Well, true to my word ....

and as luck would have it ..... I ended up having to go to Cedar Creek and bank fish :rolleyes:
Arrived at dam ramp around 7AM ..... first fish of the day was a 4" Bass :D Then, over the next 2hrs, I caught around 30 Crappie. Biggest one was a scrappy 7-8" Blacknose :eek: All were caught in one general area, of no more than a 50ft x 50ft section of water ... LOL!! They're usually always there, and today was no exception. And, true to the usual happenings at Cedar Creek, once the Sun got up - they shut down. Had I been there at first light ... I'd probably have caught twice as many :D Biggest fish of the trip was a 9" Bass. All were caught fishing a jig under a float, with a slow/steady retrieve or stop/go retrieve.

Talked to the Bait Store/RV Park/Bed & Breakfast owner ... seems the KDFWR is as stumped as everyone else, as to why the Crappie don't seem to be growing very fast. Noticed his "screensaver" on his computer .... 10" Shellcracker .... and asked if it came from Cedar Creek. He confirmed that, indeed it did.
Found out where the "Beach" was placed. Not where I thought it would be. I was thinking it would be in the shallow waters to the right of the ramp (if facing the lake). It's actually on the opposite end of the ramp/parking lot area.
Saw some nesting going on ..... looked to be a Longear Sunfish (Pumpkinseed) (or "redbelly", as I grew up calling them).

Not a real "productive" trip ... but, I just needed to get out and wet a line. I knew going in, that I was probably only going to end up "playing with the little ones" :D ... but, it was still fun while it lasted. ....... cp :cool:

how far under is the jig under the bobber

thanks
shawn

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Originally Posted by shawn-n-the-buckeye

how far under is the jig under the bobber

thanks
shawn

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First off -
Welcome to Crappie.com !!

Now, in this particular case, I had the jig about 4ft under the bobber. The section of lake I was fishing, runs out to around 8ft deep (at the end of the cast). There are water plants (grasses/mosses) on the bottom, from shoreline out to around that depth. The lake is relatively clear, most all the time ... though heavy storms or boat traffic can dingy up the shallows, for a while. Since I was standing on shore, and wanted to keep my jig out of the weeds, I used the "stop & go" retrieve when the jig/bobber was over the deeper water. Once I had brought them about halfway back, I switched to a steady slow retrieve. The 1/32oz jig would trail behind/below the bobber ... about 2ft deep. The water was clear enough that I could see the jig at times, especially with the brown background. I even got to see a few fish come up and take the jig ... at least, those that were close to the shore, early in the day. As the shade, over the area I was fishing, departed .. and the Sun rose higher in the sky behind me, they seemed to move away from the shallower waters. ........... cp :cool:

Where on the lake were you fishing? Were you to the right of the dam ramp when facing the lake from the ramp?

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Originally Posted by crap-pie

Where on the lake were you fishing? Were you to the right of the dam ramp when facing the lake from the ramp?

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I was standing on the rip rap rocks, just below the parking lot of the dam ramp. The KDFWR placed stake buckets out from there. You can actually see a couple of them, as the tips of the stakes are just barely under the surface. Personally, I think they placed some of them too close to the bank. But, I don't think they were really expecting the moss & grass to be quite so heavy.
I always catch a few Crappie from that area ... but, so far, they've all been little guys. Actually, I've yet to catch a keeper sized Crappie from Cedar Creek, bank or boat fishing. I've heard that the line of trees across the lake from the dam ramp, is a good spot for keepers ... but, can't verify that.
I also found out that there's another bank area close by, that I want to explore. When you are coming off the main road, and the access road comes to a T (and you turn rt to go to the ramp) ... turn left and look for a gravel road, on your right (very close from the turn). It takes you downhill towards the lake, and has a couple of places to pull your vehicle off & park. Water looked deep, and there were several downed trees & standing trees within easy casting distance. You'd probably have to get there pretty early, to get a shot at picking your spot :D I looked it over, on my way home ... and there were 5 vehicles already parked there. And I think I'll be sure and take some bug repellant with me, next time. Walking the grassy banks is a sure way to get chiggers :eek: ... and I've heard the ticks are kinda bad around the lake, too (esp in the taller grass).

Welcome to Crappie.com !! ........... luck2ya ... cp :cool:

The second area that you talked about is a pretty good spot for bluegill and bass but i cant seem to catch many crappie over there. If you do head to that area i sujust that you pull your car almost all the way through the gravel road. You will see a small area to park your car. Get out there and look across to the other side. There are some small cedars on the other side and you should see a power line. The bluegill seem to be spawning over in that area. I like to sit on a rock over there and cast out a line about two to three feet deep and cath some pretty nice bluegill. You should also notice there is a little cove more to the left. It is covered by a lot of trees and kind of hard to get to but it is a great place to fish. You have to walk all the way around to the other side though. Ive caught everthing from bluegill to bass and even a couple of catfish in that cove. The crappie however, do not seem to be in that particular area.

ps. definatly take bug spray.... the chiggers ate me alive last time!

Went last night to the rip rap rock below the lot and caught alot of bass. Even caught one three pounder. Only caught two crappie one very small and another on the verge of keeper. It will be by next year for sure. The crappie seemed to bite more near dusk as we got there at 6:00 and fish till 9:00.

P.S.Can the row of trees that are across from the dam and may possibly hold keepers be fished from the shoreline?

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Originally Posted by crap-pie

Went last night to the rip rap rock below the lot and caught alot of bass. Even caught one three pounder. Only caught two crappie one very small and another on the verge of keeper. It will be by next year for sure. The crappie seemed to bite more near dusk as we got there at 6:00 and fish till 9:00.

P.S.Can the row of trees that are across from the dam and may possibly hold keepers be fished from the shoreline?

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The row of (dead) trees, that you see from the dam ramp, are quite a ways away from the bank. They are also out in front of even more trees, that are closer to that bank. There's a creek over there, and those trees are all the way across the mouth of it ... plus, the creek itself is full of standing trees. The shoreline over there is not developed for "bank fishing", and the closest I've been to actually fishing "any" of that area (from the bank) is standing on the big rocks at the dam.
I've always caught my Crappie, from the parking lot rip rap, in the earliest hours of the morning. I've also caught Bass from this area, but nothing of any size. I have seen many "bass" anglers put in and fish down that section of bank. I've seen a few of them catch Bass, but the biggest was probably only a 2-3lb fish at best. I did catch a nice 3-4lb Bass, right off the end of the ramp, a couple of years ago. I was casting a 4" plastic craw, from the loading dock, out towards the deep end of the ramp. The wind was blowing pretty good, and my line was blown into a big bow. As I started to turn the reel handle, to take up that slack (bow), I noticed that the line was heading towards the middle of the lake ... against the wind. I knew it was running off with the craw, so I just caught up with the slack and set the hook ... LOL!!
I've only Bass fished the lake one other time ... and that was from a boat. It was a windy, overcast, threatening to rain kinda day. We caught them on white crankbaits, over the tops of deep submerged trees. I think we caught around 5 fish .... the biggest being around 4lbs. Then our cloud cover blew away, and we didn't get any more hits from Bass. That's when we started Crappie fishing. We ended up finding them in small schools, out in front of a line of trees out in deep water. They were suspended about 3-4ft below the surface. Most were caught on 1/32oz Chartreuse Roadrunners, on a slow retrieve. They never really thumped it, or banged it, they just seemed to be "nipping" on it. And if you kept reeling, you'd never have known it was a Crappie ... you had to set the hook with a sweep of the rod, rather than a "jerk". If you swept the rod, you'd hookup more often than not ... but ,if you jerked, you'd only hookup occasonally.

One other thing of note: I don't know how much you know about them, but there are Blacknose Crappie in Cedar Creek. They're not a hybrid, or a crossbreed ... they're just a Black Crappie with a genetic marker. They occur naturally, but sparingly, in a section of the White River in Arkansas. Originally used by DNR biologists, as stock fish for small lakes, they are now in many lakes .... KY Lake has them, Dale Hollow, and Watts Bar. You'll recognize them if/when you ever catch one. They have a black stripe that runs from under the chin, all the way up between the eyes to the dorsal fin.
Here's a pic (sorry it's not so clear):
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42...eBlacknose.jpg
This little guy was caught at Watts Bar Lake, Tn., where I've caught them for many years. All the "so called experts" say that this fish doesn't fight any harder than a regular Black Crappie ... but, I beg to differ. I've caught them up to around 1.5lb, and they have a greater tendancy to make long hard runs, and will even leap out of the water !! I've never had any other Crappie do that "Bass leap" thing .... LOL!!
I'd really like to see them get well established in Cedar Creek. Even if I caught one of keeper size, I'd let it go.

Crap-pie .... you ever fish over on Taylorsville Lake ?? .......... cp :cool:

Yes i have fished taylorsville one time and i caught many. We dont have a boat ........YET. We rented a boat and went into a small cove just past the dam and in area with a shade tree over the water. WE probably caught fifty off minnows and corks but we only had three keepers. They were just big enough. like to catch a mess next time.:)

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Originally Posted by crap-pie

Yes i have fished taylorsville one time and i caught many. We dont have a boat ........YET. We rented a boat and went into a small cove just past the dam and in area with a shade tree over the water. WE probably caught fifty off minnows and corks but we only had three keepers. They were just big enough. like to catch a mess next time.:)

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but, from the reports I've been getting .... seems like the population is doing fine, but the size isn't doing so well. That bodes well for the next couple of years. But, for now, it would seem that the lake is in a down cycle (size wise). Taylorsville isn't known for huge Crappie, anyway ... and the best I've ever done there, was a limit of 3/4lb fish - prespawn, early April, many years ago. Haven't come close to duplicating that, since. ....... luck2ya ... cp :cool:

Went to Cedar Creek lake again this morning. Fished from around 6 to 10:15. When we (my friend and I who use the same name on this site) first got there I hooked a nice size bass (probably 4 lbs.)... brought it to rocks and the line broke! :( Oh well thats fishing! A little later my friend hooked one of those Blacknose Crappie you had mentioned earlier. We were surprised to catch that right after you had told us about it. We caught small bass and about 12 crappie for most of the day but around 9 o clock i landed an 8 1/2 inch bluegill. Thats the biggest i have caught out of Cedar Creek. Also caught a nice little catfish. Overall a pretty succesful day!

good luck!

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I've heard that the line of trees across the lake from the dam ramp, is a good spot for keepers ... but, can't verify that.

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I TOLD YOU THAT. Doubting me, huh, cp? :P

Well, I've been busy doing other stuff besides fishing lately. Finally got out and wet a hook last week. Went and got my trout permit and have been doing some fishing at a little pond in the Big Double Creek Park here (one of Kentucky's stocked trout areas). Caught my first trout last week... a 1.5 pounder, on a white rooster tail. Quite a bit of fun, and don't you think THAT sucker did the "bass leap" thing? I had no idea trout did that, but that one sure did. I caught him on my crappie rod, too, so that was definately a battle.

Over this past weekend, went on the second trip down to Lake Cherokee in Tennessee. Bought that whopping $41 annual non-resident TN license. Went for stripers, again came home empty-handed. My dad again caught one and skunked me out, but the one he caught this year PALED in comparison to the monster he reeled in last year. Went out in the evenings by my lonesome to see if I could get into any crappie. In riding around, found some awesome places that LOOKED like they might hold crappie, but, if they were there, they wanted nothing to do with my white curlytail jig. Ended up catching a 5-6" largemouth, my only fish of the trip. Oh well. :(

Since Dad and I have those annual licenses, we will undoubtedly be going back soon. Stripers seem to be in the transition of going from the shallows to the depths of the lake. Once they are schooled in the deep water, we'll whip out the deep-water jigging spoons and try our luck again here in maybe a few weeks. Still waiting to catch MY big 27" stripe!

Sorry I've not been on lately, but it's nice to see people still haven't given up on Cedar Creek. With the prices of gas lately, I think it will be hard to get my dad to head up that way with the big 19' Tracker. When we feel the need to crappie fish, we'll probably be heading to nearby Buckhorn.

Keep at it, cp. And I'm telling ya... around the end of July, get on ya a boat and throw a white curlytail around that line of trees I'm talking about. I've never been able to replicate the success I had fishing for crappie that day, and it was that day that got ME hooked. There were lots of BIG crappie there last year... I just hope everyone hasn't harvested all the big ones. :(

Good luck to everyone.

I have fished this lake for two years and this spring my wife and I fished it
a number of times during march and April. This year is the first time that
we had a number of 9 inch and over so I think there is so hope. I have caught
a few over 12 and 1 about 14. I hope this picture post as it is the first time
I have posted a picture. All the big fish were caught on popeye jigs.

Willie

I'm glad to see that there is "some" hope for Cedar Creek Crappie :D

Yeah Matt .... I was "quoting" you, not "doubting" you .... LOL!! I just couldn't remember "who" had told me that. What size curly tail were you throwing ? I'm not much on curly tails ... but, if it works, I get like it !! Any particular depth range, that they seem to prefer ?

Wday1 ... Welcome to Crappie.com !! Looks like you've got them figured out a little better than I have ;)
Any particular color "popeye" they fancy more than any other ?? I can catch them on 1/32oz Chartreuse Roadrunners, and 1/32oz jigs (FloatnFly setup) ... but, being bank bound, I don't have a lot of options on places to fish from ... so I end up catching the little guys that hang around the bank from first light til 9 or 10AM. I suspected that they would be up in the shallows early in the year (Mar/Apr) ... I just never got the chance to get down there. Any particular area that seems to produce better for you (that you don't mind sharing).

I'm working on getting a boat fixed up, to use ... so I may be able to do a little more damage than just put hook holes in the dinks :p My youngest bro is selling his boat, and I'm fixing it up for him (while secretly stalling for time to get some use out of it, first ... LOL!!) Hopefully I'll be able to convince him that it won't sell for what it's worth, and he should just keep it (in the family) and let me use it. ;)

You boys take care and keep up the good reports ..... luck2ya ... cp :cool:

We fish water 2-4 ft deep that has hardwood cover with a 1/32 popeye on a spinning reel with a small slip floater it can be hard to fish some times but we flip it like you would a bass rig. If you find a good spot you can caught a boat load of small fish. Keep another reel with a 1/16 popeye and fish close to the same spot but in deeper water 6-8 ft deep you will pick up bigger fish sometimes. We use Chartreuse or white popeyes. I have posted a picture of the kind of cover we fish in the spring. You should have no trouble on this lake finding cover like this.

For sure no trouble in finding a place that looks like that on Cedar Creek, darn tree-filled puddle of water it is.

As for the curlytail type, I (almost) always use a 2" white on a 1/8 white jighead. I think the curlytails I was using at the time of the wonderful sucess was made by Yum, and I bought them at Wal-Mart in a little bitty baggie. I also bought those jigheads from Wal-Mart, but can't remember anything other than that they were 1/8". The depth I was catching them at varied. At first, when it was still kinda late in the afternoon (4-5 pm?), I was catching them right under the surface. Later in the evening, I began letting the jig sink for about 5 seconds before reeling. I was doing a reel-reel-jerk-stop-repeat kinda thing. It seemed like most of the fish were hitting in the "stop" of that combo. Most other times I have ever caught crappie, that was the best reeling variation I found. It seems that erratic jerking just gets 'em excited, and then the stop gives them a chance to hit. I wasn't really watching my line... just waiting for resistance through the reel, then setting the hook.

CP, I am appalled at you not having a boat. Have you always fished from the bank? I am amazed you have so much knowledge about crappie fishing just from being on the bank for so long. It kinda makes me wanna convince Dad to come to Cedar Creek just so we can take you out for a little ride. And, to make matters even worse, cp has to "swindle" a boat from his KID BROTHER. Ugh. :P

Yes, that is what crappie in Cedar Creek looked like LAST YEAR. On the two trips I made there this year, I didn't even catch any, so who knows. Sounds like most of them are much smaller than that, unfortunately.

Keep tearing em up, wday, and maybe you can take poor ol' cp and I out and give us some pointers. :D

for the info. It should come in quite handy, if/when I get a chance to hit Cedar Creek again. Sounds like I've been using too small of a bait :rolleyes: ... no wonder the dinks have been the only thing I've caught ... LOL!!
Oh, don't worry ..... CP has owned a boat since the early 70's :D I bought a brand spankin new one in 1984 ... a Glasstream 1550 ProBass fiberglass outfit, with a 50hp. Several years later I got into a 3way motor swap, with some buddies of mine, and ended up with a 1985 70hp Yamaha. I wore the boat out :p over the following 20yrs. I sold it last year. I have always had access to a boat ... family or friends ... so I'm not "destitute" ... LOL!! I just don't like "borrowing" ... and I'd have to make plans several days in advance, to use my main fishing buddy's boat. His boat is garaged, and he'd have to empty it out (of all the "non fishing related stuff" that gets put in it) and park his truck out of the way ... so I could get to it. I'm a nightshift worker ... so even on my days off, I'm more inclined to go in the wee hours of the morning, since I'm usually sleeping in the afternoon. Work and screwy weather have been more of a cause of me not getting to go fishing, than access to a boat has been. If I get my little bro's boat in fishable shape, and it performs well enough to fish the local lakes, I may just buy it from him.

At least, after seeing the Crappie pic and the picture of the 10" Shellcracker from Cedar Creek .... I know that there are some "keeper" fish in there. I'll just have to make it a point to head down there, when I get lil bro's boat ready to rock ............. luck2ya ...... cp :cool: