Sturgeon Lake Crappie, Where are they come ice season?

I've fished Sturgeon in the spring for Crappie for a number of years now, starting when I used to live out on Pleasant point, and I've always wanted to figure those fish out in the winter. I've worked at it but no dice and it's really driving me crazy! The fish don't leave the lake after all.
Anyone ever had luck or even come across a stray crappie through the ice on Sturgeon?? It'd be something else to figure out the bite.

I consider crappie...big crappie the smartest and hardest fish to find and catch. Any one can catch small crappie, I target the 11 to seventeen inch crappie. I see no need to keep anything smaller than 11 inches. Let the small ones go and catch them next year or the years after that. They are like a school of piranha always on the move. They do have habits though, and timing is everything. I keep records of where and when I catch crappie. Over the last decade I have caught them in the same places over and over again. My advice to you is fish for them in the same place you catch them on the hottest days in the summer when the sun is right above you. Now in winter you fish the same area but at 4am until 8am and again at 4pm until they stop biting at night or you get too cold. Let me know in the spring if my advice was helpful. My friends have had much success in the places I have taken them. Stay safe and good luck.

Keeping fishing logs is very helpfull in determining staging/movement patterns

Very interesting advice crappeeeman, I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks for sharing.

coming Thursday I will try one tiny place for crappies, hope for that nice feeling

Sturgeon is wide open.

Been trying for years as I live 30 seconds from the lake. I’ve tried the above suggestion as well. No luck. They are very tough to find.I’ve caught Muskie walleye and perch while trying to find crappy. I’ve still never hooked even one in over 20 tries. Pin head minnows. Tiny spoons or tiny jigs all tried.

The only ice that’s there I would not walk on yet. This is the most protected part of the whole lake and it’s not even an inch thick

I share your pain.....difficult to find.

My Parents are on Sturgeon and I get walleye (usually smaller) the few times ive ice fished there for crappie. As soon as I get one I move. Then get a walleye again, then usually pack it in as I would hate to get a big walleye that doesnt make it. This year I will most likely fish more as my parents are not travelling this winter and I will try deeper out of the weeds try for the suspended fish and not fish the bottom. Spring time no problem!! Well this year was tough in the spring for me! I like this topic and I like searching for them tasty buggers.

Theres no ice bud lol.

I guess I could take all of you out on balsam or where ever else I catch crappie but a hundred boats in one spot would not work lol. There is big crappie out there I have been catching them for over a decade. Sometimes it is very hard though. This spring I went to a spot where I can catch a hundred in a day. But this spring fishing with my friend I only caught three and he caught 27. We were fishing our bobbers side by side all day three or four feet apart...he got lucky...I did not. You never know what is going to happen fishing. But trust me there is big crappie out on those lakes at night is when I find the biggest ones.

Same feeling as MMM but I have only been fishing the last 10 years. I have tried all over pleasant point to snug harbour and down to Kennedy bay and have never caught a crappie through the ice.

Don't take this the wrong way, to each their own but, with all fish, you really don't wanna keep the biggest ones. "Selective harvest" can be interpreted in a few ways, but it's all about keeping the fisheries healthy and that's exactly what those big fish do. It depends on the water body but generally for crappie you don't wanna be keeping many over 13" or so. The trophy-sized fish for all species have genes that you don't wanna take out of that ecosystem. They are the most likely to keep producing more trophies, where the average-sized fish, are just that. average. This is the best way to keep that body of water producing good fish. Even when there isn't a slot size, the logic can still be applied to ensure that ecosystem stays solid

Another factor of not keeping the bigger fish is the fact that normally after a few years of a fish's life, their growth rate slows down tremendously. This means that those big fish are often the oldest fish by a long shot. which will always have the most bioaccumulation (mercury and BPAs) which is obviously best avoided if possible. And because it takes fish a long time to greatly surpass that average size, it isn't very sustainable when people are keeping them year to year, eventually, it can cause a downwards trend in size.

All I'm saying is keeping the smaller fish is actually a more viable option than the big ones for various reasons. Anyway sorry for the essay, I just like to preach selective harvest every chance I get lmao. Tight lines!

Yes I have read dozens of studies on fish and some agree with you and some do not. I myself do not debate these things. The only real problem is over fishing. If you read my posts you can tell I put the fish first always. The fish come first. Crappie and perch is the perfect example. The limits for these fish should be half of what it is. People should not keep their limit just because they can. Fill their freezers and breakthe possesion limits all the time. Get rid of the bad people and you will have lots of big small and medium fish...it is that simple.