Newbie question for you Crappie.com guru's!!!

Hi everyone...


New guy here, so please be gentle... Yeah I'm one of those guys that fishes for those green carp (bass), as one of my buddies calls them, up until I catch one of those monster crappie (2-3 lb) in my home lake this time of year on a Chigger Craw and 3/0 EWG hook. Only then do I say to myself, "You big dummy, break out your crappie pole and swim a jig around one of the ka-billion cypress knees your staring at!!!".


Question: The lake at normal pool is about 4-5 deep in the middle and the banks are completely lined with mature cypress. I typically fish the cypress knees exclusively but wonder just how many fish I'm not catching that are spawning in the open water???? The middle is basically wide open and I wanted to ask your opinion on whether spider rigging/trolling might increase my numbers. I've heard that black and white crappie spawn at different depths, we have both, and I've caught both shallow when it gets just right!!!!


Would certainly appreciate any input!!!!

I would sure try spider-rigging the open water during this time of year, per spawn. The males will be the first to go to the banks while the big females will still be in the open water and all don't go to the bank at the same time.

Thanks creekslick!!! Yeah, I caught 8 last Thursday and 7 on Friday, all were Black males. Haven't been back since the river came up but it should be getting back right by the end of the weekend level wise.

I was just wondering if some of them will spawn in the open or will they mostly spawn in the timber?

Black Crappie spawn in cooler water first. Amazing how many don't know the difference between Black Crappie and male White Crappie in dark spawning colors.

On those oxbows, when you are sitting in your boat with a jig pole and jigging around those cypress trees and knees, your boat is sitting on top of spawning fish. Always work from the outside in, not the inside out. Since you are a bass fisherman, use that crappie jig like you would fish a jig-n-pig. The only difference, your rod will be longer and all you have to do is pitch to the tree.

By the way, I like a Yum Baby Craw (3" model) on the White River lakes. They work great.

Big crappie spend 90 percent of time in open water.

Don't forget to try different depths. They may be a foot or two one day and on the bottom the next. DP

Welcome to the board. I have several ideas that I think would work, however, to be sure, I would need to try them on this unnamed lake before making suggestions. Please PM me the name of the lake and coordinates in the areas you will be fishing and I will come, research it, and get back with you with some hard facts on the bite. All the above that was suggested, while true in most lakes, may not apply at all to your lake since the crappie may be the Floridian Einstein Strain which are extremely large and smart. Just drop a PM and I will go out of my way to "help you out".:biggrin

Thank you all for the excellent advice and maybe I let on a little too much. I'm not a complete noob but I've also never consistently caught fish away from the only structure in the lake so this will be a first for me. There's no doubt the quality and quantity of fish are there, my biggest problem is getting past the human aspect of having zero confidence fishing the open water. I've considered setting up a spinning rod and just fan casting some of the open flats in the lake that are 2-3' deep. I guess it would be like worm fishing for crappie but wasn't sure if they would bite a bouncing retrieve.

So, looks like more research is in order to figure out a 4 pole (2 left - 2 right) spider rig to setup in the boat, I think that would be a good start so I can manage it all. As most fisherman do, I have a ton of traditional 1/16 oz jigs and the typical rainbow of colors to match but I usually get my best results out of the Yum 'F2 Ferocity Scent' 2" Beavertail with a 3/16 Crappie Pro jig head. They absolutley crush it, and most of the time they are better fish!

I catch crappie on white oxy's as soon as duck season ends spider rigging open water.

Don't do it!! You start spider rigging, then you will try long lining jigs. That will lead to trolling Bandits. Worse than cocaine. More expensive too. DP

You've gotten good advise. Welcome Aboard