Can See Crappie, Cant Catch Them Harrison Bay Chickamauga Lake

My son and I are trying some crappie fishing with boat, but not much luck.
Aug through Nov 2016.
We have to cheap underwater camera and near some bridge piers, we can see dozens, if not hundreds of crappie.
We have tried many types of bait from minnows to jigs, spoons, crank baits, live worms, crickets, etc.
We have fished this spot 4 different Saturdays and have caught maybe 6 crappie total.
We watched a man cast a light jig -1/48 ounce - into the same area where we were casting an identical bait, except ours was 1/32 oz.
He caught 6. We caught none
What gives (other than we don't know how to fish), what could we be doing wrong?
Had similar experience at barge Piers below Nickajack Dam. Can see dozens of Crappie and Bass, but catch very few.

Frustrating to see but not catch. Makes me want to shoot them....or shoot the camera :~)
Any advice appreciated
Chickamauga lake, Harrison Bay Wolftever Creek Tn.
Thanks
Stacy Whetzell

lighter weight = slower fall , antagonizes fish into attacking the bait. that could be your problem, especially if everything else is the same.
that's my :twocents worth

Two things I will throw out are I dont see minnows on that list and you cant beat them for a slow bite. Second did you try holding the bait still vertically over them?

Use lighter line. Six pound test max. Also get some white and some chartreuse crappie nibbles and tip your jig with them. The smell helps promote bites. Can even tip a minnow with them. Get back to us after you give this a try.

I would go on the Tenn Forum and give a shout out to "Drumking" :ThumbsUp

You can also read his reports, as he gives good info on water conditions, baits used, depths fished, etc.

Wish I could help, but the closest I've been fishing to that area is the Spring City/Piney River area of Watts Bar Lake :Doh:

While I can't speak specifically to the waters you are fishing. I can offer a tip to consider sometimes help with finicky fish. It can be all about bait choice and presentation. Since you have an example using the same bait as another fisherman catching at the same location, you might want to consider how slow you are presenting the bait. If you think you are providing a slow presentation, slow it down even more. The other intriguing aspect about the example you provide is the direction/angle of your presentation. Obviously, the other angler was presenting from a different direction. I sometimes found casting from one spot on a laydown does not produce. When I move a bit and present to the same location I can catch a few. Good luck. Your day is coming.

Downsize and slow the retrieve. One trip I started with a 1/8, not a bite. Like you, I knew they were there. Went to 1/16 and got one now and then, and a 1/32 I got with it a little better yet. I went to a 1/64 and it was a fish on almost every cast and left em biting 3 hours later. Same body, same color, all I changed was the fall rate. Nibbles also Help, and I just don't buy many minnows so I can't say much on that.

I agree with drop your bait size down for sure and maybe go to 4 lb test ......and for sure put a Berkley gulp brand crappie nibble on the hook point .....no larger than 6 on the hook size and present the bait very soft and slow .....sometimes a tiny feather jig is the ticket when the water temps drop as well ......they will bite something for sure at some point .....and explore the bite window as well .....sometimes a few hours before or after is the ticket

Shoot the Camera! :)

What everyone has suggested are good things to try. Hard to say without seeing you fish. But as you try to work it out keep fishing that pier below Nickajack. It is a target rich environment for crappie. A good place to work on your technique.

Regards

First, take the camera off of Demo mode.

If downsizing, slowing, and holding still don't work. Adjust your live minnow to make sure it is above the fish. If nothing else works, go bigger. Get a 3" fat bass grub, in while or pumpkinseed. Still use a small jig head, 1/16 or smaller. Bigger body with a slow fall can be tempting. Also, try any jig/grub combo under a slip cork. Let it settle, then test different retrive speeds. With the cork, you can stop the retrieve at any time and let the jig settle and set still. Like a cat, as soon as you pull it away, the hit may come.

Good luck. Keep at it. Hope both of you get into them.

That area gets hit hard, try something different than the crowd. Many have suggested slowing down/downsizing, however for neutral fish, I usually prefer upsizing and fishing faster/more erratic. Both have their place. Timing can be critical too, such has early/late in the day or when generation kicks on/off.

Since the guy with a 1/48 jig was catching fish I would downsize my line and my bait. I would try 2lb line with a 1/64 size jig. I have never had this problem with crappie but there is a creek I fish that the white bass will not touch any large baits. Throw 8lb line and you will not get bit at all. 2lb fluorcarbon line with a 1/64 jig will fill the stringer.