Midday crappies?

[Bobb-o]

in a certain lake i fish the crappies always seem to go nuts in aboot 4 or 5 spots on the lake at aboot 7 oclock at night but after the sun se4ts the fish stop biting. No matter how much i have looked around with electronics i can not seem to find these fish in the middle of the day. Is there a pattern that you guys no of that could help me find these fish? Are these fish going deep, suspending in open water, or are they going into the weeds?

[CrappieJohn]

Does this lake have deep water, and if so how deep? Is it a clear lake or dirty water? How about structure...any wood/weeds? How big is this body of water? What is the general bottom make-up? Lots of things come into play when dealing with fish. If they are present at certain times of the day but not others, you have some work to do. If there is a map of the lake available, get one and begin by looking at where the deepest water lies. At this time of year your fish could be found about anywhere in the water column, but I'd start by snooping around the deep stuff with the electronics...if you find numbers of fish suspending over the deep water at a certain depth, you may have found what you are looking for. If you have a lake that has a mud bottom, it is not unusual for the fish to provide a poor night bite, especially if the water is deeply colored as well. I'd begin my solving with a map and head to deep water.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!

[united jigsticker]

In addition to what Tom said, if you are dealing with a lake with really clear water, a twighlight bite is to be expected.

When dealing with Crappies, light penetration is a factor year round.

Granted the time of year, and warm weather conditions, I would say your Crappies are sitting on the outside edge of the weedlines, nussled close to the bottom, hiding in the shade of the weeds.

If the lake you are describing doesn't have much for weeds, then I would suggest as Tom did; to look about the water column in areas adjacent to where you have your best success in the evenings.

Good luck and good fishing.

[Bobb-o]

The lake is 250 acres, deepest point is 48 feet, which is a huge flat in the middle of the lake. On the northern half of the lake there are two sunken islands and one island. The water around these islands doesnt get more than 20 ft. and the deep part of the lake is halfway across the lake. The water is fairly clear: secchi disk reading was 12.5 ft. There is a lot of weed growth but mostly only on the sunken islands and around the shore line. If one of you left your email addy i could email you the dnr map for it.

[This message has been edited by Bobb-o (edited 06-25-2003).]

[Guest]

Look to the heavy weeds. For over the last month my wife and I have been going out for bass (and whatever bites) and we always stumble on the crappies. It doesn't matter if it's raining, mid-day 90 degree sun, clouds, etc.. the crappies have been in 5 feet of water or less.

One hot afternoon we litterally saw them 1 foot under the surface and targeted them. We have spent hours catching sunfish and crappies this season, only keeping a few for a meal. Most of it was sight fishing. I just could not believe it myself.

This is a large lake with 11' clarity according to the secci disk readings. These fish were all in the heavy dense weeds.

Last year on Minnewaska we found them in around 8' of water, in the dense weeds, near the weed line. It was a dead calm, 90 some degree day in (June-July) and caught lots of crappies draggin a plain flu-flu jig with a minnow through the weeds. Big crappies too!

Keep an open mind and try dragging a jig/minnow through the weeds sometime. Small beetle spins work great when you don't have any bait.

[CrappieJohn]

Bobbo...clear water with weeds.. stay on the deep water side of the weeds , it will be unlikely that the craps will be hiding in 40+ feet of water.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!

[united jigsticker]

With a sechi reading of 12.5', you're going to have a weedline out to at least that.

My favorite target on these clear lakes is the submerged cabbage beds.

Mid-day, like Tom said, get on that outside edge, probably about 13-16 feet of water, and drop a minnow/jig combo down just above the weed tops, or 2 feet off the bottom on the outside edge, just away from the weed edge.

Your electronics will assist you greatly in finding the submerged weed edge.

Also, if weather conditions are right, the fish may do like CD said, and move up towards the surface in the thicker weeds that grow closer to the surface.

Sounds like you got the Crappies pinned in the evening, which is when lakes like this prevail. Stay in that basic location and work your weedlines.

Good luck Bobbo and let us know what you find.

Good fishing

[email protected]

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 06-25-2003).]

[Scott Steil]

The important thing to remember this time of year is they will be relating to structure/cover. Whether that be deep weedlines, deep trees, logs, stumps, whatever. They won't be to far from the cover.

Others will disagree, but this time of year you can increase your odds of getting into a good crappie bite by sticking with the cover.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[CrappieJohn]

Scott and UJ are correct...the fish will be very tight to cover unless you can find a day with the right wind and , even better, heavy clouds without rain. Craps enjoy the shade, but more than anything they relate to the cover because dinner is served there. It's hard to believe, but craps are eating machines during this warm weather period. I have fished them using plastics fishing next to people using minnows and actually caught them so full of minnows that there was hardly room in thier mouths for the twister! On weeded lakes, this time of the year will find the craps in preditor mode and those weeds are prime ambush realestate.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!

[united jigsticker]

Feeding machines is right Tom!!

This is getting to the time of year where the Crappies are so stuffed with food when you catch them that they [PoorWordUsage] all over the place when you touch them.

It's amazing how aggressive they are when their bellies are literaly bulging with food.

Like Scott said, if you got some downed trees or logs providing shade and cover, those spots are gold for Crappies!

Good luck and good fishing.

[Bobb-o]

thanks for the advice guys, i already have some spots in mind from what you guys told me. I am so tired of only being able to catch crappies during that last two hours of daylight

[stoneeyes317]

Crappie Tom, United Jigsticker, Scott, or anyone else with any opinions/advice:

I too have had a similar problem, finding more crappies between 7-10p.m. or 6-9 a.m. than the afternoon. I am going to be heading up to Star Lake 8/23-9/2, and would like some help finding midday crappies as well. We (the wife and I) fish some similar spots on the lake, such as: northern most bay, with the public access (for those who wish to consult the lake map); the bar that runs from the SW side of the bay, it quickly drops from 9' to 15'-18', weeds out 12'-15'. The wife only likes to fish with a bobber, so we generally anchor outside the weedline, and fish 6'-9' down. We always get enough action to keep her happy, but I am wondering where I might find the crappies during the day. I can tell from the prior posts on this thread that the deep edge of the weeds is a good place to start, but as a kid I also had a couple of phenominal days trolling beetle spins over 22'-30' feet of water. If I cannot find the crappies @ the edge of the weeds, would my next move be towards the deeper water?? Also, water clarity is 12'-13', general bottom makeup is 40% muck/marl, 25% sand, 35% rubble/gravel.

Thanks for any input from anyone...

eyes317

[CrappieJohn]

With water clarity like that, I'd try to find some deep weeds that top out at 8 to 10 feet and try to drift/ slowwwwww troll just over the tops of them with either a small hairjig, plastic, or even maribou. Try adding the clip-on spinner (like a beetle spin's) and even tipping the jig with some sort of meat. Try to keep things bright: white , chartreuse, or lots of tinsel. By making the lure stand out even in the deeper water the fish will,if in a positive mood, come up and nail your presentation readily. If they tend to be more pensive, try sitting right over the top, or just to the side , of the area you want to fish and jig very slowly. With good electronics you will almost mimic ice fishing in that you will be able to see the fish emerge from the weeds and slide up to the lure for the hit. And if they are super neutral, do as your wife does and bait up under a float. Clear water and crappies at mid-day can be a tough study. Definitely stay deep unless clouds do you a favor and put some heavy shade on the water. Wind enough to ripple the water can be very beneficial as well. Even in bright hours and in clear water, craps that have dropped into the weeds for light relief and cooler water can be coaxed into hitting. The real challenge will be finding the bait they prefer. Just remember, stay deep!

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!
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[united jigsticker]

I must say, I am a cheater when it comes to fishing.

By that I mean, I plan my trips the night before in accordance with what the weather is suppose to do the next day. If I have the urge to hit a lake with clear water, I do it on a weekend where it is suppose to be cloudy with some breeze.

You've said you get the Crappies in the evening and morning. If you've had success on Star Lake before then you have some great starting points. Now all you need to do is work the open water away from these areas with your electronics, and then head into the weedlines and breaks.

My best prediction is your fish will be in one of two depth brackets, or even both.

10-15 feet or 14-20 feet.

For me, I'll start in the 14-20 foot range, outside the weedline, because this will allow me to cruise breaklines, inside turns, and points with my electronics and visually look for schools of fish or "clumps" on the bottom.

If I find something prospective, I'll drop a 1/32oz white on white marabou jig down and jig them just like winter time as Tom said, about 1-2 feet above the fish. I might spend a few minutes here, but active fish is what I seek. Maybe a color scheme change, say to blue and white, and then I'm outta there if I get no takers.

• [One thing to keep in mind: Lakes with clear water tend to see huge schools of bluegills suspend over deep water this time of year. They will typically be tall, thick schools over 15-25 feet of water. If the "blips" don't hit your Crappie lures, or if you get alot of quick "bumps" (Bluegills sucking the tail of the twister or marabou jig) with no hook-ups, chances are its gills.]

Weeds. I would look for cabbage, coontail, or candlestick, and then look for holes, pockets, or deep inside turns. Fish these areas just above the submerged weed tops, and for quickest results, start with a small Crappie minnow. Again, like Tom said, work sloowwwwwww. Work around the edges of the holes, pockets and inside turns.

If that fails, you can suspend a feather or plastic jig under a slip float, and work the area thoroughly with live bait.

Once you find one, you've got the rest in your palm.

Don't be discouraged though. Lakes with water this clear can be and are alot of times really stiff when it comes to daytime action.

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Good fishing,
UJ
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[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 07-24-2003).]

[Scott Steil]

Look for anything that provides shade. The depth isn't important as long as there is deep water near. Deep is relative to the lake you are fishing. Look for the shade and you will find your mid day slabs (Docks, trees, logs, bridges and swimming raft)

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[CrappieJohn]

Good points Scott. If you get caught up with all this weed stuff you may be missing the boat by NOT fishing things as obvious as a dock or submerged wood. As stated, the deepest water may be nearer to a cluster of docks and not a weedbed, in which case the docks should be thoroughly fished first. Maybe the best of both worlds exist: docks with weeds near deep water. If such is the case you may have just hit gold. Again Scott....good points.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!
[email protected]

[leekywaders]

I have been having very good luck with crappies as of late. On monday, my two boys had great luck. We started out fishing the weed lines in the late afternoon, especially lilly pads that provide good cover for the fish. We would cast just on the edge of the weeds and the fish were hitting hard. As it got later, the crappies started moving out of the weeds. We had to cull out alot of smaller ones, but there was action all day.
My oldest son caught a monster crappie at 13 3/4 inches long, and we had many other real nice ones also.