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I am just curious as to what everybody would list as their top 3 words of advice to a novice crappie fisherman.
Location? Weather? Noise in boat? Lures? Bait? Line? Pole? Temp? The way you hold your tongue? Depth? Trolling? Jigging?
What are the three most important things to do or observe while crappie fishing?
Pay attention to what others are doing(that are catching fish).
Always use quality equipment, you'll catch quality fish.
Remember where to start
Pre-Spawn - on ledges (not too deep, not too shallow)
Spawn - Usually shallow (4'), look in coves & on lay downs on banks.
Post spawn - look at underwater cover (brush, stumps, ledges, etc)
Winter - Look deep for suspended fish
1st off, as a novice crappie fisherman myself, always try as many different techniques possible. That way you will always have some new "trick" to try.
Best time to fish... any time you can, but especially when the water temp is coming up from 55-60. then hit every bush you can find.
Lures.... minnows, jigs, crickets... whatever works for you. as for jigs... some people are big on orange, some on red. I like black/chartreuse. That is probably one of the most popular choices out there.
Try to avoid bumping into your bushes, that will spook them.
avoid corks in brush also, learn how to tightline with long poles.
I wish I knew more tricks. My freezer would be full then. Of course, every time i haul in a mess, I wind up eating fish. Probably the best advice i can give is become a regular on this board, because there will be a lot of information that will help. Best of all, you will make some good aquaintances here.
1) Time
Just finding time in the busy schedule of life to go fishing is the biggest hurdle I face in getting on the water. If your stuck with honey do's and a busy social schedlule your not going to be able to go when they are biting.
2) Wife
Make sure she is ok with you going fishing and make sure you are ok with her going to do what it is she likes to do and you don't. If both of those terms are not met no fishing trip is worth the scorn she can dish out between fishing trips.
2) Comfort.
If your stuck sitting on a bucket in a small boat with no snacks the fish better be biting or your going to be miserable. I don't boat as many crappie as others, but we eat better than everyone. I would say that the vast majority of us have more zero than hero days so you might as well be comfortable while your fishing and not catching.
gooch,
The wife advice sounds like a voice of experience. I also adhere to the "if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy" philosophy. You might wake up with a face full of hot rice!
Depth Control
Boat Control
Go as often as you can
1. Don't pound the banks if they aren't there. Make a 180 and try a little bit deeper.
2. My best fishing is on days with an approaching warm front.
3. Hook up with some folks off this board and find you a few new spots to fish.
1. Create habitat for fish to live in. When you launch your boat you will automatically have several places to try.
2. Good electronics are a must. Learn the contours of your favorite lake, so you can understand what the fish are doing. Imagine the lake with all of the water drained out of it.
3. Don't get burned out trying to catch spawning fish. They are constantly on the move and most people can't stay on them for more than a day or two. Summer time really produces the largest numbers and the largest crappie.
1. RELAX - I caught more fish when I was a levee jumper, but it was WORK.
2. RELAX- If you don't enjoy being on the water...you're not a fisherman,
3. RELAX- If they don't cooperate today...there's always tomorrow.
I'm sure there are more than three points, but they all begin with RELAX!!!
Titleman
1. Payshunts
2. More Payshunts
3. Be most payshunt
1. Learn to read your electronics which will lead to learning what to look for.
2. Watch what other fishermen are doing. I have run across a few that are fussy. But, most want to share there knowledge (not their fishing hole).
3. I wished this was my saying so I will quote some one else from this web site; "Fish where they are. Not where they ain't."
DP
Hey Searcybison....these guy's are right on, and if you'll pay close attention to what they've told you you'll catch plenty of fish....one of the great things about this site is you can learn more in a couple days here than in several years of fishing on your own. Best of luck to you in your quest to improve your fishing tecniques. And thanks for posting the tips guys.....just reading them helps me to remember the basics when the fishing is tough.
Nothing beats time on the water. Crappie can be so fickled ,stop and start with rhe smallest changes at times. If you put out condos ,don't put all your eggs in one basket. Other words put them in varous depths of water. And last get maps and study where the channels run or have someone who knows show you. Most lakes require special tricks for them to produce regular. A lake with deep water is completely different that shallow one. Water color is a thing to watch. Deep clear water can mean deep fish. Shallow colored water warms faster and they spend more time shallow. Water depth can be a relative term depending on the lake. We pass 8 to 10 ' and the fish are deep. Where deep in some waters means 40'.:D
Your right Nimrod, Here on this lake if I catch one 13 to 15 feet deep thats deep!