crappie fishing advice (needed)

[WIMUSKY]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

Crappies will seem a bit dull after the first bass.

Bass will seem dull after the first musky........

IDK, panfish are pretty fun on an ultra light......... Caught my biggest northern, 39", on an ultra light......... Now that was a blast. The northern went wherever he pleased for awhile.......

 

[jvanhees]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

I've always had great luck during this time of the year using artificial crappie jigs with a very small cork bobber about 16" up the line and pitch them towards any structure in the water around the edge of the banks. And try different colors until you see what they like the best. Use a slow retrieve and try to get the bobber close to any branch, stump or dock support and they will suck it under quickly... If they fails to yield anything, you can always use a similar setup with a number 4 or 6 Aberdeen hook and a minnow with the bobber 16? or so the same way... But instead of retrieving slowly let it sit for a minute or so first... Any crappie worth its weight will take it quickly as well...

Great info.

If you can find them on their beds, I throw tiny spinner baits in there, or small crawler/minnows on tiny jigs in their face.

 

[Javelin JD]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

All great advice, I'm working with the only one that has an interest in fishing with his casting ability, it's coming along, he likes mimicing me and wants to pound the banks, might have me fishing buddy after all.

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

A little late but I seem to be a pro at getting on the crappie so I'll pitch in. Also helps that I have a kid addicted to those damn video games. I play xbox with the best of them but not at the expense of the out doors. Hopefully your kid responds, even when my sons catching fish hes whining. My daughter is 16m, theres hope for her.

Anyway when I hit the lake I look for two things when hunting crappie: lilly pads, low branches, and fallen trees. Combine any one of these with a slope or drop off and you are in business. In my experience a lilly bed near a drop off is always your best bet. Low trees near a drop off coming second because they are good spots and you don't snag the under water limbs as often.

I use one bait for crappie: bloodworms or nightcrawlers. Thats it. Though in a pinch I did catch my biggest one ever using deli ham off my lunch. Never had luck with lures.

Set the line up with 2-3 squeeze on weights, a hook (truthfully no clue what size mine are, but they aren't crazy), and a bobber. You want the bobber at about 14-16in generally. If you are getting nailed fast by small ones constantly let the hook get a bit deeper and/or cast further from the shore a bit.

Been doing this my whole life, have never seen a day that I didn't get at least half my limit (30 here) but generally it's 2 or 3 of us and we limit out on them.

 

[Javelin JD]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

Thanks throttle, Once the waters recede I'll see if I can locate some of those areas and give it a shot, it's hot here, but with some luck, maybe something might happen

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

It's hotter then hell here too, i imagine as close as you are it's likely about the same. They don't tend to care much, shade is always a plug though. Our fav spot has no shade and even when it hit high 90's last year we nailed em.

 

[Dee Jsaan]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

I've fished for Crappie in the eastern Ky lakes for some time. I'm usually at it in early spring and mid fall when temps are in the sixties.

My usual targets are trees that have fallen over in the lake or river etc. That's the perfect structure for me.

Generally use minnows for bait. I rig up with a small bobber about 1" or so in diameter, and it is 4 ft from the bitter end. On the end is a large split shot about the size of a pencil eraser. About a foot or so up from that is a leader with hook. You can even use a 10 ft bamboo pole for this. (if you do that you only need 8 ft of line from the tip of the pole.

As for the minnows, I had a buddy who worked at a grocery store who saved the dry red onion skins for me which I'd put in the minnow bucket with the minnows. It's supposed to turn them a golden color but don't expect gold fish from this. LOL But it does make them more visible.

Another thing I used to do was catch my first one and I had pre rigged a 6 ft piece of line with a old small float tied to one end and a safety pin to the other. I'd put the safety pin through the dorsal fin and lock it and throw him back in. That way, like a schooling fish,
he'd swim back to where his mates were. THEN I knew where to fish.

Use some of the tricks I learned from the old timers and you'll never need an electronic fish finder.


If you just want to show the kids a good time, get a can of Liver Flavored Dog Food. Take a hatchet and knock slotted holes into the side of it. Then find a nice bank that would be good to fish from. Throw the can of dog food in a day before you arrive to fish.
This ought to draw some fish into that spot. The can will rust and decompose in time and rejoin the elements.

 

[Cschoenfeld]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

We are still hitting the crappie excellent down here in Texas. I have fished morning, noon and evening in the last few weeks and the bite has been about the same. I am fishing in about 8-12 ft deep. I am fishing on dead trees in that depth. I simply troll up to the tree, tie off and fish all around the tree catch about 4-5 (until the bite dies) and move to the next tree. I am using 10lbs mono with and #1 Mr. Crappie hook, with a 3/16 barrel weight (gets caught on the branches less than a crimp style weight). I'm using a sliding bobber (non clamp style that floats up and down on the line). What keeps the bobber depth set is a pre-fabricated knot that you are able to slide up and down and a bead that rests between the bobber and knot. I am usually most successful at about 7 ft deep. I am using live minnows as bait. I usually go through about 4 dozen to catch 25 fish. I tried to post pictures below of the tackle. All of these are available at academy.com. similar tackle is available at bass pro shop, cabelas, etc.

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

If you just want to show the kids a good time, get a can of Liver Flavored Dog Food. Take a hatchet and knock slotted holes into the side of it. Then find a nice bank that would be good to fish from. Throw the can of dog food in a day before you arrive to fish.
This ought to draw some fish into that spot. The can will rust and decompose in time and rejoin the elements.

Funny, I use that to catch crawdads lol. I have some home made traps (the large plastic tubs that one cat litter comes in converts perfectly with five minutes and a mini bungee cord) I always stab the can a dozen times and toss it into the trap. Few days later its packed.

 

[Javelin JD]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

I wished I was back in Texas, I'm from Lufkin. My wife is a yankee and I'm not going up north and she don't want to go down south, so we decided KY was nuetral ground. I'll go out this week and see if I can locate a couple places that will offer some catches. Thanks for the post, the pics came in and offers me an idea of what you use. Thanks

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

I like this area (MO/KY/etc) but we are likely moving to Ft. Myers / Cape Coral FL before end of the year. I have lived there before but never owned a boat there. Here's hoping I'm not the fool stuck on the sand bar, as I imagine I will sell my jon boat there and buy a fishing boat fit for the waters

 

[colbyt]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

I like this area (MO/KY/etc) but we are likely moving to Ft. Myers / Cape Coral FL before end of the year. I have lived there before but never owned a boat there. Here's hoping I'm not the fool stuck on the sand bar, as I imagine I will sell my jon boat there and buy a fishing boat fit for the waters

From what I read that others say, you might do better selling your boat before you move. Lots of boats down there for sale and not much of a market for Jons.

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: crappie fishing advice (needed)

I'll consider that, thanks. I know the market here for it is great