tounge river res

[BIG WEST]

fished the res south of rattlesnake point about 30 yards off shore. Started fishing around noon and went to about 700pm. I marked quite a few fish but only ended up with 3 crappie and 1 perch ahhhh. this is my 3rd trip to the res and each trip has been about the same. I lost to why i havent been doing good on the eveing bite. I also was trying to figure out a way to to get into some walleye, pike and channel cats. Every time i go crappie seems to be my target fish. Havent been able to get minnows so im trying to find other methods. I talked my wife to going with me next weekend and like get a better yield on the fish caught, i know thats noy how it always works but would be nice so i could get the wife to go on a second trip.A

[BIG WEST]

hey guys big west again. any info, tips, or stories about recent fishing trips would be good to read and also a big help.  thanks guys  safe fishing keep those fish bitin   big west

[BIG WEST]

hey guys and gals help me out with some info the wife is already second guessing the trip, any tips would be great

[rodrunner]

Hate to ring in the new year with bad news but in my last 4 trips I've managed to catch 1 six inch walleye. I fish that water a lot and i've never seen the fishn so tough as this winter..Cant figure out why either.

[Seedtree]

I've been doing OK on crappies down there the few times I've been able to go.  I'd try a bit closer to shore in the late afternoon and evening.  30 yards out might be good during the day, but I've been 10 yards or less from shore in that area around Rattlesnake Point around sundown.  The water drops off very fast by the cliffs.

Also, a Vex or other fish finder is important because often the crappie move through at different depths.  Without a fish finder it would be a real crap shoot (pun intended) trying to figure out where in the water column to fish.  I often have success by seeing a school come through on the Vex, reeling up to that level and slowly jigging.

Good quality light line and a sensitive rod are important to get a proper jigging action on light ice jigs and to also detect bites.  Crappies rarely hit hard, often a twitch in the line is all you can visually see.  Often times the rythm of the jigging motion just has a hitch in it, probably a fish. 

A couple pics (hopefully) from last weekend.  Might give it a try tomorrow.

Tight lines.

[BIG WEST]

Thanks seedtree i'm definetly going to move closer to shore on the next trip. hopefully find some minnows in my trap so i may have a better chance at the other fish species at the res.  good luck out there keep me posted on any fishing adventures,fish caught, or pics of trips on the ice would be cool. I'll do the same once i figure out getting pictures on iceshanty. its fun to see footage of fish caught, neat shelters setups, and people out there having a good time. thanks again for the tip i'm ready ti get out there and try it. Good luck out there hope hear from ya or maybe see ya out there.     BIG WEST

[eyewinder]

24 feet of water produced a few average (8" to 9-1/2") crappie at sundown last night (Sunday).   This is much like what I've experienced the past couple of winters on TRR ice (although depth may not be of utmost importance).

It was my first trip to TRR this winter.  I'm estimating there was 15" of ice or better where I drilled.  I may run back up this afternoon and see if I can fine-tune my presentation. 

[lingslayer]

Is there a certain type of jig that anyone finds works best for crappie jigging.

[BILCABFish]

I like the hexi fly by northland and tubes tipped with something, but not sure how it's been out there recently. Color can be a factor, but they usually take it based on presentation. I'm going on wed so it could get interesting with the weather.

[Seedtree]

Genz glo worms tipped with a maggot seem to work well.  Also, check out the archives under the MT fishing reports and conditions page.  Plenty of stuff on TRR there.

[BILCABFish]

I went out with two buddies this past wed, and we fished the rattlesnake point area. All in all we drilled 42 holes, had minnows, vexilar, every kind of lure/bait you can imagine, and had zero bites. Fished from 5ft-26ft, and marked 2 fish all day, and one air bubble, which was pretty wild on the vexilar, seeing something flashing pretty quick coming from the bottom and then hitting the ice. Fun time, but very very cold.

[rezeye]

i believe rattlesnake point has become the DEAD SEA from too much pressure since it is the first access to the Res.

[Seedtree]

I've been hooking some rather large pike in the Rattlesnake Point area lately while jigging for Crappies.  We had also discussed the lack of Crappies in that area lately. Normally they come into that area in the late afternoon and early evening when the plankton start moving. 

At least a part of the mystery may have been solved when I latched onto a pike that was in the 20 lb range on a very small ice jig.  After a 15 minute battle that involved several runs that nearly spooled me (which was amazing with 3 lb test monofilament), that Pike busted me off at the hole.  He must have headed out with my ice jig because the crappie started showing up not long after.

Maybe we aren't the only ones fishing that area for Crappies.  Pike are predators that are very adaptable and may come into that area due to the smell and vibrations of minnows, maggots, meal worms, Crappies getting hauled out, general activity level, just to see what all the hoopla is, and so on. 

A handy excuse for getting skunked for Crappies anyway.

My .02s.


 

[rezeye]

my glass is half full too   hey seedtree is the water still clear at tongue????or has the recent thaw cloudied it up???

[Seedtree]

Last weekend we fished further down the reservoir, around Campers Point and Sand Point and the water is clear there.

[rezeye]

thanks i was just curious  went there earlier this year got skunked might try again later somewhere else than rattlesnake point

[Seedtree]

Last weekend there were plenty of people fishing various places other than Rattlesnake Point.  Including some larger groups on their favorite spots.

I wish the FW&P would do a icefishing access on the upper end of TRR.  Having to pull off/onto a high speed highway into the ditch and haul gear under fences, up/down hills in the dark like we do is a major drag. 

I am going to try for some eyes up on the South end as the spawn urge intensifies.

Tight lines.

[lingslayer]

Iam heading over on Wednesday and was wondering if anyone has fished here lately.How is the ice holding up , and would it be better to go early a.m. or fish in the eve.

[naschafe]

Any new updates ?  Is the water clear?  I'm thinking of heading to either here or castle rock on saturday, so any updates would be nice.  I'll post what I know when I get back if I head there.  Thanks.