Try Down Sizeing for September Crappie

**CrappiePro** · 09-28-2011, 08:18 PM

If your Fishing a Shallow lowland water Res Or Oxbow and having problems getting bites on medium or large baits. Get tough on em and try a Small crappie tube or stinger and a cork. Pitch a the bobber and small bait around docks, pads, laydowns. The fish seem to be really relating to shade and cover just off the bank this time of year. Here is a couple of catches from the last couple of days from Conway and a Arkansas River Oxbow. Both catches were made doing the same thing about 18-24 inches deep below a cork or verticle jigging a really small offering. Tight Lines...

**NIMROD** · 09-28-2011, 08:31 PM

Funny thing is the Crappie up here are deep. We are catching limits verticle jiggin umbrella tubes 10 to 12' deep. They are full of larger Shad. My buddies used to fishing shallow oxbows in White River bottoms keep wanting to use tiny baits .But here I try to match the hatch, which is Shad.

**MEATGETTER** · 09-28-2011, 08:44 PM

most of the oxbows the fish in the fall will act just about like they do in the spring i have found over the years fishing river oxbows. mostly shallow on are around cover.

**BigRiverMarine** · 09-28-2011, 09:14 PM

They been catching em on Nader and Butla with #8 minners, but the water is still in the mid 70's. I caught em on cranks. The only thump I felt was when the pole hit the boat!!!! Woooohoooo. ;-)

**MEATGETTER** · 09-28-2011, 09:29 PM

were did you find them minners with #s on them,we dont have them here in so.east ar. just sayin ?????????????

**501mooney87** · 09-29-2011, 01:58 AM

Good catch and advice CP!!!

**creekslick** · 09-29-2011, 06:57 AM

Does this mean I am going to have to buy smaller cranks.DohRofl

**Billy E** · 09-29-2011, 07:27 AM

CP - last weekend we caught ours in 2 fow but we were trolling with jigs. River oxbow

**CrappiePro** · 09-29-2011, 08:36 AM

Well I can just tell ya what i have seen the last two types of lakes I have fished (Both Lowland Res). Tried trolling and verticle jigging my standard sized jigs over deeper water and shallow. But it was'nt till we started finessing small baits shallow around cover and shade that we got bit. Down sizing for one type of lake could be a totally different thing from one lake to another. For instance on Greers if the bite suddenly stops on cranks, I would try longlining or spider rigging, verticle jigging pole timber, 1/8 oz jig of some type, or even a smaller profile live minnow to get bit. The same would hold true for any lake at some point and time. If your bite suddenly gets tough on what ever bigger bait you were using, try downsizing. What do you have to lose, except turning a bad day into a good one. I believe (Big Bait always means Big Crappie) HAHA dont buy into that Myth...