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Thanks, i am taking my father-in-law and his brother, they have never caught lots of crappie, they are used to one here or there in small creeks. So i hope i can put them on some fish. I finally got my new fishfinder so maybe i can actually mark fish now.
Sun030809
"Raleigh Area Lake"
9:30am
11:30am
Water Temp: 52.5
00 crappie
06-11'
#6 Vanish Transition
chart jig
bottom bouncing minnow rig
The lake was windy and overbooked. But boy was that wind warm! I got off the lake early in favor of gardening.
Jeremy
Thu031209
"Raleigh Area Lake"
5:15pm
6:45pm
Water Temp: 56.5
03 crappie
10.5"-13"
3'-6' down in 10'
#6 Vanish Transition
*chart/gold sparkle jig
unweighted hook and minnow
Signs of life! The lake is beginning to stirr. Forgot how hard the fish pull on that lake! My 1.15 lb crappie took out drag and looked huge...amazing to think that in only 1 month, that fish may barely raise an eyebrow! Still only found them in one spot, but had some good bites where I did really well last summer. Come on warm weather!
Jeremy
Sounds good Jeremy! I need to get out there again, it's been a while.
Sat032109
"Raleigh Area Lake"
7:30am
12:00pm
Water Temp: 57
00 crappie
--
--
#6 Vanish Transition
chart/gold sparkle jig
unweighted hook and minnow
bottom bouncing rig
Goose eggs. Too much rain?
Jeremy
Sun032209
Jordan Lake
8:30am
5:15pm
Water Temp: 59
05 crappie
10"-10.75"
17-26'
#6 Vanish Transition
chartreuse jig
bottom bouncing minnow rig
So, om, let me get this straight...crappie should be shallow and hungry when the spring water is 60 degrees, right? Did I miss something?
Anyway, I showed Kellog around Jordan Lake. My little boat traveled from vista to the s-turns to roberson to stinking to beaver to 64 and back to vista. I used almost a gallon of fuel! The Haw still looks like rich chocolately ovaltine, although Kellog caught a couple niners down 23' down in stinking creek. The only real catching we did was in 20-24' near vista--not 0-4' like I was hoping. Oh well. It was nice to meet a fellow C.commer. We had a good time. He like Skiffless, reels on the wrong side.
I'll have to put the boat in later this week after work.
Jeremy
Sat032809
"Raleigh Area Lake"
4:30am
7:00pm
Water Temp: 60
01 crappie
11.25"
3' in 10'
#6 Vanish Transition
chart/gold sparkle jig
Nope. Not yet.
Jeremy
Sun032909
Jordan Lake
10:30am
5:15pm
Water Temp: 59
00 crappie
-
-
#6 Vanish Transition
chartreuse jig
bottom bouncing minnow rig
I definately made some strides to find Jordan's Winter crappie, but this spring has been difficult. I fished near the dam, the back of Beaver, Vista Point, S-Turns, deep and shallow. Nothing. It was a beautiful day, though.
Jeremy
It'll get better.
Sat040409
"Raleigh Area Lake"
8:15am
2:15pm
Water Temp: 62.0F
03 crappie
Harvested(3)
10.0-13.75"" (13.75"=1.70 lbs)
4'-10' down in 10'
#6 Vanish Transition
1/8oz chart tube jig
*slip bobber/minnow
Well the lake seems to picking up some. Two of three keepers came off the midlake hump. Later, I lost 2 fish back to back that each were over 2lbs. That is difficult to overcome. I'll have to make it up tomorrow afternoon.
Sun040509
"Raleigh Area Lake"
3:00pm
7:15pm
Water Temp: 65.2F
16 crappie
Released
10.0-15.75" (14.75"=1.86lbs; 14.75"=2.00lbs; 15.75"=2.40lbs)
4'-10' down in 10'
#6 Vanish Transition
*1/8oz chart tube jig
slip bobber/minnow
Here they come! The fishing was much like yesterday except for one really hot spot! I caught half the keepers in the last half hour. 13 of 16 keepers were white crappie. 18 total fish caught. The average keeper was definately 13"+ and around 1.5 lbs. 15 of 16 keepers were female hogs that may have been hybridized with a football.
I have never seen so many boats on the water! Spider rigging doesn't work as well when sitting in a boat becomes practice for riding a mechanical bull.
Good news: Caught 2- 2lb class fish to make up for yesterday's failure to execute.
Bad news: Lost 2 more good fish in the same spot.
Good news: One of the 2 fish that got off the hook today actually got re hooked in the pectoral fin muscle! Never had that happen before! So I guess I only really lost one today.
I think my boat may begin to follow me to work.
Two new pictures on "big fish" thread.
good job crat.....sounds like you are getting them dialed in again....come on over and try your skills on some Tuckertown crappie at the social.
nice job crat!
Really glad to hear the "Raleigh area lake" is picking up for you, crat. Should make for some great fishing this spring. Those two fish are hawgs. Would love to land a pair like that myself. Congrats!
congratulations. you seem to have them figured out.
EDIT: i read the first 3 pages and replied. without realizing this thread had 18 pages and was almost a year old. haha
cool crat. sounds like your in the grove again.
Fri041009
"Raleigh Area Lake"
5:15pm
7:30pm
Water Temp: 62.5F
09 crappie
6 Harvested/3 Released
11.0-15" (13.75"=1.78lbs; 15"=2.13lbs)
6'-10' down in 7'-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
1/8oz chart tube jig
*slip bobber/minnow
The fishing is definately back! I enjoyed some bobber fishing after work. There's nothing better than seeing that bobber take a dive and just know its a big crappie without even pulling. the 2.13 lb slab hit within 10 seconds of the bobber settling in from the first cast. The fish were averaging about 1.5lbs tonight...can't complain!
I lost a couple again! And I can't believe I forgot to take a big fish picture tonight! Oh well, I'll be fishing again tomorrow.
Jeremy
Cool :)
Sat041109
"Raleigh Area Lake"
10:45am
7:35pm
Water Temp: 63.5F
15 crappie
2 Harvested/13 Released
11.0-15.25" (13.25"=1.78 lbs; 13.75"=1.92 lbs; 15.25=2.47 lbs)
6'-10' down in 7'-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
1/8oz chart-gold sparkle tube jig
*slip bobber/minnow
Slow until the end of the day--and windy! Something happened between Friday and today that pushed the fish back out and scattered them. Until the last 45 minutes, I didn't even get a bite on the spots have recently been hot. During the slow part of the day I continued to practice spider rigging and caught several slabs in places I haven't tried before. I also found some new cover to try later. Then, as mentioned before, I returned to my proven spots for the last few minutes and pulled a couple out of one spot (one was 1.78), then 5 in the last 15 minutes out of another (including 1.92 and 2.47). I fished the last spot with a bobber and minnow. They would only hit it if it was within a couple inches of a certain depth and only if the minnow was barely hooked through the back. They are so picky on that lake. I lost another big one, too--I lose alot more fish when I hook the minnow through the back. I hope meet up with PG24 and fish a couple hours on the tail end of tomorrow.
Happy Easter! And remember that there is more to this sacred day than just a crappie egg hunt!
Big fish pic posted
Sun041209
"Raleigh Area Lake"
3:45pm
7:30pm
Water Temp: 65F
13 crappie
13 harvested
10.0-14.5" (14.5"=1.91 lbs)
4'-10' down in 7'-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
1/8oz chart-gold sparkle tube jig
slip bobber/minnow
*bottom bouncing rig
Sat042009
"Raleigh Area Lake"
4:30pm
7:30pm
Water Temp: 67F
04 crappie
released
10.0-13.5"
4'-10' down in 7'-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
1/8oz chart-gold sparkle tube jig
*slip bobber/minnow
Sat042709
"Raleigh Area Lake"
4:30pm
7:30pm
Water Temp: 69F
03 crappie
released
10-11"
4'-10' down in 7'-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
1/8oz chart-gold sparkle tube jig
*slip bobber/minnow
Mehhh. I went fishing anyway:)
Sun050309
"Raleigh Area Lake"
6:45am
10:00am
Water Temp: 74F
04 crappie
released
10-15.25" (15.25"= 2.33 lbs
8-10' down in 8-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
slip bobber/minnow
*bare hook and weight
The fishing was slow, but I caught a decent one at the beginning (1.6 lbs) and again at the end (2.33 lbs). For the first time ever, I caught a fish without hooking it. It definately hit the bait, but missed. The hook went around the body of the fish and caught the line, lassoing the fish! My big fish swallowed the hook but since there was no blood, I cut the line. She had eggs coming out of her.
I missed two big ones today. One I speculate the first to have been around 2lbs, but the other may have been larger than the 2.33 lb fish. It was BIG. Oh well:)
In a few minutes I will post today's pot bellied Pomoxis in "big fish pics".
Jeremy
good job crat...you always seem to dial the big ones in..
Wed051309
Lake Shelbyville, Illinois
6:45am
5:00pm
Water Temp: 74F
20 crappie (est)
released
10-11.5"
8-10' down in 15-25'
#6 Fireline Crystal
*slip bobber/minnow
I went back to my old stomping grounds and fished with my dad on Lake Shelbeyville. Driving rain, high wind, constant lightning...hail. Just like old times. The lake was way up so I didn't have the chance to fish many of our most familiar spots. My dad got a new boat. It's an 18' Bass Tracker with a 150 saltwater motor. I wonder how many other saltwater motors there are in Illinois? Oh well, It goes a bit faster than the 1976 16' Glastron 115 evinrude. The storage is amazing, too!
Sun061409
"Raleigh Area Lake"
6:15am
10:50am
Water Temp: 86F
10 crappie
harvested
10-15.5" 15.5"=2.23 lbs
5-10' down in 7-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
*1/16 chart jig
split shot and #2 aberdeen
Would you believe it had been 5 weeks since I fished, and even longer since I launched the boat. This is fundamentally wrong. The crappie are really settling into their summer pattern as my largest fish was caught on the *you guessed it* midlake hump!
Tues061609
"Raleigh Area Lake"
3:15pm
8:30pm
Water Temp: 81F
13 crappie
harvested
10-14.5"
3-10' down in 10'
#6 Vanish Transition
*1/16 chart jig
split shot and #2 aberdeen
Encore!
Sat062009
"Raleigh Area Lake"
6:30am
10:30am
Water Temp: 85F
08 crappie
released
11.5-16" (16"=2.17 lbs; 15.25"=1.98 lbs)
3-10' down in 10'
#6 Vanish Transition
1/16 chart jig
*split shot and #2 aberdeen
Well I found them about 40' away from where I usually catch them. There were two layers of fish on the midlake hump today, but i didn't get a bite. Nevertheless, it won't be long! I lost a crappie that I believe to have been in excess of 3lb. When I am fighting a fish, I take a very long time to get it in. I set my drag extremely light when it is under the boat and a bit tighter when it swims towards the perifery. Unfortunately, after fighting the fish for what seemed like 3 minutes and getting one very good look at it about 10' from the boat, I failed to loosen my drag when it swam straight down. Hook popped out. Game over. I'll get it next time. Still, as I think back, there is only one or two notable fish that I may have landed if I furninshed a net--and that wasn't one of them.
Maybe it's just me, but I really enjoy lifting the fish in the boat by hand. I enjoy it as much as releasing the fish unharmed (and almost as much as eating them with a healthy coating of old bay seasoning). When a slab breaks the surface for the first time, I determine the quality and location of the hookset--and tailor a direction and aggression of pull that I believe gives me the best chance to get my thumb in its mouth. I've seen many fish get off the hook because of the chaos of blindly flailing for the net, and then coarsley pulling the fish towards it. In the end, I believe that just as many crappie can be landed without a net than with. Bold claim. Maybe I'm wrong. Let me know why.
Tues062309
"Raleigh Area Lake"
4:30pm
8:10pm
Water Temp: 86.6F
14 crappie
13 harvested 1 released
10.5-16" (16"=2.41 lbs)
3-9' down in 7-10'
#6 Vanish Transition
*1/16 glow ice fishing jig
split shot and #2 aberdeen
slip bobber and minnow
My midlake hump is officially open for the summer! 10 of 14 keepers were pulled off of it including the 9 largest. Again the fish were stacked on the hump...they weren't really interested in vertical minnow rigs--they preferred jigs...but a very strange and tiny solid body type. They would not touch the 1.5" gold/chart standby setup. Instead they went crazy for a glow-white 3/4" ice fishing plastic (Illinois leftovers) on a short shaft 1/16 oz chart head. I have had tournament success with this same plastic back in Illinois--but only once did it outperform the traditional tube. I'll take a picture of it soon.
I also had some success fishing the hump with a slip bobber and minnow pitched to wherever the boat hadn't cast its shadow yet. I hauled in a 1.78 lb crappie and a 1.67 lb crappie on that. But the jig caught more fish and big fish, including the 2.41 lb slab (which was released after a quick photo-op).
I had a great time with my coworker today. He fished with me about 10 months ago on the same spots...with similar results. We both had a great time...and he's got some good eating ahead of him.
great going crat. glad to hear "the hump" is back in business. man i wish i could find me one of those things.
crat...you are the man....I would not be a bit surprised..if a new state white crappie record is set by one of our own crat's "hump" fish.
I'd settle to be 1/2 the fisherman you are Crat. my guess is if I keep hanging around long enough some of it has to rub off. To repeat myself "again"....Good Job. Another great day on that mysterious hump.
PG
Thurs062509
"Raleigh Area Lake"
5:45pm
8:05pm
Water Temp: 88.9F
22 crappie
released
10-15" (15"=1.97 lbs)
1-8' down in 7-9'
#6 Vanish Transition
*1/16 glow ice fishing jig
1/16 blue and chart
1/16 gold chart
split shot and #2 aberdeen
slip bobber and minnow
First of all, let me say this about PG24...
He is in the 4 lb club. If he is 1/2 the fisherman I am, that means I am in the 8 lb club. Clearly, I am not a member of any such club.
A word of caution to my C.com comrades...PG24 uses flattery as a tool of diversion. He doesn't want people to recognize him for the skilled and accomplished fisherman that he truly is. He has the nerve to post 3+ lb crappie pics and act as if he has no idea what he is doing. He is merely attempting to pass the lime light on to a greenhorn like me. Do not let his smoke and mirrors fool you. His tactics are uncooth. The next time you see PG24 in his plush pontoon, that is where the fish are! Check his livewell, because once he gets home the evidence of his success quickly disappears. Also, please do not assume that the 14' grey and white Polar Craft is within 100' of good fishing:)
Ok, now on to the fishing report.
I caught seven keepers as shallow as 1' down in my first spot, and they were 10-12".
On the hump though...
15 more keepers! The 3/4" ice fishing bait caught the biggest fish today, and a hook and minnow lost the biggest fish of the day. I had several bad hooksets today on both the aberdeen and on the jig, but I still managed to land all but one--you already know the one that got away. I caught 5 fish 14" or better--all of which felt so good to set the hook into!
The jigs worked very well until the last 15 minutes of the bite, when the minnows took over. Then nothing...nothing to complain about, but time to go home.
3 of 5 14"+ fish hit the blue/chart jig tonight. They hit so hard! Like setting into a black and white spotted brick.
All the fish were happy to be released, but angry that I ruined their day. Oh well--I thanked them for making mine.
On another note, it is really fun (and beneficial) to compare my C.com post from a year ago to today's results. It establishes a preliminary pattern.
Sincerely, thank you all for the supportive words!
Jeremy
Sat062709
"Raleigh Area Lake"
5:15pm
8:00pm
Water Temp: 92.2F
15 crappie
14 harvested 1 released
10-16.5" (16.5"=2.50 lbs)
1-8' down in 7-9'
#6 Vanish Transition
*split shot and #2 aberdeen
1/16 glow ice fishing jig
1/16 blue and chart
1/16 gold chart
Another good day of fishing. I went with my coworker, George. We both had fun. The two biggest slabs of the day hit at the same time--personal doubles! I really don't think my scale was accurate with the big one. It was acting up--and then registered 2lb-8oz for the biggest one. 16.5" and well filled out...either fate does not want me in the 3lb club or my scale was right on as usual. George and I saw the 1.66 lb crappie surface just before I set into the 2.50. I pulled on both for a few seconds, but soon came to my senses (and came to the realization that one fish need extra attention). I handed the pole in my right hand off to George. The big fish on the pole in my left hand made me smile really big. When I got it to the surface, I immediately noticed that there was no hook set! The hook was under its top jaw like a grappling hook--it never penetrated its jaw! I reacted by putting more tention on the rod to horse her in, since any play by the fish meant freedom before photos.
All the big fish came off the hump...and...and...my PVC structure! Finally, a 14" hog out of the homemade structure!
When we pulled up on the hump, I got three good fish on in the first couple minutes. I lost all three--I was not focused on the fight. I should not have lost them, but I pulled too hard and/or turned the hook the wrong way when they broke the surface. I didn't let that happen again! Just ask George...I was livid at my initial performance!
I've got weekend watering duty tomorrow...but the boat will be behind me for when I'm done.
Big Fish pics will be posted soon.
It was hot out there!
Jeremy
good job jeremy....
way to go Jeremy!! sounds like fun!
Thank you, guys!
gotta love those nonhooked fish. Two of my favs have been a largemouth where the worm hook wedged vertically in his mouth and a king mackerel that hit a live bait in the middle and the treble hooks swung up on either side of his mouth and tangled with each other which left the cable running through its teeth like a horse's bit.
Sun062809
"Raleigh Area Lake"
3:45pm
7:30pm
Water Temp: 91.5F
11 crappie
Harvested
10.5-15.25" (15.25"=2.11 lbs; 15"=2.10 lbs; 15"=2.10 lbs; 14.75"=1.97 lbs)
3-9' down in 7-12'
#6 Vanish Transition
*split shot and #2 aberdeen
1/16 gold chart
1/16 blue and chart
Fishing was steady. There were no sudden discernable peaks in the action. I caught a catfish that must have been 8-10lbs--an interesting fight on a 12' capps and coleman trolling rod. Noteably, I and a friend caught 4 fish right at or just above 2 lbs. Caught most of the big fish on the hump, but picked another heafty 1.5 lbs fish off the PVC. Again, it was hot out there!
I'm kind of fished out for a couple days. I think I'll work in the garden a bit. I've got some pumpkins on the vine! At this stage they double in size every day. The vine is still looking pretty good, and at this point, I am on pace to beat my 250 lb mark from last year--but it is WAY too early to lean on that assessment.
I want to wish everyone an independent 4th of July! Count each one as if it were your last!
I'll post to big fish pics in the next couple days.
Jeremy
another great report Jeremy...you are knocking out all the barriers on the two pound club...I suspect you will be hitting the three pound club soon.