Sometimes the incredible happens regarding time, place, lure - in July no less!

[Spoonminnow]

My local crappie (and other panfish), bass and pickerel lake had some surprises awaiting my partner and me. First off, the lake averages only 10-11' deep and pads are thick only in a few areas. Second, surface water temp was 83 degrees and bright sun was interrupted by only a few clouds. So where to look?

We tried the midlake humps surrounded by deeper water, caught many white perch, (2 - 3lb bass yesterday), a few small crappie, sunfish and some yellow perch. After catching about 40 fish on the hump and getting bored catching mostly small white perch, I decided to go to the inflow area of the lake - a winding channel about 40 yards long. In the last 48 hours we've had over 2" of rain and I figured fish may be upstream from the lake.

Both sides of the shallow channel has vegetation - pads mostly - and what I wanted to find like the last time I fished it, were yellow perch. Man was I wrong!!! First cast and I caught a 1 lb bass. Second cast flipping to pad pockets - a 11" crappie. My partner lost a crappie that appeared to be 12" or better! My next cast resulted in a pickerel break off.

My intent going out today was to see if larger soft plastic lures catch all size fish when rigged on a 1/8 oz ball head jig - especially smaller fish. Result: most definitely considering the numbers caught today and yesterday!!

Second, I was curious to see if large fish will hit very small lures (IE 1/132 oz jig head with 2" soft plastic). Again, most definitely! (Both 3 lb bass were caught on them.)

Lastly - is white a good color in algae stained water? Results proved it for certain!!

So back to the channel fishing...
On our way moving slowly up the winding channel, we started running into mostly quality crappie and for ha ha's I decided to work a 3" floating Rapala I hadn't used in over a decade. I almost fell overboard watching large crappie jumping over the lure or slamming it in excitement!! Even a 1 pound bass got into the act in the same area!

We fished as far as we could go and then fished our way back again to the lake catching just as many quality fish - including an 11" white perch and a 9" yellow perch. The colors of all fish were deep as were the markings and multiple hits by the same fish allowed recasts to the same spots.

Maybe it was the cloud cover that moved in and the time being 6:30 pm (magic hour is around 6-7pm in summer), but we caught fish after fish in that narrow channel 3.5' deep for over 30 minutes on different lures, including that tiny 2" soft plastic minnow I cast 90% of the time, any time.

This pattern may hold, though a boat followed us around, probably took notes and may ruin the area tomorrow. But I'm satisfied by what I learned and relearned - the Floating Rapala, which for me usually worked best in fall last time I used it in the early 2000's, turned out to be an exciting topwater lure.

Days like these don't happen often in summer 1:30pm-7pm (my usual time) and I'm thankful for blind luck giving me the opportunity to have a memorable day.

(note: the minnow shown is rigged on a drop shot rig, which has also caught many crappies in the past in deeper water near pad stems).

[tahoe 50]

Great post.

[skeetbum]

I love trips like that. Good job and thanks for sharing.

[Spoonminnow]

F/u:
Yesterday the inflow area was dead - bright sun killed it and only a breeze - but pad edges in the main lake started producing 10.5" crappies flipping the lure shown into pockets. The hump produced the same amount of white perch which have been schooled there for days, but the crappie were small (I did manage three 2 lb bass in eight minutes at 1:40 pm).

It's possible that the inflow might have produced in the evening, but I had to leave early. I doubt it because clouds and a lack of post storm conditions changed everything. Only one 13" crappie was caught near open water pads in the north end, midday.

[Smoltz]

Th baks for sharing. I enjoyed reading your post. I mite try the same areas on my lake. Thanks

[Spoonminnow]

One thing that I proved to my partner - patience pays off in the form of saturation fishing. What I mean is that I cast 360 degrees around the boat when fishing humps and off points; I work both sides of a rock wall parallel to shore; and work weed edges and pockets over 4' or more water.

Interesting video on You Tube showed a feeding sequence of a yellow perch school. A small spoon with grub was dropped to the bottom under the ice. One perch stared at it on bottom and when jigged. After it attacked the lure and got hooked, another perch was moved to attack and then another and pretty soon a feeding frenzy was in effect.

I found the same phenomena in my pond. I started feeding sunfish Japanese beetles I trapped and threw into the water. One sunfish came up to stare at the beetles making ripples on surface. Soon, it ate one and then another, creating big ripples sucking in bugs. Soon more sunfish joined the fun and the attacks were more frequent. A painted turtle must have seen what was going on and swam over so he too could eat a bug or two.

Lesson learned: Once feeding is initiated, it doesn't stop with one or two fish in a school and in fact turns into a frenzy. That was what occurred in 20 square feet in the inflow creek pool I mentioned - one big crappie after another in the same spot my bass boat had passed over only 30 minutes before and where we hooked ten crappie, perch and a bass. What more was the absolute fish insanity displayed as crappie jumped over the floating Rapala and then slam/hooked themselves, with more fish getting into the act!

Feeding is contagious!!!!!