St Mary’s heating up

[Big Mike]

While the fishing at St Mary’s lake is heating up the weather this morning was colder and windier than forecast, I was vastly underdressed. This focused my fishing close to shore on the sheltered side. All I can say is, glad I left that sweatshirt at home.

I was crappie hunting so started with a perch pounder in white. My first fish was this beauty.


A very pleasant start to the day, and it is going to be lunch. After that I started catching crappie and some small bass when I felt a different tug, a very nice blue gill.


I unfortunately lost my Perch Pounder so tied on a small jig head and white Gulp. This was a light switch for the fish. I started pounding tight to shore and almost every cast was a crappie or bass. One cast I thought I was hung up on a whippy tree branch as the line kind of pulled towards me. Next thing I know a 20+ pound snapping turtle with my Gulp in its mouth surfaces next to the boat. I’m pulling, he’s pulling and before I could snap a picture the hook straightened enough to pop out. Best case all around.

I switched to a Senko to cast into some standing trees. Felt a great bite and set the hook on this nice pickerel.


I switched back to Gulp, caught another yellow perch, lost count number of crappie (on beds right now) and around a dozen bass. Started to head back in just trolling my Gulp when the lake offered one final surprise. A high quality white perch!



So in the end I caught 6 species of fish and one ugly turtle. Freshwater fishing doesn’t get better than what I had today. Sure I cheated and used Gulp, and cheat I shall in the future.


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[dsaavedra]

Wow, I had no idea there were white perch in the lake. And that's a fat pickerel!

Great report, makes me want to head back down that way. I fished that lake a lot growing up, last time I fished it was right after it re-opened and it was a pretty so-so day.. a few crappie and pickerel. But that was in December.

[Str8 Yakkin]

Is there shore access for fishing? Looking to take my son out there to chase some crappie


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[dsaavedra]

Is there shore access for fishing? Looking to take my son out there to chase some crappie


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If my memory serves me, most of the shore access is along this dotted red line. The further you stray from the parking lot the fewer "frequently used" access points you'll find. But technically there's a trail around the whole lake you could fish the shore wherever you want if you can find the space to cast.

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[Str8 Yakkin]

If my memory serves me, most of the shore access is along this dotted red line. The further you stray from the parking lot the fewer "frequently used" access points you'll find. But technically there's a trail around the whole lake you could fish the shore wherever you want if you can find the space to cast.

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Awesome thanks


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[Big Mike]

The “easy” shore spots are gone fairly quickly with folks set up for hours at a time. I’ve been 3 times this week and the crappie bite has been through the roof, getting fish bigger than 10” though is about a 7 throwbacks for one that I classify as a keeper ratio. We’ve been casting 3” Gulp on 1/8th ounce jighead and the bite is beyond subtle, they are barely mouthing the lure. Lots of fish within casting distance of shore and a bobber with a worm or minnow should work. We caught several close to shore to the left of the ramp as you face the water. Go past the small point with picnic table and rock sticking out of the water about 100 yards and try to find a spot to cast. Good luck. The bass bite has been maybe better than the crappie.

[J.A. Veil]

Good work Mike. That was quite an array of species.

[ronaultmtd]

Big Mike and I hit SML yesterday...I was specifically targeting Crappie for the table...Stu's Big Nose spinner was tied to one rod...it did not catch any crappie...only Large Mouth Bass...the bass would not stay off my lures! The answer was a 1/8 oz deathgrip jighead and 3 inch white Gulp worked just off the bottom (Mike used chartreuse) in open, deeper water...anything worked near shore was hit by bass, pickerel and bluegills...we found the crappie in small schools scattered...the best way was to cast and let the lure sink before reeling working the lure fairly slow. The crappie were mostly small...8-9 inch fish...our ratio to "keeper" (10 inches and above) was approximately 1 keeper for every six or seven fish caught...thanks to a group effort, I brought home nine nice crappie I fileted and we fried up for supper...

[UnkleRob2020]

The “easy” shore spots are gone fairly quickly with folks set up for hours at a time. I’ve been 3 times this week and the crappie bite has been through the roof, getting fish bigger than 10” though is about a 7 throwbacks for one that I classify as a keeper ratio. We’ve been casting 3” Gulp on 1/8th ounce jighead and the bite is beyond subtle, they are barely mouthing the lure. Lots of fish within casting distance of shore and a bobber with a worm or minnow should work. We caught several close to shore to the left of the ramp as you face the water. Go past the small point with picnic table and rock sticking out of the water about 100 yards and try to find a spot to cast. Good luck. The bass bite has been maybe better than the crappie.

Big Mike, When the bite is as subtle as you describe, how do you know when the fish have taken the lure and when to set the hook?

Thank you,

UnkleRob

[ronaultmtd]

Use light tackle...sensitive rod and I use ultra light spinning tackle-6# test...when you feel any resistance, set the hook...I cannot tell you how many times I never felt the fish hit the lure but had one on...when you are slowly working a 1/8 oz bait just off the bottom- anything that changes in the feel is a reason to strike.

[dsaavedra]

I fish a lake where the crappie bite can be unbelievably subtle, especially in cold water months. I usually locate schools of crappie on the fish finder then slowwwwly drag 1/16 oz jigs through them. I don't even impart any action to the jig, just drift it through the school. When they bite its as if someone just softly tapped your rod with their finger exactly once. Just one single solitary little tap. Very easy to miss if you're not paying attention. I use a 5'6" St. Croix ultralight thats very sensitive/responsive, and I keep my right index finger on the line coming from the reel for even more sensitivity.

[UnkleRob2020]

Wooohooo. St Mary's on Saturday was wonderful. Thank you to Big Mike and everyone else for your encouragement. The day started out slow. I was fishing with a white 3" gulp on a 1/8 oz jighead. Nothing for the first hour or so. I decided to switch to a live minnow and within 10 seconds, my bobber went straight down...a nice largemouth. Second cast with minnow...less than a minute had a huge pickerel.

This got me thinking. "I know the fish are here and they are biting, so why didn't I catch anything on the gulp?" Then I remembered Big Mike saying the bite was very subtle, so I switched back to the 3" white gulp and when i felt something "weird" in the line, I set the hook into a beautiful largemouth bass.

This is my first fish on a soft plastic ever. I prefer spinnerbaits and crankbaits (probably because I can feel the bite).

Now I am wondering how many fish I have had on the line over the years and never even knew to set the hook? Someone told me that I should be using a heavier rod and heavier line so that I can feel the fish take the lure. I see that Ronaulmtd above suggested very light tackle, which is what I was using.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[dsaavedra]

All else being equal, lighter tackle is definitely more sensitive and responsive. For most bass fishing I'll use a 6'6" - 7' medium powered rod, fast action. If I'm throwing small lures for panfish or small bass I like an ultralight powered rod, usually 5'6" but I have a couple that are extra whippy 7 footers. Recently I bought a 6' light powered, fast action rod to throw things that are just a little too big for the ultralight but a little too small for the medium power. I've been enjoying that rod a lot. There are lots of good rod makers these days and the market is quite competitive, which is great for the consumer - you can get some good quality rods at quite affordable prices these days. I'm partial to St. Croix rods, but there are many good manufacturers and it mostly comes down to personal preference.

Another thing to keep in mind regarding detecting subtle bites is your line. Lighter line will be more sensitive and different types of line are more sensitive than other. Monofilament is really stretchy and "absorbs" some of the sensation that you get when fish bite or when pulling your lure through certain types of cover like wood, weeds, or rocks. Braided line does not stretch at all and transmits these subtle vibrations very well. Fluorocarbon also has less stretch and is more sensitive than mono. I prefer braided line because I like how supple it is and it does not have memory - memory causes line to retain a coiled shape as it comes off the spool which I find absolutely annoying. On my ultralights and light powered rods I use 10lb braided line, on my medium powered rods I use 20lb. I have a few heavier rods for fishing heavy cover using frogs and swimbaits, those have 50lb braid but the strikes you get on those lures aren't' exactly subtle

[ronaultmtd]

There is no substitute for time on the water...no amount of watching You Tube, reading every fishing book ever written, attending seminars or buying every new high tech electronic gadget on the market can take the place of personal experiences. "Feel" is gained by experience...learning by doing is the greatest teacher...

[Big Mike]

There is no substitute for time on the water...no amount of watching You Tube, reading every fishing book ever written, attending seminars or buying every new high tech electronic gadget on the market can take the place of personal experiences. "Feel" is gained by experience...learning by doing is the greatest teacher...

What he said. Now if you really want to up your soft plastic game start fishing Senko’s where I have to stare at the line to detect well over 50% of the bites. Folks who don’t catch fish on Senko’s have in many cases not known they were getting bites. I’ve started teaching my 11 year old grandson to fish Senko’s. I can see a bite based on the movement in the line that he never feels. I tell him it will take hours and hours of practice but that once he recognizes what to look for the bite will seem like a bass slamming a frog .

I’m so glad you had a good day. I went Sunday and they definitely wanted chartreuse over white. If you’ve gone awhile without a bite try switching colors, size of bait, etc. Some days it doesn’t matter And they hit anything, others they get particular And you have to find what they want.