do crappie swim alone?

[dgi]

I am casting out my first question for you crappie pros
Do crappie ever swim alone or are they always in groups? reason for asking is i catch one or two and thats it. if you find one does that mean you found a loner or a school of them? been using jig/minnows & crappie rigs.w/ minnows catching more bass on the bottom hook of the rig & a few crappie on the top hook. any help for dgi would great.

thanks dgi

my fishing is all from shore

[CrappiePappy]

I am casting out my first question for you crappie pros
Do crappie ever swim alone or are they always in groups? reason for asking is i catch one or two and thats it. if you find one does that mean you found a loner or a school of them? been using jig/minnows & crappie rigs.w/ minnows catching more bass on the bottom hook of the rig & a few crappie on the top hook. any help for dgi would great.
thanks dgi
my fishing is all from shore

... Crappie are a schooling fish. But, there are instances in which they can become seperated & scattered ... and it is likely that they can remain so, for a period of time. They can also be tightly schooled in a small area, or very loosely schooled (scattered) over a large area.

There's also the possibility that the "one or two" that you're catching, are the only ones interested in the bait you're presenting ... and there are others in the vicinity. I'll assume that you are not casting to the same exact spot, on every cast, but fancasting your bait over a wide area. The reason I bring this up, is that Crappie can be in very tight schools (in certain conditions) ... and if you're casting to one general spot, you may be catching some fish, but it may be that you are only reaching the outer edge of the school.
I've also seen instances when a cast, that was 2ft too far to the left/right of a small area, would not produce a fish .... but, a cast into the exact spot, would produce fish after fish.

... cp

[TreednNC]

I think, atleast on my home lake, that once fish approach 2lb/16" mark, they tend to turn into open water predators and live a more solitary life. Always seem to catch a few large fish while fishing around the schools of shad while striper fishing. Not to say smaller crappies wont take to the open water, obviously theyre caught in the creek channels, ledges, etc....but I like to think they turn more into the habits that our stripers have.

[crappieseeker]

I think pappy nailed it on the head. I have caught well over 100 fish in an area not much bigger than a kitchen table, fish after fish after fish, however if I cast just a foot or two on either side of the school, I would never get a bite. Then at times, I would catch just a fish here and a fish there that somehow become seperated and are alone or in a very small school. There are many reasons for crappie to be out of a school. Catch and release at a later time, current, several different factors. Not sure if you ever heard the balloon trick or not but they say if you think you are on a school of crappie, then tie a line and balloon to a fish and pitch him back in and he will go right back to the school and then you know where to fish. I would not advise this however because it may be illegal and you never want loose fishing line in the water.

[Countryboy N.C.]

I think, atleast on my home lake, that once fish approach 2lb/16" mark, they tend to turn into open water predators and live a more solitary life. Always seem to catch a few large fish while fishing around the schools of shad while striper fishing. Not to say smaller crappies wont take to the open water, obviously theyre caught in the creek channels, ledges, etc....but I like to think they turn more into the habits that our stripers have.

That's because I done caught all your big fish,I just missed that 1 you caught.:D Just kidding, but I have found that Big fish ( 14 inch and bigger ) Like to stay away from the littler fish, and only a few in each school, plus they will be on the smallest of structure or cover, most of the time . Thats why they are big, no one knows they are there. If you want to catch a big one, fish different place from where the crowd fishes. That's my 2 cents worth.:D Dont tell everyone.:D

[skeetbum]

I was once told this when I asked this question about big fish and smaller fish being together. The man said" when you go to the park, do you see the old folks out here runnin with the kids? No, you see them off to the side but close enough to keep in touch". I think he nailed it. I have experienced what you say about tight schools and scattered fish. I think this time of year is tough to get a handle on.

[Turtlebait]

You never really know what crappie will do,sometimes us older folks likes running with the younger folks,so do crappie.

These three where runnin in the same group...

[Hanr3]

Crikie batman, resize that pic eh?


I'll assume you are asking becuase you just got back from a trip.
This time of the year the lake "turns over". The leaves are dropping, the temps dropping, the winds are blowing, etc. This causes the surface layer of water to get cooler than the layers below. Colder water is heavier and sinks to a level of equalibrium. Colder water also holds more oxygen, which the fish need to breath. Add in the wind effect and the Crappie preferred water temp, oxygen level moves around the lake, and up and down the water column.

Generally Crappie prefer a specific water temp and oxygen level. They tend to stay at that depth. Once you find that depth, part of the "pattern". Then you can fish that depth all over the lake and catch Crappie. There are many aspect to the "pattern". Some of them include current, cover, structure, season, food source, etc.

When the lake turns over depth is no longer a constant. The depth changes with the location, structure, cover, current, food, etc. All of that combined causes the Crappie to scatter all over the lake. You might find singles, doubles, schools one day and the next that spot produces nothing. For me, right after the lake turns over is the hardest time to fish from Crappie. You spend a lot of time running and gunning. Catch a couple and move on. Problem the best time to spider rig, or troll fro Crappie.

Last weekend I went out with a buddy of mine, "Crappie Professor", google him. We ran into the same thing. We hit all types of "cover" and would only catch 2-3 decent fish off each spot. Some fish were 8' down, some 12', and some 15' down. We kept adjusting our slip bobbers up or down until we caught fish.

From the shore there are several techniques you should use to find and catch crappie.
I prefer slip bobber. Cast out and slowely reel it back in. Move the bait about a foot each retrieve. Let it settle for 5-10 seconds, and move it again. Reel it in until your bobber lays flat, on bottom. Adjust your depth up and down and recast. My personal preferance is to adjust down by 1' increments. Typically the smaller fish will hit it first.

Great question, and great observation!

[rnvinc]

When I can't seem to catch any more from a certain spot or brushpile...I'll leave it alone for a while and come back to the same spot later and sometimes pick up a few more.....

This could probably be because others have moved in from another area......fish in the same brushpile could have moved to get a different perspective of my bait...or maybe just because one finally got hungry or agitated enough to bite.......

[jvg]

Well im not going to try to answer your question because i don't know......but i have seem some good responses.