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Thread: Shellcrackers

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    Barnacle Bill's Avatar
    Barnacle Bill is offline Super Mod and 2014 Crappie.com Man of the Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Default Shellcrackers


    I heard there were some big shellcrackers in Little Creek Resevoir. Anyone ever got into them? I've been to Diascund a few times but not Little Creek yet.
    Fair Winds and Following Seas

    Bill H. PTC USN Ret
    Chesapeake, Va


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    No, I've never been to Little Creek. Whereabouts is it?
    My biggest shellcracker ( 1 lb.5 ozs. ) came from Meade and second ( 1 lb.4 ozs ) came from Western Branch. Some of the older guys tell me that the shellcracker fishing has really dropped off in the Suffolk lakes over the last 15 years. It must have really been good back then.
    Since you have an interest in them, I sure would like to know what technique you use. Mine is to anchor short front and back and then put a bunch of rigs out on the bottom with worms on them. It's not very exciting but seems to work ok. The bad part is that most every fish swallows the hook, even the small ones that you would normally release.
    - Brad Baker
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    Western Branch has been fished hard the last few years, we use to catch alot of big ones 1lb or so in Prince, haven't been in a couple of years. We used inflated crawlers about 8'' to 12'' off the bottom on jigs like you got the other day or the smaller ones to pick up big gills at the same time, look for stumps or something for them to hide from the stripers from 8' deep to the bottom of the channel. I caught two gills 1lb 4oz and 1lb 2oz and a 1lb 6oz yellow perch around the causeway fishing that way.

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    Yes, Little Creek Reservoir is known for its shellcrackers. It is also a good place to get yellow perch and chain pickerel. It is near Toano. Just look at this months edition of VA Game & Fish Magazine. According to the article, a large number of citations were recorded in short period of time last year.

    I used to crappie fish there 15+ years ago and did very well on sunken timber in 15-25 feet of water. It was my favorite place to go back then because almost nobody fished there. Most of the timber has since rotted away and the crappie fishing is best around the beaver huts these days. So far, I have about a dozen beaver huts marked on my topo map of the reservoir. Maps are available in the boat house. I'll try and scan a small version of my map with the beaver huts marked and post it here later. The locations are approximate since I marked them before I had a GPS. I have only been back there once since getting my GPS and did not do very well that day.

    There is an old road bed that goes through the reservoir. Just past that road bed across from the pump house is the one place I know of to get some monster shellcrackers during their spawn. There is also a shallow flat in one of the creek arms that will probably be a nesting area.

    The guys at the boat house will be able to give you more information on good places to get shellcrackers. They are quite friendly and helpful.

    Here is a link to the VDGIF information on Little Creek:

    http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing...oir/index.html

    Give me a holler near the full moon in June. I'll be glad to meet you up there and try and show you around. Just make sure you have plenty of battery power!:D
    Last edited by PanMan_VA; 01-31-2005 at 10:38 PM.
    Keith
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    2010 Buggs Bash Smallest Crappie Award

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    Yep, Western Branch used to be the place to go for them. We used red wrigglers on the bottom around stumps. I'll take you up on that offer Keith. My fishing buddy gets that same magazine so I guess thats why he has the urge to go. Sound like a good enough excuse to me!
    Fair Winds and Following Seas

    Bill H. PTC USN Ret
    Chesapeake, Va


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    The scanned map image is too large to upload as an attachment on this website. I have posted it to my website at:

    http://members.cox.net/keith.w.davis

    Look for the Map link under Little Creek Reservoir. Anyone that wants the JPG files of this map can email or PM me. It is about 340K in size.

    As a reference point, it takes me about 30 minutes to get from the boat ramp to the pump house running full speed (3.7 mph) with both of my trolling motors. Beware of the shallow flat off the point where the boat ramp creek arm meets the main lake. The open water around the pump house is also where they fish for stripers. I've seen them breaking the water chasing shad, but have never tried to catch any. The dam area used to be a good place to find yellow perch. I haven't tried that in a very long time.

    I used to love to fish at Little Creek Reservoir. I went there often in 2003 with my sons when I was getting back into fishing with them. The deep water and lack of submerged cover made it very difficult to keep two boys interested. Then I tried Beaverdam Swamp and we get tired of catching fish there after a couple of hours. I only go to Little Creek on weekends when the bass fishermen are at Beaverdam these days.

    The early fall is the time to catch chain pickerel. They are everywhere when the water starts to cool off.

    I've rambled long enough. Let me know if I can answer any more questions.
    Last edited by PanMan_VA; 01-31-2005 at 10:35 PM.
    Keith
    2008 NWR Bash Crappie Champion
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    Hey Boscoe, tell me some more about those "inflated" crawlers. Sounds like a great idea to get the worm up off the bottom.
    Father of 4 time bash winner. At least I'm pretty sure:o

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    Default shell crackers bait

    Hi squirrlhunter

    I haven't fished shell crackers for about 10 years in california, but when I was introduced to it, the bait of choice were crickets, its like they couldn't resist those things, they do not live very long, but it didnt seem to matter, but again that was a while ago.
    good fishing to ya.

    Mike
    mike (papermouth scaler)

    it's cold.. it's raining....it's too windy...
    "fish on!!!"
    (What a great day for fishing) lol.

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    PS, my exprience is that bluegill like crickets better and shellcrackers like the worms. I'm sure it's different depending on location.
    Father of 4 time bash winner. At least I'm pretty sure:o

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    The nightcrawler is inflated with a hyperdermic needle or worm blower ( I think Cabelas still has them ) and fished on the bottom with plain hook or small jig 1/64th or so behind a 1/16th or 1/8th oz egg or worm weight. i use a split shot to control the amount of rise off the bottom, 6'' to 12'' seems to work the best. Fishing for gills or crackers I use a half a crawler. Using a small jig makes the crawler look like a leech swiming. If you can find an old In Fisherman article on live bait fishing for walleyes they have pics of the rigs.

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