JPP Hybrids Soon?

[TNBronzeback]

Anybody been following them around? my sauger spot is just giving up dinks so i think that ship has set sail for the year im afraid....i found it too late in the year.
On to new fish though....i know its still a good ways off for the hybrids to be making thier migration towards the dam on JPP, but there are a few places mid-lake or so where they start to school up with some crappies and whites usually close to this time of year and was wondering if anybody has stumbled into a few of them?
I havent hit priest since september last year so im out of touch on temp, pool level, best GPS Coordinates, lures, size, color, retrieve, time of day,.....ya know...the usual public forum information! LOL.

[FloatNFish]

I certainly hope so! I'm going to start heading that way in the next week or two and see what I can get into.

[MNfisher]

As the water temps get colder, which they are....it is delaying!


Mike

[jad2t]

That mid to late April action is incredible and I've been looking forward to it since it ended last year! I'll be out of town most of April so I'm hoping this bitter cold will keep coming and maybe delay things off a bit so when I get back in town they'll still be around and waiting for me!

Typically it's the second half of March when the Crappie start heating up and you can usually pick up a few Hybrids in the same places you're Crappie fishing and often even on the same tiny grubs. Again, if this late Winter blast keeps up, which looking at the 10 day forecast doesn't show any slowing down, that may be delayed.

[TNBronzeback]

The past 4-5 years around this time of year (under normal weather patterns ofcourse) ive had some phenominal days mid-lake....big waves would come thru and just demolish the 'gills....after the school passes dozens of mangled gills are twitching on the surface. Shiners and flukes and spoons down deep always do the trick. Its before the actual "spring run" towards the dam though...gonna have to get the boat wet in the next week or 2 and snoop around out there. looking forward to that tell tale drag sing when ya sting one of them chunky hybrids!

[jad2t]

Hmm.. I never knew about that. I don't know much about those fish honestly, last Spring was the first time I really figured them out and that was just during the Spring run towards the dam. I caught all mine wading and one trip with my dad in his boat.

I'd love to get into some of them from my kayak this Spring and was planning to do so in April, maybe I'll have to try early. You find them deep or are they chasing the gills shallow into the coves?

[MNfisher]

They catch them all winter mid lake. They are schooled up big time and many times are 30-50 ft deep. But if you find them feeding, it's incredible. I did it a few times last year. It was nothing to catch 15-20 in a few hours when you find them. My best bait was jigging blade baits. Caught crappie, yellows and whites mixed in


Mike

[TNBronzeback]

They catch them all winter mid lake. They are schooled up big time and many times are 30-50 ft deep. But if you find them feeding, it's incredible. I did it a few times last year. It was nothing to catch 15-20 in a few hours when you find them. My best bait was jigging blade baits. Caught crappie, yellows and whites mixed in


Mike
Yup! when those things went thru/turned on it was sheer mayhem! several boats, drags singing, splashing....depth was always 35-40ft.
Im gonna have to get out there! got the itch now!

[jad2t]

Yup! when those things went thru/turned on it was sheer mayhem! several boats, drags singing, splashing....depth was always 35-40ft.
Im gonna have to get out there! got the itch now!

Are you in a kayak or boat? I'd like to take a stab at this too since it's likely that I'll miss their run toward the dam.

[TNBronzeback]

Out of a boat but where ive caught them in the past you could get there by kayak...i dont know what your paddling limits are but i think it would be do-able.

[XxthejuicexX]

Out of a boat but where ive caught them in the past you could get there by kayak...i dont know what your paddling limits are but i think it would be do-able.

I am trying to figure the distance I am comfortable paddling for spring. My Crappie hole is a little over a mile paddle from the ramp, seems very do-able. There is a ramp closer by but it's closed, still think I can access it but don't know how safe it is. I would like to get into some really season Hybrids out on priest.

[Headhunter]

end of march, first of April, maybe later with the cold weather.

[MNfisher]

Are you in a kayak or boat? I'd like to take a stab at this too since it's likely that I'll miss their run toward the dam.


I mostly caught them in my boat. Easier to find them. I did a lot of searching to find the schools. Not as easy paddling


Mike

[jad2t]

Out of a boat but where ive caught them in the past you could get there by kayak...i dont know what your paddling limits are but i think it would be do-able.

I'm plenty able to paddle as much as I need to but I do need to find that anchor I seem to have misplaced. I'll definitely want to stay put once I find them.

[CRobinson1985]

What type baits were you guys throwing who were wading? I am hoping to get into them this year wading or from the kayak.

[jad2t]

What type baits were you guys throwing who were wading? I am hoping to get into them this year wading or from the kayak.

Flukes, flukes, flukes...and also some flukes

If you're there on the right day you can get them on topwaters too but flukes will get it done. 1/4oz jighead with either pearl or some sort of baitfish mimicking color flukes. I met a guy there who only fishes with weightless flukes for them so I tried that one night and the same results as weighted.

Steady retrieve and lots of rod twitching.

[TNBronzeback]

What type baits were you guys throwing who were wading? I am hoping to get into them this year wading or from the kayak.

When i get them early in the year its from the boat and im usually drifting or trolling live shiners to help me locate them...once found ive had great success jigging spoons like little cleos or blade baits using a very very aggresive action....im trying to hit the most active, mean, nasty fish around...once that dies out or the main school has moved on, i will switch to casting a 1/4oz lead head and fluke and fan cast picking up stragglers till i find the big school again then just repeat the process. Its a deep, vertical version of power fishing like one would do for bass. Find your schools, pound on your active fish first (since thats the most fun for numbers) then bat clean up, slow down a tad and rework the more neutral fish still hanging around, or crank up the bow mount and keep chasing the school. Them hybrids practically rip the rod outta your hand when they are feeding and chasing bait....they just slash at anything in thier path...the blade baits, or my most recent favorite red eye shad jigged/rip jigged vertically can be incredible.
Lots of guys wade around any shore access in the spring...there are plenty of places if ya put in the time to find them but unless ya do some research and find your own little hidden spot, there are going to be plenty of guys at the more popular locations. Im not a fan or crowds...or most people so i avoid them whenever possible. Lol