Hopeless in East Texas

For the last month or so, a buddy and I have been driving ourselves insane trying to catch crappie. We have dipped stumps with every color/size combo imaginable. I keep hearing " so and so went up to a creek in this lake and caught 35 last weekend dipping stumps ". We go up there and catch 3 or 4. Fished this past weekend with shiners, talked to a guy at the bait shop and he said they have been catching 15+ every weekend off stumps, slipcorking. I caught 3. I do not understand what I am doing wrong. I have equipped myself with 2 new B n M rods (tip came off of my 12 footer on the 2nd trip, ugh), bought a new 587 CI HD DI (which I needed anyways), borrowed lights and night fished in the river at LOP and caught catfish and yellow bellies. The very first time we went up to the lake and tried summer time crappie, we caught 12 and that has been the best trip since. Now that we are "rigged out", it's gotten worse every trip. I feel I have dissected every aspect of this and haven't gotten anywhere with it.

Maybe I am trying too hard?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Pintail, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. There are several others out there with the same problem. I have talked to those who have had good luck, they have done their homework and have found the fish. I have talked to those who went to school and were preoccupied who have just enjoyed their time on the water and will be taking summer school, I will be in the front of the class this time and hope I can stay focused. I have some of the equipment but the gray matter to operate them properly and knowing where I should be putting brush is the schooling I need.
I wish you well with your problem, I am going to hire a guide and hope they will be able to help me with mine. I lost my local fishing partners and after they passed I sort of let my fishing and putting out brush fall to the way side.
Don't give up. Ferdi aka Fred

Sounds like a case of fishin' where the fish have already been caught. The fish caught will be replaced by other fish in short amount of time. Go back
again and try the same place in a week and you will find new fish where the old fish were caught. The fish will be consistent in replacing fish that have
been caught. You have to be consistent in going back before someone else does. That, or you can find your own honey hole and keep it a secret.
And you know how hard it is to keep a good secret.

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Originally Posted by Ferdi

Pintail, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. There are several others out there with the same problem. I have talked to those who have had good luck, they have done their homework and have found the fish. I have talked to those who went to school and were preoccupied who have just enjoyed their time on the water and will be taking summer school, I will be in the front of the class this time and hope I can stay focused. I have some of the equipment but the gray matter to operate them properly and knowing where I should be putting brush is the schooling I need.
I wish you well with your problem, I am going to hire a guide and hope they will be able to help me with mine. I lost my local fishing partners and after they passed I sort of let my fishing and putting out brush fall to the way side.
Don't give up. Ferdi aka Fred

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hey ferdi.........i have offered and helped phil with his structure setting.....i would like to extend that offer to you also!!!!! give me a call and i will help you.......chuck

One thing for sure is for summer crappie you have to do the work of putting out brush piles! I didn't this year and still mad at my self. I still need to put some in.

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Originally Posted by Pintail711

For the last month or so, a buddy and I have been driving ourselves insane trying to catch crappie. We have dipped stumps with every color/size combo imaginable. I keep hearing " so and so went up to a creek in this lake and caught 35 last weekend dipping stumps ". We go up there and catch 3 or 4. Fished this past weekend with shiners, talked to a guy at the bait shop and he said they have been catching 15+ every weekend off stumps, slipcorking. I caught 3. I do not understand what I am doing wrong. I have equipped myself with 2 new B n M rods (tip came off of my 12 footer on the 2nd trip, ugh), bought a new 587 CI HD DI (which I needed anyways), borrowed lights and night fished in the river at LOP and caught catfish and yellow bellies. The very first time we went up to the lake and tried summer time crappie, we caught 12 and that has been the best trip since. Now that we are "rigged out", it's gotten worse every trip. I feel I have dissected every aspect of this and haven't gotten anywhere with it.

Maybe I am trying too hard?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

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Check some of these old threads out for some ideas for shallow summer crappie. Good luck.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/kansa...tin-video.html

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-...e-fishing.html

That Russ Baily's show fishing with Chatt Martin on Pomona Lake in Kansas in the summer time which used to be online but it doesn't seem to be available anymore. Maybe someone can provide a link if it is still around somewhere. :dono

Thanks for the input!

Pintail, the only suggestion I can give you without knowing how you fish is SLOW DOWN & SCALE DOWN. This time of year, most fish aren't going to rush out to grab a bit to eat, they're gonna wait for it to STOP right in front of them. Also, you'll notice in most East Texas lakes a TON of small 3/4" to 1" fry swimming around most stumps & bridge pilings. That's what the fish are feeding on mostly. Just my 2 cents.

I went to the lake Sunday and catfished. I asked a gentleman on the bank how he was doing, showed me 10 slabs. I know for a fact that the water he was fishing couldn't be over 15ft and he was in the river. I am going back up there tomorrow or thursday and do some scanning around and maybe hit some stumps north in the river. I wonder why those fish were so shallow? The water temp was probably low 80's.

Here is what i have to say (at home nobody cares what I have to say so may be same here) . about 3 yrs ago I went with a REAL crappie fisherman, he had about 10 spots on Pines he had put brush, some spots just of the creeks and the river in about 25 ft water and in some timbers areas also. The most amazing spot we went to was out in the main lake in 2o ft water about 300 yds from bank just off a drop off that went 27 ft. We use minnows, Garcia 5000 with 15# line and slip corks.At that spot I caught 4 over 18 inches in about 20 mints. We also fished another spot in mid lake off some point cant remember name of point its in North side of lake, had same results big fish where the brush was. We only fished 2 spots I brought home 25 all over 18 inches. I have only done about 1/2 that good since then. I did not go back to those spots for 3 months for respect to him, when I did we only caught few. So BRUSH is the answer.

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Originally Posted by 410MAN

Here is what i have to say (at home nobody cares what I have to say so may be same here) . about 3 yrs ago I went with a REAL crappie fisherman, he had about 10 spots on Pines he had put brush, some spots just of the creeks and the river in about 25 ft water and in some timbers areas also. The most amazing spot we went to was out in the main lake in 2o ft water about 300 yds from bank just off a drop off that went 27 ft. We use minnows, Garcia 5000 with 15# line and slip corks.At that spot I caught 4 over 18 inches in about 20 mints. We also fished another spot in mid lake off some point cant remember name of point its in North side of lake, had same results big fish where the brush was. We only fished 2 spots I brought home 25 all over 18 inches. I have only done about 1/2 that good since then. I did not go back to those spots for 3 months for respect to him, when I did we only caught few. So BRUSH is the answer.

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Sounds right to me. I am just puzzled as to why they would be in the river channel up north. From Cedar Springs ramp to Lonestar ramp, I know the deepest spot is only 17 foot. Where that man was catching them off the bank was only about 13 fow. I will be up there this weekend scanning on my DI and see what I can come up with.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 410MAN

Here is what i have to say (at home nobody cares what I have to say so may be same here) . about 3 yrs ago I went with a REAL crappie fisherman, he had about 10 spots on Pines he had put brush, some spots just of the creeks and the river in about 25 ft water and in some timbers areas also. The most amazing spot we went to was out in the main lake in 2o ft water about 300 yds from bank just off a drop off that went 27 ft. We use minnows, Garcia 5000 with 15# line and slip corks.At that spot I caught 4 over 18 inches in about 20 mints. We also fished another spot in mid lake off some point cant remember name of point its in North side of lake, had same results big fish where the brush was. We only fished 2 spots I brought home 25 all over 18 inches. I have only done about 1/2 that good since then. I did not go back to those spots for 3 months for respect to him, when I did we only caught few. So BRUSH is the answer.

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25 fish all over 18"????? I know they're in there but I'd sure like to see a pic of that! :)

I went yesterday evening and caught 2. Both were 15". I was really hoping to get on that night bite under the lights, but I guess that's a day spot only. Those fish are there in the river, 17 fow holding at 7 foot. I will have to go back a little earlier.

Pintail,
I've never caught crappie on LOP in the summer---tried once and had similar luck as you. I know some guys that do catch them in the summer and the way they talk and from what I've read from your posts----you're not necessarily doing anything wrong, you're just not there when they are biting. They say that a lot of times the crappie won't bite until the middle of the day when it's super hot and they have sweat pouring off them. I think that's the problem, you're just not catching 'em biting.
I don't know where any brush is, but may go to LOP tomorrow and post my likely bad results. :) I'm sure looking forward to winter when they're easy! :ThumbsUp
JBJ