FRESH NEWS: Crappie, waterfowl prospects good at Potholes

MARDON — As the water temperature drops crappie begin to form large schools under and around the MarDon dock to gorge themselves on the minnows that have summered here. The MarDon Resort dock has been a destination for fall anglers for many years now. Last week our dock provided dozens of anglers with near limits of crappie daily. Targeting crappie off the dock can be tricky. Start tying on a 1/64 Trout Magnet jig head, then tip it with your choice of a silver and black Bobby Garland Baby Shad or a 1.5-inch Watermelon Pearl Berkley Gulp Minnow. This setup can be fished vertically, tight-lined or under a slip bobber. To access the MarDon dock, you must be a registered guest of the resort and have a dock pass. 

The walleye bite has remained slow to fair. Anglers have been continuing to find eater-sized walleye in 15-25 feet of water. To target these eaters throw 1/2-ounce or 5/8-ounce Blade baits or No. 7 Jigging Raps along Perch Point, at the mouth of Crab Creek and around Goose Island. As the water cools, walleye become lethargic. That means anglers need to slow down the presentation of the bait to entice a strike. Dock anglers have also been finding walleye as well. To target walleye from the dock, throw Strike King 200 series Jerkbaits or No. 9 Berkley Flicker Minnows towards the shallows and work them slowly back. Dragging a 3.5- to 5-inch paddle tail swimbait has also produced walleye.

Bass fishing has slowed. There were few reports of bass being caught. The rising water has pushed the bass back into the willows of the dunes. Anglers are reporting having to work large areas to get a couple of strikes. 

The waterfowl migration has begun and duck hunting on the reservoir has remained good. Over the week the storm fronts and wind have brought down a good push of birds. Hunters over the weekend were rewarded with mixed bags of mallards, pintails and wigeon. Many waterfowlers reported that the birds worked best over small sets of just 18- 20 decoys and a single pull-string decoy. With the forecast calling for morning temperatures in the mid-20s all week, we can expect the hunting to get better.

This week Potholes Reservoir has risen from 1,034.42 feet to 1,035.8 feet for a gain of 1.38 feet. Water temperature was 49.2 degrees Monday afternoon. As always for more info or help choosing tackle, stop into our fully stocked tackle shop. We also carry ammo, boating and hunting accessories and are open seven days a week all year. Or call the MarDon Resort Tackle Store at 509-346-2651 for current conditions and fishing information.