Single Line Sampling

Yesterday Matt Horton and I conducted our first single line sample on a study lake that we are evaluating the effectiveness of cedar tree piles and Mossback piles. We are trying to evaluate whether or not one type of brush pile has an advantage over the other. The study calls for the use of minnows only, so that it keeps things consistent and we have a chance to catch multiple species. Each pile is only fish for 15 minutes due to the need to sample 18 sites in a day. We were out there from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm sampling in the cold rain. We did manage to collect some samples but I am paying the price today (sick). Due to the low number of fish collected, we will be brainstorming ideas to increase catch rates. I was even toying with the idea of asking anglers for help with the study. Anecdotally, I can report that fish were on both types of brush pile. We caught more crappie on the Mossbacks and more Largemouth Bass on the cedar trees. Water temp was 67-68 degrees and piles were in 7-9 fow.

Today Tom and Matt are conducting electrofishing samples on the same piles as phase two of the study. We will be conducting these samples seasonally for at least three years. When we have all of the data compiled and analyzed, I will share it with y’all. Believe it or not, there are very few studies like these in the published literature.

Even though being out in the nasty weather made me sick, it was worth it. These are the first crappie I have caught since March! Life seems to be getting busier and busier.Attachment 319437Attachment 319438Attachment 319439Attachment 319440Attachment 319441Attachment 319442


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

That’s awesome man! Interested to see what your study shows. What waters are you sampling? If you do decide to open this up to fellow anglers to help let me know. I’d be interested depending on where it’s at!

For now we are keeping the location private. You wouldn’t believe how some people would move things around just to be jerks. We have had several brush piles moved over the years.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D10

For now we are keeping the location private. You wouldn’t believe how some people would move things around just to be jerks. We have had several brush piles moved over the years.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Man that sucks.. that thought never even crossed my mind until u mentioned it. Always the bad apples. Good luck to y’all on your upcoming trips

Thanks for your work and obvious sacrifice. I hope you get better soon.

That's almost as good as being a professional angler getting paid to fish. LOL! Thanks for the efforts D10 is putting forward towards Keeping the sport of fishing alive and thriving.

I can tell you this . We find bigger fish on open structure than thick stuff like dense red cedar trees . But which holds fish more tends to do with depth as well as type structure . We have out hundreds of drove in wooden stake beds , stake buckets , hardwood trees , Cedar trees , and plastic box structures on several lakes . " Factory made plastic trees too pricey for us '' .:twocents Seems like the fish perfer different types depending on the season for us . Looking forward to see your results .

I have always heard that weather doesn't cause you to get sick, germs do. With that being said, I believe that the weather can cause you to get sick. I went squirrel hunting Saturday morning and dressed in my full camo gear (first time out of the closet this year) and ended up sweating and fanning mosquitos by 8 a.m. Started sniffling and sneezing during the Razorback game and now I'm halfway through a Z Pack with a terrible cold.

This is has happened to me before. Dress too warm and get hot in the woods = head cold. Also, I have dressed too lightly and gotten chilled down to the bones and had to take a long hot shower just to warm up again. That = head cold for me too. Maybe I'm just getting older.

Hope you feel better and y'all did catch some nice fish. My mom made a big pot of squirrel mulligan and it was very good Monday night, even if I was coughing and sneezing through eating it. I hate being sick!

I was chilled to the bone and a bit shower didn’t help much. I am on the Z pack also. I feel better today.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lkconwayguru

That's almost as good as being a professional angler getting paid to fish. LOL! Thanks for the efforts D10 is putting forward towards Keeping the sport of fishing alive and thriving.

---

I wish we were paid like professional anglers! Lol! It’s a tough job but someone has to do it. Seriously though, there are good things and bad things about every job/career. I consider by self blessed to have a career that has more positives than negatives. Single line sampling is definitely a positive!


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Most people blaming weather be closer to look at pollen , dust and mold in the air right now .

What is a moss back pile ?


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GreenLine

What is a moss back pile ?


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Do a google search for Mossback Fish Rack. I dont think that I am supposed to put non-sponsored products email address on here. Here are a couple of pictures of some Mossbacks that we put out on Harris Brake.
Attachment 319625Attachment 319626

Think I know where that one is sunk . :fish I have fished it . Too pricey for most fishermen to buy just to sink .:yikes

I would agree with NIMROD. Those darn fish can be fickle and having a variety of cover would allow you to better dial them under different weather systems. Great topic for posting, thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NIMROD

Think I know where that one is sunk . :fish I have fished it . Too pricey for most fishermen to buy just to sink .:yikes

---

You probably have fishing that one a time or two. The not cheap price tag is one of the reasons we are evaluating them. We want to see if the up front cost is worth it in the long run. Part of the analysis will be a cost/benefit analysis. In other words, over the long run, did you using these structures save the commission money. Think long term. These structures last just about forever. Cedar tree piles will need to be replenished over time. So if they are both effective at holding fish (we are evaluating this also), how many years would they need to be in place before we have spent enough man hours and other associated cost of harvesting and putting out cedar piles? It may be toward the end of my career before we have a definitive answer to this question but it should be fun collecting the data!


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Hey Matt,
I have enjoyed some of your posts in the past and look forward to getting to read them always.
There are a lot of us who would consider "working" with a fishing pole in your hand a dream job.Keep up the dream job and Thanks for what you do in the studies.

I feel Hardwood stake beds drove in last well and hold fish good low cost . But might not be cost effective if your getting paid to drive them in .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D10

You probably have fishing that one a time or two. The not cheap price tag is one of the reasons we are evaluating them. We want to see if the up front cost is worth it in the long run. Part of the analysis will be a cost/benefit analysis. In other words, over the long run, did you using these structures save the commission money. Think long term. These structures last just about forever. Cedar tree piles will need to be replenished over time. So if they are both effective at holding fish (we are evaluating this also), how many years would they need to be in place before we have spent enough man hours and other associated cost of harvesting and putting out cedar piles? It may be toward the end of my career before we have a definitive answer to this question but it should be fun collecting the data!


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NIMROD

I feel Hardwood stake beds drove in last well and hold fish good low cost . But might not be cost effective if your getting paid to drive them in .

---

One thing to remember is that even though I predominantly fish for crappie in my spare time, I manage for ALL species on the job and that means when I make a brush pile, it is for all species, not just crappie. So I have to subconsciously remind myself that I don’t need to make brush piles that only benefit crappie anglers. I need to remember my fellow bass anglers, brim fisherman, Walleye anglers, cat fisherman etc... Mostly location and depth are changed to TRY to make everyone happy. This is easier to do in my shallow and stumpy AGFC lakes.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

You would be surprised how deep you can drive stake beds with a PVC driver . Most anything that holds Crappie will be used by other species too .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D10

One thing to remember is that even though I predominantly fish for crappie in my spare time, I manage for ALL species on the job and that means when I make a brush pile, it is for all species, not just crappie. So I have to subconsciously remind myself that I don’t need to make brush piles that only benefit crappie anglers. I need to remember my fellow bass anglers, brim fisherman, Walleye anglers, cat fisherman etc... Mostly location and depth are changed to TRY to make everyone happy. This is easier to do in my shallow and stumpy AGFC lakes.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NIMROD

You would be surprised how deep you can drive stake beds with a PVC driver . Most anything that holds Crappie will be used by other species too .

---

I have driven stakes with a PVC driver before in 12’ of water (personal spot not work pile). Not hard work, just tedious. I agree that a pile that holds crappie also will hold other fish. But I think that stake beds predominantly hold crappie. You may catch other species off them from time to time but they mainly hold crappie.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by D10

I have driven stakes with a PVC driver before in 12’ of water (personal spot not work pile). Not hard work, just tedious. I agree that a pile that holds crappie also will hold other fish. But I think that stake beds predominantly hold crappie. You may catch other species off them from time to time but they mainly hold crappie.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Can you elaborate on a PVC driver? How long of stakes can it drive?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SlabSeeker0485

Can you elaborate on a PVC driver? How long of stakes can it drive?

---

Look it up on youtube . There are several videos . Depth you can drive depends all on how long the stakes and driver are combined. :twocents

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NIMROD

Look it up on youtube . There are several videos . Depth you can drive depends all on how long the stakes and driver are combined. :twocents

---

Matt, since you did this during a raining (cloudy) day. I have found during cloudy weather the crappie are much more apt to be out away from brush roaming and chasing shad (and usually higher in the water column). I am curious which ones would produce during a high pressure system with sunny weather. I think that while pile location in proximity to the forage base is probably the #1 factor, the amount of shade provided by each pile would come into play.

Thank you for taking the time to do the study. Looking forward to your progress reports. Hope you feel better soon.:)

D10, or anyone do you know how's the crappie fishing on lower white oak lake.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mighty

D10, or anyone do you know how's the crappie fishing on lower white oak lake.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

I have heard it is pretty good right now, but I also heard that if you find a fishing hole out in front of a certain boathouse....the man will come out and yell at you to leave and get in his boat and circle around you until you do. Crazy! I'm telling the truth here, no lie!!!

Call Andy Yung (877) 836-4612. He is the District Fisheries Supervisor down there. He samples and fishes down there. He should be able to give you a good answer too. Thanks.

Thanks guys

Sent from my SM-J700T using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GoTennTitans

I have heard it is pretty good right now, but I also heard that if you find a fishing hole out in front of a certain boathouse....the man will come out and yell at you to leave and get in his boat and circle around you until you do. Crazy! I'm telling the truth here, no lie!!!

---

I'd drive that guy completely insane if he did that to me whether I was catching fish or not. I'd leave and come back so often he'd shoot me or lose his mind. LOL

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mac Daddy

I'd drive that guy completely insane if he did that to me whether I was catching fish or not. I'd leave and come back so often he'd shoot me or lose his mind. LOL

---

This same guy got in trouble for doing this before the drawdown a few years ago, but I hear he's back at it. Fishing isn't worth fighting over, but that wouldn't go over so well in my boat either! Craziness....