Found the slabs, but they won't bite...???

[GRIZZ]

Visable crappies arn't too hard to catch. You just have to present the lure in just the way that triggers thier feeding/striking instinct. First, choose the right time. Though you should be able to get visable crappies to hit anytime with the right skills, presenting lures at dinner time helps. A half hour before and after first or last light of the day is typically the best time. Being stealthy is important. Not in just appraoching them, but also in landing fish and fighting them so they will keep biting.

Use active live minnows or active plastics. Crappies hit upwards. Cast well past them and slloowwllyy pull the lure over thier heads, or if you are using a bobber and minnows cast well past and slowly pull the bobber till its right over them and the bait is positioned just over thier heads. When crappies are not actively feeding like the ones your describing, the strike zone is very small and you have to tempt them mightily to get them to hit, but if you carefully put an active minnow or the right jig in a crappies strike zone, it will hit. Crappies close quarter strike zone is right between thier eyes, 3 - 5 inches straight up.

Here is a secret to get reluctant crappies to hit. Crappies cannot resist a slowly rising bait. Start the jig slightly below or to the side or front and move it into thier strike zone. Slowly, and I mean so slow it gives you the shakes, move the jig straight up directly above thier eyes all the way to the surface. Sometime they will follow all the way to the surface and hit as the lure leaves the water or is in the air, especially after dark. Its hard to move as slow as I'm describing with out jiggling too much. It takes some practive, but you'll get to a point where you see them notice the bait and start to move. Do not stop or alter the speed of the jig or they will get suspitious and back off. Its a very delicate process and you have to learn to control yourself not to jiggle the jig around or go in circles. You need to move staight up or at a slight angle, but up slowly.

Use very light line and no hardware. 4-6lb test. 1/32 jighead and I suggest the lime & green berkley power micro tubes, minnow colored crappie assasin, smoke and glitter 1 - 1.5 inch tubes, blue head clear with glitter tail tube, or similar colored souther pro grubs/twisters on the same jighead. Chartreuce tubes or grubs are typically prefered the more the water is stained. Color is important and you need to try smokes or clears then chartreuces then black and white or red and white or green and white or pink and white tubes. Sometime one particular color or color combination will turn them on - experiment.

I have fished visable crappies like those for years and its my favorite method of fishing for them. Seeing a slab move up under a jig and seeing that big white mouth pop open under the jig and inhaleing it is some of the most enjoyable fishing I have ever had, and its what I search for in crappie fishing. I wish I was in TN right now and I'd come show you in person. I'm jealous. lol

Just plopping a bait or jig in front of crappies will result in your current frustrations. Time and time again you will see the angler that has knowledge and skills with delicate technics walk away with crappies while other stare on in wonder. It sure is fun to join a group of people getting skunked and start nailing them one after another with the proper methods.

Good luck and let me know if this works for you.

GRIZZ

PS - I just noticed that your right by Norris - is that where your fishing? Man if I were in TN right now I'd be over tonight to help you get those slabs. I have friends in lenoir city and Farragut I stay with there, but I'll prob be at Cedine down on Watts bar when I come.