Monticello crappie help please

Can anyone give me any tips on catching summer crappie and perch in Monticello? We went last night and put submersible led green lights out, after we'd find the fish, used minnows and only caught three little blues, a perch, and a small crappie. We fished the coves, the main channel, deep, shallow, anchored, drifted... in Wylie we would have at least killed caught our limit. Should we fish the deep points in the day with small spoons and jigs, stay with minnows? I got the catfish figured out here now just want to get these crappie and humongous perch in the cooler. I also hear the bream are monsters...Monticello crappie help please

Hey Jason, Welcome aboard. I haven't fished there much for crappie or the perch but I did setup and nightstalked there back in June when our kayak club was there for the weekend catfishing. In the day watching the depth finder I would see what looked like schools of fish on the bottom and suspended over deep water. I was trolling cut bream so I could drop a spoon down to see what they were so for the nightstalk I set up in 30' depth out from the point near the 99 ramp. Pulled in a ton of bait fish and it took a few hours before i had crappie really working the bait. I dropped minnows down to the bottom and reeled up 2 turns and caught some good crappie in the 12 to 14'' range. Once the fish had moved in I was already ready to call it a night since we had an early morning to start cat fishing again. With that clear water this time of the year I would work schools in the daytime and maybe try to work some of the stumps early with a jig. For the nightstalk once you set up I wouldn't move, each time you move you have to start over pulling in the bait to your light.

Let us know what you find and catch & good luck. I'm sure there are some here that can help you more than myself.

Ok, thanks! I know most people fish Monticello for those blues, but she's got to be holding some killer slabs. Every perch we've caught out of there seem to be eating size, where a good many in Wylie are cut bait size.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMMLQOt31GA

Check out the largemouth and crappie from this Monticello video.

Anybody know what type of camera he used? I've looked at the ones in BPS, etc. but have been told that you can't see anything if the water is kind of stained or if you are deep since little light gets down there. This supposedly was 30 to 40 feet and the camera looked pretty darn good to me.
I know I would have never left that spot if I was fishing.

Jay_Hawk, if I was a rich man, I'd sponsor that boy on the tournament trail, he sure can fish! Disasterkane. Watch #6 and look at Monticello rocking and rolling. I'm pretty sure I was leaving the G'Mart in Chester and a truck with that boat was pulling in. I should have picked his brain

If I find that spot, I'm going to try and figure out how to mark it on my fish finder. No idea on the camera type. He can catch some fish, that's for dern sure

Jason, I found that sunken boat with my side imaging. It's near the lower boat ramp.

Sweet. I don't have side imaging, but I just bought a Humminbird 688 with down imaging. I just have to figure it all out. Too much to figure out on that thing for a York boy

I'm guessing he is using a go pro. They have a app for your smart phone so you can view what it is seeing. Haven't got the nerve up to drop mine under the water like that :) yet!

Well, giving it another try in the morning. Will be trying to locate the suspended fish, and going to drop Kentucky rigged minnows and jigs on them, and jig a spoon. See what gets the most attention. Wish us luck

Good Luck Jason! Let us know how you do.

Thanks, will do!

Not too good! Stayed mostly out in the main channel, and fished the points and hilltops, hit one sheltered cove. Like the other night, there were huge clouds of bait balls showing up on the strikefire and down imaging, everywhere with fish all around them. Tried Kentucky rigged minnows and jigs, and a small spoon. Was dropping right in the action. Caught one big perch, but ended up using it as cut bait and drifted for some blues. Good ol' blues always there for you. Talked to some other guys, and they had no luck either. I'm thinking that with all those bait balls, they ain't wanting what I'm selling

Sorry to hear they were not biting but it had to be great just to be on the water. You will get them next time. Thanks for the report.

It was great. Monticello is a good ride for me, but such a beautiful lake to waste a day on

Thanks for the report Jason. :ThumbsUp

Hate they wont co-operate with ya. But keep tryin. Now a dumb question. What is a Kentucky Rig? I am old and slow so be nice.

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Although I only caught tangles with that set up... From now on I'll be using a carolina type rig again

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Originally Posted by STUMP HUNTER

I'm guessing he is using a go pro. They have a app for your smart phone so you can view what it is seeing. Haven't got the nerve up to drop mine under the water like that :) yet!

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It could be a GoPro, however the way you view what the camera is viewing is thru wifi, and it doesn't work underwater (one of my few frustrations with my GoPro). If he was viewing it live, which I doubt, he might have been using one of those Ice fishing cameras which do stream live.

I've put my GoPro under water several times with no worries. as long as you secure it, you shouldn't have to worry. Its how you get really good video.
heres a link to one of them. If you look at my channel, you will find another one thats not so daring but still got some good video of a Rock Bass protecting it's nest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdLX5H3-MFw

Fromeverything I've heard about that lake since Ive been a member here I thought that if there was any crappie in that lake then they were only for catfish bait. All Ive ever heard about that lake is how good of a catfish lake it is. I still wonder why Ive never fished it. Good luck finding and catching 'em without filling coolers with slicky skinned fish.:)

If you watch that guys videos, it looks to be slap full of crappie, and bass. You're rights about those blue cats, they are as slimy a fish as you'll find, but they sure are tasty

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Originally Posted by JasonSC

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Now I know. Thanks for the pictures. May give it a try.

Yeah, I just used one barrel swivel, and tied the hook leaders straight off the main line.