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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Crappies => Topic started by: NanookofN-MN on Nov 28, 2011, 07:21 PM
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(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/niles_19/Lake-1.jpg)
Looking for help on a couple good spots to try for crappies throught out the ice season.
Thanks
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During ice season I would try anywhere around where it says 10 feet in the upper channel at the top of your lake map and then the edges of the main lake basin closest to that spawning area near the island at the bottom of your lake map.
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Find their food source. Maps are great for generalized reference but they aren't into specifics of what's actually there. Plenty of things can happen on the bottom between the contour lines, a bump or dip in the 6'-9' depths between the 5' and 10' contour lines rarely show as are most bottom composition changes, weed clumps, rocks, stumps............Many maps are totally outdated, made in the 50s-60s. They could be anywhere because of what the map isn't showing you. Best bet is Summer, take the map and check places out, colored pencil in details and it will get narrowed down. Best bet, at the moment, is a Google Earth open water shot showing a bit more detail, you'd be surprised what it shows that the map doesn't. Not trying to avoid the question but often the best looking map place isn't even close to where they are
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Don't know what the layout of your lake is in terms of vegetation - If there's a lot of good weeds that they were on during the fall, you will probably just need to fish there early ice.
After that, you've got 2 obvious spots to fish. One of them says muck
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there's also a fairly well defined dropoff in the upper center of the main bay from 10-20' that I'd try, looking for suspended fish at the lower edge :tipup:
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Fish the deep basin area 20- 25 feet mid winter and then move toward shallow water as you near late ice.
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I envy not him that eats better meat than I do; nor him that is richer, or that wears better clothes than I do; I envy him, and him only, that catches more fish than I do. – Izaak Walton
Best Quote here Nanook of north Mn
My new little lake looks a little like your Little lake and I was there today getting Nada Pike in 8 feet of water off shore off the weeds. But I watched the guys across from me on the other side catching Crappie on the edge of the Biggest hole in the lake 23 feet or so.. I walked over and looked at the vexlars . .. I never Fished Crappie, 2lb line and some small tear drops gonna get bought this week. Funny it really does look like this but the deep spot is more of a trench longer not Bowl like your lake. Steepest side inside edge. I think CrappieGuy above Knows his stuff
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This was a good read for some general advice, so essentially, search for structure that has a flat spot or find some structure or depth change by the main basin?
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Our crappie are all deep. Deepest channels and basin in the lake.
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If your targeting a certain lake, the best thing to do is fish it and take notes. Mark areas that you caught them at. It could take some time figuring out there patterns. Also you need patience with these fish. Take a variety of bait.
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Once in the deep basin, if you have a vexilar, marcum, humminbird, get the transducer down the hole and if you do not mark fish, swing the transducer from side to side in the hole, north/south and then east/west. Watch the flasher for fish appearing and note the direction that your transducer is pointing. This is an easy way to cover more area in deep water, it can also tip you off to what direction the fish moved if they disappear off of your flasher. Have a bunch of holes drilled in all directions and move to keep up to them. In these deep basin areas they will be constantly on the move, inside corners or narrow areas are a great spot to funnel them into.
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i was wondering where you can get a map like that for other lakes