How many of you chase shellcrackers in late fall going into wintertime?

I love chasing panfish of all types. Who am I kidding I chase all types of fish and usually am fishing for what ever I can beg to bite. But the elusive shellcracker just keeps skunking me. Just wondering what different ways everyone fishes for them late in the year. I seem to just luck into them this late. No specific pattern, I usually find them in chunky rock near a little deeper channel at the mouth of coves or creek inlets. I mainly fish for them with a dropshot or jig tipped with a little bit a night crawler. I'm just curious how you guys chase them, or if any of you even do this late.

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:popcorn

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

:popcorn

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That emoji scares me when I see it.

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Just interested in learning.

I don't quite worry about it here like in other places. Usually on other sites somebody is getting roasted once that emoji pops up.

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Don't believe roasting would be tolerated here. I have witnessed it on other sites for sure. Some of them get down right mean. Slab and the Mods make sure it is calm and tame here. Makes for a nice atmosphere

Interesting subject .
I catch shellcrackers occasionally year round out of our town pond .
When it cools down I use a 1/16 dropshot rig with jigs , both hand tied and plastics .
Mainly to fish slowly near the bottom but with the dropshot I kept my jigs out of the muck on the bottom.
The pond and one of my local water reservoirs have shellcracker in them .
I’ve also caught some small ones out of the bigger reservoir I fish , but only during warm weather when they are near shore .
Not ever lake or pond around here have them .
If you use live bait , I would think a worm on a dropshot rig would be a great way to locate them .

I have great success in my Missouri lake this time of year, using a combination spider rig/tightline setup.

Right now, we have huge schools roaming flat, hard bottom areas close to creek channels, and close to deep water. NOTE : My temp is waaaayyyy off ! It's more like 68 or so surface temp !

Attachment 438588

I usually run 2 or 3, 14 to 16 foot rods, on a spider rig mount out in front of the boat, rigged with 8 pound hi-vis mono to a swivel, with a 4 pound leader. The leader is dropshot rigged with a number 2 Eagle Claw baitkeeper hook, on a 1 to 2 inch loop knot, loaded with a 1/2 inch chunk of night crawler, about a foot above a 1/2 to 3/4 oz weight on the bottom.

I slow troll, or "push" these rigs at 0.1 to 0.3 mph, in a zig zag pattern, back and forth across previously scouted waters. Electronics, and a good trolling motor really help me find and stay on these schools, and I find they really don't travel too far in the course of a 2 or 3 hour expedition. Sometimes they don't move for days, especially when large schools of bait fish are in the area.

I target 13 to 20 feet of water, and continuously adjust to keep the weight barely bouncing the bottom, with the crawler just above the bottom. 14 to 16 feet seems to be the sweet spot for me in my lake. However, another fisherman (my main competition) does almost as well targeting 10 to 12 feet of water with similar techniques.

Here's a few from the other day .....

Attachment 438600

I would share more pics, but my internet delivers a BLAZING FAST speed of a whopping 1.3 mbs, and uploads are painfully slow !!!
Thanks Century Link .....

Hope this helps .....

DRAG A 1/32 JIG(USUALLY BLACK ) TIPPED WITH A MEAL WORM .

I’m far from an expert but I’ve had some success with them this year. I’m dragging a dark colored jig just above the bottom in areas that I believe they’re bedding. If I catch any at times there isn’t a full moon close by it’s usually just one or two by chance. I’d love to have the secret that kept me on them all the time, they fight stronger than any other.

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Originally Posted by skeetbum

I’m far from an expert but I’ve had some success with them this year. I’m dragging a dark colored jig just above the bottom in areas that I believe they’re bedding. If I catch any at times there isn’t a full moon close by it’s usually just one or two by chance. I’d love to have the secret that kept me on them all the time, they fight stronger than any other.

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I agree, the fight is a bonus to the great meal they make.

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I fish like a kid, worm or half a nightcrawler on a #6 hook with a split shot 8" above the hook and drag across the bottom. This week I found them in ten feet of water. I haven't seen them in the big lake I fish but the smaller electric only lakes have good populations.

Around here lakes with lily pads usually have some decent redear. Gills seem to outnumber them at least 10-1 but when you hook a decent redear you know it's one before you see it because they will test your drag. I use a 1/48 duck jig with a #8 or #10 jig hook tipped with a Berkley power wiggler or waxworm.

Attachment 439107
One of the better ones over 10” that I caught around a full moon a while back. I love these things!

not sure why , but we lit them up in a pond yesterday ,jigs tipped with worms ,and they outnumbered all the other fish that bit about 4 or5 to 1 ? :highfive

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I love chasing panfish of all types. Who am I kidding I chase all types of fish and usually am fishing for what ever I can beg to bite.

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You said it all right there! The right lures used the proper way in the right location(s) always have the potential of catching whater has gills and fins from 4lb suckers to the smallest fish you ever caught. The more fish of any one species in a body of water, the more of them you are likely to catch.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION - #1 That's what patterns are all about and they can vary from week to week, seasonally and from one water to another.
examples of two location patterns:
lake #1
fish were found in the channels and off the edges of large, dying lily pads. Depth 6-7'. Open water - forget it.

lake#2
fish were found mostly in open water in 7-8', half way down (nothing special about the bottom). Trolled to a spot and anchored when fish were caught in a certain direction. Picked up anchor and repeat when fish were found again.
Depth per the sonar and direction of the rod fighting a fish in open water on a windy day no less!:
Attachment 439648Attachment 439649

What lures were used: the same ones I cast all year long? : soft plastics on light jigheads.

How presented: slow with pauses

Fish caught: 3 species of sunfish, a few crapppie, small bass, y. and w. perch and one large pickerel. Total catch since last week between the two waters/ two outings? 59 fish per my counter.

The only way to target fish is by using lures that either fit in their mouths or don't. If I wanted to target bass, the lures would be on the large or heavier side; if I (like you) want to catch any size fish that can be provoked into striking, small to medium size lures get it done.

Lure design is very important regardless of water temperature. My aim is to use whatever lure has the most action on the slowest retrieve. These little buggers and many like them were chomped on by different fish species.
Crappie Magnet tails:
Attachment 439642
Attachment 439640Attachment 439641

Another lure had some tube tails attached:
Attachment 439645 Attachment 439643 Attachment 439646 Attachment 439647

Both tail shapes quivered with least action applied or movement.
These and other lures with the same finesse action sometimes got struck 3 x on the same retrieve.

Hope the above helps in some way or another.

Can also hook a red wiggler on a hook (just on tip of the worm , do not worm on )with a #3 split shot a foot or so up the line . Drag this over likely spots .Attachment 439795