40 degree water

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Originally Posted by mike83350

Hey! I have traditional and side scan although I am not an expert with it yet. I am fishing where there is primarily sandy and rocky bottom in Idaho. Black crappie. I am new to the gear, but I have some jigs like bobby garland stroll r. I have crank baits as well. I have some green fire balls to tip with.

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Okay ... so, are you casting or trolling ?? (or both)

What is the main forage fish in your waters ? (minnows, shad, other species ??)

Black Crappie are more likely than White Crappie to eat bugs & crustaceans along with the forage fish, so don't be afraid of using various shades of brown in your jig bodies.

Right now, with the water being in the 40's ... I'd concentrate on the Northwest & West banks of the lake, as they will warm faster. Look for any wood or vegetation along or out from those banks.

You might also want to send a PM to Noodle Rod and/or Snake River and get some advice from them on baits & techniques.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Okay ... so, are you casting or trolling ?? (or both)

What is the main forage fish in your waters ? (minnows, shad, other species ??)

Black Crappie are more likely than White Crappie to eat bugs & crustaceans along with the forage fish, so don't be afraid of using various shades of brown in your jig bodies.

Right now, with the water being in the 40's ... I'd concentrate on the Northwest & West banks of the lake, as they will warm faster. Look for any wood or vegetation along or out from those banks.

You might also want to send a PM to Noodle Rod and/or Snake River and get some advice from them on baits & techniques.

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I am trying both casting and trolling. I'm not totally sure about the food. Bugs for sure. We have in this particular reservoir tiger muskie, trout, largemouth bass and then crappie.

Thanks for recommending those people!

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Not sure where Black Crappie would be in 40deg water, but once the water warms up to their liking and their spawning urges kick in ... I'd be flogging the banks with those Stroll R's, for sure. You might also want to get a few 1/16oz marabou Road Runner jigs and cast them parallel to the bank as you move down it. (white, chartreuse, & pink/chartreuse should cover most any water clarity you run into)

If you know of a bank with pea gravel & sand ... that could be a good spawning bank. Be advised, though, that Black Crappie can & do spawn in relatively shallow water, plus they tend to stay in those shallow areas for quite some time after the spawning duties are over with. Bays or even pockets on the main lake, that have those conditions (plus maybe a rock pile or brush pile here & there) are also places to explore.

I skipped from 2d (b/w) units straight to Down Image (color) units, then to Livescope (with my DI unit for maps & waypoints) ... so I'm not the one to give any advice on Side View units, but work on getting it dialed in NOW, while the conditions are not as favorable, so you'll be up to speed when the conditions are favorable.

Luck2ya ... and hope to hear of some successful outings. And since we don't have a forum specific to Idaho, feel free to post your reports & pics & further questions on the Main Message Forum.

Learn to use your sonar and trust what youve learned. Personally I like using 2D while idling around with my big motor to locate bait balls and arches (fish). If youre finding something on your sonar then try fishing there. If not seeing much....then move somewhere else and do some more looking. Dont fish where they aint at. You wont catch anything.;) In water that cold I'd probably be spider rigging using minnows for bait. After locating some fish you can also see about how deep they are. Try putting your minnows just above their heads. DONT put your baits below them as they look up, not down IMO. Good luck!:)

Go to the Mississippi (State) thread and scroll up to "sticky " . There is an expected temperature expected pattern movement thread .

As with all fishing in water under 40 degrees, slower & smaller is better when it comes to lures. Lure action and size in my experience outweighs lure color but I would like to believe my color choice(s) made a difference at times.
A comparison is when live minnows are used:
1. small in length
2. subtle tail and body motions
3. a bit of contrast to any background - especailly when the sun reflects off surfaces. Bait shape and motion, like color, contrast to anything nearby and gets a fishes attention immediately. This contrast extends not only to a food source, but also to due to a lure's action, size, color and unnatural action*. (More on that later.)

Holding a fish's attention long enough to aggravate the strike, is usually covered using a very slow presentation - especially in cooler water too cold for humans to swim in. A fish's metabolism slows down thereby reducing the chances it will chase a trolled lure or any lure moved too fast.

When retrieving a finesse-action lure horizontally (i.e one where a light jighead is used), even slight changes in reel handle speed, can touch off a strike from a suspended fish minding its own business. Always remember that phrase when using lures for panfish - or any fish for that matter. Fish need to conserve energy and its senses, not brain, determine if a suspended object is worth its energy from a lure's subtle, signal-output. The brain is a conduit that receives signals to attack or let it be. Hunger? Ever catch a fish with a full belly?! I have many times.

* A word about unnatural lure action. Granted, some lures move in ways that seem very natural - but - define natural. Natural to a fish is something only a higher power can define if it will. Anglers use lures that many times look like nor move like anything in nature. Fish see and feel - THAT'S IT! The rest, when it comes to why a fish strike vs what it strikes is a mute point answered by all of the above when it comes to casting unnatural objects fish slam at times.

Take these lures for example. The different shapes and actions can cause fish to strike all four when fish are found. But - lure motion is crucial and most times depends on the right retrieve for the activity level of fish found.
The curl tail swims horizontally, though fish might bite it jigged.
The fattest body with Magnet tail, is not especially good for unactive and smaller fish in cool water.
The thin tail and wacky rigged grubs are the most subtle in action using the slowest retrieve.
https://i.imgur.com/MN8iaA3.jpg

My 64 years of fishing (true age withheld), in more waters than most have ever fished, as well as in states from Texas to NY using all kinds of lures that many on Crappie.com have never heard of, has given me a insight as to what worked and when. My written and later, computer logs, show evidence I can't deny. Granted - unconventional to say the least, but valuable to those that persist in finding and remembering what p.o.s fish most to strike - regardless of water temperature. I have confirmed this using a clear-plastic thin-tail, used in cloudy water as unconventional in color but effective nonetheless:
https://i.imgur.com/OGnJodZ.jpg

An open mind is key along with taking nothing for granted. Remember always, we find fish that will strike/ fish don't find us to strike.

Thanks for reading.
Understand if too long or non-applicable to many.

Frank

40 degrees Celsius isn't considered a cold wash or a hot wash. It is actually straight down the middle – a warm wash. And it's ideal for a lot of your Forty-degree weather in warmer regions may2048 cupcakes not feel as cold. Residents can still be out and about without freezing. Lighter, thinner clothes are enough to keep them warm even on colder, cloudier days. In the end, you can expect the weather to be between cool and moderately cold. laundry.Is 40 degrees considered cold? Yes, 40 degrees is considered cold, especially if you are not dressed appropriately. Your body's exposure to cold temperatures can lead to hyperthermia. This dramatic drop in the core body can occur at 40* F.

Welcome sir. I can’t add much more as my comments mirror CrappiePappy’s. Half the fun is locating them and the other half is getting them to bite. Don’t be afraid to use new baits, live bait, scents like SlabSauce or Crappie Nibbles. Good luck sir.

I surprised that in the dog days of summer, it's almost impossible to rack up numbers of fish caught on many days. I was lucky to catch only 20 fish last Thurs. which included small fish: crappie, bass, perch and sunfish. I did see schools in deeper water (6') on sonar, but casting back to them was a waste of time.

Air temperature is going to be near 90 for the next three days with bright sun and few clouds. Doubt I'll bother until cooler temps and rain move into the area Fri. and Sat. Can't wait for fall!

Winter is my favorite time to fish for crappie. Every year I can hardly wait for water temperature s to drop to at least 50 or below degrees. I try to hold my jig still as possible, I've never seen a minnow jumping up and down. The way I see it if it works don't fix it.