Crappie

Ice ice baby

~ James Skinner

Finally got to ice fish so let’s dive into info.

Long Creek: I finally know how to fish that place. The old river channel runs just past the opening and you want to line up along it for walleye. Pike move into the 14 foot flats at the opening of the bay. Got some fish to boot!

Trenton: annoyingly slow. Talked to peeps who have been doing well, apparently I need to fish a plain hook and minnow on bobber just above bottom. Will try it later and find out.

Skunk Hollow: ice is not good at deep area and is shallow otherwise, so not really an option right now.

Tldr just getting going with ice fishing and more info will come with hopefully good pics.

Kota-ray: not me but people have got some really nice bass there lately and big gills, fishing the flats in the open part on edge of weed bed.

Shore fishing 5.21.18

~ James Skinner

Went out shore fishing at lewis and Clark yesterday with Sam and did really well. We fished the point at lewis and Clark with slip bobber in about 3 feet of water topped with jig head and minnow. Water is high and muddy but fish were biting. Managed several white bass, a crappie, a catfish, and a super nice walleye that sam let go. 26.5 inch, 7 lb, fish! Crappie was spawned out already but may have just happened. Bass were not.

Pike at skunk

~ James Skinner

Finally we have open water! Latest winter ice I have yet seen. Anyways went to skunk for pike and was not dissapointed. Lots of post spawn fish actively feeding and we did well. I caught 6 fish, most being about 5 lbs with the biggest at 16. Smelt, minnows, and artificial worked.

Crappie were also there, they are still in pre spawn, will need to look for when they move and see if I can’t target them year round there.

Update on spring

~ James Skinner

Went out yesterday, water temp were around 51 degrees, didn’t get any walleyes nd the general was a slow bite. Did get 2 white bass and they seemed active.  Tried on lake side of point in lewis and clark for crappie but no luck, might try shallows this weekend.

image

Went out a week ago from shore at Lewis and clark and did well, fish were holding in about 3 or 4 feet of water, and catfish were ravanous!

First day in boat!

~ James Skinner

Took Rooke’s boat out today for first time. Ice came off of this end of the lake about a week ago.  Fished in about 8-10 feet of water at 50 degrees. Managed two good walleye and a slab crappie. Jigging powerbait minnows with a slow retrieve worked well along with dead sticking a minnow below the boat.  Water was super brown but they still seem capable of finding food.
As far as spawn goes, neither of the eyes had eggs but they may have been males idk.  Crappie may start spawning soon so I need to watch for that. 

image

Midwinter update

~ James Skinner

Have been out fishing the last two weekends with little to moderate success. General description of weather, it has been really warm with temp in the 30s.  Still lots of snow on all the lakes though.
  Lewis and clark has been basically dead for walleyes but I have been able to pick up pike right at sunset at the opening of the bay in 14 feet of water. 3 weeks ago I caught a monster 42 in 19 lb fish!

image

Otherwise trenton has been slow, a few fish here and there with the best bite in the morning.  Went out today to the point at the bend and fished that shelf picking up 5 total but bite was basically dead by noon. 
Kota ray was crazy with people. There were perch biting on wax worms and minnows but no size and too many people.
Also caught this guy at lunds in 14 feet. Lake whitefish, my first, kinda cool. 

image

Crappie galore

~ James Skinner

Got to do some ice fishing on Trenton the past two weeks. First ice of the year and really managed to slam them, probably caught 40 fish over three trips. Some walleye and pike too.  Also a 2.3 lbder was caught by some guy.  All on minnows with basic jig heads or spinner jigs.  Artifical seems to do nothing.  Bite is real good from sunrise till about noon, then picks back up around 3. 

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

First ice

~ James Skinner

Some first ice fish being caught at trenton. 4 inches of ice I hear with crappie and walleye being caught. May go out for first hand experience tomorrow.  Today was sunny and mid 20s with little to no wind.

Kayaking at Lewis and Clark

~ James Skinner

Went out in the kayak today, it was really muddy water and the water was rather high from the flood/run off of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. Water temp in the bay was pretty warm, around 65 degrees. Went specifically looking for Crappie that i heard were in the lake now. Fished the rock wall along the marina as the wind was from the south at a pretty good clip so it was the only place i could get away from it at. Ended up catching five with the best technique being casting and slow reeling a jig head with minnow in about 7 feet of water. Also caught 2 good pike on the day.

IMG_20150611_205306_189

IMG_20150611_204710_859

Temperature
Low: °F, High: °F
Avg. Wind Speed: mph
Avg. Visibility: miles

Posted from Williston, North Dakota, United States.