Newbie Questions

[Doop]

Hey guys,

a few questions here since I seem to be getting a little more serious about catching crappies! We were on Pomme last Wednesday and were looking for crappies....I was using a slab daddy I think they are called....I must have gone through 5 or 6 of those things after being snagged on submerged trees. My question is how do you fish submerged brush piles and/or trees.

We didn't fish any submerged brush piles because we didn't know where they were.....but we did try fishing trees....I spent more time being snagged than anything. What kind of set up....line....rod...should I be using?

I have never fished crappie in hot weather or been very successful at catching them when the water temp gets above 85.....where do they go? Do you look for main lake points....secondary points in bays? I'm not sure where to start?

[camo_boat]

Welcome DOOP!

All i can tell you is what works for me in the summer. staying close to trees is usually a good thing, underwater brush piles are also good, but sometimes flats are good too.

best way to not get snagged is to go straight down and straight up. i like to troll right above underwater brush, super slow. even though i catch a lot of fish in-between trees, i get snagged the most doing that...

finding the right depth is key in the summer; both total FOW and how deep to fish. different parts of the lake will have them at different depths, even on the same day.

heard good things about using crankbaits in the summer, but never really got into that?

should be some good tips show up on this post.

glad to have ya! come on out to Sparrowfoot/Truman on the 25th from 6am-1pm and meet some fellow CDC'ers

[DKR]

Welcome to C.c from S.C.

[olesilverside]

I don't know squat about pomme but Truman is one of the best hot weather lakes in the U.S. Flats usually work great say 15' FOW and then fish 6 to 8' down, I use 1/16 oz 2" tube jigs they sink slow and most hits will come on the drop, so I use any kind of high visibility line to detect the hit on the drop.....Hope this helps... If I told you anymore you couldn't stand it......

[jimmydee1]

Doop, check your PM.

[APKape]

There's a saying I heard a while back that I like. Walley Marshall said, "If you're not hung up, then you're not crappie fishing."

[bwillaub]

Trees on flats. 10 to 15 ft of water. Anywhere from 2 to 10 ft down. Small jigheads(1/32 oz) and smaller baits(1 1/2" or smaller).
Good luck. Come to Fall Camp and learn from some guys who know what they are doing.

[Doop]

Thanks fellas for the replies!
Right now I live in Dallas, TX....visited my sister and brother in law for the past week in St. Louis. My wife loves the area and we are planning on moving up in a year or two. I could definitely get addicted to the crappie fishing that is available up there! We have some good lakes down here too.....but I don't care to fish when it's 107 degrees.

In reading through old posts it seems as if many people prefer braid over mono......and also is it important to use a high vis line?

[camo_boat]

if the fish hits it on the drop, then you can see that your line does not get tight, either on a branch or in a crappie mouth. easier to see... braid is way more sensitive and does not break, just bend the hook out of a snag.

[olesilverside]

as good as u used to, i would use the high visibility, but u r choice....... i hate braid myself but a lot of guys like it.......