How would you fish this?

This lake has limited cover for lakes around here. Found what appears to be a fully limbed-out tree in 16 ft of water. I can't see the tree top and visibility is probably about 2 feet. I was casting around it and caught a crappie there somehow. But just about every cast, I'd get hung on a limb. I sure had some good 5-lb braid line because it would bend the hook, it never broke. Anyway, I know there are crappie there, how do I fish it? What about casting a slip bobber rig? (Casting would give more length vs. a jig pole.) Not sure how deep the crappie are now. I see 'something' at about 4 feet but also at 12 feet. I would think they'd be the latter depth at this time. I prefer to cast or tightline jig but I'd have to have the boat close to right over the top of the tree. Anyway, I figure I gotta go vertical, casting seems out.

Lake is 70 years old; I can't imagine that tree being fully formed with all the limbs still there after that time. Wonder if somebody 'put' it there. Seems odd it would float there and sink like it's standing straight up just like it grew there, lol. Maybe it's a cypress tree, they last a long time.

Will crappie be about the same depth all over the lake? I am new to this lake.

They pull some old cypress logs out of the swamps down that way. A weedless jighead may help a whole lot.

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Originally Posted by livemusic

This lake has limited cover for lakes around here. Found what appears to be a fully limbed-out tree in 16 ft of water. I can't see the tree top and visibility is probably about 2 feet. I was casting around it and caught a crappie there somehow. But just about every cast, I'd get hung on a limb.

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Weedless jig. Problem solved.

Since it's a tree, limbs, is there any type of weedless jig that works best?

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Originally Posted by livemusic

Since it's a tree, limbs, is there any type of weedless jig that works best?

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Weedless slider heads work well since you’re Texas-rigging the bait.

Spider Slider Head SPH

I would fish that type of cover using my long pole 12 or 14 ft.
I’d start by pitching out and dragging the jig back in, just outside the cover.
Starting shallow and going deeper each time.
Then if I don’t get any bites I’d go inside the cover letting it down vertically.
If I get hung up I just run the rod tip down to the jig and lightly work it up and down till it comes loose.
Then start fishing again
Sometimes you have to go in after em ...


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

4 foot is likely bream or small crappie , 12 foot is likely larger crappie .
without any doubt I would set up within a few feet of its outer edges and try vertically jigging in it.
possibly with a slightly longer rod ,maybe not .
try a number 6 jig hook and a 1/32 and fish it ever so slowly and carefully .
cover the hook point with a crappie nibble and don't leave any hook itself exposed .
fat body plastics will expose less hook and work real well with a nibble up against them over the tip of the hook .
that tree did not get there by an act of god most likely , just saying :Rofl

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Originally Posted by Ketchn

4 foot is likely bream or small crappie , 12 foot is likely larger crappie .
without any doubt I would set up within a few feet of its outer edges and try vertically jigging in it.
possibly with a slightly longer rod ,maybe not .
try a number 6 jig hook and a 1/32 and fish it ever so slowly and carefully .
cover the hook point with a crappie nibble and don't leave any hook itself exposed .
fat body plastics will expose less hook and work real well with a nibble up against them over the tip of the hook .
that tree did not get there by an act of god most likely , just saying :Rofl

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Tell me more about not having any exposed hook. You think that makes a difference, apparently. Do you do this all the time? Are the nibbles just to cover the hook or provide scent?

nibbles are 2 fold , weedless and scent the best of 2 worlds if you drop a jig into cover
if placed properly on the hook they will keep a stealthy hand from losing a jig and will get bit right quickly most of the time .

gently gently on the jig is really important ,braid or not ,you go jerking around on the cover with fish in it and they will hit the trail in most cases ....

I have fished for crappie off and on my whole life and have had some good times with big catches occasionally but I don't know that much about it compared to you guys. I have mostly fished for bass. Last few years, added more bream and crappie fishing, finesse.

Is there any color jig for crappie that one should favor this time of year post spawn in water with some color? Visibility maybe 2-3 feet. And when you use nibbles, do you use a certain color with certain color jigs? I fished for crappie less than an hour a couple days ago and caught three good ones; used a black/pink 1/16 oz jig and chose that color just because I had some of them tied because they worked on another lake a few years ago, lol. I don't recall time of year. This time of year, I would, typically, use a white or chartreuse color. Anyway, new lake to me and caught three good ones, look forward to finding more. I know a guy who caught 25 nice ones from 'my' lake 3 days ago. So, they're biting decently.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ketchn

nibbles are 2 fold , weedless and scent the best of 2 worlds if you drop a jig into cover
if placed properly on the hook they will keep a stealthy hand from losing a jig and will get bit right quickly most of the time .

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So, nibbles are not to hide the hook from spooky fish, it's scent and to help make it weedless? Do you use just one nibble for this? (I never would have guessed the nibble could assist in weedless fishing! That sounds good to me, very cool.)