I just joined and want to intorduce myself

Im 43 I live in Berks county Pa about 2 minutes from Blue Marsh .

I am married and have 2 boys 17 & 13 both love to hunt and fish ..

My youngest son and i were watching the outdoor channel one Sat morning and came across a show where they were fishing in Alabama for Crappies

My son asked if I ever fished for them , I told him when I lived in Louisianna I used to fish for them alot , and as I recall were a blast to catch

So he asked if there were any in Blue Marsh ? I know there are I caught a few by accident while fishing for smallies. So now he wants to try crappie fishing this spring

I gotta be honest I have no clue here on where to even start LOL

1st of all has anyone ever fished for Crappies at Blue Marsh ?

2nd what would you reccomend for a couple of beginners

I know the lake fairly well , I have a 16ft aluminum with a 50/30 jet and a trolling motor so I can go just about anywhere on that lake

I know there are a ton of droppes trees in anytwhere from 10ft to 30ft of water and I think they like to suspend in the tree tops .. so I was thinking on keeping it simple

Slip bobber rigs and flat head minnies , maybe try a few small crappie tubes

I am sure you guys get a newbie every year and get tired of the old winter time questions like this ..... I know on a smallie site I visit it's the same way LOL

I am just asking for a little advise from guys that really fish hard for them and try to get me on the right track

Thanks for taking the time to read this and answering any of my questions

Is it spring yet ?

Welcome:
Myself new to this forum, but what I am finding that this is the greatest forum going.

As far as crappies go, only caught one in my life time. That is
going to change this spring. I am picking everybodys brain, so when I go out this spring will be a PRO at the first throw.

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http://www.crappiebasics.com/

Welcome to the Pa board, and crappie.com.

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ProStaff; Fisher of men

Hi.....I fish at Blue Marsh for Crappies and do decent.It sounds like you already got the right idea as far as hitting the wood and using the minnows and slipfloats.I really like to tightline the blowdowns with tubejigs or with Fathead Minnows plus slow vertical trolling works well also,just remember here in PA we have a 2 rod per person limit.I haven't been able to get out and fish this year yet,but am planning on getting back out sometime this month if the weather permits.Good luck and let us know how you do .

I'm new to this board, never fished Blue Marsh, but will soon, relocating to Berks County in a few weeks from Central PA.

I've done well with the slip bobber and minnow rig you wrote about - sometimes jigs, either traditional crappie or shad type, with or without minnows are the ticket - it seems sometimes the fish like the color - usually white, yellow or chartreuse. I've heard to always use gold hooks for crappie too.

The slip bobber rig allows you to do some real jigging - which seems to be effective early in the season if the fish are lethargic.

I've typically focused on spawing structure - either trees, good rocky shorelines (if there are steep drop-offs) or road beds......it pays to fish a few feet above where the crappie are suspended - which seems to vary alot. Early in the season, I often fish 10-15 feet deep - as the water warms - only 2-3 feet deep.

Hope that helps - Good luck!

Welcome to the board. Feel free to join us for our Keystone Crappie Association fish togethers. We get together on various lakes in the area. Everyone is invited to join us. We're all about getting together to learn different lakes and fish for crappie. A lot of good fisherman there and a lot of great advice.

Keep an eye on the board for the dates of our fish togethers. Hope to see you there.

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Mike Kuna
Keystone Crappie Association member
3 time N.A.I.F.C. Qualifier
NAIFC Pro Staff
Ice Team power stick
Team PA

Mike when is the first fish together?

Looks like we're leaning toward Sunday April 27th. Keep checking back for more details.

__________________
Mike Kuna
Keystone Crappie Association member
3 time N.A.I.F.C. Qualifier
NAIFC Pro Staff
Ice Team power stick
Team PA