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Thread: Pre-Spawn Begins in Tennessee

  1. #1
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    Default Pre-Spawn Begins in Tennessee


    Wednesday I decided to make the first check on the pre-spawn crappie on Chickamauga Lake in Southeast Tennessee. Chickamauga is typically a well-kept secret for many species.

    For those who haven't seen my reports before, this time of year I love long-line trolling for pre-spawners moving up creeks before they go shallow to spawn. It took me an hour or so but I finally found one area where the fish were hanging. It was a flat, only about 7 feet deep... there was no discernable structure. They just decided that area was where they wanted to be.

    Lure of choice... always my "go to" color... red & chartreuse tube jig. I always use a GPS to insure a constant trolling speed and lure depth. The speed might vary anywhere from 0.6 mph up 1.2 mph, depending upon line size, lure size and water depth. But once you find the right combination in the right place... you can "smack 'em!" It's a fantastic method for kids... or even adults who may not have developed the skills and "touch" often required when casting for crappie.

    Once I got in that zone, I put a limit in the boat in relatively short order... and even culled a couple of smaller fish before pulling up stakes. I caught a mix of black and white crappie (kept 9 blacks and 6 whites). I had a couple of whites over 14-inches... one of them pushing 15. It was interesting to note that nearly all the white crappie were females... nearly all the blacks were males. My father-in-law was a very happy man when I handed him a ziplock bag full of filets to spread among his neighbors.

    I took Pollyanna on her very first fishing trip. She enjoyed the boat ride and the sunshine... but she could really care less about the fish.









    Richard Simms
    Editor, CrappieNOW

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    Great post and fish
    nothing beats time on the water

  3. #3
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    kycreek is offline Crappie.com Legend * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Great report. I've never tried that kind of fishing but would like to someday.

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    Congrats nice mess of fish

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    i really enjoyed your post and pics...what water temp were you fishing? you living in Tenn a long ways from me...do you ever come across Jimmy D?

    CJ

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    Congrat's on the nice fish. looked like an enjoyable trip.

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    sounds like a good day to me!!
    GO BIG ORANGE !

    I meant to behave, but there were just way too many other options available at the time.

  8. #8
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    dkb23 is offline Moderator Illinois Forum and Supermod
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    Good fish. Hey don't know if you noticed but you had a dog in your shirt!
    If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.:rolleyes:

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    Quote Originally Posted by CrappieJed View Post
    i really enjoyed your post and pics...what water temp were you fishing? you living in Tenn a long ways from me...do you ever come across Jimmy D?

    CJ
    Mouth of creek was 52 degrees... but moving back in creek where I found fish it was 55.

    If we're talking about the same "Jimmy," I haven't seen him in years.
    Richard Simms
    Editor, CrappieNOW

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    Fine mix of fish you got there Mr Sims......great report.
    For a full line of fluid beds
    soft plastic, jig heads and more see us at

    www.simplycrappie.com

    http://stores.ebay.com/Simply-Crappie

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