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What are they actually doing? Fishing last evening, I had numerous schools plowing around at the surface but they wanted nothing to do with any lure I ran through or around them. It's happened in the past, too. I'm sure some of you have had the same experience; kinda frustrating to KNOW they're right there and not be able to entice them.
Thoughts on what might work?
possibly eating really small fry or zoo plankton ? many folks dont know black crappie eat super tiny things ....1/4 inch long in some cases ....
get you some super tiny jigs ...like 1/64 with a really small body .....maybe try to indent the food item ?
do you have those tiny ghost shrimp in those waters like some places ? they really like them .....
possibly even an aquatic insect hatch of some variety .....?
this is all of course if they are not gulping due to oxygen depletion ....
Various insect hatches happen every day, all summer long. They're probably midges (chironimids.)
I have seen them do this myself. They even strike the top of the water just like a bass at times and this is usually during the hot parts of summer.
Probably mayflies, you can catch them with an imitations on a fly rod.
I have been seeing crappie hitting at the top here in our area. They are feeding on balls of shad and various species of fry in open water. The crappie are holding in offshore cover and ambushing the balls when they come near. I have been observing this activity to discover new structure
I've seen this before many times mostly in the hottest part of the summer. A few times I've seen the small fry that they are feeding on. Not sure what kind of fry it is because they are very small.
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Everyone is correct!
They are feeding on insects, this years fry, and some gulp/swish air at the surface during heat stress!
When I used to travel to Florida for work, I fished often in the spillway of the Rodman Reservoir in Palatka. When I heard this sound, I knew I could fish a minnow shallow under a bobber (4ft), or even by simply tying on a bare hook (no weight) and pitch a minnow out in the area. I really miss catching those huge crappie!
WHEN IT HAPPEN AGAIN ,THROW YOUR BAIT PASS THEM AND REEL IT BACK FAST,THEY ARE HITTING SMALL BAIT THAT THEY BUSTED UP AND IS TRYING TO FLEE AWAY,A SLOW BAIT THEN IS NOT NATURAL,I DID IT FRIDAY
Had this happen to me. I down sized my gear and spider rigged with jig cutting the surface of the water and started Fleecing them!!! They would hit it so hard and fast to the side it would be difficult to get a hook in em.
We see the "feedings" quiet often in the summer, especially around sunset. I cast a minner hooked thru the tail about a foot below the bobber with no weight on the line. Let the winner do the work. Sometimes I git lucky.