wehrspann

[quadmire15]

I just started ice fishing this year and have only been to standing bear so far. I've been wanting to get out to Wehrspann to try for crappie and walleye but i don't know the hot spots there. Can anyone help?

[magnusthebigbrownlab]

There aren't too many "hotspots" for crappie at the W.  But there are a few things that are pretty easy to find that will help you catch fish.  1)  The channel.  If you walk across the lake, from the boat ramp, you'll see a good number of huts on the ice.  Odds are, they're on the channel.  It pretty much always holds fish.  Yeah, some spots seem to be better than others, but if you can find the channel, you'll probably find fish.  Having a good flasher is key in fishing the channel, because I've noticed that a lot of the fish are coming in "mid-range".  A lot of the fish are coming off the flats, swimming across the channel, and then going to the flats on the other side.  If you don't have a flasher, try to fish your jigs at whatever depth the flats are on either side of the channel.  Most of my fish from the channel are coming from the 12-16' range, in 26 FOW.
2)  The road bed.  If you access the lake from the parking lot over by the handicapped pier, you'll be at the base of the old road bed. If you look across the lake, you'll see signs of where the road used to run.  I've caught a lot of fish on the edges of the old road bed, and again where the road bed meets the channel.  Have a decent topo of the lake, and hopefully a flasher, and you should find the fish.

[adammd]

And to add to what magnusthebannedbrownla b said,

If you don't have a sonar, you want to fish off the channel or just on the edge.  If you get actually off the channel, but really close, it would be easier for someone without a sonar b/c you can fish closer to the bottom and more easily mark your depths.  Not sure exactly, but maybe 12ft off the channel, 22-25 feet in the channel.  If you find 15-18 feet of water, you are likely on the edge.  The more off the edge you are, the more close to the bottom you want to fish, the deeper you are, the more you want to be up targeting fish coming off the flats. 

When the snow is gone, go look for spots where 30 holes are all drilled together, that is usually a sign. 

[Eastwesterner]

Am coming to the W tomorrow afternoon. Wed.  Will any of you regulars be out?

[adammd]

Not sure if I qualify as a regular, but no whersapan for me tonight.  Going to try a lake I have never fished thru the ice before:

Louisville #2.  No clue about it.  Fished it once, hammered the cats.

Topo + auger + Vex = HOPE

[Eastwesterner]

Ended up having a nice afternoon at the W.  brought home 24 ten inch plus crappies and two nice gills.  Two catfish as well to bend the pole a little.  Saw a dude catch a nice bass.  To adammd I fished louisville lake #2 last year.  Caught a slough of short LMB, and lil gills.  Talked to a couple lincoln guys that had 2 crappies.  Locals were less than friendly.  Not a lake I intend to return to any time soon for I am not a bass chaser.

[quadmire15]

hey adammd, feel free to now answer this..

but where do you fish? is it along the creek?

[adammd]

hey adammd, feel free to now answer this..

but where do you fish? is it along the creek?

Not sure what lake you are talking about, Wherspann.  If L'ville, never fished it thru the ice.  If it Wherspann, kind of depends on what I am after. Basically, i stick near the channel at Wherspann.  If I am looking for crappie or gills I may venture away and fish some structure, but never too far from the channel.  Have put minimal time in at the roadbed, dam, and point (although I am curious since I always see people) north of the dock.  Will usually find all the crappie and gills you want on structure, hidden structure, not trees sticking up.  Usually east of the channel.  But mostly just off the channel or on the break.  If I am looking for cats or eyes I will get in the channel, and just hope they find my minnows well off the bottom.  Have had alot of luck in so many places in the channel, I can't say there is any preference as to a specific spot.  I always park at the dock, so it usually across from there, but go both north and south, never too far as there are fish all over.  Whatever the depth is just off the channel, i am that depth or a couple feet deeper.  Never the bottom in the channel, there may be fish there, but not my preference. 

Want more info, just ask. 

As for L'ville, got stood up tonight, and didn't want to try it alone my first time there.  Went to Zorinsky instead, and had an interesting evening.  Rarely do you get on top of cats like you do crappie, but thats what I found.  Cats were like fishing for the first time with a vex.  They don't go after bait like most fish you try and ice, it was a learning experience.  Started with a crappie right out of the gates, then had 9 cat in a row with tons of misses.  Messed with those for a good couple hours, was fun but frustrating.  Finally figured out a pattern, but had so many straight misses or pull them up a few ft and lost em  .  Eventually they were overrun with crappie, and I ended with a flurry of the usual dinks.  Had two tips with minnows down and a dead sticked rod with one, no tips triggered and just one hit on the dead sticked.  Everything was on the wax. 

Nice night, no wind, nice temp.  Only three other huts out there the whole night. 

Good night. 

[quadmire15]

Will usually find all the crappie and gills you want on structure, hidden structure, not trees sticking up.  Usually east of the channel. 

i dont have one of those flashers or fish finder things so is there an easier way to find the structure and channel?

[adammd]

i dont have one of those flashers or fish finder things so is there an easier way to find the structure and channel?

This time of year:

Take a coutour map to get you close

http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/fishing/programs/lakemapping/pdfs/Wehrspann.pdf

Look for all the other holes where people have been fishing, especially when the snow is gone.  If you see 20 holes on top of each other, there is a reason.  Test the depth and look at the topo map.  Or look where everyone else is fishing and reference the map.  16-22 feet = channel. 

As for the hidden structure, if you see tons of holes where there shouldn't be, its either bad fisherman or they knew something. 

[quadmire15]

well it looks im going out there saturday probably. will stop at scheels to get minnows and waxies before hand.

thanks for the help.