Trolling For Crappie At Guelph Lake
While I have fished Guelph Lake many times, I have always fished from the south side of Highway 24, entering off of Wellington Road 29. On Sunday, Darrell and I decided to go to Guelph Lake Conservation Area and spend the day on the other side of the lake, searching for pike and crappie.
Of course, we happened to pick a busy time to visit the conservation area as the Guelph Lake Triathlon was being held that day and the many pylons and blocked off areas made navigation a little difficult. However, we arrived at the ramp and quickly set off. I do love having a trailer for the boat now, instead of having to unload and set everything up.
The morning weather left a lot to be desired as dark clouds passed overhead. Our rain jackets proved up to the task of handling a light rain, and the boat worked against the wind to get us out of the very weedy bay.
The sailboats were having a great time on Sunday. No outboard motors are allowed on Guelph Lake.
Since bass opener was still a week away, we decided to focus our efforts on finding some pike. I began by throwing my Strike King Bottom Dweller spinnerbait. I love that lure – it casts a mile, runs at any depth you want it to, and always runs true. Unfortunately, the pike weren’t showing any fondness for my offering, and I put down the spinnerbait rod in favor of the one with the Rapala Husky Jerk in Tennessee Shad.
The switch did not have the desired effect of catching me a pike, but it sure got a reaction out of the always scrappy smallmouth bass that just wouldn’t stay away. After getting a very nice smallie to the boat I finally put the rod down and hoped I would keep the bass away for another week. I will, however, be returning to Guelph Lake in the next couple of weeks to target bass because these smallies were a total riot. This is certainly a great place to go for bass.
As Darrell and I worked along we hooked into many smallies, and not one single pike. We figured the best way to fix that would be to go trolling – cover lots of water and a variety of structure. Since we forget the fish finder at home (I’m not the one who packed everything up… just saying…haha), we were not able to target a specific depth or specific structure. The water was too murky to see much.
I was contemplating a nap when Darrell’s rod bent over and he jumped off the seat yelling, ‘got one!’. The rod was not pumping with headshakes as it does when a pike is on, nor was there a fish launching itself out of the water as the smallies tend to do. I started to think Darrell may have hooked a small carp when I saw the mouth and had to laugh – he had caught a crappie.
When Darrell got the fish close to the boat, we both realized this was not the typical size of crappie we normally catch – this one measured in over 12-inches and may be Darrell’s personal best. What a beautiful fish!
Waiting anxiously for Darrell to get the hooks out…
And there’s the measurement (oddly enough, we rarely measure anything).
Showing off the big one 🙂
The lure Darrell was using – a Rapala CountDown in Perch color.
Needless to say, we were both pretty pumped after getting that crappie in and releasing it, so we headed back to the top and started to troll over roughly the same pass. It was a matter of minutes before Darrell’s rod was bent over again, this time with smaller crappie.
Darrell, a.k.a. The Crappie Master (at least on this day), with another one.
Despite a lure change, I couldn’t seem to make anything bite. We trolled further around the lake, meeting two sons and their father out in a canoe, and some sunbathers floating around on a tube. Everywhere I looked there were kayakers taking advantage of what turned out to be a beautiful day on the water. The afternoon flew by and we landed a few more fish.
I will never believe anyone who says perch do not have cannibalistic ways.
As our afternoon drew to a close, we let the wind push us back into the bay and to the launch. Only then did I finally land our target for the day – a small pike. It wasn’t worth the picture so I quickly unhooked it and let it go, hoping that it will one day grow to be a big fish.
We reached the launch after a wonderful day of catching fish, but the entertainment was not yet over. Darrell went to get the truck and trailer and left me to drive the boat on to the trailer. It took a few attempts, some swearing, some laughing, and a great deal of maneuvering, but I finally got the boat on the trailer. For my first time, it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t damage anything 🙂
If you’re looking for a great day on the water with a healthy bass population, some huge crappie, and possibly some decent pike (I’ve heard stories, I just haven’t seem them), then head to Guelph Lake Conservation Area. It’s well worth the price of admission!
argosgirl
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