Crappie clinic

[Corey Bechtold]

Well the Walleye opener came and after catching some of those prolific fighters (note sarcasm) I got the chance to chase some Crappies! It took little time to find them in some emerging lily pads. The numbers were there as well as the size. Using plastics only Crappies were easily caught. There were some tricks that helped put more fish in the boat. Quivering the jig when it neared the pads turned on the Crappies. Color patterns varied with most coming off white tubes on a 1/32 oz jighead fished under a float. There were other boats around that managed some fish on minnows but they were stunned at the rate they were coming to my boat. I will try to get some of the pictures on this post for all to enjoy. And the best thing to see is the release picture of a 14.75 inch Crappie. It's hard not to beat a dead horse but genetics are important in maintaining healthy fisheries so if your going to keep some to eat, try to keep the smaller 9-11 inchers. They taste better in my opinion and after you get used to it, it feels great to let the big ones go.

[Corey Bechtold]

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 05-20-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Matt Johnson (edited 05-20-2004).]

[Corey Bechtold]

oops

[Schnauzer]

I second that. I was there and Corey put on a show. Doing exactly what he said (what he told me to do), I was able to have some fun too. There was definitely a situation of "haves and have nots" regarding the success related to minnows vs plastics.

Corey just needs to properly respect walleyes, then he'll be ok .

[Matt Johnson]

All set Corey

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

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Matt Johnson Outdoors
Metro Area Ice Fishing, Team Catch-N, and more...

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[Yellow Dog]

Corey -

Those are some dandies! I enjoy catching crappies but need some of your expertise or anyone else's who can chime in.

When I find them suspended at 4 feet, like I did last night in 8 feet of water, I have trouble catching them regularly. I used a 1/32 tube jig, white/red, and pitched it downriver. Seems like I caught them when I wasn't paying attention and they just smacked it.

What are some variations that I could try?

[united jigsticker]

A couple of tips that come to mind that I will throw at you:

• Keep the jig horizontal as it hangs from your line: Straight up and down, or even hanging at a 45 is not very effective when compared to the action you'll get when it's hanging perfectly horizontal.
• Body composition: Make sure your plastic bodies are soft and provide plenty of action when they're twitched, jerked, etc. Stiff bodies will be far less effective then a soft, wiggly body.
• Colors: Try some color pattern change-ups. White and Red is a great pattern for Crappies...On some bodies of water, in certain light conditions, and at certain times. Get a few variations of color patterns so when you find some fish, you can change it up until you find the one that is most productive.
• Vary your depth: We all know that Crappies like to feed up. That distance is not set in stone. Sometimes a fish at 4 feet will only come up 6 inches for a strike. Other times, a better way to trigger action is to set down 1 foot, or 2 feet, maybe 3 feet above the fish, etc. This will allow you to find the fish's most aggresive strike zone.
• Alter your action: If you are twitching your lure and giving an 8 second pause between action, try twitching and only giving a 4 or 6 second pause...Or go the other way and lengthen the pause to 10 or 12 seconds.
  
• Fish smart: Don't eat potatoe chips, sunflower seeds, apply sunblock, bug repellent, or pump the leaky primer bulb on the boat and then handle your lure. These scents will detour the fish around your offering.

Just a few suggestions.

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Good fishing,
UJ
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[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 05-21-2004).]

[Corey Bechtold]

Exactly what United Jigsticker said. Another trick to try out is using a slide instead of the twitching. If you are using a float just reel slowly pausing every once in a while. Another tip is to try the Berkley Power Bait micro tubes. They definately work better for me. Monday when we were on the Crappies I tried some different plastics (Exude, Southern Pro, etc.) and hands down, the Berkley outfished the others. White has been my "go to" color almost year round. And Crappies aren't the only fish that likes them. I have caught Sunfish, Walleye, Large and Smallmouth Bass, Northern, and even a Muskie. Keep tinkering with it and you'll get the hang of it.

Corey

[Yellow Dog]

You guys are smack dab in the middle of it! Good info!

You mention floats...this is a rookie question BUT what type of floats do you prefer? I tried the yellow sponge type and didn't like it.

What do you think?

[Corey Bechtold]

I have good luck with the Thill clip style pencil bobber. The fish were shallow enough so I didn't need a slip float. These did the trick because the Crappies didn't always take the bobber down. Sometimes they just moved the bobber sideways a little bit, the top would rock, and they were there! Another pro of the pencil bobber was a soft, quiet landing. No big splashdowns to spook them in that shallow water.

[CrappieJohn]

For a sensitive and quickly adjustable float, try the Thill mini-stealth- size two for 1/32 and size 4 for 1/16 jigs. Run your line thru the hole in the peg and then THRU the rubberband and then slide the rubber all the way up the stem until it gets to the float body. You can simply slide the float up or down to adjust the depth, yet it is firmly enough held in place so as not to move during casting. Upward hits are seen as the float lays on its side. These are easy to cast and ,again, very sensitive.

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Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom
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Culprit Tackle Crappie Pro Staff
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[Lost]

Thanks for the information guys! Now I've got an idea for what I've been doing wrong. My current question is... location. What types of things should I be looking for right now to locate them?

[united jigsticker]

That depends on the water clarity.

Less then 5 foot clarity, look for reed beds, bullrushes, milfoil, pond weed, etc and fish the edges and inside points.

Clearer water, look for 5-10 foot depth ranges with cabbage and deep submergent weeds with harder bottom where spawning habitat is prime.

Work areas thouroghly but quickly. Crappies are easy to find if they're there, so if you cast around an area, don't spend too much time "soaking a minnow" so to speak. Stay semi agressive.

Fish within about 2 feet of the bottom in most cases under a float.

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Good fishing,
UJ
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 05-23-2004).]