These last couple of days the crappie fishing has been about as good as you can expect. We’ve been taking folks out in the Alexandria, Fergus Falls and Park Rapids areas. The ice is decent at around 12-13″ on average. The classic “deep hole” easy peezy pattern is in full swing—even though it feels like March, we are in Mid-Winter according to the fish!
Pic a lake and look at a topo map. Look for the deepest holes (or close to the deepest) that are situated inside flats of a shallower depth. These fish were in a 38′ hole surrounded by acres of 25-30′. The active fish will be suspended off the bottom from 5-15′–which makes them extremely easy to see on any electronics used for ice fishing.
Bring 3 pre rigged rods. Rod #1 is rigged with a tiny (1/32-1/16 oz) jig and tip it with a wax worm or spike. Rod #2 should have a glide bait like a jigging rap, puppet minnow, or moonshine etc (#5 or smaller) tipped with a crappie minnow head on the center treble. Rod #3 should have a classic jigging spoon (1/32 oz-1/16 oz) tipped with a wax worm or a minnow head. It’s deep and dark under the ice, so pick your color accordingly—even during mid-day. The fish in these pictures were caught between 2-3 pm and the best color was white/glow in all 3 of the above mentioned bait styles. Other colors that worked were silver/gold/black combos—all natural themed by the way.
Lotsa Fish! Lotsa Fun!
Captain Josh Hagemeister
Minnesota Fishing Guide Service
320-291-0708, 218-732-9919
www.minnesotaguideservice.com