Thanks Thanks:  0
HaHa HaHa:  0
Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: New to the area

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Arlington Tn
    Posts
    112
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default New to the area


    Goodmorning guys, recently moved to Minnesota from Tennessee. I am living in Lakeville right now and looking for some good areas to bank fish for crappie. I have been hitting the neighborhood lake every afternoon after work and have caught a few bass and tried the vermillion river for trout yesterday afternoon but got skunked. Looking forward to getting out and doing some exploring. This area is absolutely beautiful!
    Likes brucec LIKED above post

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    SE Minnesota
    Posts
    1,765
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Hopefully No.1son will hop back on and find this post....he's from the Cities area and knows more about the waters up there than I do. But you're right, this is a beautiful state.
    Likes brucec LIKED above post

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    1,007
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Welcome to one of the best Metros for fishing in this country.

    Myself I fish in Minneapolis almost exclusively, some on the River, some on Nokomis, Harriet, Calhoun, almost all in the heart of the City.

    Your best local resource is your city Park Board. Almost all of them keep fishing sites and docks open. Around your area Prior Lake is well known for crappies (both upper and lower and Spring Lake too). My favorite hands down is Calhoun up in Minneapolis proper. Size in the River is said to be very good, but you gotta do some exploring to find your spots, I fish other species on the River (Mississippi that is - never been on the Minnesota). Size in the lakes is generally smaller running 7 - 10 inches generally, but there have been fish that I have seen that reach 14 but those tend to be singletons or small pod fish.

    Check out the Lakefinder at MN DNR for lakes in your county and around. Interesting stuff.

    We have some of the best constructed fishing docks in the country with many of them reaching out over water more than 20' deep; so you get a chance to work the weedlines including the outside edges without needing a boat. These are floating docks that move up and down with the water levels and have a solid, completely opaque floor; so they are very good overhead structure as well as fishing platforms. Last night I stopped at one and worked from the bottom up in a good 20'+ of water to take a few crappies, numbers weren't bad but that particular lake doesnot produce size.

    Be aware that limit is 10, and that it is illegal to fish for species that are out of season, regardless of whether you throw them back or not. Wardens around here have been known to stake out a high point and use spotting scopes to scan multiple waters at a time from concealment. Fishing crappies from shore will provide enough legal bonus fish to be thrown back anyway. Be sure to have your proper licenses and stamps and pay attention to the seasons. Our fish stocks do not reproduce as rapidly as many of those farther south and our DNR does a pretty jealous job of protecting them. There is a conservation license available at a reduced rate for catch and release only fishermen.

    Bait: plastics on tiny jigs. CT and I don't quite see eye to eye on jig head color. For me black powder paint is all I use; he has made almost a science of his color choices. (LOL I can't argue with his results, but OTOH we do alright, too) We haven't used minnows for crappies here in the city (my partner and I that is) for close to a decade. No need. Tubes and shads, spike tails and paddle tails from about 2"/2.5" on down outfish nearby minnow fishermen virtually every time for us. Sometimes finding the right color and presentation takes a bit of doing, but once dialed in you can do very well.

    CT prefers mornings and does very well at it. Mike and I prefer the "witching hour" the last few hours before dark for crappies and even a bit after provided one can still see the line. Daytime is more for pike and bass for us, once their seasons open. Also carp, the Mississippi has some very large ones as do many lakes around here.

    BTW I have seen deep bodied largemouths here to over 23" which has to be pushing 8 pounds. And smallies to easily 4 or 5 pounds, and pike to about 3' all from within the city limits of Minneapolis as well as crappies in nearly everybody of water that does not winterkill, and in some that do occasionally.

    So welcome to the best urban freshwater fishery in the world. You got crappies all around you in nearly every direction.
    Likes "D", brucec LIKED above post

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Arlington Tn
    Posts
    112
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Wow thank you no1son for all the information! I have been fishing crystal lake all week with limited success. I'll probably try Marion this afternoon and weekend.
    Likes brucec LIKED above post

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    1,007
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Up here in the Cities, my buddy and I fish pretty heavily after work and into the evening. What we call 'witching hour' during the summer has already started. For us the last few times bite has started between 7 pm and 7:30 and continued pretty much until dark. We quite literally had no bite at all until that started; so don't leave the water too soon. Up here the biggest crappies tend to come after dark as well.
    Likes brucec LIKED above post

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Arlington Tn
    Posts
    112
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I finally got into a few this afternoon. Felt good. Going to try them again tomorrow.
    Likes "D", brucec LIKED above post

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    1,007
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I finally got out again last evening. The bite came on during the witching hour again, starting about 7:30 as of 8:30 I wrapped it up and went home having released just under a couple dozen crappies. Prior to 7:30 I caught one decent bluegill and had no other bites. When it started it was like a light switch turned on.

    I was fishing a street drain pool in a large lake with a vigorously running drain and found the crappies in the stream of the street drain and along its edges. I had two rods rigged with different tails. Once they started I would take a fish on every cast for a while and then they would taper off, until I changed rods and then the bite would resume. I switched back and forth a number of times to keep the bite going. The depth in this particular pool is quite shallow mostly less than than 5 or 6 feet.

    This lake has accumulated a couple of consumption advisories in the past decade now including mercury for women and children. The result has been a dramatic decrease in bucket fishing by families who with a number of children can accumulate a lot of fish legally, since each child can keep his own limit. A whole lot more are also fishing catch and release. As a result the size of the crappies has increased from 7-8 inch and smaller average to more like 8-10 inch average with it occasionally producing a true slab up to 14 and 15 inches, which I have seen but not taken my self. My biggest is 13 and there have been several of those. Last night I think I could have culled out a limit (10) of 10inch fish, although some of the catch were a lot smaller, something not beginning to be possible a decade ago. This particular lake is only a couple or three hundred acres; so I say reducing fishing pressure does not automatically lead to overpopulation and stunted crappies. A near by lake with no consumption advisory and still some bucket fishing also has crappies but they average more likely 7" and less.

    For me this is all shoreline and fishing dock fishing. The lakes I fish are electric only and have very restricted launch facilities, but there are a number of good shoreline areas and fishing docks. I normally do not fish longer than a couple or three hours at a time, and I fish plastic tails on 1/32 oz and smaller jig heads almost exclusively. It has been years since I have used minnows for crappies. The plastics are more productive.
    Likes brucec LIKED above post

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    SE Minnesota
    Posts
    1,765
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Good to hear Dutch. I've stopped the crappies until they get off the beds, but until they started bedding had a super spring season. The last two trips out I managed to find some huge sunfish and I'd imagine that they are really close to being on beds now or maybe even have spawned. Its been a pretty nice spring season with the summer season looking to be equally grand if we can stay out of high water, yet have enough rain to keep levels at a reasonable depth. Take care in the heat up there Dutch.
    Likes brucec LIKED above post

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    1,007
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I don't fish the beds either. In fact we seldom catch a crappie that is all blacked out at any time of the year. I think I had one this spring and zero in each of the past couple of years. I know where the beds are. I get a real kick out of watching so many crappie anglers walking right past them. ;-)

    Blue gill beds are another matter and if I can find a bed of big males that is some fun. I put them all back, catch and release everything around the cities here. BTW we have some sunfish beds that will keep going as long as it stays good and warm sometimes all the way into August. Interesting, some of those sunnies definitely repeat spawning, and not just the greenies either.
    Likes brucec LIKED above post

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

BACK TO TOP