HaHa HaHa:  0
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Let's talk creek channels

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Pontiac, Illinois
    Posts
    2,725
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Let's talk creek channels


    I have never intentionally fished creek channels, so I have a question.
    We know that in the late fall the crappie will move toward the creek channels for their winter home. What I don't really know is the definition of creek channel as it applies to crappie.
    For example, on my favorite lake, one lone creek was dammed to create the lake of 900 acres. At most areas the creek channel is only 4 ft to 6 ft deeper than the surrounding area. Do you consider this good enough to hold winter crappie or even consider it a as a creek channel?

  2. #2
    skeetbum's Avatar
    skeetbum is offline Crappie.com Legend - Moderator Jig Tying Forum * Crappie.com Supporter
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    24,426
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    First off, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that everything reading this has the best day ever and gets along with everyone as we gather.
    About creek channels, my experience is somewhat limited. I think of them in two ways. Temperature and current. We all know that fish in general can do strange things when they set up in their comfort zone. I believe that’s why they hang out between say 3 and five feet and not above or below. They can be scattered when this happens, unless they’re chasing balls of Shad. Bait changes everything. But a ditch can also offer cover from current. This is important cuz fish are also lazy. They can tuck down into a ditch and have the current go right over or around them, also giving them and ambush advantage.
    Ditches also have sharp ledges sometimes. I know of one that doesn’t drop a foot or eighteen inches and the fish will sometimes orient themselves along it and a jig that’s retrieved from shallow to deep slowly dropping over that ledges has little chance of not being bit.
    Markers are widely known as boat attractors but they can help you get back to where they’re sitting. Using small black or brown ones makes them hard for others to see. So well I lose them myself and have to look hard to find em.
    Just my thoughts and I hope it helps get you going in the right direction.
    Creativity is just intelligence fooling around
    Thanks silverside thanked you for this post

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,943
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    A creek channel does not have to be deep to be used by crappie. Creek channels are use like highways by gamefish. The depth allows them to find the most comfortable temperature for them. Find one with a ledge and some timber and you will have a honey hole for years to come. I do not have alot of experience fishing creek channels but we have a new lake that is choke filled with timber. Fishing bridges and the creek channel is the only way to get to the fish this time of year. I'm gonna have to really dial in on my electronics and learn how to fish them efficiently.
    Thanks silverside thanked you for this post

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    TEXAS
    Posts
    24,399
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    any depth fluctuations of even a few feet that run a while in length could be productive , keep in mind this though , the "channel" itself rarely holds the large numbers of fish , the edges of said channel are typically the best places for predators to set up , one thing for certain they do like to travel in them ...
    if the water body has very little cover , the channel will likely hold a bunch of fish in the colder months
    sum kawl me tha outlaw ketchn whales
    Likes crappiemax LIKED above post
    Thanks silverside thanked you for this post

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2024
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    42
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I fish a similar lake - almost 900 acres, most of it 10 feet deep or less. Spots just 2-3 feet deeper can be enough to hold fish.
    Thanks silverside thanked you for this post

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

BACK TO TOP