Where are the Crappie this year??

[Ian]

No reports on the Crappie, especially the night anglers with their crappie lights. Interesting.

Anybody hear anything on this?

[Marley]

I was wondering the same thing. I bought a floating light last fall with the intent of fishing some crappie this summer but I haven't seen any reports. Maybe with the catfish bite as good as everyone is saying, folks are just chasing whiskers instead. Heck, I should get the light out and fish anyway because I usually can't catch catfish to save me.

[Ian]

I was wondering the same thing. I bought a floating light last fall with the intent of fishing some crappie this summer but I haven't seen any reports. Maybe with the catfish bite as good as everyone is saying, folks are just chasing whiskers instead. Heck, I should get the light out and fish anyway because I usually can't catch catfish to save me.

That is the classic night combo: soaking a bait for cats on one side of the boat and fishing on a crappie light at the other side -- whether or not the cat bite is good.

no reports on the crappie means no success. I should call the marina store and ask them.

[karalm]

Supposedly Marlon Meade the Vine pro and crappie slayer believes that the striped bass are eating the eggs of the crappie after their spawn and the overall population is dwindling in the lake. I agree from last year to this year there have been fewer reports and siteings of crappie caught or on the stringer then in previous years. I generally catch them while on the troll for trout in early spring more then now but we will see. The Vine if it has a biologist should checkout the overall population of both species by doing a neting census and make capture and keep decisions based on those findings. Just my take!!

[RTG]

They are now offshore and suspending. Just tougher to find. I had an awesome spring of crappie fishing in the "IE". Dog days of summer now, and the crappie fishing is a little tough. You could probably still catch "mini" crappies at Lake Gregory. If you have access to Arrowhead you could probably find some outside of the weed beds too.

[Ian]

Supposedly Marlon Meade the Vine pro and crappie slayer believes that the striped bass are eating the eggs of the crappie after their spawn and the overall population is dwindling in the lake. I agree from last year to this year there have been fewer reports and siteings of crappie caught or on the stringer then in previous years. I generally catch them while on the troll for trout in early spring more then now but we will see. The Vine if it has a biologist should checkout the overall population of both species by doing a neting census and make capture and keep decisions based on those findings. Just my take!!

Well, its not just your take. I brought it up too on a previous thread with no response from Vineline herself. I'm not here to make waves (I didn't start this on THIS thread) but when one of their own sponsors (Berkeley, Marlon Mead) comes out and says it, it becomes an official opinion and should be addressed. See this link:

http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?64130-Crappie-Classic-May-19th

The wipers are supposed to add extra action from bass anglers who don't care about keeping any fish which is fine BUT a bad effect is happening. They are affecting the Crappie and Cat anglers who DO take home fish to eat. The catch-and-release-only wipers hit the shrimp bait of the cats, take up time, bait and may tangle other bait lines, and the supposed wiping out (no pun intended) of the Crappie population which is hitting Irvine Lake right at their wallets when a limits and limits of Crappie obliterated by wipers also obliterate the angling activity for these limits. Imagine for every 5 Crappie limit eaten by a wiper, that's $22 plus some boat rental money GONE from Irvine Lake. When Marlon Meade says he went from 50 - 70 Crappie days to 12-only Crappie days, BIG BUCKS are GONE from Irvine Lake!!!!!!!!!

We should wage war on these wipers. Even if Irvine Lake cannot prove that is exactly happening to the Crappie, the concept and suspicion alone with the alarming loss of Crappie and Crappie revenue SHOULD be enough to order a removal of all wipers from the Lake. Turning a deaf ear to this will only cost Irvine Lake more lost revenue. Poor Crappie. Oh yeah, Marlon has noticed the wipers have grown faster than expected. Isn't the avg size wiper right about 10 lbs already?? They don't just eat the Crappie eggs, they eat the small Crappie.

...I just thought of something else, the wipers are now big enough to eat bass and trout too.

[etucker1959]

Well, its not just your take. I brought it up too on a previous thread with no response from Vineline herself. I'm not here to make waves (I didn't start this on THIS thread) but when one of their own sponsors (Berkeley, Marlon Mead) comes out and says it, it becomes an official opinion and should be addressed. See this link:

http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?64130-Crappie-Classic-May-19th

The wipers are supposed to add extra action from bass anglers who don't care about keeping any fish which is fine BUT a bad effect is happening. They are affecting the Crappie and Cat anglers who DO take home fish to eat. The catch-and-release-only wipers hit the shrimp bait of the cats, take up time, bait and may tangle other bait lines, and the supposed wiping out (no pun intended) of the Crappie population which is hitting Irvine Lake right at their wallets when a limits and limits of Crappie obliterated by wipers also obliterate the angling activity for these limits. Imagine for every 5 Crappie limit eaten by a wiper, that's $22 plus some boat rental money GONE from Irvine Lake. When Marlon Meade says he went from 50 - 70 Crappie days to 12-only Crappie days, BIG BUCKS are GONE from Irvine Lake!!!!!!!!!

We should wage war on these wipers. Even if Irvine Lake cannot prove that is exactly happening to the Crappie, the concept and suspicion alone with the alarming loss of Crappie and Crappie revenue SHOULD be enough to order a removal of all wipers from the Lake. Turning a deaf ear to this will only cost Irvine Lake more lost revenue. Poor Crappie. Oh yeah, Marlon has noticed the wipers have grown faster than expected. Isn't the avg size wiper right about 10 lbs already?? They don't just eat the Crappie eggs, they eat the small Crappie.

...I just thought of something else, the wipers are now big enough to eat bass and trout too.

Great response!! I like the way you think.

[VineAssist]

To answer all the questions that where brought up on here.

First and foremost their are no Stripers in Irvine Lake. There are Wipers (which are a hybrid between a Striped Bass and a White Bass.) There mouths are not big enough to eat any of the Trout we stock, from November until late May, into the lake. The Wipers that are in Irvine Lake mainly feed on Shad, Smelt, Silversides, and any other baitfish that inhabit Irvine Lake. Most of the Wipers people are catching right now are anywhere between 6lbs and 11lbs and for some reason have taken a liking to Shrimp. This can be because of the abudance of Crawdads in the lake.

Now to the Crappie. With Crappie and most sunfish for that matter the fishing and size of fish goes in waves. For four years (a upswing) you will get these giant Crappie and big stringers while during the (downswing) you will see a smaller size with the same numbers. A lot of our regulars can attest to this phenominan.

Now if I where fishing the Crappie this year I would try and find the shad schools which have been staying deeper than normal due to the water clarity. The shad do not need to come up into the shallows to feed or spawn because of it. Places like along the Red Clay Cliffs, the humps in the Santiago Flats, mid lake, and the fence are knowen places that hold both shad and crappie. A few guys have been out this year at night with the lights but have not reported back to us. If you go out and fish for us please drop us a line at the shop. Lures I would recommend would be Maniac Minnows rigged on a darter head, mini jigs, even the rapala jigging rap have done well in the past.

[Ian]

I wonder why the Crappie regulars have not reported to the shop.............................................. .........

I was scheduled to go tomorrow night with my Crappie light but I think I will hold off until I see a report. I bet Marley is thinking the same thing.

[Thisfool]

Supposedly Marlon Meade the Vine pro and crappie slayer believes that the striped bass are eating the eggs of the crappie after their spawn and the overall population is dwindling in the lake. I agree from last year to this year there have been fewer reports and siteings of crappie caught or on the stringer then in previous years. I generally catch them while on the troll for trout in early spring more then now but we will see. The Vine if it has a biologist should checkout the overall population of both species by doing a neting census and make capture and keep decisions based on those findings. Just my take!!


thats funny you say that the trout season before last every time i went out trolling no mater what time of the trout seasons my day almost always started with a nearly 2lb crappie but this past season only had a few on the troll i never really thought about the wiper having a part in that

[guide]

i fish irvine every weekend and do a pretty good job at catching fish. i havent caught a crappie all year trolling. i usually find where they are at trolling and then i start anchoring up in that location but this year is different. alot has changed at the lake such as water levels and water clarity. i feel there is no possible way that the wipers have wiped them out. those carp mouth stripers couldnt get them. also wipers were in irvine before the last stocking of them. they are probably holding in non-normal locations and also could be having a downward turn in production. i believe that the trees helped them reproduce with cover. when the water was down even more then it is now was some of the best crappie years. pictures to come.

[Marley]

I wonder why the Crappie regulars have not reported to the shop.............................................. .........

I was scheduled to go tomorrow night with my Crappie light but I think I will hold off until I see a report. I bet Marley is thinking the same thing.

Yup. I don't want to set up and wait and end up either scaring off the catfish with the light or missing the whisker bite because I wasn't on that spot. On the other hand, there are three spots I know of that have dead brush submerged that isn't as submerged as it was last year. Maybe I should just head out there and hit an open-water spot, set up and see what shows up. Maybe next weekend.

[Ian]

Yup. I don't want to set up and wait and end up either scaring off the catfish with the light or missing the whisker bite because I wasn't on that spot. On the other hand, there are three spots I know of that have dead brush submerged that isn't as submerged as it was last year. Maybe I should just head out there and hit an open-water spot, set up and see what shows up. Maybe next weekend.

Good luck this weekend if you go. Let us know what the Crappie regulars are STILL apparently hiding.

[crappiemike]

I fish this lake early every year and this year really
Was terrible!!! Fished it about seven times and the
Best count was like ten fish only compared to last
Year was off the hook!!! Fished all the prespawn
Areas for very little action.....the best luck was in
40ft of water ,,,,,, they do run in cycles so maybe
In five years or so they will be another good bite
At the lake, haven't try the lights out there yet,,

At least the average size of the slabb'ys are very
Nice size!!!!!!

[Hometown]

I agree Mike about its all a cycle's