# Anyone fishing crappies lately?



## CityHunter

I know how hung up us Nodakers are on walleyes, but there's gotta be a couple slab hunters out there this summer?

Caught 23 on Sunday on a fav lake of ours by Jamestown. Tough to be them on the table.


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## Field Hunter

IMO bluegills are much better to eat, although crappies are also up there.
Been getting many nice bluegills on the MN lakes....Big lakes 15-20 miles east of Pelican Rapids. Look for weeds beds in 10-15 feet of water. I've been finding most bluegills close to drop offs in the weeds. They've been biting all day. To find them I've been driftng a "thumper jig" 1/16 oz tipped with a smaller piece of crawler, when I get a tap I drop anchor and fish until they stop then drift some more. When fishing with anchor "gentz worms" working well with small Ice fishing rigs in order to feel the light bites. Crappies are still going on beetle spins on the 13 foot weedlines early in morings.


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## Maverick

I fished the Pipe this week and found 2 Craps that was it..Fished by the damn and then headed west fishing on the west side of the landing, and all the winter spots and found more bullheads and perch.Tough day out there! Must havee been on the wrong body of water.

Mav...


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## MSG Rude

I need some slabs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I am going to LOW this New Years but I want to find places around Fargo or so. I have been to Jamestown but no luck for the Craps and out East to DL. Any other ideas or specific locations I should try? I post and I look for posts too.

Any info is appreciated.

:beer:


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## GooseBuster3

Mav you gunna be out west this weekend? Cause me and the Erdman boys are going to be out there. If so PM me or call.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

Mav and I are leaving at 6 bells Sunday morning.


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## GooseBuster3

6 bells, on sunday well maybe I will fish both days then. :beer:


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## bigblackfoot

I went out on friday to a little lake in MN and caught my little of crappies in about 2 hours. they were all about 10 to 11 inches with a few about 13. Man was that a good meal. They were bitting in pink glow in the dark jigs with the smaller minnows working better.


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## Kansas Kid

I fished for about 6 hours on Saturday and only caught 9 short fish. Most of them bit on black/chartruse. The wind was blowing hard and it was tough, I will try again Wed.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

Our crappie fishing has been fantastic. We've fished the same hole 3 times and had the same results every time. We've been getting our best bite on small jigging spoons.

Scaper came out to the hole and brought his kids and it sounded like they had a ball. Right at dusk you can't fish more than 2 rods as it's fast and furious...I can only imagine what it was like for them. I only wish I took some photos!!!


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## Kansas Kid

Sounds like a blast. I sure hope it gets going here. I am heading out after them again tomorrow afternoon.


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## goose133




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## njsimonson

Drove all over the Pipe yesterday, got on top of suspended fish all day long in many different places...Caught one crappie, and one small pike.

They just weren't interested in our offerings, downsized, upsized, waxies, small minnows, medium minnows, bobbers, Size 6 red, size 14 bronze, jigging spoons, genz worms, gypsi jigs, droppers...FRUSTRATION! :******:

Summer fishing will make up for it...I hope :-?


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## Kansas Kid

I have been fishing the crappies hard without a lot of success. I have caught at least one every time, but I have not been close to a limit yet. Sunday I left the minnows in the truck and watched everyone around me using them pound big fish for about an hour at sunup while I only put one in the basket using jigs. Went back that afternoon and you couldn't get them to take a minnow, but you could get a few hits on jigs.


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## Kansas Kid

The crappie fishing has been getting better. I have had to bite my lip and go to minnows on one pole and jig with the other. For the past two weeks, everyone with minnows has been putting more fish in the basket than the jig fisherman. They are getting more aggressive and seem to prefer a little movement over a dead stick.


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## lynxx69

Hey I am just wondering if anyone has been getting anything on pipestem at all.... My gandfather and I love to fish the Reivoir but have had hardly any luck this year.... I am jsut wondering if anyone is having any luck there at all... Is there any other lakes that a person should know about???? I love fishing crappies!!!!

Jon


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## njsimonson

lynxx -

Check out the outdoors section of the Sunday (3/28 ) Fargo Forum. There's your answer, but you're running out of time for SAFE ice fishing. They are there all summer, roaming around, just gotta find em!


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## Brad Anderson

Both lakes have been going down hill. Too much fishing pressure combined with reduced water levels, have adversely affected both watersheds.

Hopefully the NDGF reduces the daily and possession limit on craps. I think 35 and 105 are a bit much.


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## dosch

If only the NDGF had the balls to do this:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/531/4676791.html

Makes a guy about sick to his stomach to see what happens every spring at DL and the locals are the worst . They gotta drag em to the bait shop and around town to make sure everybody knows how pathetic they are.


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## Field Hunter

I wish the DNR in MN would get serious on the Panfish Limits. I'm as ND resident that fishes panfish a lot in MN. The limits on Bluegills went from 30 to 20 last year and crappie from 15 to 10.....still not low enough IMO.
My sons and I have repeatedly over the years fished spawning beds when the big Bull bluegills are on them and have released 99% of them only to have a boat move in when we had finished and clean-up with 3-4 guys keeping them all. And this Winter the lake we fish in Central MN had so many guys fishing the bluegills...and keeping 99%...that I thought the ice would collapse at times. HOW MANY panfish does one guy need to keep....day after day after day....It's going to be too late when the general population figures out that if you keep the larger fish in the lake then the smaller ones will be the only ones left.

10 Bluegills are enough for a meal and 5 crappies should be plenty every day. And guess what....not to complain about another states fishermen..but 95% of the fishermen overfishing the lake are from MN. Many fishermen from ND and MN have approached the DNR on this issue to at least protect the big spawners and have asked to post the spawning beds in the Spring but they have refused to address the issue.

Anyway, Go out and catch all the panfish you want but please try to practice a little catch and release. It'll make fishing better in the long run.


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## Brad Anderson

I'm for reducing limits on ALL the fish in ND, including a slot on walleyes in ALL waters.


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