Bait fish?

[icefisker]

Last night i was fishing in a spot where i have found some crappies in the past... I caught one right at sunset, and marked a few more suspended, but then after dark, my sonar lit up with random small marks, which i am assuming were baitfish of some sort. I popped around to some other holes in the area, but all i could mark were those small marks, even with the gain turned down. Do you think the crappies would be hanging around this area, or do you think they would move out of there? I am assuming the marks are shiners, the lake is full of them. Do you think this is a one time thing, or do you think the baitfish will hang out there? I have fished the same spot a number of times this winter without this problem. Thanks!

[OnAFly]

If you find the food, the predators will come. If it is indeed shiners you've found, I would continue to fish there. Either the crappies will come after the shiners, or the shiners are coming in to feed on invertibrates...which the crappies should then move in to feed on (in theory).

[pushbutton]

i agree. would not think finding baitfish would be a "problem", would instead view that as being positive. for whatever reason maybe the crappies just were not there last night. some of the biggest crappies i have ever caught were off shiners.

[icefisker]

I guess i wouldnt consider it a problem neccesarily, it was just hard to distinguish my bait from the marks, as well as which marks could have been fish to target that may have been on the edge of my cone... The marks were all the way from the bottom up to about half way up the water column. I am fairly sure they were shiners, i have caught bigger ones on micro jigs and waxies.

[pushbutton]

from what you have described sounds like a school to me, have you ever fished spider by nevis? there are some monsters in there. are the regs still in place? hope so, they have really helped the size structure of the fish.

[icefisker]

I have never got out that way for crappies... might be worth a shot now that you say that though The lake i have been fishing doesnt have a ton of crappies, but they are all quality. Havent caught one yet under 11 inches, but they arent jumping into the bucket either... Seeking that wallbanger

[south_metro_fish]

Last year we had a few nights when the minnows were running through and it was some of the best fishing we ever had. We would pull up crappies and they would be spitting up wild minnows after you through them on the ice. It sure was fun.

[redbandit]

The other thing it could be is a huge bug hatch coming off the bottom of the lake. I read about this somewhere where the zooplankton do this at night. I had the same experience with my locator and not being able to follow my jig, frustrating. I did manage a few crappies though the bite was slow. When I took them home and cleaned them there bellies were full of tiny clear worm-like bugs less than a 1/4 inch long with black spots on their heads. In some instances when bringing the fish up the hole they would burp out those bugs in clumps.

[Fred_Bear]

If you're fishing deeper water mud then I'd say it's bugs or plankton. If you're in shallow water weeds or on the weedline then I'd say a school of lake shiner, perch fry, or some other minnow/baitfish.

The best way to find out without a camera is to try and catch them. Use a tiny jig with a waxie or euro larvae. If the marks follow your lure like any other fish on the flasher or if you catch one or at least get a bite then you know they are some kind of baitfish. If the marks don't move and just continue to be random clutter on your flasher then you most likely have bugs or plankton.

Another option if you plan to keep a crappie is to cut open its stomach to see what it has been feeding on. Whatever is in it's stomach is likely what you are seeing on your flasher.

[south_metro_fish]

Deeper water could have the bait fish because they feed on the plankton. Last year the area I was fishing was deep and I know the minnows were their feeding on the plankton because I could drop my camera and see a 3 foot cloud of plankton on the bottom. From the experience I have had, if you have the bottom of the food chain in an area it is one of the best places to fish because it brings in everything that is feeding from minnows to game fish.

[icefisker]

Thanks for your thoughts guys... I am going to hit the spot again some night this week... Ill let you know how it goes. The spot is in 18' where 3 bottom types meet (Gravel, Sand, and Silt) next to a large shallow ledge and a 35' hole.

[OnAFly]

I would mark that spot on a GPS if I were you.

[icefisker]

Spots marked and i only fly by night

Went out there on wed. night and it was still marking the bait fish.... I decided to tough it out and rather than trying to target specific marks, i put a crappie minnow under a bobber, lowered it into the school and hoped for the best... I managed 3 crappies in about 2 hours, but they were all dandies. By no means was the action hot and heavy, but at least i have a new skill set to add to the bucket. Thanks for you help guys!