounds like an awesome day. Thanks Joe
Sounds like you still have some pretty good fishing to be done through the ice yet.
Joe,
Great report. What depth were you fishing? Also, were there any locational keys that you can comment on? I realize you mentioned sand/weed flat, but was that adjacent to a spawning area, etc.?
thanks,
Brien
Sorry about that. That’s what I get for writing a report when I’m tired. We were in 12’-14’fow near a river outlet. These areas are always the first to melt, so I believe there is already some water movement under the ice. I like to hit these types of areas before the big spring thaw.
“There were fish in almost every hole, so finding them wasn’t an issue. The problem was most of the fish were near the bottom and difficult to make cooperate. The trick was staying on the move and locating suspended fish. If you could find 2-3 suspended fish in a hole it was a completely different story”
I have been seeing the exact same thing down here in the metro. Staying on the move makes a big difference
Nice pannies
Nicely done Joe
Nice report ,must be lots of ice yet.