Hamilton Reef
08-05-2006, 09:24 AM
Kelloggsville pastor is the master of crappie fishing
http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1154696130157730.xml&coll=6
Friday, August 04, 2006 Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor hmeyerson@grpress.com
CORAL -- Fishing for bass may be Maury DeYoung's favorite piscine pastime, but you never would know it to watch him fish for crappies.
Sitting in the sun, comfortably situated under his leather Aussie outback hat, the 57-year-old pastor and founder of the Kelloggsville Church Sportmen's Club had three in the livewell and had tossed back five by the time I hooked my first.
"You better get moving if you want in on the action," said DeYoung, with a good-natured grin.
It was typical DeYoung, a man who loves fishing and hunting almost as much as he loves teaching others how.
I knew we weren't keeping score. The two of us had hooked up for a relaxing day fishing a Montcalm County Lake he knows well.
We were anchored at a depth of 15 to 20 feet, casting tiny jigs to the edge of a sloping weed bed and retrieving them slowly. V-e-r-y slowly.
"The key is a slow retrieve," said DeYoung, tossing yet another crappie in the livewell. That, and the appropriately colored bait. I had started with a fly rod and wet fly, but quickly switched to a spinning rod after witnessing the crappie master in action.
DeYoung, who has been out fishing crappie probably 20 times this season and has had 50-fish days, recommended starting with a pinkie, tiny pink jigs with white, feathery tails.
But a dozen casts later, I still had nothing to show, so I took a chance with purple which did equally well. All the while, DeYoung is justa castin' and talkin' and reelin' 'em in.
In growing desperation I reached for a chartreuse rubber-bodied jig with little tentacles, not unlike a small bass tube. I tied it on and let it fly.
That next cast set my drag on fire. My first hand-size crappie was soon headed into the livewell.
Lets hear it for chartreuse.
A minute later, we each were working a fish. Then another. And another. Before two hours passed, we had 14 keepers and easily had thrown that many back.
That's the nice thing about crappie. They are schooling fish. If you find one you are likely to find another.
Unlike bluegill, which may spread out, crappie tend to group around structures. That can be a drop-off with weeds or an underwater hump or mound.
They also tend to suspend off the bottom. Which is why DeYoung prefers the cast-and-retrieve method over simply jigging down deep.
"Crappies bite above, so you don't want to go deeper, said DeYoung, who left his job at Kelloggsville Church last year to found and become director of Sportspersons Ministries International.
His new organization helps churches around the country develop outdoor-ministry programs, such as that at Kelloggsville, where he still spends time mentoring the new director.
Have I said that DeYoung is adamant about retrieving slowly? It's a technique he learned and honed in Iowa more than 20 years ago when he would hook up with another fishing buddy and hit the banks of a local lake on a day off.
Retrieving slowly, with an occasional small twitch, allows the small, slow-sinking jigs to stay deeper. It keeps the jig in the strike zone over the fish
"We learned to fish slower and higher out there, while a lot of guys were trying to fish deeper," he said. "We would have some 50-fish days."
Deep, of course, is where you want to go on hot spells, such as those here recently.
According to fish biologists, crappie seek out the deepest, coolest spots with structure. Their metabolism gets out of whack with the heat.
"In the spring you can find them in shallower water, but they are in the deepest part of a lake when its hot," Jay Wesley, the Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor for southwest Michigan, said.
"When the temperature goes up, they can become stressed and go off the bite. They are also harder to find because they head to deep water where there is structure."
Although DeYoung and I got out before the peak of the hot season, Wesley said anglers can expect to find good crappie fishing in cooler months such as September and October.
Those who have never tried it will find it doesn't take a lot of specialized tackle. A lightweight or ultralight rod will do. A small open- or closed-face spinning reel, with four-pound test monofilament line, works fine. All you need is a handful of different-colored jigs.
While DeYoung said pinkies work well, he always carries an assortment and switches color if one doesn't produce.
As for jigs, he advises using a 1/32nd-ounce jig, nothing more. If children have trouble casting the lightweight jig -- DeYoung often takes his grandchildren out fishing -- he recommends adding a small bobber about four feet up. The bobber provides extra weight for casting, gives a visual reference when the fish bites, and keeps the jig suspended where it should be.
"As panfish go, crappie are my favorite," said DeYoung. "They put up a good fight and taste good in a fry pan."
Ninety minutes later, upon boarding his boat again after a fresh shore lunch, I had to agree most heartily.
http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1154696130157730.xml&coll=6
Friday, August 04, 2006 Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor hmeyerson@grpress.com
CORAL -- Fishing for bass may be Maury DeYoung's favorite piscine pastime, but you never would know it to watch him fish for crappies.
Sitting in the sun, comfortably situated under his leather Aussie outback hat, the 57-year-old pastor and founder of the Kelloggsville Church Sportmen's Club had three in the livewell and had tossed back five by the time I hooked my first.
"You better get moving if you want in on the action," said DeYoung, with a good-natured grin.
It was typical DeYoung, a man who loves fishing and hunting almost as much as he loves teaching others how.
I knew we weren't keeping score. The two of us had hooked up for a relaxing day fishing a Montcalm County Lake he knows well.
We were anchored at a depth of 15 to 20 feet, casting tiny jigs to the edge of a sloping weed bed and retrieving them slowly. V-e-r-y slowly.
"The key is a slow retrieve," said DeYoung, tossing yet another crappie in the livewell. That, and the appropriately colored bait. I had started with a fly rod and wet fly, but quickly switched to a spinning rod after witnessing the crappie master in action.
DeYoung, who has been out fishing crappie probably 20 times this season and has had 50-fish days, recommended starting with a pinkie, tiny pink jigs with white, feathery tails.
But a dozen casts later, I still had nothing to show, so I took a chance with purple which did equally well. All the while, DeYoung is justa castin' and talkin' and reelin' 'em in.
In growing desperation I reached for a chartreuse rubber-bodied jig with little tentacles, not unlike a small bass tube. I tied it on and let it fly.
That next cast set my drag on fire. My first hand-size crappie was soon headed into the livewell.
Lets hear it for chartreuse.
A minute later, we each were working a fish. Then another. And another. Before two hours passed, we had 14 keepers and easily had thrown that many back.
That's the nice thing about crappie. They are schooling fish. If you find one you are likely to find another.
Unlike bluegill, which may spread out, crappie tend to group around structures. That can be a drop-off with weeds or an underwater hump or mound.
They also tend to suspend off the bottom. Which is why DeYoung prefers the cast-and-retrieve method over simply jigging down deep.
"Crappies bite above, so you don't want to go deeper, said DeYoung, who left his job at Kelloggsville Church last year to found and become director of Sportspersons Ministries International.
His new organization helps churches around the country develop outdoor-ministry programs, such as that at Kelloggsville, where he still spends time mentoring the new director.
Have I said that DeYoung is adamant about retrieving slowly? It's a technique he learned and honed in Iowa more than 20 years ago when he would hook up with another fishing buddy and hit the banks of a local lake on a day off.
Retrieving slowly, with an occasional small twitch, allows the small, slow-sinking jigs to stay deeper. It keeps the jig in the strike zone over the fish
"We learned to fish slower and higher out there, while a lot of guys were trying to fish deeper," he said. "We would have some 50-fish days."
Deep, of course, is where you want to go on hot spells, such as those here recently.
According to fish biologists, crappie seek out the deepest, coolest spots with structure. Their metabolism gets out of whack with the heat.
"In the spring you can find them in shallower water, but they are in the deepest part of a lake when its hot," Jay Wesley, the Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor for southwest Michigan, said.
"When the temperature goes up, they can become stressed and go off the bite. They are also harder to find because they head to deep water where there is structure."
Although DeYoung and I got out before the peak of the hot season, Wesley said anglers can expect to find good crappie fishing in cooler months such as September and October.
Those who have never tried it will find it doesn't take a lot of specialized tackle. A lightweight or ultralight rod will do. A small open- or closed-face spinning reel, with four-pound test monofilament line, works fine. All you need is a handful of different-colored jigs.
While DeYoung said pinkies work well, he always carries an assortment and switches color if one doesn't produce.
As for jigs, he advises using a 1/32nd-ounce jig, nothing more. If children have trouble casting the lightweight jig -- DeYoung often takes his grandchildren out fishing -- he recommends adding a small bobber about four feet up. The bobber provides extra weight for casting, gives a visual reference when the fish bites, and keeps the jig suspended where it should be.
"As panfish go, crappie are my favorite," said DeYoung. "They put up a good fight and taste good in a fry pan."
Ninety minutes later, upon boarding his boat again after a fresh shore lunch, I had to agree most heartily.