Thread: What to do when you cant find them?

Some days are just like that. Especially in the days of pre-spawn. After many years of fishing I have seen this time and time again on my favorite lake Tenkiller. During the months of Nov. thru Feb. your ripping them. Then comes March and they disappear from the spots you have ripped them for 3 or 4 months. The fish are on the move, and I don't think they move great lengths to reach their spawning grounds like one would expect or think. You would think these fish would move to the mouths of creeks or deeper main lake points to hold for that perfect water temp or moon phase as some rely on to move up close. I have fished all these patterns for years and one would think after searching for and striking out on numberous occasions you would stop and work on a different pattern. But one thing to remember is they are on the move. Covering water this time of year is the only way to find the active fish and cover alot of it. On a recent trip I was catching creek crappie in 14' to 16' DOW but only fishing 8' deep and I got hung up on that depth. For over 2 hrs I went without a bite before I noticed the WT had warmed 2 degrees. I moved from the deeper water closer to the bank and BAM. They are on the move and by just a couple of feet in water depth made for a successful trip. I am like you somewhat EB that I get locked into a technique and have my blinders on alot and some of that has to do with fishing with a buddy thats as stubborn as they come, and doesn't feel comfortable getting out of his comfort zone. Guess thats my answer to alot of the questions you asked is get out of your comfort zone and try something different. A few different conditions really affect crappie and those are rising water, falling water, muddy water, current, LP or HP the day of and day after, and fishing pressure. One more thing I practice on a daily basis when fishing is you don't have to beg em to bite. If there are active fish on the wood, rock, gravel, cutbank, ledge, channel, ect. they are going to hammer you and fast. Yes after awhile the active fish will spook and I have found you can catch a few more of these fish that have gone deep into the wood if you get over it and vertical deep inside the wood.
My thought process is there are always active fish feeding somewhere on this body of water I just have to find em....Ranger

Dont forget if the water get MUDDY go somewhere else! EB

Very informative posts guys, thanks. I think we all have those times and changing my habits is hard to do, but I'm gonna give it a shot.

Looking forward to learning something from this post!! I learned the muddy water with current trick last weekend. You can tell how often I am scratching my head, by looking at it!! Very good subject! One thing I have learned is to trust my FF, if they look to small they are, keep moving!

Originally Posted by Ranger09

My thought process is there are always active fish feeding somewhere on this body of water I just have to find em....Ranger

Heed this Doug.