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Tough Bite (Video Included) |
We've all been there: on the water on days when fishing is tough. For whatever reason, sometimes the fish just don't bite. It's not fun, but it is a part of the fishing experience. It's like paying your dues for the good days that do come along.
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Hesitation Retrieve (Video Included) |
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Freshwater predator fish (bass, bluegill, crappie, white bass, etc.) don't belong to the shark family, but they exhibit similar tendencies as this saltwater terror. These fish have a killer instinct when they see a helpless looking prey.
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For many anglers, the tasty crappie is only a springtime target. However, with some planning, you can catch crappie year-round. Locate beaver ponds, sloughs, cut-offs and bays in your favorite lake or river. That water will warm-up more quickly in the wintertime during a warm spell. Crappie often will move into these shallow pockets and hold on submerged trees, stumps and the roots of live trees.
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To pattern wintertime crappie, look for cover along the thermocline where crappie will be holding. Many lakes "turnover" during the winter months, meaning the coldest water will be on top, and the warmest water will be on the bottom. Crappie will seek warmer, deeper water, preferably with cover. Check the edges of creek and river channels and along stump rows where the warmer water is close to the bottom in the winter.
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Weather Watch for Crappie |
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Be aware of the weather. Weather and barometric pressure can have great impact on where the crappie will be, and how they'll bite. Crappie often will bite better just ahead of a cold front. However, if a high front moves through the area after a cold front, the crappie tend to not bite well. They'll generally head for deeper water and hold tight against the brush.
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During postspawn, fish for crappie on the first dropoff away from the bank, between the spawning area and the creek channels. Though the bottom may drop two or three more times before it reaches the creek channel, postspawn crappie generally will concentrate in cover on the very-first drop-off near the bank.
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Prespawn Spots for Crappie |
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Crappie are often at their largest just before the spawn. Females are full of roe then, and crappie of both sexes still may be carrying their winter weights.
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Making Crappie Cover Work |
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Working cover effectively is critical to taking crappie. Crappie often will hold tightly to cover, especially in the spring and the summer. You have to know how to present the bait to those fish if you want to take them. If you use heavy lines, heavy sinkers and big corks, you'll often get hung-up in cover and either break-off your line or disturb the crappie concentrating there by shaking the brush as you try to retrieve your line.
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Often, the most and biggest crappie in any lake will be found in the creeks in the middle of the lake. The water temperature in that section of a lake is usually the most stable. Generally, the water in the middle may be somewhat stained. Because the middle of the lake is more stable, the crappie in that area may grow more quickly and to larger sizes. This is because they are somewhat protected from adverse water and weather conditions.
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During the spawn, put your minnow in the deepest part of the cover. When you locate crappie, mark that spot on your GPS. When that place stops producing, come back to it later in the day or on another day.
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Pinpointing Crappie Hotspots |
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Generally, crappie will hold at the same depth on the same day in similar areas. For example, if the water depth is at 20 feet and you find crappie 18 feet deep in a brush pile, then you're likely to locate crappie holding 2-feet off the bottom in other brush piles.
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Build Your Own Crappie Hot Spots |
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Fish attractors can help any angler build productive honey holes for crappie. By creating habitat where the crappie can hold, you can have crappie available and easily accessible year-round. Tree tops, stake beds and discarded Christmas trees all make productive fish attractors, especially in older lakes and reservoirs, where the original cover may have decomposed.
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Tips For Catching Crappie |
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Crappie take small plastic jigs, jig-and-spinner combos and live minnows. But the one you chose to try often makes the difference between a good day and a great one. Lures are often better for quickly covering shallow spawning areas, and they can enable you to find fish fast. If water temperatures are warm, they may also be the best choice for filling the fish box.
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Current Breaks (Video Included) |
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Summer Series: Learn tips about the streams current and where most fish usually are in this situation.
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Bend Back Your Hook (Video Included) |
Doug Markham's Outdoors South: Rick shows you that bending back your hook can mean you catch more crappie.
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