Fellas ... Spring is about to show up. I hunt the allusive Crappie year around. There are places where guys are fishing open water and catching good fish now. What's your personal best Crappie ? What set up is your " go to " when Crappie fishing. Caught an 18 inch in 1989 ... no pictures ... it's true none the less. Always looking to improve and remain teachable when it comes to Crappie fishing. Biggest through the ice this year is 15 1/2 . ( posted in the Genn. County ice thread ) My best fish have come on minnows though I've slammed'em on tubes and twister styled baits as well. What's your best fish ? You favor plastics or meat ( minnows ... waxies ) Feel free to post pictures ... discuss strategies ... or just talk Slabb Crappies Looking forward to your posts. Tight Lines ! Cropido aka Ben Out ! :coolgleam
Put some time in Sat. & Sunday checking out open water in the Genn. County area. Lakes are still iced up with a bit of shoreline open. Drowned a few minnows and waxies. " One Sucker " for my efforts that immediately went back in. Need a good rain to warm up the creeks and open the lakes up. With soooo much ice this year it's just gonna take time. Seems to me two weeks out at the most and a possibilty that she could go in less time. Meanwhile ... back at the Ranch ... Spooled up the jigging reels with some 10 lb. power pro 2lb. diam. 2ft. leader tied to a barell swiv. 10lb. mono leader. Off to the Detroit Riv. later this week. Tight Lines Fellas. Cropido aka Ben Out !!! :coolgleam
Caught and released this 16" fish last year on a small lake near Frankfort. I was drop shot bass fishing with a 4" pumpkin Zoom worm. Caught 20 LM and this guy.
I personally don't like to eat Crappie but I have fun catching them on Lobdell Lake in the spring.
Hit my spot Wed. 4-9-14. Sloow starting not even a bite for 3-hrs. At 4pm someone hit the switch and it was on. Limited out with some real dandy fish. Minnow/Bobber 3ft. down over 6 fow. started the action. Got so heated I switched to a tube ( chartruse sparkle )tipped with a waxie 32nd oz jig. Larger fish caught on the plastic. Had a blast ! Tight Lines ... it's on
Thurs. 4-10-14 Hit the Detroit River and bought home four nice Eyes. 5-4-4-3.5lbs. All good eaters. Saw some real pigs caught. 1/2 oz. Chartruse and orange gumball jig tipped with a minnow and stinger. Caught 4 Pike 2 Musky all released. Then the wind raised it's ugly head and shut the entire river down. Got soaked coming in in 4-6 foot waves. Should've left earlier :xzicon_sm That's an up to the minute report. Specks are slamming and the eyes are a running. I'm in hog heaven. Tight Lines !!! Get out there guys it's on and popping ! Cropido aka Ben Out !!! :coolgleam
Hey ! Them specks look like Oakland CO specks ..lol.. When I was a kid growing up in Waterford , We killed the specks , We new every little back bay , creek or canal were those paper mouths were at , Used minnows on slip bobbers mostly but caught a lot throwing small Rapalas at the timber in the shallows , We would fish the sun soaked north side of the lakes with creeks or canals on them first, Then chase them the rest of the year . Biggest caught was 17 inches , Not by me though , my biggest was 16 1/2 . There's a bunch of private LK's were I live now , It's some of the best speck water I've ever seen , This year I hope to catch my personal best, I've seen pictures of specks at 18 inches being caught on these LKs , So game on ! . Good luck be safe...
Built a rod holder for the back of my jonboat and troll green softbody beetles june thru august. I was surprised that i catch more fish the faster i go. Gotta be quick on the brakes with specks. Wife caught a 16.5 trollling last summer. Shes fast i couldnt beat her to the rod. L.O.L. Spring is shiner on a bobber time for me. Ive heard southern cousins call them white perch.
mMy biggest crappie is around 12"one year I was fishing North dam at Stoney Creek caught around 60 crappie size was around 6"-10" I was catching one every other cast.
Went out yesterday too, I found a spot that had thousands of crappie swimming around in 3 to 5 feet of water right where a creek dumps out of the lake.
I tried minnows, little hair jigs, and wax worms under a slip bobber and I casted road runners & small plugs but could not get a bite. The most of the fish were on the small side but I could see bigger fish on the deeper side of the school.
Any suggestions? I don't typically fish them this early in the season and am looking for some ideas. PM's are welcome.
Went out yesterday too, I found a spot that had thousands of crappie swimming around in 3 to 5 feet of water right where a creek dumps out of the lake.
I tried minnows, little hair jigs, and wax worms under a slip bobber and I casted road runners & small plugs but could not get a bite. The most of the fish were on the small side but I could see bigger fish on the deeper side of the school.
Any suggestions? I don't typically fish them this early in the season and am looking for some ideas. PM's are welcome.
" Chaser " ... sounds like a good problem to have. Seems most of the puzzle has been solved. You've found'em. Fish can be awfully fickle as you no doubt already know. They are there for a reason. Perhaps they are just warming and not on the feed ( obviously ) I would try any/all of the methods you stated above ... only out a bit beeper. Could be the " bigguns " are staging over deeper water with the juvies just ahead of them. I'd just stay at it with a slooow presentation working shallow to deeper water till I found active fish. Even though your presentation maybe over deeper water ... the larger Specks are usually in the top 3 feet of water catching sun rays. Persistance pays off more often than not. Tight Lines. Cropido aka Ben Out !!! :coolgleam
" Chaser " ... sounds like a good problem to have. Seems most of the puzzle has been solved. You've found'em. Fish can be awfully fickle as you no doubt already know. They are there for a reason. Perhaps they are just warming and not on the feed ( obviously ) I would try any/all of the methods you stated above ... only out a bit beeper. Could be the " bigguns " are staging over deeper water with the juvies just ahead of them. I'd just stay at it with a slooow presentation working shallow to deeper water till I found active fish. Even though your presentation maybe over deeper water ... the larger Specks are usually in the top 3 feet of water catching sun rays. Persistance pays off more often than not. Tight Lines. Cropido aka Ben Out !!! :coolgleam
your absolutely right, staging fish they are , and can be very finicky , little ones come in first , big ones stay out on the edge of deep water in neutral until the temp is right, but you should be able to catch them on slip bobbers with minnows .
Guys I fish a 100 acre lake and I've caught lots and big crappie during ice fishing but can't find em now! Tried most of the coves/channels ( 1-3 ft deep) and I've been catching tons of gills and one channel produced several bass on accident but no specks! What's the deal?
Thanks for the replies, I am hoping to get back out later this week.
I am not sure if the fish move up into the creek to spawn (the creek actually runs to another lake through about a 1/2 mile of twisting marsh). I have a kayak that I have fished the creek with before and may have to go exploring for specks.
I am ready for a fish fry or as I heard on a show the other day "catch and grease"!
Slip Bobbers and micro jigs in the spring and fall. I like stick bodies, tubes, shad bodies....nothing like bobber watching, getting confident in your ability to detect light bites is key. Tipped, not tipped, its up to you more then the fish I think.
Cranks and spinnerbaits in the summer. Slow and cover a ton of water.
17 3/4", 17 1/2" x2, 17 1/4" last season, 23 over 16" and hundreds over 14". Couldn't break the 18" mark, not for lack of trying.
Best day, two man limit in 30 min of nothing but 12" plus crappies.
Some of my personal favorite crappie jigs for floating under a slip bobber. I find smaller in colder water then move up in size as the season goes on. Go opposite, larger to smaller, in the fall.
Some of my personal favorite crappie jigs for floating under a slip bobber. I find smaller in colder water then move up in size as the season goes on. Go opposite, larger to smaller, in the fall.
Looks like you've been in my tackle box :lol: That " mucky bottom " really does speak to warmer water and Crappie Frenzy. Best so far this year is 15 1/2. Several 12 to teeners. I've been having a blast ... not to mention ... some fine table fare. Off to chase that 18 plus incher. Good job " Surfcaster " Thanks for sharing with us. Tight Lines Guys. Cropido aka Ben Out ! :coolgleam
I started getting into crappie fishing last year. I've had some success and have learned a lot. This time of the year what time of the day would be considered the best and is there a preferred water temperature.
Depends on the water temps, they want warmer water, they start doing the spawning stuff when the water hits 50. Early like now, its a food thing. Do you have a black mucky bottom? is it out of the wind? Is there bait around?
Its takes a bit to figure out the when and where for each body of water, keep a log, and figure out things.
I almost always start out looking in back bays and coves where the mucky bottom will warm first. If its a cloudy day they might come up earlier then on a bright day, but sometimes its the opposite. They then move around any brush or weedlines near those first bays and coves for spawning.
Sometimes you only get an hour on them, sometimes its all day.
For you avid crappie fishermen and women, Crappie.com will have a Michigan outing on Hardy Pond June 6-7. Great bunch of guys. There is a meet and Greet (Lier's Club) friday night with a contest on Saturday. No entry fee just a lot of good fun. If interested leave me a message and I will get back to you with the particulars.
Let me start by saying great thread here! I have a small boat that fishes 2 guys and am looking for someone in the Barry county area that would want to fish crappie in the morning tomorrow. Extremely short notice I but if anyone's interested let me know. I will be fishing 1 of 2 lakes in southern Barry county....still have not decided and will maybe try both. Open to any suggestions also on good lakes for crappie. Thanks!
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I started getting into crappie fishing last year. I've had some success and have learned a lot. This time of the year what time of the day would be considered the best and is there a preferred water temperature.
pick up the book "crappie wisdom" @ half.com i think i got mine for $4 here are the figures .75 cent for the book and $3.25 for media mail. any ways they come in at certain temps right now water temps are about 38-42*f so there in the cold water period till the surface temp hit 50 -63*f they will start the pre spawn period when it hits 64-70*F there spawning at that point and 70+*F there post spawn so it all depends on the lakes etc...etc.. weather they are a reservoir type lake or just a deep lake with deep banks etc etc ... instead of repeating the book i suggest going out and buying it.
I like the idea of reading about Crappie fishing or just studying your quarry whatever it is. How many of you use the moon ... barometric pressure ... in making your decision when and where to go ? Started fishing Specks at 6 or 7 years old with a long bamboo pole. I'm 60 now. Over the years ... I've added many things to my repitoir ... information/trial and error the best teacher. A 29.9 barometric pressure moving in either direction and/or 3 days prior to or 3 days after a full moon has filled a many stringer for me. What say you about the moon phases ... barometric pressure ? I appreciate all of your in-puts. By the way ... I'm off in a bit to chase that 18 incher :lol: Stable weather pattern and 2 days after the full moon. Will report my success or lack of later. Thanks and tight lines fellas !!! Cropido aka Ben Out :coolgleam
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