Crappie?

[Thisfool]

Ive only ever caught one and it was by accident

I looked in the fishing tips but there are none for crappie

I was just wondering what some of the basic essentials for crappie fishing are and when they start going on the chew

[Fire Ball]

I like using a couple different bass lures since you only get the big ones, haha. Crappie jigs are an essential that anyone wishing to target crappie should have. They should start spawning pretty soon, so that is when the bite will be really good.

[troutdog]

Search some of CrappieMike's threads for some crappie reports....


TD

[Thisfool]

ooo well thanks for the info im going to search his post right now

[keepemlo]

Yeah I've had luck at the lagoon with a green microjig and nibbles tuben sat 4 em
Wish me luck

[Lightlinejohn]

Crappie,

Be aware that we all fish Crappie a bit differently. We measure sucess by whether one is able to locate Crappie and catch them. My approach is this one. First, always fish from a boat which has a troll motor, a graph an Anchor or a bow rope with a metal clip for clipping on to above water brush or large limbs. Carry at least two, rods and reels, three is you have them. I like long rods, Utra Lights in the 6' 6" length to 7'. Many companies make Utra Light Reels, but always buy one that comes with two spools as you will want to be able to change lines, 2 lb and 4 lb. There are times when you are unable to see or tie 2 lb Test, so go to 4 lb. Also, there are times when Bass will grabb a Crappie Jig. You'll have a better chance of landing a legal size Bass on 4 lb as oppose to 2 lb Test. Crappie Rods are over rated, you do not need a two hundred dollar rod. Lots of manufactors make gool ultra light rods for less that sixty dollars. Next, buy a small assortment of Crappie jigs in assorted colors. White, green, yellow and chartreuse are must have's. Buy, tubes, Road Runners, Curl Tails and buy a few small Kastmaster Spoons. 1/32 oz and 1/16 oz are the standard sizes, but there are times when you want 1/64 on 2 lb line, under a bobber. Tip all jigs with either a Crappie Nibble or a meal worm or a cricket and spray all jigs with a sent prior to casting. Find schools of shad of your graph. Note the depth. Fish right below the shad. Fish boat docks, under rest rooms and any object in the water which can provide shade and ambush spots for Crappie. Fish brush!! Fish Rocks. Remember, this time of year, water around rocks will be warmer. Troll slowly. When a school of Crappie are located, fish the outside of the school in order not to spook the school. Do everything quietly. Do not jerk when fishing Crappie. Their mouths are soft and the hook will tear out. Finially, once equipped with the right tools, go fishing. Fishing for Crappie is the best way to learn about them and their behavior. Try the Trout Trap Jigs (Turners/Walmart). Also, Lake El Captain and Lake Eisabella are great Crappie fishing spots, if you like Slab Crappie. Should I be of further assistance, contact Lightlingjohn and watch this board. There is a fellow down in San Diego by the name of Roy who is the master. He visits this board.

[Lightlinejohn]

Crappie

Depth. I start out searching in 40' of water and I move closer and closer to the bank. I will fish all the way up to five feet of water. Crappie feed looking up. Therefore, I count down my jigs when fishing tight line. I generally make a few casts to a likely spot and if I do not get a bite within twenty minutes, I move on to the next spot. When counting down a jig, sometimes you need to fish it right on the bottom or near the bottom. Fish all depths. Most of the time, Crappie will not be on the bottom. However, I have seen times when they are near the bottom, so fish near the bottom also.

Crappie fishing is the same as hunting. I do not want to waste time hanging around an area where the fish are not there or there are only a bunch of little one's there, so I move after twenty minutes or so in search of the SLAB. Fish weeds, brush, bridges.

When fishing brushy areas, consider using a bobber for less hangup. Hope this helps.

[cjschock]

Alway have jigs in chartreuse, white and all white combinations. Crappie nibbles can also help a lot. To find Crappie get some electronics and look for structure and/or baitfish.

[Thisfool]

i do not have a boat i usualy rent a boat so i have no electronics. how hard is it to targert these fish by fishing the placese they should be like bushes rocks and shaded areas

[Lightlinejohn]

This being Spring time, Crappie are moving in to spawn. Search out docks, fish underneath them. Search out weeds; fish around them. Look for trees and brush sticking out of the water, fish them. Fish points and drift. When all else fails, find water that you believe is about fifteen feet and drift. Use a 1/32 or a 1/16 oz jig for drifting. Let the wind do the work for you.

Lightlinejohn

[cjschock]

This time off year, go to a lake and look for a bunch of people fishing coves from the shore. Especially if you see tube jigs and bobbers. That usually means there are crappie on the beds and people raping them.

[Natural Lefty]

Thisfool, I like fishing for Crappie, too, and don't own a boat, so I almost always fish from shore. I don't catch them as consistently or as many big ones as people who fish from boats, but much of the year, it is possible to catch Crappie from shore. I have caught them on jigs mostly, but also on flies, metal lures, and worms.

Some helpful Crappie facts:

1. Crappies love docks.

2. They like to spawn in coves in the spring.

3. They feed most actively in early morning or at dusk. I catch the most in late afternoon to dusk.

4. They are predators which like to eat small minnows, which they ambush, but they are not very fast swimmers. Since they ambush prey, a slow delivery works best for them.

5. They are delicious.

I see you live in La Puente. Puddingstone had good Crappie fishing a few years ago, but I am not so sure now. They usually go in cycles. They had a huge spawn one year, and it was interesting to see how they grew larger but less numerous every year. Maybe this year the remaining ones will have another good spawn.

Here are some other local places where I catch Crappie.

Also, Lake Gregory is a good place to catch small ones and hone your Crappie fishing skills, especially May-July in Catfish Cove.

Silverwood has a decent Crappie fishery. I have caught lots of nice sized ones there. I usually catch them from the fishing docks there.

Perris used to have no Crappie, then they got in there, but they are iffy from shore there, although they get huge. I have caught some from several spots there, mostly in the Marina. Sometimes a few big ones are caught from the Marina docks.

Elsinore has a good population of large Crappie, which can be caught sometimes, from shore at the park on the northwest corner of the lake in the spring, but not in big numbers the times I have been there, at least. (I only caught one in two tries there last year, but it was really big. My wife got skunked, and so did a lot of others I saw, but there were a few people who managed to catch a few of them. A couple of large Carp were also caught incidentally on Crappie Jigs while we were there.)

[Thisfool]

ok great thanks for the info every one