[MazoniaMan]

Fairly stable weather pattern setting up for this weekend and leading into next week with daily 50's and nightly 27-30 degrees suggests that the prespawn crappie should kick in by this coming Monday afternoon on April 1st itself, and I'm not joking here. I never joke about crappie. Look for them to be staging in tight schools off the dropoffs close to prime spawning areas. I advise tiny white and/or pink jigs with tipped with three or four bee moths or a crappie minnow about 6 to 8 feet down. In the smallest lakes and ponds they could already be headed into the edges of the shallows. Unfortunately, I will be in Alabama fishing in the Gulf trying to find the red mullet run, so you all will have to let me know how you did.

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately, I will be in Alabama fishing in the Gulf trying to find the red mullet run

UNfortunately??? somehow I just don't feel much sympathy! Enjoy your trip while us mope's "try" to catch a few fish up here!

 

[Any Luc]

Early last spring I spent an afternoon drifting the deep water in front of a spawning bay. Knowing these specks should be staging off the points of the mouth, I set two lines between 8 and 12 feet down and began the drift. With a drift sock out to slow my speed I made controled passes over and over without a tick. No fish biting, no fish marking on the sonar, what was I missing here?
Another boat with two frustrated looking anglers passes by and one guy says "any Luc?". Gosh I hate to say "no, not a bite", but I said so and repeated the same.
So now I'm determind to find the answer to to this puzzle. Stable weather the past few days. Sun shining all morning and afternoon. Water temp up a few degrees. No marks on sonar.
Water temp rising. No marks on sonar. Hmmmm. Just maybe these fish are enjoying the warm surface bath.
Lowered the slip knots to bring the baits within 5 feet of the surface and started the drifts once again.
Puzzle solved. Went home with a limit.
No fish on the sonar because they were shallow and slipping off to the sides of the boats path.
By the way. Those other two anglers also shared a successful adventure.
Any Luc

 

[JIM N]

Dear Anyluc,

very nice post.

 

[aoked]

I hope to fish Mazonia this weekend for the first time. I've got a jon boat and a 2hp gas motor so I'll have to try Pondo, Eagle or Monster. I might pickup an electric motor to try the north unit sometime in the future. So many lakes, so little time, so I want to focus on one or two lakes this year and expand from there. Any suggestions as to where to start? Are there any weed beds out there? If so, where? Any boating hazards to watch out for? Any direction would be great.

 

[aoked]

How do you post on this site? I guess I'm not seeing something on the web page. Hope to post this weekend after fishing Mazonia but I'm not sure how. Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[MazoniaMan]

Aoked - click on the New Topic button above the forum posts to start a new thread on Mazonia. You already know how to reply.

Aoked - If you're gas motoring you already know you have to stick to Pondo, Monster, and Eagle. Skip Eagle, it's so clear it's super hard to fish, only try on a real cloudy day. If its your first time out, go to Pondo, tons of structure, bays, weedbeds, etc. Lots of hazards in terms of unexpected shallow ridges, go slow, keep your eyes peeled until you know it. As for the North Unit, when you go electric, the "Chain of Lakes" is nice, it's the ramp right off the main road closest to the farm house. There's a passable somewhat hidden shallow channel on the south shore behind an island that leads to three smaller lakes. Very interesting and back lakes underfished.

Any Luc - Excellent post! Happened to me last year and it took me days to find out.

Bob Hicks - You're right, I deserve no sympathy, unless all I'm doing is chasing red mullet and not catching.

 

[aoked]

Thanks Mazoniaman!!! The info is greatly appreciated. I'm going out Friday and hope to put in about 5 hours fishing. Will post water temp and any bites. Much thanks!