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It looks as if the spawn will be over early this year (that is if it isn't already). I usually don't fish much post spawn and I really don;t know much about it.
Can anyone give me a little help understanding what to expect the fish to be doing once they've finished their annual spawning ritual?
I caught Crappie on the banks up to nearly mid May last year. Once they're done there, hit the rip rap areas on Eufaula (actually, you can hit them now and have success!)
Once Summer heats up, they'll move onto Timber.
The difference in fishing for crappie during the spawn and other times is that other times you have to find the crappie. During the spawn, they find you.Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokyOkie
Just move off the banks and fish 4'-10' ow. or get right in the middle of coves and drag shallow running crankbaits, roadrunners or sidepulling jigs. They will be agressive and hit whatever comes by them.
The spawn ain't over boys! We a still have another moon phase or two, plus the water is 10 degrees cooler in come parts of the lake. I have caught spawning males in the first wek of June before. Remeber therer are billions of crappie in the big E. EB
That's right EB too many people put up the long poles to early. The Big E is unbelievable as far as how much it can change from one part to the other. People it has just begun this isn't the rut we are dealing with here. It's not wham bam thank ya maam stuff. Keep hitting those banks especially where there is a maybe foot to two foot shelf that drops off to three to four foot. Creek channels are good for these. Rip rap will do also. Caught many a crappie off the rip rap that has a good depth drop off.
You didn't hear me say it's over, and I promise you with the lake on a slow rise this week they will hit the banks HARD again. I've been strokin e'm with cork & jig 1.5' over here in Longtown and their just starting to bed now.
Here on Lake Tenkiller the water temps are a lot colder towards the dam area than in the headwaters, so the spawn can continue on into late May/early June. I've actually seen and caught Crappie on beds in June. Don't believe anyone who tells you the Crappie spawn is over when it's only the 19th of April.
I'm finally able to the point where I can break away and do a little fishing. Hope I can go the first part of next week and I can get in on the spawn. Sure have enjoyed hearing all the great reports and proud for you guys that have been doing so well. Keep em coming folks..... I love to hear about those crappie being caught.:)
The Spawn is far from over unless you fish just small ponds , After the Soawn is thru , head for the creek chanels and find the bait fish , shad , they need to fatten back up.
I caught fish into June last year bottom bouncing minnows in 17' of water.
Lip rippers I was responding to SmokyOkie post. Sorry if you thought that was geared towards you. It's just funny that people miss understand how crappie react towards the different elements. This is what this site is for, to inform those people about how fish react and respond to the stimuli around them. Just because some crappie move off the banks because of a cold snap, cooler nights, rising water. water being released, cloudy, sunny, moon phases, water clarity,etc,etc,etc There is so much out there that people have to pay attention to in order to get the most out of the spwaning season or any season for that matter.
Well I guess I feel stupid.:o
I had always thought that when all the males you caught had lost most of there color and all the females you caught were eggless, that the bulk of the spawn was over.
In the past< I was usually able to fish most every day when they were hard on the banks, and it always seemed like you were lucky if the hot and heavy action lasted for 2 weeks.
Not to say that there weren't still fish that hadn't hit the banks yet, just to say that the best part of it was over.
I guess I have a lot to learn.
Thank you for all your replies.
I don't know why, but I didn't get any notification of the replies to this thread, or I would've responded quicker.
We still love ya smoke. Maybe we will find some of those big fat sow's Sunday? Might even catch some of those males on the bank? EB
I remember one year me and a buddy of mine decided to go fish the rip-rap in late May, 2 other buddies decided to go and see if there were still some fish on the bank, the water temps were 75-78 degrees. We killed them on the rip and my buddies killed them on the bank as well, the only difference was that our fish were spawned out and there's weren't. They had some monster females mixed with black colored males. If the lake stays stable with this next moon phase we are going to have one big spawn all over the lake! EB
Well it is sure good to feel loved Brian.:D
I am looking forward to Sunday. Looks like the weather will cooperate. Mostly sunny, light west wind, a minor cool front rolling in on Friday but not big enough to hurt anything.
Of course though, this is Oklahoma and you really don't want to trust any weather forecast that you can't actually see for yourself.:rolleyes:
Check your inbox.
It's not over. But all good things come to an end eventually. And when they do, to answer your question, do the same things you did pre-spawn. Go to the mouths of creeks/channels and fish structure in 8-15 fow. they'll be there for a month or more (depends no how quick it gets HOT) after the spawn. Truth be known, either the males OR the females will be there all the way through the spawn. That's where the females are while the males prep the beds. That's where the males are while the females lay the eggs, and that's where the females are while the males guard the eggs 'till the fry hatch. They won't head to big water 'till it gets really hot outside (and underwater).
went down to eufaula yesterday and had my spider rig in the boat but never ran it i had decided to just try and find some cork&jig fish and maybe that was wrong of me but i love that bite it took me till 1:00 oclock in the afternoon to put the first fish in the box some were spawned out females some weren't some big black males on the bank still in about *8 inches to bout 2 ft i ended up with my limit after sorting out all the dinks to get a mess of keepers i was down around massey point and bugtussel and some down in the narrows it would have been pretty easy to get a mess of fish together with a spider rig alot of fish pulled out in about 6 to 10 fow suspended bout 4 ft
O WELL what can i say im a sucker for shallow fish i like to see that cork disappear and a big,ol black crappie on the line.............
till next time good fishin guys ,, wildman
C Crazy....I did the exact same thing last Thursday. Fished blue creek and back around to massey pt. Spider rig was ready to go but a cork and jig was just too much fun to watch. Figured I could spider rig anytime but this type of fishing only happens a few weeks out of the year.
Did you start fishing early and they moved up on the banks late? I see your 1:00 first fish and was just wondering?
Smoke you planning on fishing with Brian Sunday? If so better do some forearm workouts before hand. Remember Smoke ice immediately after a vigorous workout of fishing with Brian. Nothing but love for you Smoke just helping people out with info and if you are fishing with Brian you will learn from one of the best. Hey EB what is the latest on SLABMAN!!!
I remember a year like E.B.'s story, The lake was high all year and finding them in annual spawning area's was next to impossible. We cork/jigged the rip-rap and ripped them good. Then later in May until June we started catfishing the rip-rap and were still catching crappie! Sometimes you just have to fish outside the box.
Now that's what I'm sayin', watching that big black angry bastage come out form under the thick brush and tryin' to get back in.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappie crazy
MRB, have I had the pleasure of your acquaintance? You didn't by any chance fish the upper Deep Fork a week ago last Sunday did you?Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRodbender
Oh, and yes, I've fished with EB before. I was going to promise to smoke a brisket for him if he would help me set my duck boat up for spider rigging.
I think the problem was it took me that long to find the fish that had not been pulled off the bank from the falling water they were not really bunched up anywhere that i found i would maybe catch 15 or 20 fish in each spot really had to fish sloooooowly just to get em to bite... what do you fish ouy of maybe i'll see you down there one day i fish down there quit a bitQuote:
Originally Posted by CHECrappie
thnx wildman
I talked to Slabman last week, he sounded good but still not able to get around until they get that knee replaced. They plan on trying the knee replacement this summer. I saw Dumbo down on the creek catching a few out of the buckbrush and he was real sad catching those fish without slab by his side! EB
I kept 16 keepers yesterday evening here in Longtown, Cork/jiggin 6' fow. set @ 2' off a point and blacks mixed with whites. No biggies just good eating size crappie. I'm shooting a video....when Josh fiishes the edits I'll post it on this board and our website.
What has Head country BBQ and other topics to do with post spawn crappie fishing?
Because smoke in a post earlier said he was going to smoke EB a brisket for rigging him up for Spiderrigging. I told him if he wanted any tips there that I would give him some. That I had learned from one of the best BBQ teams in the world Head Country.
I too have been guilty of getting off the subject in the past and may again. But for the sake of everyone please try to keep to the subject listed in the topic. I will try to do the same. It is frustrating to get on here expecting to read about the topic you clicked on and it be off on a rabbitt trail. No hard feelings to anyone, like I said I have been guilty also. Thanks for the cooperation.
Odie