Well after last years fiasco with mother nature it was nice to see a few of the guys for are annual crappie hunt. Being on the lake for over 90 days has a huge advantage as my goal is to have the houses close if not right on the mother load. Every year is different, This year a man made pressure ridge and another that came all the way across the lake at 7 miles hand cuffed us of where we wanted to be. Just like every day out there plan A became plan B. Adam brought a wheeler so he could shuttle out to where we expected to find the mother load. Adam came and got me at the end of the road, as soon as we got to the spot I look back and my headlites got left on. I take Adams wheeler back on the same tracks we came out on? 200 yards form blue thunder I buried the thing in a old road bed. Joff and Bob arrived just in time to help me dig the thing out. We worked 3 different areas with nothing to brag about. The area Jonny boy, Marty and I tried was about as fishy as it gets. I marked fish from the time I wet a line untell the time we packed up. I have no clue if they were perch, walleye or elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappies.
Jonny boy and I moved the whole fleet again Friday as we had found a few fish just east of the houses. The moved defiantly helped as Saturday morning a few more elusive upper red lake crappies were caught with Joff and Bob in Florida landing 5 over night.
Shawn and Paul in montana had a couple also with Paul landing 4 over night , Jake and his family lost one at the hole, Adam also lost one at the hole. Mike and Mat that rolled in late Friday night and parked by us got 4 I think.
Darrin and his family landed 4 also.
Joe and Rick staying in California also landed 4,
Richy, Shela, John and Adrea? were in old Minnesota. They were the newbies as shela had given Richy a birthday present of fishing such a grand lake. Richy got his first elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappie just after dark. They were pretty excited when I came to check in on them.
Saturday the crew decided to pepper the area we moved the house’s to. This strategy has worked in the past hunts. Around 4 30 Joff landed on the mother load and pulled out 15 fish in a row. Sean came over and punched a hole next to his, then they were both catching them, then Bob jumped in on the action as well as the crew in old Minnesota. Shela lost one at the hole and dove all the way to her shoulder but they are so elusive that one got away. They did end up with 7 with two going on the wall.
So a first. Saturday night around 10 I pull up to old Minnesota and they are all outside line dancing. Talk about people knowing how to have a good time. They were all having a blast. They even got me out there doing the chicken dance with Polka music. It was a scene right out of a Minnesota movie. Mean while every one was visiting, house hopping, laughing and just enjoying a beautiful evening out on the lake. A few more fish were caught before everyone packed up sunday morning.
Jonny boy and I decided we will move the houses one more time in case some one wants to come up and chase these very elusive, yet very catchable upper red lake crappies. We know there’s still a few around as joff only kept 5 of the twenty he caught. I would say that half the ones caught were released to fight another day. The hammer and I plan on wetting a line a few times this week. I expect Jonny boy will be camping out in Florida every night as he has a passion for catching fish, he also may be looking for that magical moment when the mother load swims right under the house. Stay tuned as I predict “it could happen”
Off road travel can still a bear, common sense and not driving into old road beds is the key. Hillmens Highway is in great shape. I will have both the red baron and blue thunder on the lake. There’s plenty of room for me to punch out a spot. Its truly amazing as you watch the snow slowly melt and see all the areas that never saw a hole augured.