Where's the crappie seasonal guide?????

[HookSetter]

Hey boys and girls,

When I first got onto this site there was a guide to what crappie do at different times of year. Where they move and why as the seasons go by. I can't find it anymore.

I'll be heading to Lake Kapowsin the first nice day. Any pointers for a crappie nube?

Nice to see you back SlabKing. We had a near miss on the Snake River a few years ago.

Thanx for any info you can give me.

randy

[SlabKing]

Hey HookSetter. Nice to see you're still around as well. Not sure were that guide went but I may be to give some tips on Kapowsin. Right now that water is really cold and those fish are are going to be hanging right on that sunken brush. They don't move up shallow until very late April or early May there. If this early spring stays on track they should be up shallow by mid April this year.

Anyway, right now the better places to check on Kapowsin are the points and the deep brush and piling rows. The island has a great point on the NE side that holds fish most of the year. Find some cover on that point and you have a good chance of hitting some fish. Another great area is the big piling rows west of the launch. Launch out and take a right. You can not miss them. I've pulled some really nice fish off those pilings. They will hold on those pilings during the summer and winter. During the summer you can find some huge bluegills there too.

[CajunChris1]

What up Slab? Long time, no see. Have you been to Sammamish yet? I'm heading out in the morning "somewhere", don't know where yet. Where's my best chances this time of year.

[SlabKing]

What's up Chris. I have not been out there yet this year. I really hope to make a trip up there in the next two weeks or so and try to catch them out deep before they come in.

I'd try Moses, Silver, Leland, Dolloff or even Duck right now. Those shallower lakes seem to be better right now. I have not heard of any fish coming out of the deeper lakes yet.

I tried Whitman this weekend. No crappies. Just two 8" trout and a small catfish of all things.

[HookSetter]

Hey thanx for the help SlabKing. Really appreciat it.

I assume using the typical small jig and worm under a bobber is best? Or use no bobber?

Thanx,

randy

[SlabKing]

Yeah, I'd have one rod setup with just a 1/32 or 1/16oz tube and another setup with a small slip float. I'll set the slip float to about 10', and cast it near the pilings, then set it deeper and deeper until you hit bottom or hit fish. Then move on to the next section of pilings....and so on. Most likely the fish will be at least 10-15' down from the surface. If that doesn't get a bite I'll start casting jigs in between the pilings and work them from the bottom to surface.

On the points (or other open water) I'd drift while tightlinning the jigs until you hit some fish then switch to the slip float set to the depth that the fish are at. Slip floats work great this time of year to make sure your bait stays where the fish are. Helps when the wind is blowing and you get tired of casting jigs and trying to maintain contact with them while the wind is blowing your line. You can even slow troll with the right slip float and cover a lot of water pretty fast if you have more than one rod out set to different depths.

It can be real hit or miss this time of year (I'm sure you all know :D) but when those fish are there...they will bite for sure.

[CajunChris1]

I hit Lk. Holmes and Bass lake this past Saturday. Not a nibble, not a bite. They just stocked Holmes and a few people were killing the triploids from the bank.

[jbball50]

If you go to Leland and you're trying to bring some crappie home for dinner to eat, better do it now before the blue algae makes the water bad again. Even when we fished there early March the color of the water was starting to turn already.

Anyone ever try Crescent Lake in Pierce County? I think I remember seeing a post on this forum with someone going there and catching crappie but thought it was bs.