GBW Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 So I was wondering, if crappie get into a lake they haven't been in where would one try and target them in the winter? The whole North end is about 20' deep with random humps and rocks and the ONE and ONLY that I have digital proof of was caught in that area in the fall. The rest of the lake is about 60' deep and shaped like a bowl in the deeper area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Humps and rocks lol If there isnt struture to relate to, sounds silly, but shoreline becomes the structure. Many of my best crappie spots in the winter are the same as spring and summer, 4 to 8fow along the shoreline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBW Posted January 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 The sad part is that this lake hadn't had one in there till as of late Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 The sad part is that this lake hadn't had one in there till as of late Hmmm. Maybe some COs can chime in as to any illegal stocking? Does the lake have lawyers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 The next time you get a pail of bait from a store, check through it. More so in the summer months. You would be surprised whats in the mix. This is why they tell you not to dump your pail in the lake you are fishing. Also, you would be surprised that droppings from seagulls have also contribute to this. Read that some where a few years back when I was inquiring how little lake here got them and never had them before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acountdeleted Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Awww.. I want a pet crappie. If anyone gets a YOY (young of the year, minnow size) in a bait bucket, let me know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBW Posted January 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 I only buy local minnows to the lake I'm going to fish on in the winter for other lakes like Simcoe (if I even buy any at all). After a member here sent me the pic my kids and I went to the same spot (knowing the background ) and used the FishTV camera and found a bunch of perch and seen 1 crappie on screen. This is a small lake and has a rather deep underground river to another lake I've been told (on here). And yeah Brian fish eggs stuck to a water landing bird can be deposited into another water body when it lands but the odds of survival are very low I would guess. So where to try and target them? I never fish for them as they are not know in this lake... I can find them close to home (not at the lake I'm talking about) but that's in the summer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 The next time you get a pail of bait from a store, check through it. More so in the summer months. You would be surprised whats in the mix. This is why they tell you not to dump your pail in the lake you are fishing. Also, you would be surprised that droppings from seagulls have also contribute to this. Read that some where a few years back when I was inquiring how little lake here got them and never had them before. I remember buying bait up north and getting smallmouth, trout, and mooneyes in the bucket too. Er, sir, I will pass on those! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Lol I remember getting 2 dozen walleye. Generally speaking this area is great for live bait though. In kenora I actually got a lil sturgeon once. Like wth??? Hows that happen? Could get in big big trouble over that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Crappies will be suspended this time of year Geoff. Does that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBW Posted January 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Not heading there this weekend to try but if my daughter wants to hit the ice then that may change a bit then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Lol I remember getting 2 dozen walleye. Generally speaking this area is great for live bait though. In kenora I actually got a lil sturgeon once. Like wth??? Hows that happen? Could get in big big trouble over that one! LOL, what would you tell a CO if he found a sturgeon or trout in your bait bucket? I got that at a bait store? ya right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 LOL, what would you tell a CO if he found a sturgeon or trout in your bait bucket? I got that at a bait store? ya right! I didnt have to worry about it because I showed them the sturgeon and questioned them about it. In hindsite I should have called the MNR but there was only ONE sturgeon in the tank(which they kindly let me look at) so I dont believe any punishment would be fitting. Mistakes do happen, and some 17 year old girl surving up minnows obviously didnt notice. Im glad I did though because yeah, that would be an akward one to explain to a CO But how would you even catch a 3" sturgeon by any means other than a net??? I guess that would be my defense if needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beans Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Hmmm. Maybe some COs can chime in as to any illegal stocking? Does the lake have lawyers? Are you reffering to Ling (sometime called lawyers or burbot ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Are you reffering to Ling (sometime called lawyers or burbot ? Just an inside joke between geoff and I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 I didnt have to worry about it because I showed them the sturgeon and questioned them about it. In hindsite I should have called the MNR but there was only ONE sturgeon in the tank(which they kindly let me look at) so I dont believe any punishment would be fitting. Mistakes do happen, and some 17 year old girl surving up minnows obviously didnt notice. Im glad I did though because yeah, that would be an akward one to explain to a CO But how would you even catch a 3" sturgeon by any means other than a net??? I guess that would be my defense if needed The only minnows I bought up there were pike sized to huge, i had a pretty good idea from fishing here as to what was a minnow and what wasn't. I have seen some people here that thought minnows were small carp and didn't want them in their ponds. The selection of minnows here at our bait stores tends to be a lot more limited than yours, along the Lake Erie shores it is almost always just emerald shiners, once you get inland it is fathead minnows ( panfish sized ) and golden shiners ( bass sized ) you generally have to go to a bait store right by a lake that has muskie in it to find suckers or really big creek chubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 In my area its normally just fathead minnows, size small through large. A small is about 2" and a large is about 3 1/2" I can get shiners from a few local trappers, or frozen shiners. Its hard to find suckers but we have frozen ciscoes for pike fishing. Id consider using livebait more often if I could get emerald shiners. In my experiences they really produce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 In my area its normally just fathead minnows, size small through large. A small is about 2" and a large is about 3 1/2" I can get shiners from a few local trappers, or frozen shiners. Its hard to find suckers but we have frozen ciscoes for pike fishing. Id consider using livebait more often if I could get emerald shiners. In my experiences they really produce It's just my understanding that fat head minnows travel better than emerald shiners and are less susceptible to changes in water temperature and oxygen content, so bait stores have less trouble keeping them alive and they are easy for fish farms to raise for bait. Emerald shiners will catch more fish everywhere I have used them, even in waters they aren't native to, like our inland lakes. I remember some bad years on Lake Erie when the bait stores had trouble getting Emerald Shiners and they were selling Fatheads instead, they didn't work nearly as well for perch or crappie. All the streams and rivers in my area have suckers in them, they make good walleye bait, never had much luck catching anything else on them, even in Ontario. Pike here are few and far between, I don't recall ever catching one after mid May, and only on tribs of Lake Erie, a 5 - 6 pounder is pretty big here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Man, so different up here for pike. Ive never fished a lake in my life that isnt full of pike. And ive fished 100's of lakes in sunset country. 3 guys in a boat and you are catching at least 30 in a day, ranging from 17"-35". Thats NOT targeting them. If you are targetting them expect well into the 70 or 80s, with many of those over 35". They taper around 40". They get into the higher 40s but catch rate decreases. My PB is 47". You cant do anything wrong lol. Any bait, lure, presentation, water levels, water depth to about 40fow, any weather, water clarity, you name it... your still gonna hammer em. On the bigger lakes, rainy lake, lake of the woods, lac suel etc an average pike is probably 8lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBW Posted January 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Are you guys using crappie baits? LOL just messing as Rick is well aware I'm messing but not going to let a good chat go cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Are you guys using crappie baits? LOL just messing as Rick is well aware I'm messing but not going to let a good chat go cold. Always trolling...??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Crappies will be suspended this time of year Geoff. Does that help? X2, that has been my limited experience, suspended at Binbrook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 If the lake has no structure, aside from shoreline, if you find em id expect some quality schools to be bunched up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBW Posted January 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 If the lake has no structure, aside from shoreline, if you find em id expect some quality schools to be bunched up Not sure when I'm going to get the chance as the spot I want to try is at the end of the lake and I don't have an ATV or sled to get there. And it would be a very long walk... All the shore access in that area is cottages and I don't know any of those owners either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Not sure when I'm going to get the chance as the spot I want to try is at the end of the lake and I don't have an ATV or sled to get there. And it would be a very long walk... All the shore access in that area is cottages and I don't know any of those owners either. Eh bummer. My bad. Sometimes I forget alot of lakes up there have cottage owners.not really an issue I deal with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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