Fly?

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Originally Posted by thudpucker

Throwing a Clouser on an #5 Fly rod is a little like having a Whole Chicken tied onto the end of the line.

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Sounds like you are using too large a fly size for the line weight of your fly rod. Either that or too much weight for the fly. I would try smaller size flies and less weight. Sometimes unweighted flies may do better if Specks are suspended so the fly drops slower.

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But as good as those flies are, and some jigs, and some rubber goods, I just dont seem to have what it takes to catch a Crappie.

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Sure you do. Keep trying. Try to use the same tactics that you would normally use for Specks on conventional tackle. If they are really deep (deeper than your leader on your floating fly line), you might need to switch to a sinking fly line though.

"I did pretty good catching Salmon, Trout, Dollies and other stuff on flies, but no Crappie.
I even caught some Bass, some of which were stripers, but no Crappie."

We do not find clousers to be one of our better crappie bugs. Maybe because we find the need to use a SLOW presentation. Other bugs (very slow sinkers) work much better for us, be they minnow immi's or bug immi's.

"some of which were stripers"
These (stripers) generally require our fastest retrieves.
....lee s.

Thanks To All For The Input. Seems I Now Have Some More Options To Try.

Thud -- I'm having some of the same issues fishing for crappie with flies. I'm new at this...but part of problem is mine. My whole life I've always had total faith in a lively minnow, and for that reason I seldom had the same luck with jigs, though I see guys that fish with nothing but jigs an can't pull them in the boat fast enough. I'm looking for that confidence building experience with a clouser, mickey finn, crappie candy etc. I know it's out there...and if history holds true, once I experience it and my confidence builds, I'll have better and more consistent luck. Of course, what Dixieangle says is absolutely right: finding the dang things is the most important thing and at times most daunting.

Good luck. Keep flying.

J

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Sometimes unweighted flies may do better if Specks are suspended so the fly drops slower.

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Forgot to mention another way to get at suspended Specks on the fly rod (provided they aren't suspended too deep), if you use a float and jig or float and minnow, try this rig on your fly rod. A jig hook or a hook bent to about 90 degrees so that the hook bend rides point up tied as previously mentioned on a Cypert's Mylar Minnow and using a VOSI up on the leader should work in the same way as a float and jig on the fly rod. Its not the easiest rig to cast but it does cast. I've caught bream, LMB, and mudfish on this rig with the fly about four feet below the VOSI. I have not used it yet on Specks but I don't see why it wouldn't work for Specks. VOSI link below.

VOSI

Or you might just use a mini or micro-jig below the VOSI, or something like a Jitterbee fly.

Jitterbee