Author Topic: Backwaters  (Read 2531 times)

Offline ctom

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Backwaters
« on: 03/23/21 11:56 UTC »
They were ice free and the crappies were more than willing to play. We brought home 11 very nice 12 1/2" to 13 1/2" fish. Caught quite a few lesser fish that went back. Beautiful morning but I wish we'd have left early enough to have gotten there in the dark. We missed a whole hour of prime time.  Thursday is on the docket again but we're boogying at 5 am.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline Do-it Rep

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #1 on: 03/23/21 12:42 UTC »
Nice, those are some nice slabs!  Can't be sleeping in and missing those golden hour windows of opportunity though at your age ;)  I got out last weekend and we boated around 30 in that same size range with a few pushing 14".  A small black bullet hair jig was the ticket.   

Offline ctom

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #2 on: 03/23/21 12:56 UTC »
Junebug/chartreuse tail 1.5" Thump-It here.

A week ago there was walking ice in this location so the ice went out fast.

We had two in with the 13.5"ers that were just a hair short of 14". I had one oink of a crappie right to the water's edge and was stooping to pick it up when the line broke. That one looked to be near 15", something we haven't seen in this area in a while. We were fishing pool 4 and there are 15 inch crappies in there. Pool 5 has 15 inch crappies in a few locations but a boat is needed to get back into those spots.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline WALLEYE WACKER

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #3 on: 03/23/21 15:05 UTC »
Glad you had a good day and have a meal to enjoy. With your favorite color.
May your days be filled with sun shine and you always have a tight line. AMEN

Offline bassinfool

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #4 on: 03/25/21 09:34 UTC »
I wish I could chase and catch the slab crappies like you do, Tom.  Sounds like a great time!  Although that weather is going to be a little (a lot) cool for my southern blood  :P

Offline ctom

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #5 on: 03/25/21 13:04 UTC »
We walked in at 6:25 this morning and the line was wet by 6: 35. By 8:30 we'd kept a mess of 12" - 14" crappies for my buddy's fish fry tomorrow - he's hosting one of his kid's in-laws for dinner - and tossed back maybe 30 fish that a lot of people would have considered keepers. The river had come up since Tuesday's trek and getting enough casting distance played a role today. I'll be watching the river's rise before we hit this location again unless we take the boat. Just about put an arm out of joint forcing casts this morning.

The lake north of here is at a decent spring level so I plan to try there in the morning. Supposed to be a touch warmer than this morning's 28 degrees. Had some ice in the guides until about 7 today but not enough to stop fishing. The nice early morning temps kept the boating riff-raff at bay until we were ready to pack it at 8:30 when the usual bite stops. The cool temps can serve a helpful purpose.

I keep a zip lock with maybe five different colors of the 1.5" Thump-Its in it soaked with gulp juice. Our first fish came on plain baits but the bite slowed at around 8 and I slipped one of the gulp enhanced paddies on the jig [the buddy did like-wise] and the next seven fish were the largest of the day. So.....that gulp stuff evidently does do more than just offer a surface scent or whatever gulp offers because between 8 and 8:30 we took about 20 fish total AFTER the bite seemed or appeared to have hit a road block.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline WALLEYE WACKER

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #6 on: 03/25/21 20:52 UTC »
Glad that you and your  buddy are hitting them while they a welling to play. Friend of mine has been getting walleye limits and the males are steadily squirting.
« Last Edit: 03/26/21 13:19 UTC by WALLEYE WACKER »
May your days be filled with sun shine and you always have a tight line. AMEN

Offline bassinfool

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #7 on: 03/26/21 07:49 UTC »
I keep a zip lock with maybe five different colors of the 1.5" Thump-Its in it soaked with gulp juice. Our first fish came on plain baits but the bite slowed at around 8 and I slipped one of the gulp enhanced paddies on the jig [the buddy did like-wise] and the next seven fish were the largest of the day. So.....that gulp stuff evidently does do more than just offer a surface scent or whatever gulp offers because between 8 and 8:30 we took about 20 fish total AFTER the bite seemed or appeared to have hit a road block.

I have a buddy of mine who fishes inshore for redfish and speckled trout who does this with the ripper swimbaits I make him and he absolutely swears by it.  There must be something to it because he will absolutely out fish his buddies who don't use gulp.

Offline ctom

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #8 on: 03/26/21 08:36 UTC »
I've been doing this with 4 different baits actually and will say one thing: when they want gulp this is a whole other story given the different bait profiles and actions and color that the gulp products do not provide. In addition to the Thump-It mentioned I do this with the Do-It Crappie Fluke, a Keitech 2" Swing Impact wanna be and a 1.75" horizontal split tail minnow. I carry the Gulp 1" minnows in three colors but seldom find the need for they since I can more completely offer these other baits in colors and sizes and actions that the fish are showing attention to at the time. I keep these at home and pack the zip locks just for the day. If I am not heading out again within a day or so I put the baits back in the bulk jars.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline ctom

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #9 on: 04/07/21 06:26 UTC »
We did our backwater location again yesterday to find dropping water levels and warmer water....and the total lack of decent sized fish. I knew the better fish would only be in this area right after ice out and for a limited time. The better fish have shuffled off to pre-spawn areas now while the lesser fish were still; pretty much willing to spank anything we threw out there for them. In our hour and a half window we c/r'd maybe 50 fish.

On our trek home I suggested stopping down at our early season dock and found crappies there in a big way and did a numbers repeat in 45 minutes of messing with them. I kept 6 11 1/2" fish for din-din. I'll be leaving in a half an hour for the dock and some early fishing. The dock fish were either purple or junebug oriented, both colors with chartreuse tails.

I looked at my records for the last forty years of fishing on the lake with the dock and this is the third earliest that we've seen fishing like this there. The one commonality in those three seasons is an early, radical warm-up, just like we're seeing here of late. We've seen the last four days clipping the 80 degree mark. I've already determined that last year's sunscreen is past due....sun burn city yesterday. Got rain and storms floating around here today but there's a dry slot for a couple hours now and I'm fishing it.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline WALLEYE WACKER

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #10 on: 04/11/21 00:24 UTC »
Water by dams has dropped and Keeper walleyes are few and far between. It it has misted more than rain during the day but at night it’s rained steady. Hoping the water rises so when my buddy gets up at the end of the this coming week he might get some keepers with two more days of rain we are going to have sauk was 12087cfs and the Dells was at 9600cfs .
May your days be filled with sun shine and you always have a tight line. AMEN

Offline ctom

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Re: Backwaters
« Reply #11 on: 04/11/21 08:30 UTC »
Both Thursday and Friday were super good fishing. This lake is notorious for its early bite window that usually closes by 10-11 am. That held true on both days. Each of the days were easily 50-60 fish days. I gave up on the counter at one point on both days. Another friend asked about the success we'd had and decided he'd hit the puddle on Saturday...rain, cold front, hard nw winds, rapidly dropping water temps....and caught three fish in 5 hours.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast