Thread: fishin

jus checkin to see who's gettin out this weekend and where? im a try to get out after work tonite but definitly in the mornin

I'm heading out also in the morning but not sure were I'm going, went out this afternoon on Duncan lake and iced a few crappie, let me know if you want to meet some were

Originally Posted by skillett007

jus checkin to see who's gettin out this weekend and where? im a try to get out after work tonite but definitly in the mornin

how many crappie were iced

How has the fishing been over by Grand Rapids? I have not been out in the last few days as I have been nursing my household back to health. Of course, I managed to get sick in the process. I like to call in sick to work but not when I am actually sick. The older I get the harder it is to be sick. If my health improves I might manage to get out and fish tomorrow evening. I'm sure I'll look like and old man pulling my stuff across the ice but it really doesn't matter how long it takes me to get there, just as long as I make it.

Originally Posted by ready2fish

how many crappie were iced

1 small crappie 1 small gill real tough bite

did manage 9 go ones last nite on morrison lake, it to was tuff tryin to figure them out but i got dinner for tonite. jus got my auger bit ,so now im really goin to make it hard for them slabs to hide or run.:D:D oh , the bite seems to b slow all over, here on the west side

Today I'm feeling a bit better (not great) but better. Still trying to convince myself to go fishing. A couple more hours will really determine if I am good enough to make it out or not.

Last year we were fishing in really shallow water (about 4ft). I had done my usual of punching several holes with the gas auger before I started fishing. I noticed one guy fishing a small area and doing o.k so I walked over to him. He had an auger bit on the end of an 18 volt dewalt drill. I have seen them in the past but never thought much of them. The advantage to using that drill was huge. In the shallow water he was able to punch holes with minimal effort and minimal noise. He was able to fine tune right over top of them. Unlike myself that had holes spread over a larger area, his holes were close together as he walked in on the fish. I could have done the same thing with the gas auger but it would have spoked the fish and made the spot useless for an hour or so. The bit would be o.k in thin ice but I wouldn't want to rely on it in heavy ice. Still is a great tool for early or late season when the slabs are killin the baits.

Originally Posted by wicklundrh

Today I'm feeling a bit better (not great) but better. Still trying to convince myself to go fishing. A couple more hours will really determine if I am good enough to make it out or not.

Last year we were fishing in really shallow water (about 4ft). I had done my usual of punching several holes with the gas auger before I started fishing. I noticed one guy fishing a small area and doing o.k so I walked over to him. He had an auger bit on the end of an 18 volt dewalt drill. I have seen them in the past but never thought much of them. The advantage to using that drill was huge. In the shallow water he was able to punch holes with minimal effort and minimal noise. He was able to fine tune right over top of them. Unlike myself that had holes spread over a larger area, his holes were close together as he walked in on the fish. I could have done the same thing with the gas auger but it would have spoked the fish and made the spot useless for an hour or so. The bit would be o.k in thin ice but I wouldn't want to rely on it in heavy ice. Still is a great tool for early or late season when the slabs are killin the baits.

hope you get well soon, there no time to wast when it comes to catching them slabs

So, I made it to work today only to be told by my boss (who works in Kansas City) that I should not be at work due to my Illness. Appearently I have a case of vertigo and they don't want me falling down the stairs or something to that affect. I told them I felt fine when I was sitting or leaning up against something while standing. I heard something else, blah blah blah and my mind drifted to sitting on a bucket on the ice looking through a hole and I though, That might tunnel my vision and help me feel right. As it was I already found out that my wrap around perscription sunglasses helped with my vertigo. Back to listening to the boss talk and it didn't take long to convince me to go home and rest up. Besides, I can't get in to the Dr till tuesday so the way I saw it, as long as I could make it out to the lake I would be fine. Fast forward through the slush and I was on the lake by 4pm. As you said earlier, the bit is tough but I though with the warmer weather things would turn on. The fish I did catch (all gills) were all keepers and good ones at that so it was not a bad trip. What I did find was that the slightest movement on top of the ice sent the fish in all directions. I tried to convince a 70 something year old man of this but he knew way more than me and snubbed me in not so great of fashion. The fish were down 15 feet, I'll give him that but when he moved the fish went away. I did find it funny that he had a vexilar and was checking holes, fished by me for 10 minutes out of two holes and caught one fish. I stayed put and iced 5. He left and I went to the holes he was checking. There were fish in ALL of them. Now for my advice column or a starting point for anyone fishing tomorrow (again, this guy must have been under the "you cannot teach and old dog new tricks"):

My best bait was a chartruse tear drop tipped with a mousee and a wax worm. I have had good success with this combo this year as the added tail from the moussee seems to give it a little extra. I've tried a single wax worm or a single moussee in the same hole and my success rate isn't near as good. Later in the evening I switched to an all white jig with a green eye. Although I didn't catch many on this rig it did produce the largest fish. The fish would come in from the sides and look at the bait. if I brought it up about 16 inches and the fish followed, you knew he was going to bit. Seemed like drawing them off the bottom was the way to work it. No suspended fish so no crappie in the area and I really was't in the best of shape to go searching for them. Light jigging followed by dead sticking was the way to go on this trip. I also switched to high viz yellow line this year and I am really impressed with the way my success has skyrocketed. I can see my bait hit the bottom alot easier, I can see the angle of the bait in the hole, the angle of the fish as I am fighting him, and the line when it is on the ice or tangled on a shard of ice. I reccomend this product to anyone who is ice fishing.

My suspision for tonight was this: Like last ice, when the snow pack is melting on the surface and you punch a hole the water rushes in. During the spring the water tends to be warmer as it rushes in and draws a ton of fish. During a mid winter thaw however, the water temp tends to be colder as it flows in the hole. It actually has a reverse affect and the fish tend to be off to one side or the other. I wish I had a thermometer with me tonight to verify this but judging from the faint marks on my flasher I would say the fish were always off to the side of the hole. Maybe a side winder type bait or a propeller type bait would have a better effect as it swirls on the drop or raise of the pole. I hope this helps. Or atleast gives someone a whole nother group of things to think about when they go fishing. Who said this stuff wasn't confussing? I'll fish again tomorrow (it makes me feel better) and I'll let people know how it goes. I have some new things I want to try.

i also have had some problems with vertigo, mostly due to an ear infection, but if you take some strong motion sickness pills you may find out that you can function just fine.hope this helps....