with all these recent crappie questions....

[deep6in]

With all these recent crappie posts I figured I'd chime in with some of the important questions that have gone unasked in the search for the ever illusive crappie. I just got switched on to fishing for these paper lipped wonders this year and have had a blast catching them. I had a few questions that will probably help me as I'm sure others in a big way while out on the hunt for some mighty slabs.

We've heard about the bait/jigs and we've heard what lakes in the oakland county, but what about the other important factors like, what kind of cover should I be searching for? what time of day should I be out looking for these bad boys? how about the best time of year?

I've been finding most of my newly discovered summer action has been in the evening between the hours of 6pm-9pm. I've been fishing from shallow to deep using platics and I'm sticking around the cover of thin high weeds in the deeper water. I've caught a few doing this, but never any real numbers. Any one have any methods/opinions they could share with some of us crappie rookies???

[huxIIIhammer]

I love fishing around cabbage weeds for crappies. Find cabbage and I usually find crappies. Some times I can catch them all day but I think evening is the best time in the summer. My favorite time of the year is spring thats when you can get some real pigs. A good method to locate crappies is to troll small tube jigs or twister tails right off the outside weed edge. I have found many good spots doing this. Then if you want you can throw down a marker bouy and cast or troll back and forth. Good luck!

[dadNson]

I think the best time to catch the slab crappie is the spring. They will be on the beds so look for the flats. I use a jig and minnow under a bobber that is the best technique for me. If you do that I bet you will catch a slab crappie.

[DE82]

Spring and Fall are the best for Crappie IME. Weedbreaks, not lines but breaks are key in one of my favorite crappie lakes and I like fishing vertical for them. Changing baits a lot of key doing this though. Despite what a lot will try and tell you, these fish aren't stupid. It only takes them seeing a bait for 5 minutes bouncing for them to know something is up. However, if you change up often that helps a lot. It could be color or bait type, or jig weight but changing up is key. - Bryon

[Quack Wacker]

:yeahthat: breaks, breaks, breaks, if you can find a flat that is about 3-7 feet stick to the structure and you will find them. I have my own crappie hole located off of my dock, using furring strips and steaking them in a 10 foot square about 6 inches apart from each draws them in and they hold to it all summer. I can dip a line in and yank one out for dinner.

[Meskin255]

Mt favorite crappie spot, I can only get to when the water is frozen, as the lake is surrounded by houses and has no public launch. But when we catch them it's always in the afternoon/evening, and it's rigth on the drop off where it goes from about 5 ft to 15ft.

I know a lot of people use submergible green lights at night to attact the bait, and usually the crappies will follow.

[dbassman]

A good method to locate crappies is to troll small tube jigs or twister tails right off the outside weed edge. I have found many good spots doing this. Then if you want you can throw down a marker bouy and cast or troll back and forth.

We have used this method for years on our annual 2 week fishing trip... We troll VERY Slow close to the outside weed edge using a 32oz. tube jig &/or twister tail grub. Chartruse seems to work best for use, but if you're not catching them on Charturse change colors... I've been doing this for years & Crappie seem to be more color selective than any other fish I've fished for.

To let you know how well it worked, we (4 of us) caught 606 Crappie this year in the 2 weeks we were on vacation. :D:):D

[ibthetrout]

We have used this method for years on our annual 2 week fishing trip... We troll VERY Slow close to the outside weed edge using a 32oz. tube jig &/or twister tail grub. Chartruse seems to work best for use, but if you're not catching them on Charturse change colors... I've been doing this for years & Crappie seem to be more color selective than any other fish I've fished for.

To let you know how well it worked, we (4 of us) caught 606 Crappie this year in the 2 weeks we were on vacation. :D:):D

You use a 2 pound jig?! I am thinking it was not a 32 oz. jig, maybe a 32 oz. barley pop is what you were really talking about. That works for me!

[fathom this]

Amen to the slow troll and 1/32 oz jigs and the color selectivity of crappies is right on.
Fish dark colors on dark days and bright colors on bright days.Three of us got our limit a week ago during the middle of the day. They were all 9.5 to 11.75 inches. Slow troll the weed line ( about 12 ' depth ). This method really works in all lakes with a thick weed line. We had other fishermen watch us and then try to catch fish right where we were trolling but they were anchoring and casting. We made one fella feel kind of dumb, while trolling next to him we hooked a triple while he could not hook a fish.

[dbassman]

You use a 2 pound jig?!

I meant 1/32 oz