New to Crappie Fishing in Delaware

Hey guy's, My name is Rob and I am in Greenwood Delaware. I am new to Crappie fishing, but having a lot of fun trying. I have done most of my fishing in Salisbury on the Wicomico River. Catching some, but not a keeper yet. My question is there any difference in fishing in the river verses hitting some of the local ponds and lakes? Do the Crappie still go deep in the winter in the lakes and ponds. I only fish from the banks and think that I wont be able to cast out to the deeper water in the lakes and ponds. I appreciate any help that you can give me, and if anyone is close to me and would like a fishing buddy, let me know.

Thanks!

Hey rob! Welcome. Seems as though the board hasn't been too active lately. Do not get discouraged. Crappie fishing in DE can be pretty good this time of year. Most local ponds in DE are shallow. You will be hard pressed to find one over 10ft. I strictly fish artificials for crappie. There are some ponds where I will be 5-7ft under a bobber and others where I am 2-4ft. I fish from both land and my kayak. I guess what I am trying to say is you have to experiment with depth until you find where they are. I live in Lewes and do most of my crappie fishing in Milton but have no problems traveling to find fish.

Nice to see some one talking about fishing in 5' to 10' of water. Up here in SJ I'm still learning in my 2nd yr.

Hey guys, i got bored and started doing some board hopping! Here in Ar, depth varies from lake to lake. Dardanelle is a deep lake and you can find them as deep as 60 feet right now, depending on barometric pressure. Lake Conway, on the other hand, is a shallow lake(11 ft at its deepest point) and you can catch them in a foot of water when the pressure is low. If you are fishing a shallow lake, I would try a jig and bobber setup and try slow-rolling a jig near stumps or other cover. Experiment with depths until you get bit. They could be anywhere from a foot deep, to right on the bottom. I would encourage you to do some research on barometric pressure and its effects on fishing, it gave me a lot of insight on where to start on any given day and how to present baits. Again, this is what works on these southern Crappie, so forgive me if I am wrong. Hope this helps.


C.J.

Cj good stuff.
Here is a post I made a while back about how I fish shallow DE water.
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-...ml#post1872057

My entry is toward the bottom.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snagalot

Cj good stuff.
Here is a post I made a while back about how I fish shallow DE water.
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-...ml#post1872057

My entry is toward the bottom.

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Good info, not much you can do when fishin from the bank. We have a spot here where a bridge crosses the lake and the conditions are perfect for wintertime Crappie. Most guys just stand there with a long-pole and vertical jig the bridge pilings. This is very effective, if you are lucky enough to find a spot like this and you can tolerate crowds.
Attachment 113651Attachment 113652
Those pilings are about 8-10ft deep.


C.J.

Thanks guys. I have been out and about looking at different ponds and lakes around. Fished a couple, but no keepers yet. Guess thats why they call it fishing and not catching. I will keep trying and learning.

I didn't think DE had a size minimum for Crappie to make one a keeper, just a creel limit. What size fish are you looking for?

Hey Guy's are your water way still open ? Our rt 40 honey hole is froze over again..

We are mostly frozen here but the weather will be getting a lot warmer soon. Luckily I have the option of fishing tidal/brackish water when it gets really cold.

I was told that a good size for keepers is about 10". Anything smaller and the fillet's would not be much worth the time. Any truth to that?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Greenwood Crapster

I was told that a good size for keepers is about 10". Anything smaller and the fillet's would not be much worth the time. Any truth to that?

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I dont usually keep anything less than 10" when the bite is on.


C.J.

great info CMJ