Thanks: 
HaHa: 
Reply With QuoteDid these fish just recently travel up creek from the deep waters of the Tennessee or have they been hiding somewhere else. I am trying to understand the migration of fish and these just seem light for such shallow water.
Crappie.com 3K Star General
Hope to get some time later in the week. I usually stack all my "honey do" list stuff and appointments during the work week to leave my weekend mornings for fishing. I got off at 3PM but was busy until after sun down today.
John Doe LIKED above post
Crappie.com 3K Star General
Did these fish just recently travel up creek from the deep waters of the Tennessee or have they been hiding somewhere else. I am trying to understand the migration of fish and these just seem light for such shallow water.
Crappie.com 3K Star General
I’m not a fisheries biologist, nor have I spent my whole life chasing Crappie. I grew up only being able to catch Crappie in the spring, maybe occasionally drowning minnows deep in the winter on a creek bend with brush. I spent all my time chasing Bass until about 10 years ago when I decided to figure out how to catch Crappie. My first three or four trips I didn’t catch a single crappie, but over time I figured out a few things. In a lake or even large ponds the water stratifies in summer. Below a given depth, usually somewhere between about 10 to 20 feet there is no oxygen, so no fish. Find the right depth, usually just above the stratification line and keep a bait in that zone and you always get a few.
River, or lakes with moving current are different. They don’t stratify, both oxygen and water temperature are fairly similar top to bottom. In these areas you look to find the baitfish or often subtly, shallow cover like stumps. The fish in Limestone Bay stay all year. The increased water temperature causes the fish to be stressed and very sensitive to loud noises and vibrations. Also warmer water holds less oxygen, so the fish scatter. I've caught Crappie, including slabs over 15 inches, in five feet of water or less all summer in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Texas. There’s nothing deeper then four feet in Barron Fork or Lilly Pond, yet you can catch scattered Crappie throughout the summer, even when water temps are over 90 degrees.
Later I was told it couldn’t be done, all the better for me. I don’t like crowds anyway.
