Slab Crappies and Jumbo Perch this past week
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This past week has been very good for big slab crappies. We found most of our fish in 20+ feet of water suspended about 2 to 4 feet off the bottom but on some occasions they were right up under the ice. Most of the fish were caught using electronics to locate the proper depth and then they were taken on medium sized jigging spoons like Frosties and Forage minnows in white or pink. We then tipped the spoons with a minnow head on the treble hook to give it added scent as an attractor.
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The perch have been very consistent the past few weeks and we have been doing very well on some very nice sized fish. Most of the perch have been in shallower water form 4 to 8 feet deep holding tight to the bottom. We have been catching them on Swedish Pimples in gold prism and orange and again tipping them with a minnow head for an added attractor.
For anglers targeting larger species like walleyes and pike their season will close on most bodies of water this weekend. For those of you who still want to target them the Wisconsin River system and it's backwater s are open year round and have ample opportunities for targeting these species.
For walleye anglers look for shallow backwater areas of the main river channel of the Wisconsin River and low light conditions for best action. Set tip ups baited up with golden shiners or small sucker minnows about a foot off the bottom for best results. The really great thing about this set-up is that it works out very well for northern pike during the daylight hours, so you can basically set up in the same areas and target walleyes under low light conditions and northern pike during the daylight hours. The only difference would be the bait. For the northern pike I would suggest using larger bait set higher in the water and in some cases right under the ice. Northern pike always look up and can easily find prey that is suspended above them.
The bluegill bite has been very good this past week and most of our action has come from shallow weeds ranging from 3 to 6 feet of water. We have been using Hexi Flies in orange and chartreuse along with Gill Getters in Firetiger for best results. Most of the time we are tipping out jigs with live bait ( waxies or spikes) but for the largest fish in the system we are running our jigs tipped with plastics like wedge tails threaded right on the jig hook.
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Licensed Wisconsin Hunting & Fishing Guide
Hooksetters Guide Service www.hooksetters.biz
Ruttnut Guide Service www.ruttnut.com
Reed & Hoppe Wildlife Food Plots www.foodplotting.com