Never Crappie fished in the colder months of Jan-Feb.... but thinking about it... I always wait till it warms up a little in March April and fish more the spawn....
Are the fish generally quite a bit deeper than March-April?
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Never Crappie fished in the colder months of Jan-Feb.... but thinking about it... I always wait till it warms up a little in March April and fish more the spawn....
Are the fish generally quite a bit deeper than March-April?
Hey man, the fish will be normally a foot off the bottom and you need to fish slow. Just pay close attention to your electronics to see what depth their staking up at. Double Minnow Rigs are good to use and SCENT. Scent is key!
I find most near the bottom during the cold water times too. Welcome to the boards.:)
we have been catching some 14ft deep in 25-30ft of water look at meatgetter jig on facebook.
Thanks for the help guys.
So look for fish stacked up near the bottom? Then do you anchor and tightline a jig/minnow real slow or just let it sit? or do you cast and wind?
Sorry for all the questions but I have no idea how to fish when cold and deep.
I fish shallow with a jig/minnow around visible structure during the spring and love it but don't know a thing about fishing during the "winter"....
I have always located them then depending on wind, I tightline live minnows or jigs a couple cranks up of the bottom, or however high they are, using trolling motor to stay on them or over the type structure their holding on. The colder the water temp, the slower you fish. Alot of time the bite is very light. So watching your line and rod tip is critical.
Alot of times I will have multiple rods with different colors of bait. If they start biting a certain color more often, then I change all to that color.
Good luck. And it dosnt hurt to take notes on the water. Write down water temp, fish location, bait choice that works, what didnt. You can go back to as a refference in the future.
There is no set rule , depends on lake. Here it has been 8' deep lately. Have seen it where they were right off bottom at times. Later in the month after a few warm sunny days slabs have been known to pull up on real shallow cover where the sun warms it up. Have caught some dandies late feb. And early march in less than 3' of water after sun shines for a few straight days.
Until the spawn begans at which I fish about 12-18 inches in the brush or close to banks.
Right now---- as one gentleman said--they are stacked about 2 feet from the bottom and close to structure.
Myself I fish for crappie using the tight line system--I place about a 3/8 oz. weight on the very bottom of my line and tie a couple of leads about 4-8 inches in length above that and about 12 inches apart. I usually bait one with a minnow and one with a jig. I like to hit the bottom with the weight and jig upwards until I find them--moving the line slowly upwards and lowering it again.---I repeat this over and over --Most of the time I find them deep.
I use this system with the pole that I hold--others I bait with jigs or minnows or both and place in rod holders. Usually I get hits on the minnows fishing off the bottom up 2-3 cranks.
I fish standing timber but also the underwater structure is thick but can not be seen by the eye.---Watch your depth finder and you can see them stacked up and down underwater structures just right under the surface and down to the bottom, which may be down as far as 15-20 ft.--Depending on the depth.
Lately I have been fishing in about 20-25 ft. depths among standing timber in a channel.
Many guys will tell you that trolling is an important part of fishing if you do not have your own honey holes baited with brush tops. I like to zag--zag from shallow to deep water until I find that great drop off with some underwater timber along side the drop off---Maybe a run off or creek.
I taught myself how to use Goggle maps and research where the creeks are and where they join the lake or river--than at times I just get out and start riding and exploring--you will be amazed at how far you can go up into some of these creeks and just kill the crappie, especially ones with a lot of fallen down trees or brush. Water may be a little shallow in places and at times 15-20 feet deep. Exploring is how these guys catch crappie they know where the Backwater places are.
I hardly ever fish in a big lake--I may explore it a little when calm---Millwood is a very dangerous lake to fish in the main part of it---wind comes from bad angles in that lake and it is very hard to get planed out, plus it is shallow mostly--A few do venture out there.
Most of the guys I know will fish the rivers and Oxbows---Other lakes you may have your own ways--Here in Southern Arkansas it is refreshing to fish some of these wind free sloughs and deal with the gators--Great bream and blue gill fishing also. Knowing the spots is to be a good crappie fisherman.
I was taught this by the best-----THE GUYS ON THIS FORUM---Read and pay attention--you can learn a lot---I did--
I just bought a new stick---steer Tracker---I am going to see how willing I am to get it in brush and maybe scratch it up some---I bought it to fish--- not to use as a photo opt---I imagine by the end of the year it will be scratched a bit---I usually break a couple of rods in the process--I forget to take them out of the rod holders when I need to. Spider rigs probably would not work in the places I fish----maybe one pole or rod---casting is usually a jig loss.
THANKS GUYS--GOD BLESS
Casting is a different set of rules when it comes to winter crappie,as stated they are still deep.To find them I had rather cast into swallow water and let the lure fall though the water colum all the way to bottom.If no takers I crawl it a few inches before I hop it off bottom 1 to 2ft. and let it fall back to bottom.Some days even when useing braided line you do not feel the bite,just extra wt. felt on the lure.On mono line they can suck and spit it out and you'll never know it until you see you tube half off your hook.You'll see me preach "scent" though out my posting and its more important this of year then any other.I start my search by rigging up 4 rods with different jig wts.,1/32,1/16,1/8 and a pink crank bait.A finder would be nice but they aren't really needed in the smaller lakes and owbows,unless your clueless as what to look for.I like to start by fishing the points before trying inside blends or brush tops.B/c this time of year they're(maybe) on the move and will school off any type wood,open water crappie as I call them.They are by far to me the easiest crappie to catch,by useing scent you can sometimes set the school off into a feeding fiz.
Crappie aren't really hard to find,whats hard is finding the right colored jig head,wt.,color of lure,size of lure,speed of lure,which scent and a wooden nickel.If you can find all that it doesn't matter what type day,how cold/hot,swallow/deep you can catch enough to mess the dishes up.
the best thing was said earlier, get out look at the water, study the fish and enjoy learning from the good folks on this board. I have been fishing for these things for several years and have yet to stop learning. Like Backwater Man posted, we fish close to the same way on Millwood. I also fish another lake or two that are deeper. The other day before the snow we fished at Gillham Lake and was catching them in 50 ft water suspended at about the 30 ft mark. water temp was only 43 and clear. Just give it a try and you cant go wrong.
what about trolling bandits this time of year? anybody have luck trolling in cold weather?
I've been ask a few Q'tions and decided to answer all here on the board as to others input too.
I'll start the day with 2in. curly tails,pony head jigs,crappie nib. and scents.If I have to I'll change though out the day with sliders,creature baits.The last thing I'll pick is the tube bait for casting b/c it takes more work from the rod tip to get great action.It also can be deadly when lockjaw is a problem,its better suited for the long poles.
What color to start with,clear water I'll start with a tenn. shad colored bait,if only a few takers I'll go to a wally world colored bait.From there I'll either pick blue/white, black/blue,black/char,pink/white,from there I'll scatch head.Even tho the color of the bait may have been right for the day the jig head color could have been the wrong color.I'll start with a black jig head,then go to orange,olive green,char.,dark red,dark blue and pink.
After the cast my rod tip will be at 8/9 oclock,let bait sink to what ever depth you want and slowly start your rod tip up on the rewind as to keep it at that depth.When the rod tip get at the 11/12 oclock mark stop and let the bait sink as you lower the rod tip back to 8/9 oclock and repet all the way back to the boat.If your worried about loseing jig heads stay off bottom or learn how to crawl/flip the jig over wood.I use 10/2 P.P. braid on all my rods/poles,it even lets the jig fall slower though the water colum.I do not own any floaters to keep the bait at a depth but they too can be used in a matter of popping the float to get the attention of any near by fish.However I have found the floater to be more spooky(swallow water) to the fish as the reason I use no floats.
Scents,I like Bang and Gulp in anise,garlic and crawdad,it not only helps in getting strikes it kills the plastic scent that most baits have.
it is easy whatever the depth you are fishing in start out at one half that depth. this really works good for me but i don't fish real deep water. mostly oxbowls
Always keep this in mind when you are crappie fishing, CRAPPIE ALWAYS FEED UP, they never feed down. so a good rule of thumb would be to locate the depth of the bait fish and fish just below the baitfish starting out, Then make depth adjustments accordingly, I usually make my adjustments in 2 to 6 inch adjustments, then when I get hit, I stop at that depth for a little bit and see how well it works out. Then if it dont produce I start adjusting deeper.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansas slim
O come on now slabsntaters surely you don't believe they always feed up...:grin:
Someone didn't want you to know they'll stand on there heads rooting out nymphs and crawdads like all fish do.I like bottom fishing for hogs just before the hatch or then they are wiggling up though the mud.
I don't care who you are, now thats funny! :D:D:D
Oh turtlebait, here we go again, to read what you have written in past posts, you are a expert drum fisherman, a expert bowfin fisherman, a expert gar fisherman, but I have never seen you write about being a expert crappie fisherman. You can't call trash fish crappie, crappie are in a totally different catagory of thier own. Crappie actually serve a purpose for the space they take up in a body of water.Quote:
Originally Posted by Turtlebait
Yeah:eek: but when I become a expert in crappie fishing I want haveta dig them out of the mud anymore.I'll be able to catch them while they are looking up at all the crosseyed bodder watchers:D.
To bad you are so far away, I would enjoy swapping fish pictures with you, but I can't post pictures from my iPhone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Turtlebait
We obviously don't agree on most all topics, but that what makes it fun, I ain't ever met nobody on crappie.com that wasn't a swell person. I got lots of pictures of fish I could share with you. Everyone has their own opinion and thier own style of fishing I recon. However I may never be able to agree with you on the drum, bowfin, and gar. :D:D
We agree on more things then you think,I'd love to be your back seat fishing partner one of these days.I'd even take you to a lake full of duck weed and show you a different type of fishing.A long pole 1/8 jig head to bust though the duck weed and hang on.I cann't get away from home haveta be home by dark,from 8 until dark is my fishing time.
Marble eyes will make all fish taste trashy,smallie,Ky,crappie and bream in that order as to my likes.
I'll try to take it easy on you but like picking on you:D,you'd more likely throw me out of boat before the day was up.
Think I'll stay home today and eat beef steaks and eggs,snack on little debbie cakes,eat hotdogs drink choc milk a candy bar or two dream about crappie fishing.I sure hope I don't dream about the best times I've ever crappie fished.More I think about it the more I don't like what my mind is dreaming about.It see me setting out in the boat and catching one right after the other while watching the snow hit the water and turn into wittle soft snow nibs.
Turtlebait, One things for sure, If you were in the back seat of my boat we would have fun, I like getting a hard time from you just like I like giving you a hard time.:p I figured that we had a lot more in common when it comes to fishing than really appears.:) I would enjoy fishing from the back of your boat as well, but I figured it would be the other way around and you would throw me out.:p I can tell you know your stuff, and I can tell that because I know mine. Oh and about the duck weed, 1/8th ounce lead head, Them there Bowfin loves em some duckweed ponds But so does my favorite fish Largemouth Bass.:D Maybe when the conditions are right i'll give you a PM and you can come down to my favorite pond and And we will go and catch some of those king of the lake Largemouth bass. I have a comfortable back seat Or a butt seat. I think we would get along just fine. I promise I would throw back, unharmed your favorite sportfish(drum,bowfin and gar) if I caught any.:D:D You dont have to take it easy on me, that would take the fun out of it. I aint going to take it any easier on you.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Turtlebait
Have to be carefull around me,I've been known to rub some catfish charlie on your rod handles to get the edge on a big day.It'll take your mind off catching to whipping who ever smeared that on your rods...lol.
If I want to keep a picture I've taken with the cell phone I'll send it to my email address to the computer.From there I can post them on the board,just make a new contract and put your e-mail address where the phone number goes.
Turtle on your list of fish to eat I can't believe that flathead didn't make it. Bass but no flathead? Gesh! I agree the marble eyes are good but ive only ate a few
I know I know I haven't ate any cats in a loooonngg time and the meat between its eyes is yummy.I catch several channels and blues while digging the crappie out of the mud and have never caught a flat while doing so.For some reason or another I do not keep cats anymore.Do people still bleed the cats and brush the the insides for better tasting meat?
My uncle has got me to just eating flathead walleye and crappie. I will eat bream if they are big enough but haven't caught any in a while. We caught a flathead that we guessed was 20-30 lbs last summer on a trotline we bled him didn't know if he would be good or not but he turned out just as good as any other flathead. My uncle likes to put a trotline out and run a few jugs so we catch some. Most of the blues and channels get given away. Never heard of brushing the insides I was taught to skin em but anymore we just fillet them
I always brushed the inside of the belly area,brush all the black lineing out of the belly,I was told that was here the mud flavor came from.When I first started bleeding the cats I was shocked at the amount of blood a fish had in them.I like limb lines for flats baited with big bream and just deep enough for the breams top fin to stick out of the water.A cat can locate a bream faster by the splashing on the surface.