Brand spankin new to crappie fishing

Well today was officially the first day I set out to specifically target Crappie and it was a failure. Spent 6 hrs on the Choctawhatchee River (Florida). After about the 3rd hr of not catching anything, I thought about the fishermen's "Stay Positive" mindset, therefore, I pushed on hoping the next cast would land one. Well, once the sun started to ease down and the temp started to drop, I decided to call it a day. I didn't even get a hit and got completely skunked.

Not sure if it was something I was doing or the fish just were not active. I focused a lot of my time on jigging (1/16 oz w/Mr. Crappie shad pole) brush and fallen trees along the bank that went into deeper water. I also threw several types of small crankbaits and a Beatle Spin. I fished on the main river were the water was moving good and also back in sloughs and creeks where the water was barely moving. One thing I did not have were minnows but don't know how well they would of been since I couldn't even locate the fish. On the depth finder there were brush piles, drop offs and deep holes all over the place. I'm not an expert at reading that thing but it didn't appear there was much life in and around them.

Crappie fishing is new to me and believe it or not, I have never caught one...not even by accident. I think that's why I have set out on this mission to learn the ways to catch those so called tasty fish. If my fishing tactics were off for this time of year let me know...based on the results of today any advice would be helpful.

Check over on the Fla state forum & see what's happening at the waters around your area. Sometimes, even on the best waters, something just isn't right & even the very experienced anglers get skunked.

... cp :kewl

Dont give up! I started this past spring, and it was awesome!! And then it seemed like after the spawn I couldn't catch anything! Learn your area where you fish and study this website and you will learn allot.

The spawn is around the corner and the weather will get more stable. They get a little easier to find then.

I fished bayou Sara Friday for two 1/2 hours. Deep bends and points with 4 poles 12 - 14' deep. Light to moderate NE wind. No fish. Haven't caught anything since the rise after the rain during Christmas week. I think I'll try structure tomorrow.

Well, based on my adventure last Saturday I was overwhelmed. Once I got on the river, it was crazy how much brush was in the water and the countless creeks and backwaters.This week I am going to get some minnows and continue my mission to find Crappie but I have one question.


Should I focus my time on the brush/trees from the bank leading into the water on the main river (area with slack current) or should I focus my time in the creek channels and lakes fishing brush piles located with the depth finder with minimal current? In the lakes the depth averaged about 6-8 feet and the water temp was around 54ish



I think last weekend I was trying to many tactics in to many different areas. I feel like my next trip needs to be more focused on a specific structure fished...if that makes sense.

I would bet they are at the deepest points you can find. The fish like deep water where it is warmer.
Yes fish out of the current or better yet, if you can find the current close to a bank that has a point that keeps the current away you will probably find the crappie there waiting to ambush bait fish as they swim by.

I thought crappie didnt like current, though ive read that black crappie will tolerate it more than white crappie. Ive always figured on fishing slow moving back water areas and brush. Of course the deepest water in those areas as you can find. Or is my thinking backwards?

The best advice I can give:

When I first started specifically targeting crappie, I was overwhelmed with all the different baits, tactics, colors, and so on. I skunked out quite a bit until one day I had a eureka moment! I had minnows, and I would try them out, not catch anything, get impatient or whatever. Then it dawned on me... maybe I'm not catching them because they are not here? And so I moved, and I moved again, and then I caught one, and another, and another. From that trip I learned the importance of FINDING the fish. Use your electrinics, find the weeds, find the brush, but also find the fish that are located there. The best looking brush pile in the world is only good if it hold fish. They could also be there today and gone tomorrow.

Once I got that dialed in, I started concentrating on soft plastics, jigs, setups and tactics. I'm pretty confident that most days I can target them and find them without the help of minnows. In most cases, I catch more fish.

Ask someone who fished that body of water to throw you a life line. They might know a spot or two where the fish are located. From there you can figure out what they are looking for and duplicate that along the entire body of water. Good luck

Jarrod .... I'm thinking, too, that you being in Fla & the water temps being in the mid 50's ... that the spawn is near (as "jwoneal" says). I'd concentrate my searching in shallow backwater areas, around weeds (or wood if no weeds present), where there's little to no current. You have Black Crappie, for the most part, in Fla .... and Black Crappie spawn very shallow, prefer weeds & clearer/cooler water than White Crappie, and are more easily spooked due to being so shallow. You need to approach the area as quietly as possible, and cast small baits from the greatest distance possible & still reach them.

... cp :kewl

I tried something different today. Started off drifting with 4 poles in 20 fow. No luck. Found some fish single polling in 14 fow around sunken trees. Fishing 8' to 9' deep with minnows. Caught 18 keepers and half dozen through backs in about 2 hours. I'm in Mobile county with water temp today at 54. Should be similar to Fl.

Thanks for all the advice. Sunday will be the next time I'll be able to get on the river. I'm going to go prepared with minnows and jigs. Still learning how to read the fish on depth finder as well so we shall see what happens. I will post the report once I get home. Wish me luck.

Well between work and the wife I was not able to get on the river this pass weekend. The way its looking I wont be able to fish until Feb 13-14...bummer

Slow for me. 1 yesterday, 1 today. Water in bad shape around me

My advice is try to find a mentor willing to show you the ropes.

Don't give up keep trying it will all come together sooner or later and you will get to catching them. It is like any other sport the more you do it the better you get at doing it. The biggest thing I can tell you is to learn with minnows first as that is the easiest way. Then you can start using all the other artificial baits when you get comfortable catching crappie. If the temperature is warming up there in Florida you may need to try fishing in shallower water,and try using a cork to keep the bait above the crappie because they always look upward for bait and not downward. Just my 2 cents worth. Best of luck.

If I were you I would be longlining down there. Im sure crappie are in pre spawn mode. You can cover alot of water and find the aggressive fish. Look up longlining 101. Curly tail jigs and crappie sliders or bg strollrs.

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Originally Posted by jarrod578

Well today was officially the first day I set out to specifically target Crappie and it was a failure. Spent 6 hrs on the Choctawhatchee River (Florida). After about the 3rd hr of not catching anything, I thought about the fishermen's "Stay Positive" mindset, therefore, I pushed on hoping the next cast would land one. Well, once the sun started to ease down and the temp started to drop, I decided to call it a day. I didn't even get a hit and got completely skunked.

Not sure if it was something I was doing or the fish just were not active. I focused a lot of my time on jigging (1/16 oz w/Mr. Crappie shad pole) brush and fallen trees along the bank that went into deeper water. I also threw several types of small crankbaits and a Beatle Spin. I fished on the main river were the water was moving good and also back in sloughs and creeks where the water was barely moving. One thing I did not have were minnows but don't know how well they would of been since I couldn't even locate the fish. On the depth finder there were brush piles, drop offs and deep holes all over the place. I'm not an expert at reading that thing but it didn't appear there was much life in and around them.

Crappie fishing is new to me and believe it or not, I have never caught one...not even by accident. I think that's why I have set out on this mission to learn the ways to catch those so called tasty fish. If my fishing tactics were off for this time of year let me know...based on the results of today any advice would be helpful.

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you'll get used to that big zero.....after two years I set my limit to one crappie....dare I say it is a goal/trip.......keep at it...water is cold and as it warms it will get better......

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Originally Posted by jarrod578

Well between work and the wife I was not able to get on the river this pass weekend. The way its looking I wont be able to fish until Feb 13-14...bummer

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relax.....you go when you can...as there......are things in life that are more important than fishing....just that there is NOTHING more fun than fishing:/

Dang vet.....I didnt know you were over the hill.....lmao

before my time G...before my time........

Well looks like I'll be hitting the water next week. Forecasted for high 50's to low 60's air temp. I'm assuming the water temp is still in the low to mid 50's. Also, we haven't had much rain so the river level sound be good. I'd be happy if I just caught one keeper...haha.

Good luck to you. There is a fellow on the florida forum that very successfully fishes the Choctawhatchee river system. I think his name is fishwalton. You should pm him, he would probably give you some free advice. He has a report in the florida forum if you go a few pages back to november. This time of the year is tough to find fish, don't get too disappointed if you don't catch a mess. The more familiar you get with an area you fish the better you can anticipate where the fish will be as the water warms.