Lake info

I fished with my dad as a kid mostly striper fishing some bass and a little crappie. I don't remember what we did or where we fished. We always caught fish but I don't remember how. For the past 15 years I have been fishing offshore and forgot how to freshwater fish. A few years ago a friend took me trolling for crappie and I fell in love with it. Now I have 2 boys a boat and some fishing equipment . I've been watching a lot of videos and stuff on YouTube. My questions are
1 on sunny days use a darker color jig or lighter?
2 in murky water brighter?
3 how to locate crappie? I know they like brush but I here about drops and ledges how deep?


I went a few times last year and caught a few fish but was only successful 3 times out of about 10 trips. I plan on fishing hartwell, greenwood, and succession.

Here's a thread I wrote a few months back concerning seasonal patterns, this should give you some idea as to where to look and how to fish during certain times of the year. Jig color is a preference type thing. In general, I would say the brighter the day/clearer the water the lighter the jig color. The darker the day/muddier the water the darker the jig color. Color combinations are a good way to hone in to a fishes desires. Try using color combinations on a multiple rod trolling set up, as strikes occur, begin changing baits out to get to the best combination on all rods. Remember as the day progresses, what the fish prefer may change. So, if bites slow down, begin your color search again. Also, in my opinion, the depth jigs are trolled is much more important than the color of the baits used.

Late fall through early winter your best bet for finding fish is in the river channels. Depending on water temps and bait, the fish could be all the way on the bottom or up on the ledge. Keep your eye on your electronics looking for bait. When the crappie are most active they will be suspended up in the water column near the bait balls. For most of SC I would not look much deeper than 30 feet. Late winter into early spring the fish will start to migrate towards the creek mouths. Ledges or contours near the larger creeks would be your primary targets. Severe cold snaps will push the fish back to the river if it is prolonged. Electronics are essential to finding the fish at this time, the fish will be on the move. As groups or pods of fish make there way towards the creeks, they will stage up making them prime targets for tight-line fishing. The depths of 15 to 25 feet would be my target zones. During spring, the fish could be anywhere. Always remember, not all fish spawn at the same time, so numerous techniques are effective. Long line trolling is especially deadly at this time, as fish transition between pre-spawn, Spawn, and post-spawn the long liners whom cover water will intercept all three categories of fish. Working the depths from a few feet to 18 feet should be best. During late spring into summer the fish will be in spawn to post-spawn mode. Vertical jig fishermen shine at this time, as most fish are holding on wood in shallow to mid-range water depths. Creeks are still best with some fish migrating back to the main lake. Long lining is still quite effective in the low light conditions of early or late in the day. Summer is for the brush fishermen. Jigging or minnow fishing brush can be outstanding during the hottest of days. Depths can vary from as shallow as a few feet, to in the twenties. It is a big misconception that all the crappie go deep in the heat of summer. For those whom don't like the heat night fishing under the lights can also be outstanding. Fishing brush or channel ledges are best for this technique. Summer into fall, the fish will migrate back to the shallows to gorge themselves on the huge schools of bait that can be seen all over the lakes surfaces. Staying mobile is key as the fish will be on the move following the bait. It is not uncommon to catch fish in a creek one day only to get skunked the next day fishing the same area. I hope this gives you a little insight as to my thinking on this subject. Good luck!

hone your skills in on secession you and the sons will love it :biggrin

Welcome to Crappie.com Travis. You are going to find that all three of the lakes fish different from each other with Hartwell the hardest to fish year around and Greenwood maybe one of the easiest to find fish. Secession is a good lake but the traffic can be a killer there once it starts to warm. I agree with Inkdabber that depth is very important and being to shallow with your bait will still catch fish but if you fish under the fish you are going to have a bad day of catching. A depth-finder is a must for finding the bait and fish to find the active waters.
Colors, some think it isn't to important while others think it is important. I'm one that believes while fishing the upstate lakes a little color difference will put fish in your boat and the thinking of bite days bite baits or dark days dark baits doesn't always add up. Once you see what depth the fish are holding and you know you have your bait at the right depth go through the color changes and you will find the right colors and don't get tied into one color all day because it caught a fish, it may have been the movement or depth that worked more than the color.

Confused yet? Yes it can be confusing for the newbies and veteran fisherman but that's what makes it fun, putting your knowledge to work. The best advice I can give you is to watch the fishing reports to see 1. what depths 2. water temps 3. water color 4. baits 5. colors and use this info on your trips to the same lakes or the lake you plan to fish to help you find the fish faster.

We have a moderated board where most of the fishing report are posted but you have to be a member for 30 days and have 30 post to be able to read it. We give great info there but we also want good info given back. Get your post count up and you will be able to read the board before the spawn.

Ronnie

Welcome to the board Travis. You will find a lot of help on here for the lakes you mentioned. Just stay with us as spring comes.
SeaRay

Thanks to all this will help me out a lot. I have a hummingbird with down and side imaging that I am getting use too. My oldest son is 9 and has been saltwater fishing with us since he was 4 he caught his first Mahi Mahi when he was 5 by his self with just a little help. Saltwater is all about the breaks colorchange and water temps. Color of lures is very important. On bright sunny days with very little or no clouds darker is the way to go. Partly cloudy is medium color pinks red white brown orange. On cloudy days light colors are the best. We don't fish stumps brush under bridges etc. but bottom fishing is very close to crappie fishing if you are off the structure just a few feet your success goes way down. I'm a certified diver and after diving for the past couple of years in the ocean fish stay very tight to structure. I have been on many different sites with forums like this ( not fishing) and will say you guys have been very helpful and not so quick to bash, offend or be rude. Once again thank you for the info. Can't wait to post some pics of some slabs on here with the boys.
Thanks travis.

Welcome to the boards Travis. If I were you I would spend a lot of my time on the upper end of Greenwood around where the river splits and up each river as far as you can go. Fish can be caught up there year round either pulling or tight lining and spring is especially good. Once you have mastered Greenwood then branch out to other lakes that are harder to fish. I live on Murray and do 80% of my crappie fishing on Greenwood. You will also catch stripers and a few white bass and perch and catfish up there while crappie fishing to add to your crappie catch.

Thanks again. I know you guys have spent a lot of time finding structure and ares. I don't expect anyone to give me exact locations or numbers but so far all have been a big help in where and how to start looking for fish.
Sure am glade to have found this site. I spent more time riding around burning gas last year not having very good success fresh water fishing but me and family had a good time. I think we spent more time in the water ourselves than we did fishing. Hope to change that around this year.