Taylorsville Lake Update

Went out to the dead sea today and caught more fish then I have ever caught in my life there. I got my limit of 15 today on fish that were obvious keepers. I tossed back probably 40 short ones that were in the 8 to 9 inch size. I only keep the 10 inch and above ones. A ton of these fish were blacks. I caught 5 nice size hybrids and 12 bass. One went 3lbs. All done by long line trolling. Took me a little while to find them in but finally did in 5 to 8 feet of water in temps 73 degrees. Going back Friday to catch some more while the gettin is good.

Hey Jigboy hope you are doing well. I've only tried "the dead sea" once but wasn't impressed. Think I'll try it Friday also. Any tips on where a guy might start?

I will start out in Briar Ridge area. Call my cell phone if you got it or pm me and I will give it to you.

I went again Friday and caught over 60 but all but 20 were throw backs but my boys had fun catching some crappie anyway. Caught a good number of bass also. Gonna hold off with the rain for a few days because I'm sure it will muddy up but gonna hit it again Friday before the spawn is over and they pull back out.

Jigboy -

That is my typical story at Taylorsville. We went a week or so ago, caught 25 crappie and only one was a keeping. The rest for just under the limit, mostly in the 8.5 range or more but not to that 9... :(

Hopefully they will all grow up to be 12 to 13 inches. They are all fun to catch regardless of size. I did have one a few weeks ago that would have gone over 2lbs but like all the fish stories, he got off. I was not prepared and about chocked to death when I saw it was a crappie. By the time I got the net in the water and hit it over the head he let go. Imagine that. I hit it perfectly and he let go. What a idiot I looked like trying to net that fish then crying like a baby on the front of the boat. Oh well. Maybe he will be 2 1/2 next year.

Yeah, I hear that there are some bigger ones in there. I just tend to not be able to find 'em. Congrats and sorry at the same time on your almost catch. Maybe he will be 2.5 this fall and you can hook back up with him.

Hopefully but once September gets here my boat is winterized. I can't get out of a deer stand long enough. I know I should split it up and do both but during spring and summer I am all fisherman. Once fall and winter get here I am all hunter. The keepers I have caught this year have been good size ones but it usually takes three or four throw backs before I catch a keeper.

I fish Taylorsville most every weekend and have been catching
some nice size crappie. I never get big ones in shallow water.
If you're only catching small ones, you're to close in.
Most of mine come from 25' to 50' deep water.
I'm the guy that fishes behind you.:biggrin

Thanks for the info.

Good information, really appreciate it. So, when I was catching the small ones I was in close, really close. Nothing deep was getting a bite. How deep are you fishing that 25'-50' water? Are you drifting/trolling or orienting to structure on the bottom? Or all the above?

Thanks for the information again.

I know you arent responding to me but I always long line troll. Actually I have some rigs being welded right now to do some spider rigging but I have never done it. I wanted another option because once the fish move deep it is better to spider rig then to long line. I will do this until the hybrids come in and by the time the go out it will be time to get to the deer stand. I hear spider rigging is better in the fall over long lining also if I ever do try it.

To the point now, I have caught some large fish also in deep water but hard for me to go there when I believe they should be up shallow. My jigs however are running about 4' deep in the water right now so even if I go out deep the jigs are shallow. Most of the time when I go deep it is because I dropped off a channel and was turning around. A lot if times when I go over points it may be 4 or 6 feet deep but 20 on each side. Depending on the sun and temperature depends on where the crappie will be. Sometimes they are on top of the point while 15 minutes later they have moved off into deeper water.

Hey Jigboy,
When you longline troll are you using your trolling motor or the big motor? And what speed are you tending to use? Didn't send a pm because I didn't see your post till after we had gone.

I use the trolling motor and go as slow as possible. Usually around .7 or.8 mph. All that can change with wind and that's why wind is a killer for us long liners. You have no control of speed which then effects the depths of the jigs. We have it down to a science. I use 1/24 Jiffy Jigs. I pick them up every year when down at Weiss lake but you can order them on-line. His shipping charges are next to nothing. I use those regardless of the depth of the fish, the temperature of the water, and time of year. I control all that by adding split shots. A guide friend helped me out with that showing me what the depth of the jiffy jig is using different size split shots placed directly above the jig with a standard 40 foot cast trolling .7 or .8 mph. If I see fish most fish hanging at 10' I adjust the split shots and get my jigs in their face. I do however always make sure I am either in their face or slightly above them.

I'm gonna throw a monkey wrench in this conversation, by saying :

MOST ALL the Crappie I've ever caught from T-ville have been less than 15ft deep, and around trees (standing or fallen) ... places where you do well to cast a jig around & get it back, and no chance of spider rigging or trolling :bash :Rofl

Most of the spawning Crappie I've caught have come from around 6-8ft deep, again around wood. The only exception was my one & only limit, 3/4lb fish avg. ... caught off a root wad that was right against the bank & in no more than 3ft of water.

I have caught them trolling cranks, or jigs trailing behind cranks, when Hybrid fishing ... but, again, no deeper than 10-12ft (and generally over or near submerged wood).

I haven't been to T-ville in quite a long time, but whenever this weather & the water level straightens out .... I'm gonna have to slip over that way & see what's going on :ThumbsUp

... cp :kewl

Thanks you guys for all the good information. One more question on the trolling. So, do have a trolling unit that is controlled by your sonar/gps unit? Or do you just control it by your foot upfront and get back to the rods when you have a hit?

I have a foot operated trolling motor for now. If I ever have the money I want to upgrade to a remote control style where I can go to the back of the boat and keep going. I sit in the front seat and run three poles on my left side and three poles on my right. If I am alone that's all I have out. If I have someone in the back I have six more out back. The front almost always catchs more because the crappie seem to fan out away from the boat as you go over. My front pole are 14' long.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rcornish

Good information, really appreciate it. So, when I was catching the small ones I was in close, really close. Nothing deep was getting a bite. How deep are you fishing that 25'-50' water? Are you drifting/trolling or orienting to structure on the bottom? Or all the above?

Thanks for the information again.

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I cast 1/16 oz jigs around the trees, I usually don't get
more than 7 to 10 feet deep even when the fish are
deeper. They'll come up to them.

I must be one of the few boat-less fellas on here. For those who know the lake, where do you believe the best spots are to go bank fishing Taylorsville? I'm not too far from Van Buren ramp and caught my first crappie there the other day about 3ft deep. Saw a man fishing the dam a week or so ago who was catching a few crappie, I was thinking that might be a better spot. The tailwaters always seem busy but I never see anybody catching anything.

Not sure but I got a cousin who didn't have a boat forever and he always went to the tailwaters. He used to catch a lot of fish with a wide variety of fish.

The tail water should be good,
they're discharging a lot right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DgTerrell

I must be one of the few boat-less fellas on here. For those who know the lake, where do you believe the best spots are to go bank fishing Taylorsville? I'm not too far from Van Buren ramp and caught my first crappie there the other day about 3ft deep. Saw a man fishing the dam a week or so ago who was catching a few crappie, I was thinking that might be a better spot. The tailwaters always seem busy but I never see anybody catching anything.

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Bank fishing T-ville is generally relegated to launch ramp areas, and as far along their banks as is possible to safely walk. With the water a couple of feet above Summer Pool ... many of those banks are not accessible, right now.

Personally, I've bank fished T-ville at Settler's Trace, Van Buren, Possum Ridge, & Chowning ... having had the most success around Settler's Trace. The biggest factor was always the presence of a blowdown tree ... but, with the flooding that T-ville endures, those trees don't stay put for long. Settler's Trace now has a "no fishing" border, that covers a lot of the marina bank.

I've fished the tailwaters several times, high & low water flow ... but have only managed a few small Crappie from there. Although, I did witness a guy fishing from the overlook, during high outflow, and catching some nice Crappie in the eddy water ... where the spillway wall & walkway meet.

Now, mind you ... all of this is from many, many years ago. I've only been on T-ville a couple of times over the last several years. I've either been without a boat, or fishing on other lakes that have greater potential to produce more/bigger Crappie. Those years without a boat, however, I did do some bank fishing there ... during the spawning period & occasionally even during Dec/Jan (during a warming trend).

... cp :kewl

Thanks for the tips