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Had a dismal summer for crappie on lower Sam Rayburn. Brushpiles old and new in ~30FOW that worked last year did not yield fish for me. Hopeful that the fall bite is better. Anyone willing to offer tips as to area and depth that would be worth a try for the next few months?
The only time I ever really had great fall crappie fishing was on a spot that had lots of Hydrilla and the water was 15' deep, but dropped off a lot on both sides. I killed them long line trolling on top of that Hydrilla just going back and forth over that area. If I go this fall I will look for Hydrilla and maybe 15' water depth with deep water near by.
Skip
Thanks for reply.
I should also say I was using the 1/32 Oz Roadrunners when that was going on. I do the same thing in spring, but just shallower water. Usually go about .4 MPH.
Skip
don't know that lake but the fall bite is upon us .....they are frisky and hungry right now
If the fall move is on I would sure take a look around Farmers Flat is it has Hydrilla! If you have been on the lake lately can you tell me if there is any Hydrilla?
Skip
Hydrilla is slowly coming back. I don't think there is much if any at Farmers Flat but I know of some good growth in the Caney Creek area extending out to about 12 FOW.
Man I would live there a while! Try the edge of that and if that doesn't pay off try long lining over it with a 1/32 Oz jig!Quote:
Originally Posted by wes75951
Skip
Planning on going this afternoon to fish until dark. I'll let you know how it goes.
It's great to keep a log of what worked last year but never ever live by it..... my favorite saying is listen to the fish, they will tell you want they want, where they want it & how they want it..... always always give every option a try weather it be depth, jig color/size, action & type of structure. Skip brought up something I have found crappie are usually always happy near drop offs & those drop offs allow one to try several different depths to find where they will feed....FEESH ON....
Found no fish.
Bummer! Is there any timber still standing in water say 15' deep or a little less? I would give standing timber a shot especially early in the day. I feel like there is a depth of water over in that lake that they are going to right now so they can feed up for winter. Finding that spot/area and depth will surely pay off if found. I seem to remember one of the coves West of Farmers long ago had timber in the back of it, maybe 3 fingers? If so I would probably see if anything is in there.
Very little standing timber left showing, ocassional submerged snag shows on sonar.
The submerged stuff would be my go to, would have to find the depth the fish are at.....
That is the real key especially when looking for them in a given area. Find fish first and just see what depth of water that is and keep looking in the same depth until you have a good spot. I am hearing over here on Toledo Bend it depends on where you are if there is any Hydrilla or not. Seems some places have a lot and some not so much. I do know when I go here before long it will be where there is some Hydrilla! I learned this lake when it was a structure lake and no Hydrilla here then, it came later and changed how you had to fish. So when our Hydrilla gets hit it changes the fishing so much. I guess fishing structure would be ket on Rayburn now if the Hydrilla is not plentiful. With Hydrilla I am pretty sure you can look shallower, but with structure you need to fish something for them to relate to in a depth they want. I would sure take a sonar look around creek edges in the shallower water, like 15' and less, maybe even 10' water depth. I can't imagine them just going deep from summer to deep for winter without a trip shallow to gouge full of food first. Try and find large balls of shad and they should be around them now!Quote:
Originally Posted by silentkilla
Skip
Late in the trip yesterday I looked for and believe I found bait balls in 15-20ft. of water, but we didn't locate fish there either.
Sound like you did some good hunting.....
Don't feel like you had a failed trip, enjoying the hunt is part of fishn for crappie.... gotta get the non-productive waters under your belt......
So now on your next trip you'll have more areas to hunt.....
Skip posted some valuable info.... I've never fished a lake with hydrilla so that would that would be a new experience for me......
Thanks for the encouragement. I bass and striper fished on Toledo Bend in the 70's and 80's when I lived in the Indian Mounds area. Got involved in family and other things and didn't fish for 30+ years. Now semi-retired pastor with time to fish, I bought a boat last summer. Wanted to learn crappie fishing in the hope of having fish to share with others. I'll keep working to figure it out. Thanks for help.
Wes what kind of electronics are you running?
Raymarine Dragonfly 4Pro
I don't know the rules over on Rayburn as far as putting out your own brush plies, but that is what I would so here. I have not the last few years as it's a lot of work, but worth is every time I have! I still know where some we put in that will not go away as they are not wood and are big so hoping they will pay off next summer for me. I can only talk about Toledo Bend as I have not crappie fished on Rayburn since it first opened and there were still tons of trees you could go get lost in, lol! So again all my info is for here and should also work there! Lets start in Spring okay?Quote:
Originally Posted by wes75951
You have to really be on top of finding them when they first come in and that can be anywhere from Early Feb to March sometime. It will depend on what kind of weather we have in winter which I do not fish! You really want to zone in on the beginning because the first week to two it will be all big males. we found them in 2013 Feb Super Bowl Sunday! The weather had been warm, like in the 70's about all the week before and my neighbor wanted to go cast some White spinner baits for bass and I wanted to try crappie due to that weather. So he was going to do that and if I caught a crappie he was going to change over to crappie. As soon as we stopped and I made a few cast and caught a nice crappie. So we just changed over to long line trolling and for us that is one rod in hand and trolling motor pulling at .4 to .8 MPH and look for a crappie. When we catch one note right away what depth of water the boat was in, then stay on that contour and go back and forth catching crappie. We didn't go out until about 8 AM and quit for lunch and started back about 2:30 and quit for the day at 5 PM. We had 50 of the nicest crappie you have ever seen IMHO! Will post a pic here below. Every time out just locate the depth they are at for that day and get after them. We are pulling 1/32 Oz Roadrunners and Ponies and that bait never gets very deep and they will come up and get it. Have caught crappie like that on the edge of Hydrilla in water as deep as 20'!
Then summer is coming and they have got out of the 6' to 7' water which is were we mostly find them, but did have one year as soon as they came to the bank the SRA dropped the water 2' in two weeks. This moved them out to 9 1/2' water and they stayed there for the rest of that spring. They will move so more is at 10' to 12' for a few days and then a little deeper, then out to the brush piles in 20' to 25' and later even deeper water at times. This is when you need brush piles to fish and they should have been put in around April to May and by the end of may they will hold fish! Then Fall will just depend on finding them in what depth of water and once you ahem that it reduces how much looking you have to do! It's all about water depth IMHO! Fall I want some Hydrilla and then find some fish in it and even use the fish ID to do that.
Skip
Super Bowl Sunday
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Excellent read & excellent info.....Nicely done Skip....