10/6-10/9 Fish Report

[YAKFM]

Water Temp: 72-75 F

Water Clarity: 3-4 FOW

Air Temp: 78-84 F

Location: Mid Lake

Lures: Crankbaits, jigging spoons, hair jigs, swimbaits, and topwaters.

Total Fish in 4 Days: >100, which included LM (up to 20"), SM, Spots, Crappie (up to 15"), WB (up to 19.5"), Striper (all < 20"), Catfish, and Walleye (all <18"))

I had a friend visit from out of state with his boat and we fished Monday the 6th through Thursday the 9th. Daily catch rates increased steadily from Monday (15 fish) to Thursday (37 fish) just ahead of the cold front. We fished each day from around 11 am to 5 or 6 pm. The majority of the fish we caught were WB, LM/spots, and crappie. Most LM/Spots were in the 13-16" range, WB averaged 1.5-2.5 lbs, and 12/17 of the legal crappie we kept were >13". We lost a 5-6 lb SM at the boat. Bait fish and bait balls were abundant in every creek we fished. We found large schools of fish near bait, all of which were concentrated around channel bends in 25-35 FOW. The fish seemed to be most active later in the day between 3 and sunset. We ended up with 6 or 7 doubles for the week, including the WB/crappie double pictured. Thanks to Fins and J-Doc for some timely tips on the water.

Representative Photos Included:

[wc1063]

_Nice!!

[Champ188]

That's some great action. Good job.

[J-Doc]

With crappie bigger than 30", I need to get tips from YOU!!

[YAKFM]

With crappie bigger than 30", I need to get tips from YOU!!

Hubcap sized fillets too! Not sure about the old eyes there J-Doc. It says 13", not 30". Good thing your new graph comes with the extra wide screen. Lol

[J-Doc]

Hey, over 12 is good. With some up to 15 that's really good. I NEVER will let Fins forget that 15 I caught with him the one day I out fished him. Lol!!! My glory day. Ha!

I want another one of those 15's on a limber crappie rod. That was a blast. Like catching smallmouth.

[fisherofmen11]

Great report. Can I ask a dumb question and maybe a complicated one too? Once you find fish on your graph and you know they are there and maybe even see them feeding on top what process do you go thru to figure out what they will bite on? I seem to struggle with getting them to bite even though I know there are fish and active fish in the area?

[YAKFM]

Great report. Can I ask a dumb question and maybe a complicated one too? Once you find fish on your graph and you know they are there and maybe even see them feeding on top what process do you go thru to figure out what they will bite on? I seem to struggle with getting them to bite even though I know there are fish and active fish in the area?

I typically look for active fish with crankbaits, both trolling and casting. It is important to match your crankbait selection with the depth that the fish are located in the water column (using your graph). Once I locate fish I will use a jigging spoon if the fish are relating to the bottom or a small swimbait (keitech or Bobby Garland) if the fish are suspended. This past trip I would swim an 1/8 ounce white hair jig with a 3 inch keitech Easy Shiner or a Bobby Garland 2" Baby Swim'R on a 1/16th or 1/8th ounce jig head through the school. I will also use a "strolling" technique when in my kayak. To use the strolling technique I locate a school of fish, drop my crankbait in the water past the school, open the bail to my reel, then paddle over the school until I have let out up to 50 or 75 yards of line. I will then work my bait through the school with an erratic retrieve, often using a stop-n-go technique. This will enable me to trigger bites from fish that wouldn't hit the crankbait on a steady retrieve and allow me to reach deeper fish than I would on a cast. You can also use live bait (either shad or minnows) for fish that are in a negative mode.

[YAKFM]

Hey, over 12 is good. With some up to 15 that's really good. I NEVER will let Fins forget that 15 I caught with him the one day I out fished him. Lol!!! My glory day. Ha!

I want another one of those 15's on a limber crappie rod. That was a blast. Like catching smallmouth.

Agreed. Catching the big slabs on a limber rod is a blast. Looking forward to spider rigging again.

[fisherofmen11]

I typically look for active fish with crankbaits, both trolling and casting. It is important to match your crankbait selection with the depth that the fish are located in the water column (using your graph). Once I locate fish I will use a jigging spoon if the fish are relating to the bottom or a small swimbait (keitech or Bobby Garland) if the fish are suspended. This past trip I would swim an 1/8 ounce white hair jig with a 3 inch keitech Easy Shiner or a Bobby Garland 2" Baby Swim'R on a 1/16th or 1/8th ounce jig head through the school. I will also use a "strolling" technique when in my kayak. To use the strolling technique I locate a school of fish, drop my crankbait in the water past the school, open the bail to my reel, then paddle over the school until I have let out up to 50 or 75 yards of line. I will then work my bait through the school with an erratic retrieve, often using a stop-n-go technique. This will enable me to trigger bites from fish that wouldn't hit the crankbait on a steady retrieve and allow me to reach deeper fish than I would on a cast. You can also use live bait (either shad or minnows) for fish that are in a negative mode.

Thanks. That helps. If I am lucky I might get to go out Friday or Sunday.