Printable View
A hello to everyone. New member here. Im just a good ol boy who is hooked on crappie fishing. Wondering if anyone has been to ckick river lately. Wanted to try some tite lining around dam or river channel. With water temps falling the bite should pick up.
Welcome aboard
Most folks that fish that river are pretty tight lipped about it. Hopefully someone will chime in though.
Thanks. Looking foward to give and recieve some tips and reports. Been watching forums to get reports so I figure I would join and try to give some reports of my own. Hoping to hit the water Sunday.
I have only fished it twice but the last time I was there I ran into a guy at the ramp that said that he pulls thousands of crappie out of there every year. I believe him. The challenge it seems is figuring out the tide and where the crappie are during it's various levels.
I was there about 3 weeks ago and only managed some small crappie. Usually around mid December they start to pick up. I fish the winter months in Florida the past 3 years and will be leaving on Nov. 27th. Hope you get into them on the river. Go down river a few miles and fish some docks in 12' to 15' fow. Usually the last 2 hours of the out going and the first 2 hours of the in coming is the best time for catching.
I haven't fished up river for about 50 years but we use to fish some of the creeks near the mouth of the Chick ad Tap is right on about the tides. Its just like flicking an on/off switch but I can't remember which tide was best.
I also heard that about the tides. Last year about mid december through jan is when I first tried fishing around the dam and we caught about 20 with 15 keepers. Average 3/4 to a pound or better. It must have been the tide or just all the constuction work that had just stopped but they turned on the last hour or two before dark. Not bad for the first time I guess. We were titeline/spider rign. Haven't tried again yet.
Thank for the advice
the time for chasing those elusive silver fish is soon upon us. ive been fishing below the dam for many years with good success spider rigging. usually around mid-nov is the time i start fishing the river side, but ive heard that the lake produces some good fish around this time of year.
Thanks. Wasnt sure when the fish started biting around there. Jus got lucky last year on a random trip to the dam. Two weekends in a row me and a friend did ok. Some good slabs but no monsters. Yet to find one of those. Hoping the river will give one up.
With respect to the tides: In the fall the outgoing tide is best. As the water cools, shad (the primary forage) are moving out of the creeks and into the channel. The shad move out on the outgoing tide. They often return to the flats on incoming. Remember: Just like in a stream, gamefish ALWAYS face into the moving water. The outgoing tide furnishes an easy food source. Present your lures coming with the tide. If you present them against the tide they will be moving out of view of the gamefish which are looking into the moving tide. As the tide slows, slow your presentation. At dead low you should be using a "dead stick" presentation. In the Chick there is also a secondary forage of grass shrimp. Pay attention to this around the full moon when the shrimp are moulting (just like blue crabs). Right now, the grass shrimp are in the hydrilla and its mighty tough to find somewhere to fish with typical crappie tackle to follow that bite. Once the weeds are gone it is a different story and you can actually find crappie up on the flats at high tide chasing shrimp on a mild winter day around a full moon. Crappie can be up there when the weeds are present, but good luck trying to fish for them. Hope this is helpful.
Don, very good advice. Thank you sir. Haven't had a chance to get to the river yet. But when I do I give a report.