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Hey, guys,
This year I want to start hitting Crappie fishing harder than years past that I have spent bass fishing mainly and was wondering about my best bet(s) for catching those giant Crappie that everyone loves. Any information about jigs, places to fish, colors anything will be greatly appreciated. Bare in mind I'm boatless but get on a lot of docks at Lake Of The Ozark where my Grandparents live.
Thanks,
-Trey
Those big uns are mighty hard to come by. Lots of time on the water is the main ingredient for success
well start reading everything on C.C that you can, to the main page, arcives, state boards, read then read some more,then get out and hit them docks, make new friends, _age appropriate of course ,,,, then just walk them docks and talk to any fisherman/woman that will listen,,,,,,,, then try to come to crappie camp and watch and listen and ask questions.
I've read some stuff I just thought I would directly ask people native to my location. Thanks for the advice guys. What is crappie camp? That sounds neat.
Remember, too, that all lakes are different. Fishing pressure on some lakes keeps fish from getting to the "giant" stage. Lake fertility guides how baitfish will grow to feed crappie. On Truman a giant crappie might be 17", but on LOZ a 15" fish might be considered a giant. Those big fish get the best spot under the dock, or in the brushpile, so you have to really learn to work around in that brush. If you catch a big fish from a brushpile, there is a good chance that another big fish will move into that spot within a few days.
well young feller on the 2nd till the 4 of May we by we I mean crappie anglers,crappie angler wannabe's, guides, regular fishermen/women will gather at the camp grounds close to bucksaw marina, we eat, drink,grill,tell stories around the camp fire,fish, al sorts of stuff, it is fun entertaining, and sometimes makes you sore from the hornet stings, but a good time is had by most. come on down and look us over.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vainnnn
Thanks Vic, for the information. I've only managed to wrangle one 15" fish from LOZ in roughly 20 years of fishing so I can see what you mean haha. My biggest was out of a private lake down here in Joplin and it was 16.5" and that's one of the biggest crappie by far that I've seen from that water, most of em are in the 12" range as far as "big" goes. So basically to sum it up you're if there's one honey hole with a "big un" there should be more? Also can you define "lake fertility" please =D
Well that sounds like it will be awesome beagle man. If I can get any time off my girlfriend and I might go up there 1 or 2 days and if it's supposed storm at all, I might bail my girlfriend is a little traumatized from the whole Joplin tornado incident. Where is Bucksaw Marina? Truman?
It's on Truman lake. They have a COE campground were everyone hangs out and have the meals. The resort/marina has motel rooms, cabins and kitchenettes on the water. So plenty of "safe" places to stay.
Fertility is a sort of measure as to the nutrients in the water and it's a sort of "food chain", in fact it's the very start of the food chain. Zooplankton grows in any lake, but if the water is very fertile, the zooplankton grows faster/more. All young fish feed on zooplankton at first, then switch to small invertebrates(insects), then most switch to feeding on smaller fish. Shad and fry make up the diet of most game fish, but shad is the most important. Long story short: fertility=zooplankton....zooplankton= lots of fast growing shad....lots of shad= fast growing fat crappie, bass, walleye, etc. Fertile lakes are also less clear, and more stained looking. This is good for the fisherman because the sunlight doesn't affect shade-loving fish like crappies as much. In other words, the crappie will be shallower in stained water, generally, than in a clear water lake.
That's awesome information! Thank you! Is there a way to encourage the growth of the zooplankton?
Not really any way to affect nutrients in a big lake like LOZ or Truman, but if you wanted to help out a pond, you could throw a hay bale or two in each year. Nutrients come mostly from runoff coming into a lake. If the watershed for a particular lake is all farmland, then it will be nutrient rich. Conversely, if the watershed is rocky forested land it might be nutrient poor. There will still be zooplankton, shad, and young fry to bigguns, but it may take longer for a crappie to get to a big size in an infertile lake than it does in a fertile lake.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vainnnn
Don't worry about any of that stuff right now....just get out and fish!
Hay is cheap I'm gonna have to try that. The lake in my home town is only 10-15 acres. So I'll give it a shot!
My personal best was a 3 pound, 18 incher I caught out of a deep farm pond on a slip bobber in winter. However I have seen bigger crappie caught out of blue holes in the Missouri River bottoms. These fish are left there during floods and grow to enormous sizes. Perche Creek near Columbia and Cedar Creek near Jefferson City give up large crappie fished with minnows in late summer. I fished this area years ago and routinely caught 2 1/2 pound fish. If I was looking for a trophy, that's where I would go.
Draw me a map to a few of those places. I could handle a routine of catching 2 1/2 lb'ers.Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyb
Great stuff guys thanks again!