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LetsGoFishing
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I'm actually in the far SW Chicago suburbs - pretty flat overall. Waxies are sold year round here. I think spikes are less available after ice out though. I don't usually use spikes; I like the waxies.
The major downside to the MiniMite is that their hooks are really thin. A bull bluegill will straighten the hook out. Earlier this week my daughter lost a 3lb+ bass on the minimite do to a straightened hook. I'm going to do some experimenting with some heavier duty jigs and some minimite plastic alternatives.
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mastertangler
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Sure looks like some crappies I have seen out west.......that is a really good one for Illinois IMO. Yes I remember seeing those really thin gold hooks on those MightyMites. Hard to replicate certain things however........Have you considered a different rod? Maybe a 7' medium action noodle type rod would be the ticket to protect that hook.
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thinblueline
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Uh, hey mastertangler. I'm entering Quetico on May 17th, and heading up through Sarah and McIntyre. I'm debating on shooting up through Burt and then east over to Kahshapiwi, or just doing a little loopty loop up through Brent and spending two nights on Conmee, then head through Susanette, staying a night on Burt, and then back tracking from there back down through Sarah again. We would be hitting Conmee on opening day of Walleye season on May 20. Do you think it would be worth the trip into Conmee, or would that be a bit early for good Walleye action, or is there too many people making that a destination lake and applying more pressure to it than surrounding lakes? Does Conmee have Lake Trout in it as well? Just curious on your opinion is all.
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mastertangler
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Hmmm.......despite all the hoopla Conmee is no easy nut to crack. I have been there twice and spent a few days each and done very ordinary despite having the "inside track". Perhaps it is the angler LOL? I really like the lake however and despite the lack of a really nice campsite I would certainly be inclined to spend time there and fish it hard. There are no trout to my knowledge on Conmee.
Suzanette is the sleeper lake and very nice IMO with solid fishing including trout and lots of nice smallies. Walleye seemed spread out but I connected with a few without much trouble. Most folk will probably do better overall at Suzanette as opposed to Conmee unless you really have that big walleye bite wired. Plus the lake is prettier IMO including the color of the water and the campsites are certainly nicer. Nice place (thumbs up inserted >here<)
Burt is where I will be focusing most of my time the next trip to the Q. I passed through only once but was very impressed. It reeks of big fish IMO. I caught one walleye, mid sized pike and had a very nice pike follow my lure in the hour I fished as I paddled through. Might be iffy early in the year if the weather isn't nice........looks like it could really get rocking real quick.
Wish I could tag along.........would be fun.
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LetsGoFishing
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The MiniMite tipped with a waxie under a bobber has been the ticket around my parts this Spring. 
They've produced tons of crappie, bluegill, bass and a few channel cats for me so far. Minnows and minnow imitations haven't worked nearly as well this year. As the water warms, I expect to transition over Gulp 1" minnows on a small jig with or without a little spinner.
When wind cooperates, I prefer to use my fly rod as well. Deer hair streamers in size 8 & 10 work well - I like the Franke Shiner. Small poppers/spiders work, although I've been catching plenty on bluegill and crappie on my bass poppers so far this year too. And, you can never go wrong with a prince or hare's ear nymph or a small woolly bugger.
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thinblueline
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quote mastertangler: "Hmmm.......despite all the hoopla Conmee is no easy nut to crack. I have been there twice and spent a few days each and done very ordinary despite having the "inside track". Perhaps it is the angler LOL? I really like the lake however and despite the lack of a really nice campsite I would certainly be inclined to spend time there and fish it hard. There are no trout to my knowledge on Conmee.
Suzanette is the sleeper lake and very nice IMO with solid fishing including trout and lots of nice smallies. Walleye seemed spread out but I connected with a few without much trouble. Most folk will probably do better overall at Suzanette as opposed to Conmee unless you really have that big walleye bite wired. Plus the lake is prettier IMO including the color of the water and the campsites are certainly nicer. Nice place (thumbs up inserted >here<)
Burt is where I will be focusing most of my time the next trip to the Q. I passed through only once but was very impressed. It reeks of big fish IMO. I caught one walleye, mid sized pike and had a very nice pike follow my lure in the hour I fished as I paddled through. Might be iffy early in the year if the weather isn't nice........looks like it could really get rocking real quick.
Wish I could tag along.........would be fun. "
You could have gone with me this year until about a month ago when I finally had an old friend step up and say he wanted to go...otherwise I was flying solo. You might have just convinced me to skip Conmee. Maybe I'll spend an extra night on Burt. I've been drawn to fish Burt after hearing there is a small chance you might catch one of the elusive and mysterious blue walleyes in it that are supposedly swimming those waters. I saw one of those caught in another lake back in the early 80's, but didn't really know to appreciate it then. I'd love to get some close up photos of one.
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mastertangler
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solo.......a man after my own heart. But maybe someday we can be independent together ;-)
But you would have to go when the fishing is not so easy.........the dreaded month of August! Spring and early summer my slave driving boss makes me work.
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mastertangler
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quote LetsGoFishing: "The MiniMite tipped with a waxie under a bobber has been the ticket around my parts this Spring.
They've produced tons of crappie, bluegill, bass and a few channel cats for me so far. Minnows and minnow imitations haven't worked nearly as well this year. As the water warms, I expect to transition over Gulp 1" minnows on a small jig with or without a little spinner.
When wind cooperates, I prefer to use my fly rod as well. Deer hair streamers in size 8 & 10 work well - I like the Franke Shiner. Small poppers/spiders work, although I've been catching plenty on bluegill and crappie on my bass poppers so far this year too. And, you can never go wrong with a prince or hare's ear nymph or a small woolly bugger. "
Wow what a nice crappie! I'm guessing Oklahoma? Looks kinda flat and they grow some nice crappie there. I have a few of those MiniMites........still encased in their little plastic tubes they are sold in and have never seen water yet........ The best intentions of mice and men. Tipping them with a waxie is the ticket? They quit selling waxworms after ice out in Michigan.
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1" chartreuse gulp minnow on 1/80th ounce jig with cheap styrafoam stick bobber with no additional weight. Bobber lays on it's side and when it tips up....fish on!
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missmolly
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quote mastertangler: "quote missmolly: "I also like those little poppers with the casting bubbles. "
I could never get a good hook set with those cheap little poppers.......sponge spiders however are quite awesome. "
That's what I meant, MT. The spiders. I just called them poppers because they share the basic shape of true poppers.
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Mnpat
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Cubby mini mite and slurpy tube are my favorites. Use different size heads with the slurpy tubes to adjust the speed of the fall.
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scat
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Rat finkee and waxies under a bobber. Purple and green Demon casting.
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myceliaman
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Ice fishing jig, wax worm. I crush panfish in Mo., with that set up. I usually get some strange looks when I rig up and some stranger looks when I'm out fishing them!!!
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mastertangler
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One nice thing about panfish lures is that they are cheap!
One of these days its a panfish / largemouth trip. I remember coming off the Memory lane portage into Conmee and seeing a pair of nice fat largemouths in the water at the portage landing and then I looked around at all the fallen trees and weeds in the water and thought of how much fun it would be to fish in that slop surrounded by the mystique of canoe country.
And of course there has to be just massive panfish around.......hardly anybody fishes for them! I love watching that bobber slide under ;-)
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mastertangler
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quote missmolly: "I also like those little poppers with the casting bubbles. "
I could never get a good hook set with those cheap little poppers.......sponge spiders however are quite awesome.
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timatkn
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Ya know all these threads on people's favorite lures are killing my pocket book :)
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TallMatt
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Flu flu jig with leech, hook and worm under a bobber, or Mepps panfish lures (been awhile since I've gone lure shopping but they're either #0 or ones marketed for panfish) -- was surprised that small spinners work great for them.
Make sure the Mepps has a single hook instead of a treble hook or they inhale the treble and it's hard to get out of their mouth.
quote RackWrangler: "Cubby Mini-Mite. My 10 year old absolutely loves fishing then with an ultralight rod and 2 lb test mono. He has caught just about every type of fish Wisconsin has using that lure while fishing for panfish...including a 25" bowfin and a 6 lb largemouth.
RW"
That bowfin must have been quite the fight on 2 lb mono - they are fun to catch and probably cool for a kid to see since they are so 'ancient' -- kudos on your kiddo for catching one
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Basspro69
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Roadrunner number 1 when crappies are active, flu flu or a Powerbait tube jig when they are neutral.
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shock
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last year we killed the crappies on the slurpies ,  
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walllee
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Northland gypsy jig....
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missmolly
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I also like those little poppers with the casting bubbles.
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mastertangler
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Believe it or not I love panfishing. I have always wanted to do a combo trip of Largemouth Bass / Panfish in canoe country. Yes I know I can catch those pretty much everywhere but certainly not in the beauty of canoe country.
My favorites are the Cutie pie, pinky jig w/ bobber and a small rooster tail. Whats yours?
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FOG51
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Bobber, worm,split shot, hook. I do like to catch them with a small popper and my flyrod. FRED
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timatkn
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Slabalicious for crappies.
T
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overthehill
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Chippewa Charlie, Cabin Creek Popeye, and a smoke colored salt&pepper 2" Nail Tail my buddy pours.
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thinblueline
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I'll tell ya, the most fun and effective way for me to go after panfish is with a size 3, 4, or 5 weight fly rod with a variety of small surface poppers, dry flies and terrestrials, along with a wide assortment of small subsurface stuff. For the subsurface stuff, I'll usually use a tiny little float or strike indicator. The fly rod and an assortment of ammunition for it is deadly. I'd say an average fly fisherman can outproduce an average spin fisherman for panfish, most of the time.
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RackWrangler
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Cubby Mini-Mite. My 10 year old absolutely loves fishing then with an ultralight rod and 2 lb test mono. He has caught just about every type of fish Wisconsin has using that lure while fishing for panfish...including a 25" bowfin and a 6 lb largemouth. Panfish are his favorite fish to catch, so whenever he can, he will cast his Mini-Mite out and catch some. If the fish are moving slow, we put a bobber above the Mini-Mite and fish it slow that way.
RW
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Basspro69
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quote LetsGoFishing: "The MiniMite tipped with a waxie under a bobber has been the ticket around my parts this Spring.
They've produced tons of crappie, bluegill, bass and a few channel cats for me so far. Minnows and minnow imitations haven't worked nearly as well this year. As the water warms, I expect to transition over Gulp 1" minnows on a small jig with or without a little spinner.
When wind cooperates, I prefer to use my fly rod as well. Deer hair streamers in size 8 & 10 work well - I like the Franke Shiner. Small poppers/spiders work, although I've been catching plenty on bluegill and crappie on my bass poppers so far this year too. And, you can never go wrong with a prince or hare's ear nymph or a small woolly bugger. " Great picture !!!
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missmolly
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quote timatkn: "Ya know all these threads on people's favorite lures are killing my pocket book :)"
Mine too!
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mastertangler
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quote thinblueline: "quote mastertangler: "Hmmm.......despite all the hoopla Conmee is no easy nut to crack. I have been there twice and spent a few days each and done very ordinary despite having the "inside track". Perhaps it is the angler LOL? I really like the lake however and despite the lack of a really nice campsite I would certainly be inclined to spend time there and fish it hard. There are no trout to my knowledge on Conmee.
Suzanette is the sleeper lake and very nice IMO with solid fishing including trout and lots of nice smallies. Walleye seemed spread out but I connected with a few without much trouble. Most folk will probably do better overall at Suzanette as opposed to Conmee unless you really have that big walleye bite wired. Plus the lake is prettier IMO including the color of the water and the campsites are certainly nicer. Nice place (thumbs up inserted >here<)
Burt is where I will be focusing most of my time the next trip to the Q. I passed through only once but was very impressed. It reeks of big fish IMO. I caught one walleye, mid sized pike and had a very nice pike follow my lure in the hour I fished as I paddled through. Might be iffy early in the year if the weather isn't nice........looks like it could really get rocking real quick.
Wish I could tag along.........would be fun. "
You could have gone with me this year until about a month ago when I finally had an old friend step up and say he wanted to go...otherwise I was flying solo. You might have just convinced me to skip Conmee. Maybe I'll spend an extra night on Burt. I've been drawn to fish Burt after hearing there is a small chance you might catch one of the elusive and mysterious blue walleyes in it that are supposedly swimming those waters. I saw one of those caught in another lake back in the early 80's, but didn't really know to appreciate it then. I'd love to get some close up photos of one."
I will throw out my disclaimer before I get blamed ;-)
Thinblueline I would be sure to bring a weather radio and only fish Burt if the weather was going to be nice. Big round lake without much to stop the wind.......late May the weather could be dicey. You make no mention of Suzanette....Good sized lake but with plenty of places to get out of the wind.....I think you might be missing the boat. Lots of fairly shallow flats make for excellent smallie fishing and there is enough deep water to make finding lakers not so very hard. Throw in a good population of walleye and pike along with a lake which probably warms up faster than most others and it would be my 1st choice if I was in that area that time of year............on the other hand if you hit a calm warm spell then the shallows of Burt might yield some great fishing. But this is all just conjecture.......I have very limited personal experience in the area having only been there twice.
Anyway.......something to think about. I don't want you going to Burt, getting windbound and thinking "why did I listen to that guy"
Good luck!
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Atb
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I've been fishing panfish for a few weeks since the ice went out. I've gone to drop-shotting with a single hook dressed with a gulp alive grub in pink or chartreuse, on lite floro. I definitely believe it's been upping my game. Even on ultralight gear, you have to watch the line for the lite bites. About 1 in 4 I see the line moving sideways without feeling the strike.
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WhiteWolf
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Puddle Jumpers (purple 1" ) under a spring bobber. On any given day out fishes crappie minnows 4-5:1 easy... -- talking Crappies,, but sunnies love them also.
If not that-- it's a small pink flu-flu or something very similar sometimes tipped with some stink (crappie bites from Gulp or whatever)-- cast once you find a school.
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