Need some assistance

[FurFlyin]

Some of you may have read my story.... I bought a boat about 6 weeks ago and I'm getting back into fishing with my son. I've never been a crappie fisherman, but I'm trying to figure it out. I have been crappie fishing in the past, several times, but never as the boat owner, driver, spot/pattern finder. Only in the spring too. As of now, I'm not having any success. I don't expect to be an overnight success but I don't want my son to get burned out on going before I figure out how to catch them. I have never been a fall fisherman, but I'm going to become one.

I've hit creek channels, bridges and boat docks on my first 5 fishing trips and so far ONE crappie has been boated. It was a 7" dink that a buddy caught yesterday evening. We're mainly casting jigs, or vertical fishing jigs. I did take some minnards yesterday and the one lone crappie was caught on a minnow tipped jig. It was caught in 14' of water, at the end of a boat slip, 2 feet down. I think it was trying to commit hara-kiri.

I've got a whiz bang Helix 9 depth finder and feel that I am fairly proficient at reading it, but I have not found a single thing that I would call a school of crappie. We fished for 3 hours yesterday and I only saw one school of baitfish. On previous trips I had been seeing large schools of baitfish, but they were simply gone.

Can some of you guys please give me some advice on what to do and what to look for? I'm not asking for any secret fishing spots, just an idea of how and where to proceed. Any help greatly appreciated.

[lowe175]

Man I have never been on the big G. But I shoot docks in the fall and a catch a few on brush. How far is Neely Henry form you? I can help there.

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[lowe175]

I sent you a pm.

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[Slabprowler]

I struggle on the big g from June till middle to late oct. it will get better when the water cools down in the upper 60's and stay good till it gets Down into the 40's I personally think a lot of the fish on the big g hide out in the grass mats during the summer months. Some of the causeways produce Most of the year but the word spreads fast when folks go to catching much and folks stack up on them like cord wood and I don't like crowds so I don't fish the causeways. Keep looking and keep trying .you will find them for long. Take Lowe175 up on an offer he is a fish catching machine and a great guy!

[FurFlyin]

Thanks for the replies. I may be rushing things on the lake.

[BAMA S]

Hang in there. Been a strange fall for us also.

[chippo]

Found this on forum very helpful

Found this article in North American Fisherman Magazine and thought it may be beneficial to some. It's a long read, but pretty informative.



Crappies By Degrees

Temperature Template For Year-Round Action

By: Don Wirth



Of all the factors determining crappie location and activity, none is more critical than water temperature. With that in mind, I assembled a panel of veteran crappie guides including Jim Duckworth, Steve McCadams, Fred McClintock, Larry McMullin, Tom Moody and Harold Morgan, and picked their brains about how crappie locations and fishing patterns vary with changing water temperatures.



These experts pitched in to help me create this simple but useful cheat sheet that spells out where crappies will be and what you need to do to catch them in 5-degree water temperature increments year-round.



Water Temperature: 35 Degrees

Overview: Crappies will be deep and sluggish now, but they’re still catchable with the right presentation.

Key Location: Check main-lake river channels for crappies holding tight to bottom cover in 30 to 60 feet of water.

Primary Pattern: Vertical presentations rule in the dead of winter. Fish straight down, using live minnows on a Kentucky rig (see diagram on page 30) or spoons jigged just above the fish.



Water Temperature: 40 Degrees

Overview: Crappies will begin migrating from deep river channels toward major tributaries, where they will eventually spawn. They’ll often suspend in open water now rather than relate to cover or breaklines.

Key Location: Waves of crappies will stage off points leading into reservoir tributary arms, suspending off these structures 20 to 30 feet deep. Some fish will remain on river channel structure in considerably deeper water.

Primary Pattern: Wind-drift 1â�„8- to 1â�„4-ounce jigs on longlines around tributary points. Watch your graph for suspended baitfish schools—crappies are seldom far from a food source.



Water Temperature: 45 Degrees

Overview: Many crappies have started migrating toward their eventual spawning areas. It’s prime time.

Key Location: Target crappies hanging tight to submerged wood on deep channel banks near the entrance to tributaries, 12 to 25 feet deep. Most fish will range from the primary point to about a quarter of the way back into the creek arm.

Primary Pattern: Target-cast grubs to channel bends with wood. Cast, let the grub sink until it contacts the cover, then immediately begin swimming it slowly and steadily back to the boat.



Water Temperature: 50 Degrees

Overview: The prespawn migration is in full swing now, with large numbers of crappies moving into reservoir tributary arms. Stragglers suspending in deep water off tributary points will make their move shallower following a few days of mild, sunny weather.

Key Location: Continue targeting the creek channel migration route, keying on isolated wood cover along channel bends for the largest concentration of fish. Crappies instinctively remain 12 to 20 feet deep now, probably to insulate themselves from the impact of frontal passages.

Primary Pattern: Map out the creek channel with marker buoys, then bump a Kentucky rig baited with minnows or a minnow/tube bait combination along the channel drop.



Water Temperature: 55 Degrees

Overview: Expect the bite to get more aggressive as crappies begin feeling “the urge to merge” and feed heavily before spawning.

Key Location: A few big fish will be in the upper half of tributary arms, but you’ll find numbers of fish in the lower half, still relating to the creek channel migration route. Shallow ditches veering off the creek channel and running toward shallow spawning coves can hold huge fish.

Primary Pattern: Target ditches with grubs and small crankbaits; on mild days, crappies may be as shallow as one to three feet deep along these structures. Work the creek channel with grubs, keying on brushy cover in the six- to 12-foot zone.



Water Temperature: 60 Degrees

Overview: Crappies spawn in water from around 65 to 75 degrees, so the immediate prespawn period is a good time to load the boat with oversize fish. Baitfish schools continue to be a primary location factor now as crappies fatten up before spawning.

Key Location: Hopefully you did your homework while the lake was drawn down during winter and marked the location of brushy cover and stake beds on your map and GPS. Now that the water is higher, crappies will be all over this cover midway into tributary arms, three to eight feet deep

Primary Pattern: Tightlining minnows and jigging tube baits around sunken cover will score heavy crappie catches in murky water. In clear water, back off your target, make a long cast and swim a curlytail grub.



Water Temperature: 65 Degrees

Overview: Crappies will be shallow now; some will be spawning, but many will still be in a prespawn mode. Don’t rush the season—if you aren’t catching quality fish on likely spawning cover, back off and target prespawn crappies instead.

Key Location: Crappies will be in the upper half of tributary arms, holding tight to isolated stake beds and submerged brush piles. Prespawn fish will be in three to six feet of water, but will chase minnows shallower.

Primary Pattern: Tight-lining minnows on long rods is the standard method now, but target-casting grubs and tubes to submerged wood works, too.



Water Temperature: 70 Degrees

Overview: Spawning season kicks in big-time! Male crappies fan out the nest while females hang back waiting for the water temperature to rise a degree or two before moving onto the beds.

Key Location: Spawning takes place on woody cover (stake beds, brush piles, etc.) in the upper ends of brushy coves and creek arms, anywhere from three to 12 feet deep depending on the lake’s clarity.

Primary Pattern: Cast tubes and grubs or tight-line minnows close to cover. If you’re catching numbers of small males, back off and hit deeper isolated stake beds and stumps for the bigger females.



Water Temperature: 75 Degrees

Overview: Some crappies will be done spawning while others are finally moving onto their beds. Postspawn fish will hang around bedding areas for several days until the water temperature rises.

Key Location: Spawners will be on wood from three to 12 feet deep depending on water clarity. Postspawn fish will be on isolated pieces of cover adjacent to spawning sites.

Primary Pattern: Determine the crappies’ spawning mode. If tube baits or minnows don’t produce strikes in thick brush and stake beds, target-cast grubs to scattered wood.



Water Temperature: 80 Degrees

Overview: Most crappie fishermen hang up their rods after the spawn, but a shift in tactics can yield fast action on postspawn fish.

Key Location: Before moving to their deep summer haunts, many crappies gravitate to the edges of flats, hanging tight to scattered wood or suspending above the breakline closest to the structure.

Primary Pattern: Troll small diving crankbaits like the 200 series Bandit around the edges of flats in the six- to 18-foot zone, occasionally banging the plugs off stumps and bottom.



Water Temperature: 85 Degrees

Overview: Crappies will be moving out of tributaries via the same creek channel migration routes they traveled before spawning.

Key Location: Slabs gang up on secondary and primary points that drop quickly into deep water. Look for them suspending 18 to 30 feet deep around baitfish schools.

Primary Pattern: Target channel points using a Kentucky rig bumped slowly along bottom.



Water Temperature: 90 Degrees

Overview: In the Sun Belt, water temps in the 90s are common by August. Crappies suspend for long periods now to conserve metabolic energy. River-run reservoirs with a flowing channel usually have better fishing now than slackwater lakes.

Key Location: Channel ledges lined with standing timber or brushy cover offer your best bet now. Crappies are probably suspending 18 to 30 feet deep in 60 feet of water.

Primary Pattern: If fish are suspended high in the water column, slow-drifting minnows or tubes through the school can produce strikes. If they’re tight to bottom, use a Kentucky rig.





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[Cowboy215]

Like lowe175 said, if you can make it down to Neely Henry, would be more then happy to give you a hand.

[FurFlyin]

Thanks for all the replies. I can make it to Neely Henry.

[crappieseeker]

What area or areas of Guntersville are you fishing? I might can give you some advice. I sold my boat, but I might could still help you. I'm looking at purchasing another one. PM me. I fish crow creek, mud creek, north sauty,