Early season fishing tips

[binfordw 0]

Hi all,

 

Been away for awhile, all this cold Indiana weather has got me finding other hobbies to keep me busy through the winter. I just recieved a new float tube as an early gift, and it's got me biting the bit to go fishing A.S.A.P, without standing on ice that is..

 

Anybody give me some tips on what they use for early season, cold water bluegill, crappie and bass?

 

 

Also i've been working on some streamers off and on a little bit, and really never had any luck with them. Can someone give me some tips on making them?? The last ones I tied that I actually tried to use looked good, but didnt fish right, and spun when stripped. They really looked good when I wetted them though. The one pictured below I tied last night, I used turkey biots, lead wire, silver tinsel and a couple patches of red duck quill. Simple and Looks like a small minnow immitation to me, but if its like my others, it probably wont fish right.

 

[Fusion Fly Boy 0]

thats a very good question, im wonderin the same thing. can someone help us?

[Redwings1 0]

Not sure on the gills and crappie unless there is ice. For the bass I would look for fish slow in deep pockets, and did I mention slow....? This time of year the fish will likely get in the deepest pools they can find and hold there. Their metabolism is so much slower this time of year that unless you get lucky you will likely have to drop a meal in their lap and annoy them into striking. Also you will need to be sure that you have good control of your line as the takes will be especially subtle this time of year.

[Sean Juan 0]

We just had some unseasonably warm weather up here which resulted in an early ice-out.

 

Caught bass all day long with a small snake fly on a sinking line...the retrieve that worked was cast... let it sink, and then slowly strip it in. I think that the big deer head gave the fish something to zero in on because other streamers and clousers resulted in nothing...also with the sinking line I could drag the line along the bottom while the buoyant fly floated above hang ups - let me work it even slower.