Lunker Report

[Mat Hegy]

The first fleeting "hint" of spring is just touching the Eagle River area,
and that means ever increasing action for panfish. Savvy ice anglers know
how important it is to be very mobile, drill lots of holes, and use
electronics. While you'll do some sorting, anglers are getting nice numbers
of slab crappies, bull gills and jumbo perch. Best suggestion is to hire one
of the Eagle River area's excellent guides, who know where to go and when
for the best fishing.

Crappies in the Eagle River area are putting on both a deep water and
shallow water bite. On the deeper lakes, fish mud flats in 35 feet of water
or less. The crappies are suspending 2 to 10 feet off the bottom. For the
shallow water bite, fish 15 feet of water or less in and around the weeds,
with the crappies suspending about 2 feet off the bottom. Use a small jig
tipped with a crappie minnow or waxie.

In the Eagle River area, bluegills are hanging with the crappies both in
deep and shallow water. Fish either 35 feet of water or less over mudflats,
with the gills suspending 2 to 10 feet off the bottom, or 15 feet of water
or less in and around the weeds. Use a small jig tipped with a waxie or
spike.

For perch in the Eagle River area, fish mud flats in 35 feet of water or
less. The perch are hanging in the bottom 2 feet of the water column. Use
a crappie minnow under a slip bobber, a small jigging spoon tipped with a
minnow head, or a small jig tipped with a spike, waxie or wiggler.