CrappieFishing 101

[bobberwatcher]

I am new to the wonderful world of crappie fishing. (Only a year or so.) I am looking for any "tricks of the trade" from some of you pro's. (Jerry Blake comes to mind.) I have always been a bass (green carp) fisherman and have made the transistion almost whole-heartedly. I can promise you guys I have more questions than answers. Ex... How do Bass and Crappie compare when it comes to lure colors, water conditions, techniques, etc? I have a 4 yr old girl who loves to watch Wally Marshall on DVD and I even took her down to Shreveport Bass Pro last year to meet him. (Great guy and really made a big deal out of meeting her.) Now when I come home empty handed, she always tells me that Mr. Wally always catches fish.

[ceb]

Glad to have you. Nothing wrong with lots of questions. You might ask a question that others may want to know also. So, we all learn together. What types of waters do you normally fish?


Here is a good spot for loads of knowledge. Just browse through the articles that interest you. http://www.crappie.com/tips.html

[Jason Piper]

I always prefer a 2" curl tail grub with a chartreuse tail. The body color varies though. I like a black, purple, pumpkin, green or grey body for the type of water that I fish. I primaraly fish stained water (2'-5' visability), I like this the most.
I also have found that YUM puts out an excellent bait with the 1.5" wooly curl tail, my best bait overall! I use them on a 1/16 oz. round jig head. I fish them deep usualy, 20' or more, but casting shallow cover works as well with this bait.
Good luck!!!

[crappiechappy]

I agree w/ JT 2'' curly tail w/ chart. tail. The color of the body changes, but almost always use chart. tail. Never tried them but have only heard great things about the bevertails. Just my 2 cents.

[gooch]

I would suggest that you go out with a guide or two for a few trips. I know that I personaly learned more tips and techniqies in one afternoon of fishing with Darryl Morris and Jerry Blake than I have my whole life with my idiot crew. I know JT up in the great NW aslo puts some incredible stringers on the board as well. The cost of a guide is more than most want to spend but when you think about the fact you dont have to take anyting but you when you go its really not that expensive. You dont have to buy the ice, bait, gas, drinks, ect. I know I cant even go look at the lake for less than a 50.00 bill.

Another idea is to come to crappie camp. There will be some crappaholics there who not only are some fine folks but are very knowlegable on many different ways to catch a crappie. LA stump jumper is a roadrunner pro, J White is a trolling machine and Darryl and Jerry are spider rig, jig guides. So no matter how you like to catch em there should be someone there who is an expert willing to share info with you.

Take care and good luck

Gooch.

[bobberwatcher]

I had planned on attending crappie camp with a friend of mine on this board, however, those plans got changed by our job. (Will be in training). We are planning on coming down to Greeson this Sunday afternoon and camping Sun and Monday night for sure. If we can't make it Sunday afternoon, we will definately be there Monday - Tuesday. We have never fished Greeson and we are really looking forward to it. Weather has turned off really nice! I will definately post some pics of our catches upon our return. Looking for a hot tip for Lake Greeson to put some slabs in the boat!

[Liptwister]

I"m new to crappie fishing so this might seen like a stupid question. Went for a walk this morning on Cooper Lake(North East Texas). The lake is down about 17ft. Just wondering if Crappie go back into the creeks in the fall were they spawn in spring ? Found some 6ft to 8ft drop off's on the edges of the creeks that I thought might hold some fish. Just wondering.

[ceb]

I have found that crappie like to hold on creek channel ledges almost all year. Granted, they will sometimes get up on flats and/or shoreline cover.

During the fall, the crappie will move shallower, but their desires are different than the spring. During spring, they are seeking spawning grounds. During the fall, they are following baitfish. As the water cools in the fall, the crappie will follow the baitfish into shallower water. So, this time of year, find some baitfish and you will probably find some crappie as well.

[ceb]

I had planned on attending crappie camp with a friend of mine on this board, however, those plans got changed by our job. (Will be in training). We are planning on coming down to Greeson this Sunday afternoon and camping Sun and Monday night for sure. If we can't make it Sunday afternoon, we will definately be there Monday - Tuesday. We have never fished Greeson and we are really looking forward to it. Weather has turned off really nice! I will definately post some pics of our catches upon our return. Looking for a hot tip for Lake Greeson to put some slabs in the boat!

Hey bobber, here is a link to Jerry's daily trip reports. These will give you golden tips for your trip. Hope you get a bunch, and be sure to take lots of pics. http://www.actionfishingtrips.com/tripreports.htm

[minnowman]

I am new to the wonderful world of crappie fishing. (Only a year or so.) I am looking for any "tricks of the trade" from some of you pro's. (Jerry Blake comes to mind.) I have always been a bass (green carp) fisherman and have made the transistion almost whole-heartedly. I can promise you guys I have more questions than answers. Ex... How do Bass and Crappie compare when it comes to lure colors, water conditions, techniques, etc? I have a 4 yr old girl who loves to watch Wally Marshall on DVD and I even took her down to Shreveport Bass Pro last year to meet him. (Great guy and really made a big deal out of meeting her.) Now when I come home empty handed, she always tells me that Mr. Wally always catches fish.

Hey bobberwatcher, this is minnowman...I am new to crappie fishing also in a sense. I recently went with JT Crappie Guide here in NWA and he taught me a LOT....I know the beavertail works good for me also, on top of what all was mentioned....I used to sit and watch bobbers all day, now I like to rig one poll with live bait (normally minnow) and use one with a jig or bait of some sort....I too have lots of questions, have only been on here since April but it has really up'd my fishing and I have picked up some really good advice and suggestions from some seasoned veterans. Caleb