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I have never thought about this before. Is the crappie fishing different on lakes with muskie. My home lake has some very large muskie. This past week end I was on a drop off marking crappie. Only managed 2 fish. 10 yards away a guy boated a 54" muskie. Did that keep them from feeding? I would think that it would chase them into hiding becoming unseen on my Lowrance. Anyone have crappie experience on muskie or northern pike waters?
We have musky and pike both on the lake I primarily fish. You will be catching fish good and then they just shutdown. 30 minutes later you catch a gill and a musky nails it before you get it to the bank. I think it absolutely plays a factor. I’d say they heard em up for a bit and they fear for their lives.
There was a Brushpile Fishing episode filmed on Cave Run Lake KY where Russ and the guy he was fishing with had several crappie snatched off their baits by a large muskie in a tree lap.
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Conservation department stocks them in a local lake that I fish. The crappie there are very abundant.
Crappie are spiny critters, and I've read that Musky much prefer rough fish that are easier to eat, but like any predator they are opportunists and will eat anything if given the chance.
I think it's definitely a factor at times.
Bass, pike & musky are top predators and will take any/every opportunity to feed on all species of panfish. We fish waters here with a sizeable population of northern pike (but no musky) and as been said, all of a sudden the bite turns off, for unknown reasons. Then a bit later, it turns back on again. I believe that occurs when a major predator approaches the area they are in.
I reported early this year that I caught a small crappie and when I had it near to landing, a good sized LM bass came up and engulfed it! Quite a battle ensued for a few seconds. Then the bass released opened it's yap, letting the crappie go. I landed the bruised crappie, which I released, alive.
It happened to me in canada we were on a lone tree 50 feet off the bank catching BIG crappie around two to three pounds life was great and a big northern swam by and crappie scattered but we caught a few more about a hour later have to love it.
I would think anything that resembles a larger fish that might be a predator will spook crappie" if "they see it .
kinda like chickens that freak out on the shadow of a passing buzzard .
my 2 cents
A fisherman wearing a scary orange mask might freak them out to!
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You think that mask was scary ....you need to stay tuned ....
I brung out the real deal in the storm yesterday
And sum would ask why on earth a mask ....
I would say ....
kuz it is about to get real ....:Rofl
Crappie can smell those stinky predator fish even before they see them. Those crappies will bury themselves so deep in the brush, the predators can’t get to them. Most will leave the area as soon as they smell them too. Many days I’ve had this happen and as I glide around the brushpiles that was producing, I see the predator on my Lowrance or bird. I move on to another pile a good distance away and fish there. If I don’t have my limit by the time I’m ready to leave, I may stop back at that pile I saw the predator on earlier and hopefully it’s gone and I finish my limit in short time. Crappies will not come out of the brush as long as they still smell that big fish around and that includes if it slimes up the brush trying to get to them. Two things to do. Catch them and either keep them or take them to a different area of the lake that you rarely fish and release them there.
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I have underwater video of crappie and pike on the same structure..., also have caught many crappie and walleye, only to have them hit by large pike that will not let go.... I can post videos or links later if anyone is interested