Thread: Whiskers?/

Originally Posted by olducker

I have read a lot of your posts and I believe you,re the man. For the last seven years my sons and I and kids, make our first crappie trip of the year to Weiss lake AL.

We love to long line troll. Last year we applied what we learned at Weiss Lake to Barkley Lake and did very ,Very,well, but it was at the end of the run and the fish were shallow.
I was wondering if we would do any good long lining the third week of March. I am thinking the water temperatures should be at least in the mid 50's.

Would apreciate your thought. .......THANKS Tim

Hey Tim,

I don't know about be'n "the man." There are a bunch of guys on here that can put a lot of fish in the boat.

To answer your question... If the weather pattern is normal this season :rolleyes: here's what usually happens on the North end of the lake.

When the water temp hits the low low 40's and we've had some stable weather and lake levels for a few days, the bait fish start pushing into the bigger bays. Some of the crappie start getting ready for the spawn & follow the bait. in the past this migration usually starts about the middle to late Feb. There will still be fish in the deeper main lake too. Usually the Blacks will be the first to check the bays.

Keep in mind that we are behind on water temps in the whole Tn. river system this year. That may slow things down a little, but a few warm sunny days can make a big difference.

As a rule of thumb I'm catch'n fish by vertical jig''n brush in the 16' to 12' range about now (not this year). I pay attention to the attitude of the fish, what species I'm catch'n, and how deep they are. For me, when I start catch'n aggressive blacks at about 12', I'll transition to spider rig'n the flats & edges of creeks at about that depth. Seems like 12' is the sweet spot for me. As the water warms, I'll follow the fish up in the water column. Keep in mind that a front may push the fish back too the brush. If that happens I'll go back to the vertical jig'n, but I will probably target the whites. Usually they are a little deeper and less effected by the weather change. I have done this time & time again & had good results.

Here's the proof. :D Notice they are mostly Whites. Harleyman got to see these first hand. As a matter of fact he took the picture. I had been on the Blacks in shallow stake beds for several days. A cold front came thru & the lake fell just a little & shut them down! After a whole morning of get'n my butt kicked I wised up & went after the Whites. Payed off. I caught these in about 2 1/2 hrs.



With that be'n said I do have my bad days. Doh

Now to the long line'n. You need to chat with Yodybuzz about this 1. I've done it a little but by no means am I an expert. I do plan on using this technique more this season though.

I usually see people having good luck long line'n when the water temps hit about the mid to upper 50's and the blacks are about 7' to 8' deep or less. Not to say that it wouldn't work in a little deeper water. That's usually about the latter half of March and on up into early early April. Usually while some guys are long line'n in shallower water I've backed back out to a little deeper water spider rig'n and am hammer'n those big fat whites.

The time slot you've picked should put you in a position to catch fish long line'n. This is if we return to a more normal weather pattern. Just remember... A cold front is a long liner's worst enemy! If a cold front hits, depending on how deep the fish are, slow down & revert to slow spider rig'n, vertical jig'n, or cast'n to brush with minnows or jigs under a bobber. If the lake starts fall'n and the weather stays good, just move out over deeper water close to the same area where you've been catch'n fish.

I should be home off the boat at that time & hopefully with the help of some of my buddies, I'll have a handle on what they are doing.

There are 3 things that will help you catch fish on this lake. 1. Experience on the lake. 2. Plenty of spots to fish at different depths. 3. (Probably the most important) Buddies that are willing to share information. I am very lucky and blessed with several good friends that have tough me a lot & are willing to exchange information. They are my crappie posse! Sure cuts down on the guess work! Thumbs Up

I reserve the right to be completely wrong! :D

Hey Wiskers - We are coming down a little later this year (week prior to Easter). What should we expect in the latter part of April?

Originally Posted by JTMavs

Hey Wiskers - We are coming down a little later this year (week prior to Easter). What should we expect in the latter part of April?

Let me start by say'n, this depends on our weather returning to a "normal" pattern.

You can pretty much count on the Blacks being done with their spawn by then. They'll move out into deeper water but probably stay in the bays till the shad leave. They tend to hang around longer than the whites during the post spawn period. I have caught Blacks in the middle of May floating jigs/minners 5' deep under bobbers on brush in 12' of water.

The Whites will probably be toward the latter part of their spawn with a few in post spawn. Water temps should be in the upper 60's to possibly low 70's by then.

April 1 is the start of TVA's accent to summer pool. You can expect a slow rise with fish being in the shallows especially late in the day. Casting to stake beds should produce fairly well. Long Line'n in the shallows should pick up some fish too.

There's typically a couple of weeks during the post spawn into the summer pattern that the fish are pretty tight lipped but you can still catch'um if ya stay at it.

Just keep an eye on Old Guide's ( KY Lake Fish Tales Guide Service ) fishing report. What ever he's do'n I'm do'n.

Again, I reserve the right to be completely wrong! :D

Again, I reserve the right to be completely wrong! :D

Whiskers, you sound just like a weather man!!!

Hey Wiskers I have a buddy that lives in Paducah. Is the Crappie fishing any good in that area? I might have to visit him.

Originally Posted by wilbur

Hey Wiskers I have a buddy that lives in Paducah. Is the Crappie fishing any good in that area? I might have to visit him.

It is at times. More good days than bad.

Whiskers, very good info about spring movement. I made sure to keep a copy to keep on file. Thanks!

Wiskers - Would you be so kind as to give me your interpretation on the difference between long-lining and spider-rigging? I was of the thinking they were one in the same. Thanks! Anyone's input would be great!