Fishing early morning hours

[Alphahawk]

I live in TN and do most of my Crappie fishing on what is technically KY Lake...below Pickwick Dam from the bank. I drive 100 miles one way and always plan my arrival about 30 minutes before sunrise. I usually fish 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Of course all of that time is not for Crappie. I started my Crappie fishing season back in October 2010 and it will run through early May this year. I catch plenty of Crappie but unless it is a very active day for the fish I am there from sunup till sundown. Without fail, every time I go I catch a Crappie almost on every cast from the time I get there until sunrise....of course all of those fish are not keepers but I usually get 6 or 7 really good ones. Then I will fish the rest of the day and maybe catch a few more until they turn back on in late afternoon. There are days when I have my limit in a few hours and am headed back home. Where I fish, the Crappie are always there. I could go any day and 30 minutes before sunrise I can have 6 or 7 really nice Crappie in that 30 minutes. Here is the question. I have always wanted to be there at 3:00AM but have never made it. My son has a friend who has two brothers in Kentucky and they want to know why we go fishing for Crappie in the daytime. They fish from around three in the morning until 6:30AM and then they are off the water. At first I thought they were talking about fishing under the lights...they are not. I have done that many times. They think my son and I are nuts because we fish for Crappie in the daytime. They tell him they have never fished for Crappie in the daytime. I have asked a lot of local Crappie fisherman this question "If I show up at 3:00AM will the Crappie bite be as active as it is during those 30 minutes before sunrise"? I have asked a couple of decent part time Crappie guides this question and no one really can answer it for me. Everyone is familiar with fishing under the lights but no one I have talked to has fished in the dark..or early AM. Anyone have any ideas on this?

Regards

[CrappiePappy]

AH ... I can't say as I've experienced any such phenomenon, as 3AM to 630AM being "the" time to catch Crappie ... vs any other period of the day. I will say that, post spawn into the Summer period ... I was a first light til midday angler, for a number of years. I could usually count on getting into fish, from the first few casts, and continue to do so until the shade was no longer on the cover I was fishing. At that time, either the bite would nearly cease to exist, or I'd have to fish much deeper cover.
But, I wasn't going that early so much for the idea of the bite being "better" during the wee hours of the day ... it was just more convenient for me, as a night shift worker, who was already up and active, to keep my workday hours on my offdays. (and as such, I never got around to being a late day/dusk Crappie angler, as a habit ... though I have had several instances where the last hour or so have proved to be as much or more productive as the entire day prior to that timeframe).

It wouldn't surprise me much, though ... if it proves to be. Several things come to mind, that kind of go along with that timeframe. Ever been up all night, and notice that the birds start doing alot of singing/chirping around 0330-0400H ??... I have. Ever heard that the dawn/dusk time periods are primetime fishing, due to the lowlight conditions ... and in some cases, the coolest (or warmest) water temps occur then ?? ... I have. Ever notice that many species are surface feeding (jumps) on Shad, right around those timeframes (dusk/dawn) ?? ... I have.

I think I've probably caught Crappie during about every hour of the day, at one time or another (over the 50+yrs I've fished) ... and I've never seen any one particular time period that was "always" more productive than any other. But, then I wouldn't be a bit surprised if others have ... LOL !! You don't catch fish from the couch, so you're only going to catch them "when you go" !!

... cp

[kycreek]

1st let me say.. It must be nice to be able to devote so much time to the sport we all love. And to be able to do so in one of the finest crappie fishries (spelling?) is really a blessing. I too, have had some of my best luck very early in the morning. But I've never tried it in the dark. I may be missing out it seems. What kind of techniques are you using?

[badbrad]

Good question Alphahawk, and great points CP. I've often wondered the same thing, especially when your trying to launch the boat in a traffic jam around the first or second week of April. My question has always been, can you catch spawning crappie in shallow water in the cover of darkness? not low light, but darkness. I've vowed to try it some time just so I'll know. The thought of having the lake to yourself is pretty tempting. I may even make a point to make this a test case and post my results.

[Alphahawk]

1st let me say.. It must be nice to be able to devote so much time to the sport we all love. And to be able to do so in one of the finest crappie fishries (spelling?) is really a blessing. I too, have had some of my best luck very early in the morning. But I've never tried it in the dark. I may be missing out it seems. What kind of techniques are you using?

Yes I am a blessed man. I had to give up a job I absolutely loved for medical reasons 11 years ago and I was not ready to go. But as one of my doctors told me "You had a job you loved doing for 30 years....most people get up and go to a job they hate...get on with your life". Pretty polite way of telling me to quit whining. I had two passions in my life...as far as filling time with something I love...and that was golf and fishing. I used to share the two but for the last few years gave up golf just to concentrate on fishing. People have asked me for years "Don't you ever get tired of it"? I tell them no I and I know I will never tire of it. I am a light line nut. I use 2# test and will sometimes go up to 4#. But 90 percent of my fishing is with 2# test. I use the Trout Magnet and Crappie Magnet Jigs. I hardly ever use anything else for any specie of fish....except when I do my occasional Largemouth and Striper fishing. I have tried about everything that is made and even though I may only use those two lures I purchase a lot of micro lures. I just like them even if I don't use them...oh I may try them but always go back to the Trout and Crappie Magnet because it catches fish for me. I found out about Grizzly Jigs from this forum and plan on making a drive up their real soon to check out their store. I mainly cast using two new ESP rods that I just bought and have several other rods for casting but I can tell you that as far as casting goes the two new ESP rods will be the only rods I use for casting and my older more expensive rods will be collecting dust. I will also fish the jig under a float especially if there is some wind creating a little chop on the water. I also will use from time to time several of my Wally Marshall Crappie Rods Depending on water conditions. If the water is high where I fish I can use these rods to jig vertically. I have 2 twelve footers and one 16 footer that one can do amazing things with below a tail race jigging for White Bass. Have to keep the drag set light on the reel using that rod though as more often than not a Smallie gives you quite a ride when he hits it. Thanks for the replies you all gave about my question. It seems the more I inquire about this the more I find out no one has really done it. Before this Crappie season is over I am going to try to get there at 3:00AM and will report back. I can fish the Crappie Magnet under a float with a tiny light on top. There is enough ambient light around the area for me to see to net the fish....should I catch any...LOL. I am sure I don't have to tell those of you on this forum how finicky Crappie can be. It has to be...in my experience.....one of the most difficult fish to tempt to bite when they turn off. It can drive you nuts...you know they are there and you have just caught 7 or 8 in a row and wham...nothing. Drives me nuts. My son and I will start going to the Caney Fork River in about 2 weeks to fish for Crappie. We do this for really one reason. We hike to the base of Center Hill Dam and fish in gin clear water and watch Crappie come up, open that mouth, and suck in our lure. We do the same thing on occasion when we canoe down river and find a deep hole and twitch the jig and watch a big old Crappie come up and take it. Pretty neat thing to watch. Will report back when I try my early morning fishing trip. Now is certainly the time to do it.


Regards

[kycreek]

I've got some of those Crappie magnet jigs in my bag also. They have been in there so long, I don't even remember for sure where I got them. There was a sportshop up here a few years ago that went out of business and I bought a bunch of stuff off of them. I beleive that's where they come from. I'll have to try some out.

[Bronson]

Good post! Looking forward to hearing how fishing at 3:00 in the morning works out. Crappie magnets will definitely catch them. Can be purchased on their website. Add a nibble and they do even better. Got hooked on them last year. If you get in them right, you can catch one after another. Website has a short video telling you how to fish it. Good people.

There trout magnet is supposed to outstanding for bluegill & shellcracker as well as catching crappie too.

[Alphahawk]

Good post! Looking forward to hearing how fishing at 3:00 in the morning works out. Crappie magnets will definitely catch them. Can be purchased on their website. Add a nibble and they do even better. Got hooked on them last year. If you get in them right, you can catch one after another. Website has a short video telling you how to fish it. Good people.

There trout magnet is supposed to outstanding for bluegill & shellcracker as well as catching crappie too.

Thanks. It will have to be late next week to get my early morning trip in. The water was in the road bed yesterday where I fish but I wore waders and brought home a nice mess but now the water in the road bed is 7 feet deep and I would have to crawl down rip rap, and after the next few days no telling where the water will be. Yeah I have been using the Trout Magnet line for a couple of years now. It is extremely deadly on Bluegill and Shellcracker. Last Summer I made converts out of a whole lot of people at a well known TWRA lake close to me. Even the TWRA Officer that manages all the TWRA Lakes in Middle TN switched to it from crickets. His dad and a whole lot of other people switched also. They went out and bought some good ultra light gear and most of them went with 3# or 4# line though...LOL. Not a lot of people want to deal with the 2# stuff. I have a few pics on the Trout Magnet web site. My son and I both have trophy Smallmouths that were caught with the Trout Magnet and using 2# test line. I have sent Jeff a bunch of Crappie and Bluegill pics but he has never posted any of those...LOL. This past few months the biggest Crappie I have gotten into has been 15 inches and that is not exactly trophy size. Jeff now has a Pan Fish Kit out. I had a little input on the colors and jig head color in the kit...but just a little. If all companies were run like his we wouldn't have any problems. I buy all my Magnets from him directly. He sells a sweet 9 foot float rod that is nice but it is a little priecy...but it is hand made in East TN and is probably worth every penny.


Regards