WHEELER SLABS

I have not got a chance to go fish since back around the 1st week of December due to work and weather. I did manage to go this past Wednesday for a little while. I put in at the boat harbor and headed to the flats for some trollin. I started at the mouth of the creek I was fishin and started catchin some stripe 2 to 3 lbs, and even run across some of those healthy GREEN CARP perty decent size on them also. Finally ran across a few crappie in the next 100 yard, and thought the bite was going to be slow. I trolled through an area that I have never fished and the bite was on. For the next hour I caught 17 In a perty small area with several pigs in the 2.5lb range. Then the stripe moved in so I moved on. Ended the day with 23 and quite a few that never made it to the boat lol. Fish were caught in 2 to 3 feet of water, and they hit bobby garlands and hot grubs. Water temp got up to 47 degrees.

Sounds like a good trip. Good report SLABHOG.

Way to stay with them till you found them. Great report.

Wow!!! Was they staging 2-3 feet or actual water depth 2-3??
That's very good day!

were you trolling floats in 2 to 3 feet of water? Seems like the jigs would stay on the bottom trolling that shallow?

i kayaked in 2-3' today for 4 hours and no luck. spider rigged 6 jigs. just about 10 drum averaging about 12lbs. I was at west dyke.

Congrats. I caught three in no less than 3ft of water today on flint.

I was at first trollin the channel ledges around the stump flat and not doing very good, water depth I was trying to stay around was 3 to 5 ft. The place that I found the active crappie the water at the deepest was 3 foot. Crappieseeker yes I was trollin with floats and was only fishing below them 1 to 1.5 feet deep so they wouldn't drag the bottom. One thing I have learned over the years of fishing wheeler is no matter how cold it is if it warms up them big ol slabs will go extremely shallow. I cleaned them Thursday and several are showing eggs.

SLABHOG,

Great report, thanks for sharing. I love chasing them shallow and always seemed to find fish somewhere in under 6 feet of water, often at the 2 to 3 foot range. Wished work wasn't keeping me so busy this year.

Some of The ones I have caught here lately have eggs pretty heavy now too

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SLABHOG

I was at first trollin the channel ledges around the stump flat and not doing very good, water depth I was trying to stay around was 3 to 5 ft. The place that I found the active crappie the water at the deepest was 3 foot. Crappieseeker yes I was trollin with floats and was only fishing below them 1 to 1.5 feet deep so they wouldn't drag the bottom. One thing I have learned over the years of fishing wheeler is no matter how cold it is if it warms up them big ol slabs will go extremely shallow. I cleaned them Thursday and several are showing eggs.

---

Do you troll with your poles out the side or straight behind boat? Curious if it spooks fish that shallow behind boat? How much line did you let out or how far from boat you like floats to be?

Just my 2 cents, but the larger boats seem to do fine in the winter and spring fishing shallow. The challenge comes when the shallows get into the 70s and above. The fish seem to spook much easier in the shallows when stressed. In my kayak I continue to catch Crappie in 2 to 3 feet of water through out the summer even when the water reaches the low 90s. I'm always spider rigging, tight line without a bobber.

I've never tried the floats but I'm going to pretty soon or next warm day.

Fun thing with floats you catch those fish that just lift the baits. That without that float most people never see take the baits.
Pete

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ShilohRed

Fun thing with floats you catch those fish that just lift the baits. That without that float most people never see take the baits.
Pete

---

Was looking in grizzly jig what's best type, brand, weighted or un weighted floats for long lining like this?

Great report, congrats on a great day out on the water.

Great report! Lookin forward too gettin back out in the water! Finally got another boat 16.5 G3 w/ 40 yamaha😊😊😊

I troll with my poles wrapped around the front of the boat, usually 8 to 10 poles. I leave a little line pulled out, maybe 2 foot of line or so. I troll with 14 and 16 footers bnm pro staff trolling poles. As far as spooking fish I really havnt noticed it spooking fish but I am fishing in a fiberglass boat also. Wear ever you fish when its cold don't be afraid to go shallow.

I forgot but I always normally troll with floats because it helps me indicate strikes, but most of all at the right trolling speed it gives those jigs just the right amount of wobble or movement.

The floats I use are oval shaped no weighted floats for me. Although I do use some weight down below the float normally an egg sinker.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SLABHOG

I troll with my poles wrapped around the front of the boat, usually 8 to 10 poles. I leave a little line pulled out, maybe 2 foot of line or so. I troll with 14 and 16 footers bnm pro staff trolling poles. As far as spooking fish I really havnt noticed it spooking fish but I am fishing in a fiberglass boat also. Wear ever you fish when its cold don't be afraid to go shallow.

---

Thanks slab hog for info!! I ordered box of floats yesterday. Was thinking you where long lining makes since in front of boat that'd be deadly!!