Balsam blues - cant figure out the lake

I’m a new member to the board, but has plenty of fishing experience.

Always liked Balsam Lake, nice clear deep waters, also got the nice mix of species I like. Too bad I still haven’t figured out spring crappie yet.

Last year 2023, spurred on by the early ice out and CM’s reports, went out to Balsam to try for ice out crappie. Launched out of Rosedale and fished around the east end islands. Got a single crappie follow right in front of Delamere Island, while I was dealing with a windlash birdnest. Didn’t get a hit. Skunked that day.

2024 rolls around with a similar early spring ice out. Again, CM’s posts seem to be taunting me. A buddy and I made the courage to get out last Saturday, 4pm - 7pm, hoping for the evening bite for crappie. We broke 1/8th inch ice at the west side canal boat launch, but was nice and wide open in the middle of the lake. Saw deep submerged weeds, fished 10-25ft, but nothing. Weather was turning worse as evening came in at -3C plus wind. Line was freezing onto the ringlets so we gave up.

Got stubborn due to being skunked, and went again yesterday morning. Got up super early and onto the lake by 5:30am, this time in north bay arm of the lake. Super nice morning, 75% moon, crystal clear early morning sky. Zero wind, perfect crisp clear morning. Saw a walleye “eye” reflecting my headlamp light back while on the way to the spot.

Fished the north bay arm, around 5-15ft for crappie. Had a super thin sheet of ice in some parts, and open water in other parts of the bay. Had fish jumping up about half a dozen times at 6:30am, and tried everything. From 1ft below surface down to 8ft below, frozen minnows, plastic minnows, etc. could get any bites.

Later around 9am, the wind started picking up just a little. Hanged around as much possible but absolutely nothing. Tried 5-10ft, 10-15, different colours, speeds, nothing. Packed in by 1pm.

I guess I just haven’t figured out the lake yet. Need more time on the water!

This post has been edited by Araret on Mar 31, 2024 - 05:55 pm

Welcome to the Fishing Forum. So many good people on hear that will try and pass on knowledge to help out another angler. I have read some stories and seen some pictures that have fascinated me over the last few years. The reports from the members that talk about salmon, steelhead, lake trout, brown trout, and so many other species that I do not fish for are so interesting to me. It's like stepping into a whole new other world of fishing by reading their posts. Most of my fishing is in the Kawarthas, the top two species being crappie and walleye. Bass, pike, and muskie as well, but the priority will always be crappie and walleye. You said you and your friend were out last Saturday. Last Saturday would have been almost impossible to catch a fish except a pike on Balsam. The weather went from beyond beautiful to cold and crap in an instant. Since Thursday the weather was stable mostly, right up to tomorrow and Tuesday at dinner time. Two more days of finding crappie and pike in 5 to 10 feet of water, right next to last years old weeds. Everything changes again by this coming Friday and into Saturday and so on for about two weeks. The crappie will start to leave the areas they have been sharing with the pike. You will find the crappie much shallower but only for two weeks. Then they will disappear for a bit and then when the water temperature is right they will spawn. For this weekend coming up and beyond all you have to do is find one crappie in shallow water and then don't move very much. Good areas to find crappie are near the creek mouths or a culvert where minnows hide. Shallow areas with old weeds and new weed growth that has just started this week as a matter of fact. I picked up some new weeds when fishing last Tuesday/Wednesday. I am lucky to fish the same areas year after year catching crappie and walleye during the soft water season. But no plan is perfect, Tuesday night and Wednesday I caught dozens and dozens and dozens of bluegill. Not one crappie. I was there 36 hours too early. Mother Nature was laughing at me in the rain. You want crappie think shallow and get out early in the day starting this Saturday. Don't waste your time fishing for crappie after dinner in the spring unless you know where they hide at night. Good luck out there.

Welcome to the forum.

I caught my first Balsam crappie last spring, after seeing reports from CM for 3 years I guess. I did not try very often, maybe 2-3 times a year though. Yesterday was my 3rd fishing this year. The first two were to a different lake and did not catch anything the first time, then on the second one with my younger son we were lucky to find small ones to have him casting himself and catching many.

I think the best time for spring crappie is still ahead. I began to catch them yesterday around 2pm. Perhaps the colder days and the night before required more Sun to make them active.

Thank you so much for the kind support and the much needed advice, CM. Much appreciated. Looking at the weather for the coming week, it seems like another minor cold spell (plus the seasonal rain that you’ve previously discussed being critical) on Wednesday - Friday, and both Sat / Sun warming up heavily.

I’ll probably plan for early Sunday. Let the Saturday daytime temps warm up a bit, and try to find them on the next day.

I’m mostly a bass and pike guy, and for the world of me, I’m not much into walleye. Don’t hate me, hah! My wife loves for me to bring home walleye, but I find they’re soft and fishless in taste… and fights like a clump of weed.

And last Saturday was just one of those days that I needed to get out. The itch got to me! I had a lousy hard water season for 2023. really wanted to go ice fishing for burbot and laker out on Lake Rousseau, but the lake never froze property this year. So I said screw it and see what bites (basically nothing, lol).

Hi RM, thank you for the welcome. Been lurking on here for a number of years and finally registered an account.

I used to go to a small Durham region lake that had a huge bunch of stunted hand sized crappie. Fished it for several years, always small dinks.Got tired of cleaning 6-8 inchers even though they are the best tasting fish in my mind. That’s why I started trying for Balsam.

Thanks for sharing about the timeline of 2pm. I was actually a bit frozen myself from 5:30am - 8am, air temp is below freezing and minor issues with casting a line out as it froze on the rod. Once the sun came out in full at 9, then I felt better. I’d imagine fish would want to catch some rays too, so mid afternoon makes sense.

Was flipping through my old fishing pics. This was all I caught at Balsam last year. Some kind of shiner? Any IDs? I would assume this is the base forage that crappie and pike go after?

Caught in mid April 2023 during that super hot spell.

That’s bait!

I'm with you on not being able to figure out Balsam. I love to fish it, just don't seem to have much luck.

Good thing it's close to home.

I’ll be out Tuesday looking for Pike