What are your plans for this season?

[SlabKing]

I just wondering if you guys have plans to focus on certain waters, try new techniques, start fishing earlier in the year, try to pin down the spawning time on a certain lake, or anything else new to you? Did you learn anything new in '05 that you will try more of in '06?



Well, I found out that the crappie on one larger lake I fish start to spawn WAY sooner than I thought. I was just tired of setting in the house and went to give it a try in early April and the fish where already in 10' of water with a few up on the banks while on other near by lakes the fish where still out on the points in 20' of water.

I want to get back to fishing Moses and the Snake River more this year. The largest fish that I have caught came out of these waters and I have not fished them much in the last 3 years or so. I had them both pretty much pinned down but things may have changed since then.

One other thing I learned this year as the larger fish here will spawn on main lake points with weeds on them. I was just "use to" always catching fish in coves and sloughs that I never really tried points until late in the summer. I will not make that mistake again this year. I am convinced that not only do the larger fish (of all warmwater species) spawn on these points, but that they will be staging on these same points while most fisherman are still dreaming about the spawn. Lake Wa really taught me that this year. There were days in early March that I was catching 3-5lb smallies and nice crappies.....with not one boat in site or at the launch when I returned.

[urban_fisher1]

there are many things i want to do more of this year. first of all i want to fish smallmouth all through the season from early spring until late fall. i want to fish the spawn for crappie which i have never done before. i also want to get more walleye i caught my first last year at potholes and want to figure those fish out a little better. i also want to catch a bluegill or pumpkinseed over one pound. i want to catch a channel catfish which i have never done before. i also want to get a carp on a fly. one major thing i want to do is search out some more "undiscovered spots" or so called zipperlips, not only for warmwater species but also anadromous fish

[Kokanee King]

hey slab if you every need some company in the boat, you just let me know......... My goals is to figure thoes smalies out much better, hit up thoes crappie, and pull a nice big trout out of washington. Someting new that i learned is the smallies on union and washington I knew that they were there but I was oblivious to the fact that I could get some, so that is something that I am going to start fishing in feb..to see what happens. I also learned how to fish Duck better and was actually able to find the fish in high concentrations in a portion of the lake where they will stay all year, but I want to figure the bass out on that lake i know there is a good population but I have never been able to get it down, My main goal is to learn something new again and to fish some new bodies of water, and I think a five pound smallie would be just fine as wall, and maybe some fmore get to gethers out on the water with all you guys, we are kind of slacking in that department.

[SlabKing]

Yeah, we need to plan more trips this spring. Maybe hit Moses early for some walleye and Washington for the bass spawn. I may have to meet Koke out on Duck Lake. My mom lives 10mins from the lake and I have never fished it.

[urban_fisher1]

i have actually been tentatively planning on a trip out to moses this spring for walleyes and maybe some catfish or panfish while i am at it. what kind of things should i stock up on for walleye? blad baits, spinners bottom bouncers, jigs?

[MastaFisher]

My goal is to catch fish consistently. Something I am really bad at. Ya I wouldnt mind going to moses later in the year, Walleye are fun and tasty!

[SlabKing]

i have actually been tentatively planning on a trip out to moses this spring for walleyes and maybe some catfish or panfish while i am at it. what kind of things should i stock up on for walleye? blad baits, spinners bottom bouncers, jigs?

For walleye I use grubs. Dark brown if it's sunny, chartreuse if it's cloudy. On Moses early in the spring you want to fish where ever there is moving water. If there's no current and rocks.....there won't be a lot of stacked walleye. The bridges and the south end outlets are the key.

[Kokanee King]

I have caught a lot of crappie around thoes bridges and seen some nice smallies come out of there too.

[urban_fisher1]

i had a gift card for basspro so i added in some more grubs in brown and chartreuse, also got a crankbait for walleye, i think they look cool. seems like you would have a good chance of pickin up a walleye or a smallmouth with those grubs

[SlabKing]

I love BassPro. Some of there reel/rod combos are great. I have of few of there "crankn' sticks"....tuffest rods I've ever owned.

Another good technique to use on Moses and the Potholes is fishing your grubs under a slip float. I'll cruise over the downstream side of a bridge checking the depths.....set my float.....pull the boat up to the side of the bridge and achor up. Tip the grub with a worm, cast it under the bridge and let it float from under the bridge into the main lake in the current. They will nail it every time. I've caught walleye, bass, and nice trout this way. It works back in the dunes on Potholes as well where ever you have current between the dunes.