Last year I caught crappie in water as low as 39 in late fall and the lure strikes were maybe not as strong as in warmer water, but quantity at times was good when a school was found.
Anyone else have the same experience?
Last year I caught crappie in water as low as 39 in late fall and the lure strikes were maybe not as strong as in warmer water, but quantity at times was good when a school was found.
Anyone else have the same experience?
Ice fishermen catch a lot of fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
LoLQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Rarely has so few words said so much.
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Colder the better IMHO.
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I agree. Fall is the best time of the year to get onto some of the biggest crappie of the season. And don't forget yellow perch too! Problem is, up here in the northeast anyway, Fall is a quick season.....leading to ice up rather quickly. (I don't fish ice.) Tomorrow morning the air temp is going to be in the LOW teens, with wind chills close to zero! Way too quick this year, but Walt & I are still targeting one more trip before putting the boat up on blocks. Wish us luck! LOL!
This......:fishQuote:
Originally Posted by Redge
I'm in the same boat - wishful thinking keeps the boat loaded along with all the tackle in the truck. Yesterday was probably the last opportunity though the air temp was 49 with a 10 mph wind. The years have made it less likely I'll fish unless the sun is bright and no wind makes the windchill uncomfortable like last year when the water temp on the sonar said 39 and I caught 25 panfish.
Good luck Crestliner! No point sitting around wondering how many you might have caught - like me - before thin ice makes it impossible to even ice fish.
Fish slow & slower, I love the fall bite. I use a slip float to see the light bite.
Here in Maine this is what seems to be the scenario regarding cold water temps. Fall fishing is great even as the water temps fall into the 40's. Then as things start to ice over there is a period of time we have to wait until we can safely be on the ice to fish. This period can be a couple weeks or a month depending.
Early ice for Crappie they are still biting well. As the ice thickens and the snowpack gets deeper on the ice, oxygen levels decrease and late season fishing slows down. You can still catch them but they don't seem do be feeding as well.
When the ice melts and the lakes and ponds open up, the fish don't feed as well with water temp in the 40's as they did in the fall. They really don't seem to be feeding well again until the temps hit 50.
The reason I say all that is to explain that at least here in Maine the colder water temps do not always equate to a better bite.
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On days when it was just miserable to be out, cold rain sleet and howling winds. I have caught the best fishQuote:
Originally Posted by Redge
Colder the water, higher the blank :(
The cold temps never affected my decision to go, but wind speed did. Launched in 24 and 27 degrees. Caught more on some days than others but was never disappointed. I used heavier jigs and deadstick presentation and the strikes felt like someone had smacked the rod with a stick. I truly miss the colder weather I left behind when I left Tennessee.
21 here yesterday with a very high north wind and I ripped a herd of big fat crappie .
didn't even ketch hardly a single under in the mix .
first drop I bought go the rod jerked out of my hand .
I love a cold water bite .
Yall might consider moving to SC.
Nuttin nevah frozed ovur heah
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Come to think of it, one year my partner and I did very well in late Feb.where the crappie strikes felt no different than in warm water and we caught over 50 fish fishing 8 holes cut in a big circle. Probably could have caught more as the sun set but we had our limit and success as compared to other outings having caught mostly sunfish. 2" tubes did it for me.
I have hand heaters so I can stand to fish when it is cold.
The colder the water gets, the better the fishing gets here in Gawga. Spider rigging chasing shad balls in main lake basins is a blast when all eight rod tips get tugged to the waterline from the school of Crappies. By winters end, the freezer is reloaded before the spawn starts. Wind is the only competition I have most days on the water. Attachment 359715
Nice set-up!
Here in Pa,ice will soon be upon us and I dearly love to ice fish. As far as the panfish bite,crappie and perch bite all winter. Bluegill also bite very well in the cold water. You just have to slow it down with your presentation. I will jig or dead stick live bait,
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I don't mind the cold and the fish seem like to me they bite all winter long.
I don't like a strong wind anytime though. I do like about a 5 mile a hour wind though.
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