Where did the crappie go, or are they still there..

[Bogey]

Well, this is a pretty stupid question, but since it appears I've stumbled onto this great resource of a site, I'll ask it... (I found this site researching the I-Pilot and found the info invaluable!!!)

OK, I used to fish for crappie on a lake my family had property on. We primarily fished for Kokanee, sometimes bass, but for a few summers we jigged for crappie. (I'm talking about 30+ years ago)

We fish the lake every year, but I have tried a few times over the years for crappie in the place we used to catch them and I've rolled a doughnut??? There does appear to be more bass than ever, but for that matter the Kokanee fishing is as good as ever too. There is also perch, fresh water ling cod (winter time) rainbows, etc... It is a very large lake with minimal residences, in fact none on at least half the lake as there is no road on that side.

Could the crappie have been wiped out by something??? Could they have simply moved and I haven't found them? I've thought about the fun I had as a teenager fishing for those things and would enjoy doing it again.

I have one pic of me and my dog (sorry) that shows the background of exactly where I used to fish (it's the point between my dog and I) I'm not sure if this helps, but thought I'd show you the terrain I was fishing around.

Thanks in advance and sorry if the question is stupid or to vague!:o

[foul hook]

That is no name for a dedicated fishing partner like you have. Sorry, I have no answers for you . He is one fine looking fellow !! I would trade a fishing trip for him.

[CrappieKillerJigs]

with a lake that size and no fishing really being done on the lake the crappie are still there...its just going to be your gonna have to find out where they are...your best bet is trolling the lake

[feelay]

They are there, sometimes ya just can't get them to bite. That is a fine lookin fishing partner, y'all keep fishin', you'll find them.

[Fishtaco]

Start with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and find the biologist for the area that lake is in. They can tell you what the crappie population is and I'm sure he or she will tell you all they know about crappie in that lake.

One thing to think about is the bass population. Good crappie population generally means good bass populations. i would also check with some of the local bait shops and see where the regulars are catching them, and especially from what depth they are being taken.

Welcome to the forums and good luck finding those fish.

[Oregon slabman]

That looks a lot like my home water, Brownlee resv. on the Snake river. What time of year are you fishing? Looks to me that the shoreline behind you should have crappie on it in May. In the summer try a steeper, rocky shoreline, preferably big rocks. Look for the schools about 20' deep. What body of water is that? Looks nice.

[Hillbilly910]

ditto on the bass populations, big bass mean big crappies(the ones that didnt get eaten!)
Definately wanna do some research, might cut the hunt down some. And as posted above, no better way to locate fish than to troll, cover alot of water in a day.

HB

[wish4fish]

I'm still learnin how to crappie fish but from what i have read they relate to cover. Was there some sort of brush or something that might have deteriorated in 30 yrs? Did you have a depth finder then? What does yours show n that spot now? Dont know if I was any help, I'm just kinda thinking out loud, I may b way out n left field.

[Bogey]

Thanks a ton for the responses - it does help! LOL, ya, my little hunting partner is a keeper. She's a 3-year old pointing lab and while she LOVES to hunt, she also enjoys fishing and gets pretty excited when I'm on the rod!

OK, I've heard others talking about trolling for Crappie and since all I ever did was jig for them, any simple suggestions for trolling? What would I use, (I realize the answer to this question could take a day, so just 1 or 2 things that while maybe not great, would certainly occasionally work)

The cover on the other side is the same as back then.

GREAT idea on the biologist!

I know of NO one anymore fishing for Crappie, but I will ask around.

We are headed over there for 6 days during memorial weekend, so I'll see if I can't get myself educated by then!

Thanks again!!!

[Hillbilly910]

several different ways to troll, just starting out, keep it simple.
If you have available cover(sunken brush, laydown tree tops,standing timber, docks ect) i would try there first, swim a small jig. If that dosent produce, try basic structre(points, channel edges, flats ect). if i dont find fish on the first option, will use sonar to try an locate fish on structre before i even fish for them.
If you cant get anywhere with the first 2 options, a couple of 1/8 jigs will suffice to get you trolling(assuming you can using multiple hooks on one line). You'll hafta play with speed, but basicly the slower the better, 0.1-0.4mph would be best. Tip your jigs with minnows. Look for baitfish(whatever that may be out there) and fish in or below the schooling bait.
Myself, i prefer to tightline troll(keeping lines directly in front of or below the boat, in otherwords, if the fish are 10 feet deep, ive got 10-12 feet of line out), there are alot of guys who have way more experience in long line trolling(dragging baits behind the boat at "X" amount of distance) than i have.

HB