Watts Bar

[tenncrappie]

Sailfish and I hit the blue springs area yesterday and trolled for 3 hrs. Most fish were in 20 to 15 ft of water. showed fish hugging the bottom and some suspended in 8 to 12 figured the bottom ones were kittys and they were and the mid range were crappie. Longlinning was the only way they would bite. Total keepers 7 with 4 good cats one weighted 21lbs all channels. Water temp 68 All crappie still had eggs.

[CrappiePappy]

TC ... you gotta watch those WB Crappie, they'll spawn in 2fow all the way down to 10fow !!

But, I just can't for the life of me figure out why those silly fish are still suspended out in deeper water You'd think with the temps being in the high 60's, that they'd be all over the banks, by now. They've got the right water temps, lake is on a slow rise, females still have full sacs of eggs ... what the heck are they waiting for

Seems like ever since they changed the timing on raising the water level to pool, things just haven't progressed (spawn timing-wise) like it used to. Our tourneys from 2000 - 2004, usually held in mid April, saw plenty of catchable fish in <10fow (& 90% of them from under docks). Then they changed the schedule & things haven't been the same, since. Here's an article on that change : http://www.chattanoogan.com/2004/5/1...Plan-Over.aspx

... cp

[tenncrappie]

We've thought the same thing Pappy but we talked to some old timers and they said when you had a cold longer than normal winter they'd do this every year. They've been spawned out on the Chick for nearly 2-3 weeks Go figure.

[CrappiePappy]

We've thought the same thing Pappy but we talked to some old timers and they said when you had a cold longer than normal winter they'd do this every year. They've been spawned out on the Chick for nearly 2-3 weeks Go figure.

... all the "old timer" locals I ever talked to, blamed the bad Crappie fishing on the Stripers eating all of them :rolleyes:

Now, I will admit that the colder/longer Winters have messed with the spawns in the past. I've experienced that, myself. But, with the conditions being what they are NOW ... and the Black Crappie still carrying eggs ... it just don't add up. Unless, of course, the colder water temps lasting into the year longer than normal has kept egg development delayed ... and now that temps are in the range for White Crappie to be spawning, both species are still waiting for the eggs to mature.

That could cause both species to make a mad dash to the spawning banks, at about the same time ... what a clustermess that could be
Or, it might get too warm for the Black Crappie to successfully spawn, and we'll lose a year class. Could even mess with the White Crappie spawn, if temps jump up quick & stay there or continue to rise.

Has the rains put any color to the water, or is it still pretty clear down a few feet or so ??

Did you guys catch any Crappie around the concrete silo ?? My friend, Don G (Va member) actually caught one from the INSIDE of that silo

... cp

[sinkum]

We've thought the same thing Pappy but we talked to some old timers and they said when you had a cold longer than normal winter they'd do this every year. They've been spawned out on the Chick for nearly 2-3 weeks Go figure.

you need to talk to speck he has figgured out the spawn

[Muskrat]

Good job. Thanks for the report.

[sailfish1]

i'll bet the surface temps now are mid 70's by now, guess we will have to start shellcracker and bluegill fishing for a few months

[sailfish1]

pappy the water was clear as a bell