The need for speed! DONKEYFISH!!. Plus Jade's crappie kingdom.

Rattle baits. We use the Savage Gear Rattle Shad. A Rattle Trap or a Rattling Rap would also do the trick.
Bring em in fast in 40 degree water. Bring them in so fast that you think nothing could possibly want to hit it in that cold water. This water was still partially iced a week ago.
The result:

It isn't a numbers game. It's a trick to piss off the biggest fish ( or the craziest fish) in the area. Remember...the big fish have to eat first...and they got that way by NOT letting something go by quickly without eating it.
I also fought and lost a largemouth that was substantially larger than that smallie. Plus got another one around 16", one about 12" and lost another one about 15".
Oh...and the ones I caught had that 3" bait all the way in the mouth...all 4 hooks. They can swim WAY faster than you can reel it in, trust me.

Also, Doug got on the board with his first fish of 09'! Nice one Doug. He was throwing a shallow Shad Rap in an area of fast incoming warmer water....which is exactly where you'd be if you were in a 40 degree lake, right? All makes sense now, doesn't it?


So...FAST baits or twitched cranks. Rattles. Incoming water that is at least 1 degree warmer than the rest of the water. And yes...it really is that simple.

A big thumbs up to Ken Schumacher. The host with the most!

<*)))))))))< ~~~~~~~~~

And now, the southern report from Jade Miller:
I am in northern Alabama just south of the TN border. I would give it 1 to 2 weeks before the same action begins in northern Illinois.. Our water temp is barely in the 50s if that. We got snow last week. Watch for the dogwoods to bloom. Next week here should be even better.
Find brush piles. Use 1/32 to 1/16 oz jigs with either small tubes or maribou grubs. Need to have a little chartruese. I have had one rod with a jig and the other with a float with a couple of split shot and a #6 aberdeen with a small minnow. Double the action.

3-5-09


3-6-09


And last but not least..um..boys, you might want to check this out. That's all I'm saying. CLICK HERE No, we don't know her. We don't advocate her. We have no idea who she is and honestly I didn't even read the site.