Post by teamiceheave on May 18, 2008 23:12:12 GMT -5
Once again, there is lots of good fishing to report from around the area. Hopefully I don't forget to mention anything.
We spent Friday on Cross Lake and the Snake River, and Saturday found us back on the Snake. I've fished Cross Lake 3 or 4 times in the past but it has always been on the hardwater, and I've never ventured into the Snake from there before, but we were lucky enough to find a few fish. The sizes weren't the greatest but they were biting none-the-less.
We started off working the Norway Point area on the north end of Cross, starting from the west end of the sunken island off the point and drifting along the southern side. We found some Walleyes right away, ranging from 11-13 inches, but to my surprise they were deeper than I expected between 16 and 19 feet of water. Off to the next spot.
We stopped in for a quick shot at the long bar that comes up to around 4 feet. We were graphing fish in the same depths the other Walleyes were at off the point, but no takers so we ventured up a little shallower and managed a small Largemouth and some 7 to 10 inch Perch. From there we worked a couple shoreline breaks, but couldn't get much going so we decided to give the river a shot.
Into the river, we stopped at the first hole we came to, backed her up a bit and started trolling lindys and minnows. A quick Crappie was followed by a nice 14 1/2 inch Walleye. While my two fishing partners were doing the catching all day, I was managing to continue my cold streak as of late, missing three consecutive bites, two of which were trying to take my rod out of my hand. Toothy critters indeed as one minnow came up chewed in half, the other one skinned from the gills back. Pretty sure they were Walleyes, but after the 14 1/2 we didn't see another one on the day. We did manage to catch 7 Crappies trolling the Lindys, however, along with a rock bass.
Minnows, minnows, minnows for the Walleyes. The 14 1/2 I cleaned was packed to the max with minnows. They just don't seem to be hitting the leeches yet, haven't had a one on them this year. That'll turn once the water warms a bit more. I've had the same half pound of leeches since opener, and I've been fishing almost daily. Nothing but fatheads. Water temp, depending on the area of the lake/river was ranging between 55 and 60 degrees. The fish in the river were in 10-13 feet of water.
Saturday was one of them days weather wise. You'd be sitting in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying a nice warm sun and five minutes later you'd be throwing on the rain gear. The rain came in short waves, so it was on and off with the gear all day. We spent about an hour searching the river, just looking for holes, structure, etc. Areas that may not produce right now, but may be good targets as we continue later into the summer.
We started fishing the same area as the day before, and the Crappies were the first out of the gate again. Although the Crappies were holding in the same spot, the Walleyes moved up a little shallower into 7 to 8 feet of water. Still didn't see anything great size wise, Crappies were around 8-9 inches, the Walleyes right around 12-13 inches.
We found a nice shoreline break further up stream with fallen trees on the shoreline, and a mix of trees and rock on down the drop. There were both Northern and Walleyes holding in the area, the Pike up shallower, about 9-11 feet of water, the Walleye further down in 12-14 feet of water. We had fish hitting on every pass while trolling through so it was some good, consistent action. Still nothing fantastic size wise, 12-13 inch Walleyes, with the Pike a little nicer at 3 pounds or so. We only ended up keeping two Pike on the day, primed for a batch of fish stew. Even with the smaller size, who can really complain when you're reeling in the fish, right? Spinners and Lindys were winners today.
As far as other reports, the Twin Bridges area southeast of Mora is producing some Walleyes, Pike and even some Catfish and Sturgeon. Bring your Crawlers!
Ann River is still pumping out a few 'eyes on a jig and minnow combination. Bass are also being found and should be primed for next weekends Bass Opener. Sunfish are available in the shallower weed areas, and with a little searching will produce steady fishing and a solid meal. Crappies are also worth a look, although they seem a bit scattered at the moment, they are in there.
Other quick areas of note include Knife Lake and Lake Eleven for Walleyes, Pike, and Panfish. We are off to a GREAT start in the area, so come out and fish!
We spent Friday on Cross Lake and the Snake River, and Saturday found us back on the Snake. I've fished Cross Lake 3 or 4 times in the past but it has always been on the hardwater, and I've never ventured into the Snake from there before, but we were lucky enough to find a few fish. The sizes weren't the greatest but they were biting none-the-less.
We started off working the Norway Point area on the north end of Cross, starting from the west end of the sunken island off the point and drifting along the southern side. We found some Walleyes right away, ranging from 11-13 inches, but to my surprise they were deeper than I expected between 16 and 19 feet of water. Off to the next spot.
We stopped in for a quick shot at the long bar that comes up to around 4 feet. We were graphing fish in the same depths the other Walleyes were at off the point, but no takers so we ventured up a little shallower and managed a small Largemouth and some 7 to 10 inch Perch. From there we worked a couple shoreline breaks, but couldn't get much going so we decided to give the river a shot.
Into the river, we stopped at the first hole we came to, backed her up a bit and started trolling lindys and minnows. A quick Crappie was followed by a nice 14 1/2 inch Walleye. While my two fishing partners were doing the catching all day, I was managing to continue my cold streak as of late, missing three consecutive bites, two of which were trying to take my rod out of my hand. Toothy critters indeed as one minnow came up chewed in half, the other one skinned from the gills back. Pretty sure they were Walleyes, but after the 14 1/2 we didn't see another one on the day. We did manage to catch 7 Crappies trolling the Lindys, however, along with a rock bass.
Minnows, minnows, minnows for the Walleyes. The 14 1/2 I cleaned was packed to the max with minnows. They just don't seem to be hitting the leeches yet, haven't had a one on them this year. That'll turn once the water warms a bit more. I've had the same half pound of leeches since opener, and I've been fishing almost daily. Nothing but fatheads. Water temp, depending on the area of the lake/river was ranging between 55 and 60 degrees. The fish in the river were in 10-13 feet of water.
Saturday was one of them days weather wise. You'd be sitting in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying a nice warm sun and five minutes later you'd be throwing on the rain gear. The rain came in short waves, so it was on and off with the gear all day. We spent about an hour searching the river, just looking for holes, structure, etc. Areas that may not produce right now, but may be good targets as we continue later into the summer.
We started fishing the same area as the day before, and the Crappies were the first out of the gate again. Although the Crappies were holding in the same spot, the Walleyes moved up a little shallower into 7 to 8 feet of water. Still didn't see anything great size wise, Crappies were around 8-9 inches, the Walleyes right around 12-13 inches.
We found a nice shoreline break further up stream with fallen trees on the shoreline, and a mix of trees and rock on down the drop. There were both Northern and Walleyes holding in the area, the Pike up shallower, about 9-11 feet of water, the Walleye further down in 12-14 feet of water. We had fish hitting on every pass while trolling through so it was some good, consistent action. Still nothing fantastic size wise, 12-13 inch Walleyes, with the Pike a little nicer at 3 pounds or so. We only ended up keeping two Pike on the day, primed for a batch of fish stew. Even with the smaller size, who can really complain when you're reeling in the fish, right? Spinners and Lindys were winners today.
As far as other reports, the Twin Bridges area southeast of Mora is producing some Walleyes, Pike and even some Catfish and Sturgeon. Bring your Crawlers!
Ann River is still pumping out a few 'eyes on a jig and minnow combination. Bass are also being found and should be primed for next weekends Bass Opener. Sunfish are available in the shallower weed areas, and with a little searching will produce steady fishing and a solid meal. Crappies are also worth a look, although they seem a bit scattered at the moment, they are in there.
Other quick areas of note include Knife Lake and Lake Eleven for Walleyes, Pike, and Panfish. We are off to a GREAT start in the area, so come out and fish!