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No limit on Bde Maka Ska
Wednesday night, I managed 8 crappies between about 7:30 and 08:30 when the mosquitos finally chased me off of Bde Maka Ska here in Minneapolis. Only 4 were decent sized, the rest were tiny. Nice cloud cover, right time of the day, but all I could find were hard up against edges not feeding in the open like I expected. Turns out there was a big eater laying in the pool and I hooked it right at the end. Whatever it was, it was over my 4# line test. It took of for the next county and never really stopped until it buried it self in a weed clump about 90 feet out and the little hook (1/48th jig head) pulled loose. It didn't fight like a musky or a pike, but it was a very big un and it had the local crappies head down deep into cover. I thought I was snagged, and then it started to move! And then it just didn't stop! I just got home and then they declared curfew. Curfew again tonight; so I didn't even try to get out.
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Same thing happened to me . I was trolling Beetles spins on a small lake north of Grand Rapids. Thought I was snagged until it started to move . It just stayed on the bottom . Rod was bent 180 deg. Fought it for about 5 mins and it was gone. Didn't lose the spinner or minnow . Probably a good sized northern . I don't think I could handle a curfew knowing the fish are biting.
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I don't have much choice about the curfew if they have one tonight. One of the things that is happening here is that the leaders of BLM around here are working at convincing the crowds to go home, and they have had some success. The demonstrations proper finish up in the daytime. At least they have this time.
My biggy did not fight like a pike or a musky. Normally when I hook up to one of them they twist turn and break the surface. It is my belief that they recognize that a stretchy line is a panfish line and they try to cut. Those fish live on the edges of their teeth after all. Those hooked on the no stretch with wire leaders get an immediate steam train run, and with mainly catch and release they learn the difference. They fight differently than those I generally tangle with (includes pike to 32" and muskies to 38" and 40").
The run I got was an immediate head out for the other shore sort of thing. That lake has 23" largemouths and 10# walleyes and probably 40# carp none of which can do the cutoff thing; so you get the main run first thing with them. Judging by the timidness of the crappies I would have to guess a trophy walleye or largemouth was what took my little jig. Probably a largemouth, since the bluegills were also absent.
Everything eats tiny even when quite capable of taking much larger baits. Trophies still do and on UL that gets to be real sport.
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Good to hear cooler heads are starting to prevail. We certainly have had enough of the other. Good luck with the Crappies.