Kayak Trip Report, Indian Creek

I fished Indian Creek today, bait fish and Stripe were everywhere. I kept 5 Crappie and 5 Large Gills. Returned a dozen larger Crappie and a couple dozen shorts. Water was clear with visibility of about two feet and 58 degrees.

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for the report. Helps in my decision for Friday. Was hoping you would kill them there.


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Thanks for your report.

Lots of Cappie there but they were hugging the bottom. Talk to a guy using live scope, he could see the fish hugging structure but won't bite. Beautiful day though even with the wind. I may go try Forest Ingram tomorrow or Friday, I'd like to get into some of that catching one after another, even if they are small, LOL!

FYI, all my fish came off single pole 8 to 10 feet deep using a 1/32oz White Marabou jig. I know drives people crazy I keep using a Marabou jig!

I’ve been really wanting to go to 8 mile for that same reason. But my knees keep saying NOOO. Lol


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Thanks DB, sounds like you had a fun day.

Some good eats

Great report DB.

Het Ditch when you start fishing for the day, can you describe how you go about finding the depth and structure/contour and bait profile/color.

Them dang maribou again.. :)

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In muddy water I start with Chartreuse, clear water White. If I'm single poling laydowns I look for a tree that extends from the bank into the deepest water and work it from end to end. Clear water fish are usually deeper, muddy water they may be a foot deep. I usually start around 6 feet but drop the jig slowly and if no bites or the fish finder is showing fish deeper, I just keep dropping. Monday there were Strip and baitfish everywhere, but all the Crappie came out of 8 to 12 feet of water and right on the bottom. Next trip they'll be on the same laydowns but will move shallow or deep depending on if they're feeding, water clarity and light (clear blue sunny days are hard!). I seldom take more than two or three from a single laydown. I keep moving picking up the active fish and will target a good tree several time during a trip. One more thing, I usually keep a small fish marker in my vest pocket, if I cross over deeper (8 to 15 feet) submerged brush showing fish holding on it I'll drop the marker and jig around it. The marker makes it easy to stay on the spot and I'll often find most of my fish on these little submerged spots that everyone misses.

Nothing wrong with drowning minnows in a good laydown that reloads with fish if you have the patience, but I won't, I keep moving.

So you use that tree you described to kinda figure them out for the trip??As far as depth, color etc? I stay confused. I think well are they on this tree and just want a different color??Or if I change colors and move to a tree they are on what if they really want the color I just took off??sometimes I feel I make it more complicated than it needs to be.


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Helps when you know the area and specific trees you've repeatedly caught Crappie on in the past. I think the actively feeding Crappie are a little less picky and will hit anything that is shaken in front of them, LOL. Any given tree will have mostly inactive fish that will only hit a specific color or presentation, but once you know the depth most of the fish down that creek will be within a foot or two of the same depth.

Don’t mean to hi jack catches question,but while you are on a roll I have one more. When you say depth do you mean the depth they are suspended at or the depth of the water itself?


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I'm talking distance below the surface. Always remember Crappie look up, never down. They typically suspend and relate to cover, especially vertical structure. Often, I'm catching Crappie and other people aren't because they are too deep with their bait (Crappie don't look down) or their bait is too shallow. Nonactive Crappie may not move up in the water collum even a foot or two to take a bait. The really hard thing is sometimes you hit that magic 30 minutes (usually at dawn or right before sundown) where you catch them as fast as a bait hits the water.