MyFishFinder Forum
MFF US Midwest => Indiana => Topic started by: bigr on Mar 21, 2023, 12:13 PM
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A trip around resi's yesterday tells me it's time to really start working them over. All three upper resi's are clearing nicely with the upper portions getting very fishable. All three are at winter pool and discharge is way down. Fish will settle into the usual locations and really get serious about the spring feed up to spawn. The bright warmer days will warm the backs of the coves first and fish will move shallow as well as move up the river for the annual run. Fish size on both sally and missy is above avg with lots of fat 12 and 13's to be caught. Crappie aren't the only fish to chase in the resi's. Cats are gorging themselves right now and are easy catches using cut bait or any other of your favorites. From what i'm seeing gils shouldn't be overlooked as well as walleye and even perch. You have to target those species but they seem to be a good population coming on. I've been seeing good size perch from the sally and even caught my first ever from the wabash while fishing for crappie. If we get rain just plain on working waters up river further. The warmer and higher water drives them. Normally the corp starts the slow rise back to summer levels in early april with summer pool being reached by mid may. Dora on the sally and red bridge on missy are the only two ready for business until levels rise. Good luck and watch for reports.
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Thanks for that update bigr... How many years have you been enjoying these reservoirs? You seem to have a good handle on the patterns that are presented and I wish I lived a bit closer. The fishing on Lake Michigan and soon on the local lakes makes it difficult to travel too far. Please keep sharing the good news with us.
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Thanks for that update bigr... How many years have you been enjoying these reservoirs? You seem to have a good handle on the patterns that are presented and I wish I lived a bit closer. The fishing on Lake Michigan and soon on the local lakes makes it difficult to travel too far. Please keep sharing the good news with us.
Nearly sixty years. Pretty much same pattern and time for the peak bits as long ago. Areas have changed due to filling in caused by erosion.
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Thanks for that update bigr... How many years have you been enjoying these reservoirs? You seem to have a good handle on the patterns that are presented and I wish I lived a bit closer. The fishing on Lake Michigan and soon on the local lakes makes it difficult to travel too far. Please keep sharing the good news with us.
Nearly sixty years. Pretty much same pattern and time for the peak bits as long ago. Areas have changed due to filling in caused by erosion. Bite was pretty good yesterday on both resi's. If we get alot of rain the bite will move to different locations.
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Took a quick trip over to Missy yesterday evening after work. Fished just down from red bridge area. I caught one little bass and one small crappie. My buddy caught 5 crappie with only one being decent size. Been a tough stretch for me on the missy, i havent caught a good mess there since last May. Hoping some warmer weather will help things. Im off all next week but supposedly lots of rain coming. Just as it was starting to clear up too.
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Took a quick trip over to Missy yesterday evening after work. Fished just down from red bridge area. I caught one little bass and one small crappie. My buddy caught 5 crappie with only one being decent size. Been a tough stretch for me on the missy, i havent caught a good mess there since last May. Hoping some warmer weather will help things. Im off all next week but supposedly lots of rain coming. Just as it was starting to clear up too.
I hope i can help you find some fish. watch for my post. I fished the northside across from red bridge up against the cliff. Five foot deep blk/chat tubes.
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Big R i was on north side as well to the west of red bridge where the dead end road is. Usually do real well this time of year off the cliffs but slow yesterday. I have struggled this year to get on the fish. Caught a few over the winter but not like years past.
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Caught a couple nice (26 & 27 inch) channel catfish using cut bait today at Red Bridge.
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Caught a couple nice (26 & 27 inch) channel catfish using cut bait today at Red Bridge.
Nice!! Take any pictures?
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Sorry, no pictures. I posted the message as a follow up to Big R’s post about it being time for the catfish to be biting even if the water was muddy. Just wanted to notify the group they were biting at the Mississinewa Reservoir.
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Ahh dang. I remember it, I was/am very interested in it. Thanks for the update
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After checking corp site for updates on water levels and discharge i suggest searching the upstream river portions starting around the hyw a3 bridge all the way to the area we call the flats on the Missy. On the sally look for fish starting in the mt etna boat lunch area upstream or downstream for 1/2 mile or so. Work the slack areas and current breaks. Lets hope rain holds off. Water is clearing nicely up in these parts or the resi system. Good luck. I'll be out somewhere in the morning. Not decided where yet.
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Fished missy yesterday off the cliff walls near red bridge area. Water was straight chocolate. To my surprise i did find a few fish early before it died off. Caught 5 or 6 mostly small. Stopped at spillway on way home and caught another handful or so. Still pretty slow. I noticed the outflow was dropped quite a bit last several days with lake being 11 feet or more above pool. Is this the starting point of the fill up? If so my favorite hole upriver may be in jeopardy this year. Level is almost perfect for it right now but not sure its been warm enough to move fish yet.
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Tried east of 13 bridge this evening. Water level and color was good for the spot i was at. Not a bite.
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I fished several spots upstream also with no luck either. Just been to cold to bring them up. This weeks warmer temps should really help out and yes they have started the hold back.
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That catfish bite still going on or is the water too high and muddy now?
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Havn't tried for a couple weeks but i would guess they can still be had. Water is on it's way up but that normally doesn't matter for cats. I know guys that do very well all the way up to summer.
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Ok thanks bigr
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Went hunting for crappie this afternoon at missy. Started at 13 bridge. Water was dirty and no bites. Went up to 688 area to check it. Water still dirty and caught 3 white bass. Hit spillway on way home and caught maybe 20 crappie between me and my buddy and some white bass. 6 o 7 of the crappie were decent size the rest were small. Water temp got up to 54 today at spillway according to the online graph. Hoping this warm week finally gets em going. Been painfully slow for me.
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I put in the miles looking for fish on both resi's. Couldn't find them in my usual spots but found a few in the Wabash in a slack pool. Slow start but i'm also hopeful this weeks weather will get them going. These cold nights are killing the warmup. The rivers and creeks are still running high and murky to muddy and are very cold. As i've said in another post. Winter seasons have changed. Lingers on longer than in years past.
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Supposed to be near 80 today. Upper 70s yesterday. Im going to try and get out after work this evening. Hopefully i can find them.
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Keep working them. It has to happen soon in an area we can get at them. 688 would be my first choice. If there not there you'll know to drop back toward resi'. If you need to drop back as far as red bridge try the north side close to the cliff under bridge or 550 right off the cliff. I'd be really surprised if you didn't get atleast a few at 688. You will get white bass i'm sure. Good luck. I'll be hitting it hard starting tomorrow on both sally and missy. It just has to be on some place. I'll also keep my eye peeled for some early shrooms.
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I don't post much. Was in huntington last weekend with not much luck. Water clarity was bad.
Will be at it Saturday and let people know how it looks. Mostly targeting white bass.
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Found some fish this evening. Area of 688. Mix of white bass and crappie. Kept 12 decent crappie and threw back 10 or so. Not the best upriver bite ive ever been on but it was steady enough. Ill be back out tomorrow evening.
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Found some fish this evening. Area of 688. Mix of white bass and crappie. Kept 12 decent crappie and threw back 10 or so. Not the best upriver bite ive ever been on but it was steady enough. Ill be back out tomorrow evening.
About the same report from me. More white bass than crappie. Everyday will get better for the crappie. they are just starting to move in. White bass fishing provided alot of fun. I'll be hitting the Sally next.
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About the same report from me. More white bass than crappie. Everyday will get better for the crappie. they are just starting to move in. White bass fishing provided alot of fun. I'll be hitting the Sally next.
Have a buddy fishing where i was last evening. Only managed 2 said its very slow. Nobody catchin much. Sounds like ill be back on the hunt again tonight. I may try further up toward the lake at my favorite spot. Water level is higher then i like for there but wont hurt to try. Good luck on the sally bigr.
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Fished last 3 days upriver at missy. Friday i managed 10 keepers but it was a slow pick. Was there for about 3.5 hours. Yesterday i managed to find a decent school but no size. I still have not found any big schools of decent crappie. They seem scattered and small to me. My opinion is the lake level has screwed it up. It was too high when the water temp got right and then for some reason now they are actually lowering it instead of slowly rising it like normal. Im wondering if a lot of fish just stayed back in the resi.
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Huntington upstream, back side of dam , spillway all slow. Managed 2 small crappie.
Tried all my usual spots. Try again this weekend.
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It has been a terrible start to the spring run up rivers for me as far as crappie go. Don't really know why. Still time since crappie have not even started to spawn yet but when they do my guess they won't move up river. It will mostly happen in the resi's themselves. I'm hearing of guys starting to do well from boats in both resi's up in the coves so it may be time to switch gears and find them another way.
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Fished last 3 days upriver at missy. Friday i managed 10 keepers but it was a slow pick. Was there for about 3.5 hours. Yesterday i managed to find a decent school but no size. I still have not found any big schools of decent crappie. They seem scattered and small to me. My opinion is the lake level has screwed it up. It was too high when the water temp got right and then for some reason now they are actually lowering it instead of slowly rising it like normal. Im wondering if a lot of fish just stayed back in the resi.
Is the lake level still really low then?
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Is the lake level still really low then?
Its about 8 foot below summer pool.
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Okay, thank you for the quick reply
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Dang, so that's kinda higher then huh? I'm up in Michigan City and only come down like once a year in December or March and crappie fish from shore when it's at winter pool. I've never seen it any higher then winter pool. I was thinking of coming down tomorrow and catfishing from the bank
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Water was low up stream. Managed to find some deep pockets with small mouth (nothing of size) and 5 white bass noticed it dropped a half inch while I was there yesterday afternoon. That and the front turned off the minimal bite I had. Might try further up toward markle or boat ramp. I'm guessing further up stream or with lower water levels they decided to stick in the reservoir.
Can't get out until the weekend again.
Hurshtown opens up May 1st. That I tend to hit multiple times a week after work as its 15 mins from home.
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Waded the river downstream from the resi last evening. About 4 people were already in the hole i wanted to fish so we went the other direction. Picked away at a few but overall it was slow. My cousin did catch a nice 20 inch walleye though. As it got closer to dark everyone had left and we made our way to the spot i had intended to fish. It was fish on every cast for the last half hour before dark. All nice black crappie. I kept 15. Left them biting as it got dark and its a long haul back to the truck.
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Glad to hear you found them. Those blacks are real nice fish. Fatties.
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Can't figure them out. Didn't get anything but dinks. Water super low up stream. Tried some of the coves and nothing.
Bunch of people with cast nets... keeping everything. Probably doesn't help but when I called DNR I got the indy office... guess huntington was closed.
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It's been a tough year up the rivers. Very unusual. Still not to late for a run but not likely. Fish aren't spawning yet with this cold weather. I keep expecting a good bite to consistently begin but so far its been hit or miss everywhere i've been. Even natural lakes good one day nothing the next in same area. It's going to happen. Keep working at it. On for a side note the mushrooms are really coming on. This is the right weather to keep em growing and fresh in the ground.
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I don't think I've ever seen as many mushroom hunters as I did this past weekend.
Not my kinda taste, but would be fun and good exercise lookin for them.