What's your strategy/tip?

**jeepguyjames** · 01-25-2014, 11:47 AM

12 ft rod, Weedless jig heads , 10 lb braid, get way in the snaggy thick nasty stuff and horse em out .... Fish stuff that looks unfishable

**Hoosier Crappie** · 01-25-2014, 11:49 AM

Although I never attempted this (so not proven by me)...

I remember hearing how a fellow said he used to follow crappie all day....

is to release a caught crappie back in the water hooked in the mouth with attached line and bobber (so you can see the bobber move across the water surface as it swims around). The crappie goes back to the others and you can continue to fish them as they change locations.

It's a pretty simple strategy. Often I wondered if it was considered illegal. In the past I've read over fishing regs in a few states and nothing is mentioned, so I'd have to conclude it's legal.

**Cane Pole** · 01-25-2014, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Hoosier Crappie

Definitely true! One of my fishin buds is a smoker and when fishing with him results go down. I think it's from the smoke/cigarette "taste" left on his hands then transferred to the baits that turns them off.

Maybe your friend ought change cig brand. My wife smokes and has no problem catching her share. I also agree with Disco about the tackle.

**Hoosier Crappie** · 01-25-2014, 11:56 AM

You're probably right! LOL these IN crappies are too finicky.

Originally Posted by Cane Pole

Maybe your friend ought change cig brand. My wife smokes and has no problem catching her share. I also agree with Disco about the tackle.

**skeetbum** · 01-25-2014, 06:54 PM

Gathered together and put to use, these and more are what I call my "bag of tricks". Time on the water and a good memory builds this bag to where you will produce SOMETHING every time you go. They may be small or the wrong species but you can stay busy. My number one rule is "when it stops being fun, it's time for the house". Enjoy yourself, pay attention and pass along what you already know and before long you'll be the one teaching us.

**ehall** · 01-25-2014, 07:24 PM

#1- Once again another awesome thread started here on CDC. After ice out, I usually start out with a jig under a bobber because i love to cast to them up shallow. If they are aggressive and feeding it is usually evident after a short while. If this does not pan out I will throw on a twister tail, cast shallow and pull back to me, maintaining contact with the bottom seems key. Bonus walleye normally will be caught with this practice. This is on the lakes i fish in Illinois. Also i have a fishing buddy who smokes the entire time we fish and he absolutely throws me a beating on how quickly he catches fish! Never has been an issue, that i am aware of. I have to agree with the having fun, if you cant have fun on the water fishing, something needs to be changed!

**Hoosier Crappie** · 01-25-2014, 08:10 PM

Originally Posted by skeetbum

Gathered together and put to use, these and more are what I call my "bag of tricks". Time on the water and a good memory builds this bag to where you will produce SOMETHING every time you go. They may be small or the wrong species but you can stay busy. My number one rule is "when it stops being fun, it's time for the house". Enjoy yourself, pay attention and pass along what you already know and before long you'll be the one teaching us.

I really like your philosophical strategy. I think most of us share your same beliefs. What I wanted by beginning this thread are more of the "physical" tactics, tips, etc. (nuts & bolts- the mechanics) to employ to increase success that each of us as anglers can use whether we're on the bank, boat, or wherever. Each situation has its own considerations, and that's why I feel this thread is important as it will give possible strategies to try.

In other words, not looking for "you catch more fish when your line is wet vs. out of the water", "learn from your mistakes", etc. To me these are like what a soothsayer might say or a self-help book. Although these are important mindsets to have.

Appreciate all the contributions to our thread!

**Hoosier Crappie** · 01-25-2014, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Horizontal cover is better than vertical cover, as it provides more shade over a greater expanse of the same depth of water.
Shade is a key factor in finding "where" Crappie are likely to be.
Shade can be from the interruption of light by a solid obstacle, or simply the depth at which light penetration has stopped.

... cp

CP,

You've been a CDC mainstay for years. When I first began reading the posts over a decade ago, you have so much to share.

Agreed about the shade- excellent point! When I first pursued fishing more than going to catch "whatever is biting", I learned about their physiology and one aspect is their eyes. They use their eyes to sight feed (crappie do) and survive their "world". What most overlook is the fact they have no eyelids to regulate sunlight as we and other members of this world do. With this they have to manipulate their environment whether structure shade, weather induced shade, surface water "chop", or water column "shade". When targeting crappie, I consider this too!

In this thread I hope we learn something we never knew or to re-learn something we have forgotten.

Thanks to all contributions!

Keep 'em coming!

**CrappieWhisperer** · 01-26-2014, 01:20 AM

I'm always trying to learn about my favorite hobby. One of the best ways I've found over the years is to watch the older folks when I'm out fishing. Sometimes I've spent hours watching the old timers fish without wetting a hook myself. Most of the folks are more than willing to give great advice too. Now I'm one of the older folks and others ask me from time to time. I share as much as I can and try to repay the favor that others have done for me.
1. Use flourescent line, it's easier to see and it lets you watch your line constantly. Crappie will oftentimes pick up your bait and swim upwards causing slack in your line... Set the hook!
2. Use weedless jigheads. The less you get hung up and have to disturb the brushpile the more fish you'll have in the livewell. I don't miss any more bites with a weedless jig than a regular jig and I spend my time fishing not retieing.
3. Sometimes its a jig day and sometimes its a minnow day. You can be proud and only fish with one or the other if you want, but crappie are like people, they like different things on different days.
4. Sometimes crappie like you to deadstick a jig not moving it at all, and other days they want you to shake it in front of them until you irritate them into biting. Some days it's better to position the boat right over the brushpile and other days it's better to put the boat 10 yards away and cast over the pile and bring it back through. Sometimes they want the jig still, sometimes they want it moving.
5. In general a good starting point to finding the depth that crappie are on any given day is to set your jig depth somewhere around 10ft. I don't know why, but my dad starts there on any given day and he has taught me it works. Crappie like to suspend in the 10ft range.
6. You might not need them all the time, but Crappie nibblets will definately increase your catch when it's a tough bite..
7. I've learned it's easier to adjust my jig to an exact depth by using a baitcast reel on my jigging rod. Say you have a 10ft rod, and you pull your jig to the end of the rod and that measures 10ft, then you measure how long it is from the reel to the first eyelet up the rod from your reel. Then if each pull of the line up to that first eyelet is 2ft you can make 3 pulls and know you have 16ft of line out. You can set your drag lose enough to pull the line out without having to trip the bail.
8. When casting over a brushpile or to the bank, I usually start out by letting the jig go the bottom and then making a slight jig upwards and then reeling as slowly as possible. More often than not I see people reellng too fast. If you reel slow enough the jig will hug the bottom and catch more fish. If you get bites on the fall of the initial cast, try to count down to that depth and reel as slow as you can as before.
9. Fishing with sickle jig hooks have shown me that these hooks will hook a crappie in the tough roof area of the mouth 90% of the time. This results in fewer fish being lost. They can't throw the hook as easy.
10. Build your own brushpiles, it will increase your catch and you'll enjoy it even more. It seems to make other fishermen easier to get along with too if they know you are putting in the same effort they are to make the lake a better fishery.

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