Crappie after work.

[limeyangler]

Hi all,

Got a good crappie spot 10 minutes off the front lawn. Love the time change, that extra hour and warm weather makes my afterwork routine so much more fun than coming home at 4, eating, and wanting to go to bed by 6pm cuz its dark and cold!

 

[Rattletrap2]

Very nice Simon! It would be even nicer to find them after ice out from the boat!

[limeyangler]

3 hours ago, Rattletrap2 said:

Very nice Simon! It would be even nicer to find them after ice out from the boat!

Not too long now, can't wait!

[Old Ironmaker]

So now it's dark at 7 instead of 6? As far as cold, well up there July can be considered cold to a southerner. It must be a shock to your system when you back from the Islands.

Nice Crappy there Simon. We had a nice honey hole at a local marina we would hit after ice out but the idiots that leave a mess ruined it for us all now it's all fenced off and the only way in is by boat and the closest open ramp is 10 kms away.

[AKRISONER]

the bite has indeed been hot as of late. We iced 30+ this weekend.

[limeyangler]

9 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

So now it's dark at 7 instead of 6? As far as cold, well up there July can be considered cold to a southerner. It must be a shock to your system when you back from the Islands.

Nice Crappy there Simon. We had a nice honey hole at a local marina we would hit after ice out but the idiots that leave a mess ruined it for us all now it's all fenced off and the only way in is by boat and the closest open ramp is 10 kms away.

We plan our holiday so when we get back its not minus stupid degrees anymore, so far it has worked quite well. Its still light at around 730pm now, much more civilized...lol.

As for your honey hole, unfortunately we have the same problem here, its just difficult to ban people from whole areas of the bush, I really feel some locals don't deserve what they have up here.

36 minutes ago, AKRISONER said:

the bite has indeed been hot as of late. We iced 30+ this weekend.

The bite really died off here, at my spot anyway, a week ago I could limit out in under 2 hours, been the last few days with kids from work, we will maybe catch 2 or 3 between us, still nice to go fishing while at work though?. Good job on 30+, any good size ones?

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, limeyangler said:

The bite really died off here, at my spot anyway, a week ago I could limit out in under 2 hours, been the last few days with kids from work, we will maybe catch 2 or 3 between us, still nice to go fishing while at work though?. Good job on 30+, any good size ones?

Ok size, not absolutely monsters like they get in the kawarthas, we caught a few 14 inchers last year, this year the numbers have maybe been better but the consistency in size is solid as well.

nothing under 8 inches and the biggest one caught was 12.5 so we cant complain. 

30+ saturday (We lost count, i personally caught at least 15 of them myself) and then another 15 Sunday...the bite was a lunch window too, basically nothing happening early, 11 rolled around and it turned on...1pm my screen was full of crappies and every time i dropped my lure i caught, then it tapered off and totally shut off around 2.

[limeyangler]

25 minutes ago, AKRISONER said:

Ok size, not absolutely monsters like they get in the kawarthas, we caught a few 14 inchers last year, this year the numbers have maybe been better but the consistency in size is solid as well.

nothing under 8 inches and the biggest one caught was 12.5 so we cant complain. 

30+ saturday (We lost count, i personally caught at least 15 of them myself) and then another 15 Sunday...the bite was a lunch window too, basically nothing happening early, 11 rolled around and it turned on...1pm my screen was full of crappies and every time i dropped my lure i caught, then it tapered off and totally shut off around 2.

NOT bad at all! The size here have been good, lots of 14"ers. I have still yet to figure out what flicks the switch, have heard it has to do with plankton activity and all sorts but I am beginning to think the crappie decide for themselves...lol. Earlier in the week it was as you say, 10am to 2pm. Then it was as the sun rose and dead by 10am. Got out after work and the bite was 5 to 6pm. When I fished them down south at Erieau it could be anytime in 24hours, but there was a strong tide there. When I figure it out i'll retire on the profits....lol.

[AKRISONER]

10 minutes ago, limeyangler said:

NOT bad at all! The size here have been good, lots of 14"ers. I have still yet to figure out what flicks the switch, have heard it has to do with plankton activity and all sorts but I am beginning to think the crappie decide for themselves...lol. Earlier in the week it was as you say, 10am to 2pm. Then it was as the sun rose and dead by 10am. Got out after work and the bite was 5 to 6pm. When I fished them down south at Erieau it could be anytime in 24hours, but there was a strong tide there. When I figure it out i'll retire on the profits....lol.

the good news for me is that I am actually fishing a fishery that got decimated about 10 years ago. I finally figured out the story for a local a couple weeks ago.

When i first moved to the area in 2008, there used to be permanent shacks where i fish, I alwasy figured people were just trying to catch walleye, sure enough the shacks dwindled, 3 years ago there was 2, last year there was one until this year there hasn't been a shack on in the area at all and only the odd other person trying to fish, no one with any success from what weve seen. 2 weeks ago a local stopped by to say hello and asked how we were doing, it was early in the day so we had only caught a couple so far and the guy said, "20 years ago, we hauled them outta here by the bucketful, then the local resort put huts up and got their guests to also bring a pile home and now you cant catch any" 

Suprise surprise a fishery with a limit of 30 fish per day was getting absolutely hammered on a commercial scale.

Well last year our sled broke so we wanted to fish somewhere within walking distance, we went out set up and sure enough my buddy hooks into a crappie (the first one we had caught in my area ever) well, we caught the bug and kept going back and sure enough march was a banger.

I failed to mention to the guy that  last year we were on them pretty good, but the fishery has had a couple of years now with basically no pressure, i think things are starting to turn the corner for it again. If we keep our mouths shut and our internet posts ambiguous and hidden, i think i could end up with a very very nice fishery. We took a total of 4 fish to eat this entire year as a special treat, and aside from that I dont think a single fish has been taken...im sure the numbers will keep increasing every year, and thank god for us because March/april used to be a painful deadzone waiting for May to be able to fish, now weve got some fantastic fishing to tie us over. Being a great lake...i have 0 doubt that we could end up with some stupidly massive slabs in a few years.

Ive noticed the best action weve had is on bluebird days at lunch time...The bright spring sunshine might have the plankton on fire? not sure?