Summer Crappie

[Fltcrew21]

When the wife got pregnant I sold the Ranger and bought a pontoon and rigged it for trolling. I am having a ball catching crappie but I wonder how the crappie fishing is over the hot months. Can you fish all day with much success or is it an morning and evening thing?

Thanks.

[adamr]

in my experiences, if the water is clear you'd better be out there early in the day, late in the evening, or at night because they usually shut down in the daytime. however, in stained or muddy lakes i've had luck all day long with the hot sun beatin' down.

[wrwest]

I have to agree with adamr, Early and late in the day, that is when I have had my best fishing on hot, bright days. One exception, on two occasions I was fishin with a friend who had a deck boat, similar to a pontoon boat. About one or so in the afternoon the bite was dead. We started fishing under the boat, in the shadow. The boat was like a dock, structure. We started catching crappie again

[slabbandit]

I fish pretty much stained to muddy water all the time. I agree with some of the other guys here that the muddy water bite can continue on thru the mid-day hours. I've had to leave them bitin' many times to get to work by 3:00.

[CrappiePappy]

depending on the water clarity, water temps, thermocline depth, available cover. Crappie will seek shade and a comfort zone (temp/oxygen/depth of light penetration).
You should concentrate your early AM efforts around shady banks with some type of cover that draws the fish (stickups, blowdowns, docks). Then as the Sun rises higher in the sky, and the shade disappears or moves, go deeper or find banks that are still shaded. Docks with deep water under them are not to be overlooked, when the Sun is overhead. That's when "shooting docks" can be productive, in Summer.
If your lake gets a thermocline ... Crappie won't usually go below it. They'll hang around structure/cover that intersects with the depth of the thermocline. (like deep water standing timber, or humps with stumps)
Find out where the baitfish hang out, at those times ... and look for conditions and/or cover that afford an ambush spot, for the Crappie to lay in wait. Crappie won't usually be too far away from their foodsource.
Rain, wind, clouds, or anything else that affords some shading of the water will bring Crappie closer to the surface, too.
And, as always, "nightstalking" can be a productive alternative.

Just IMHO and past experiences ......... luck2ya ..... cp

[unknown 5]

Crappie are an ambush species and the bright daylight takes away their natural advantage in ambushing their prey. Find conditions or structure that still give them their advantage and you will find crappie. Build some brushpiles in deep water, they will often hold crappie on bright sunny days.

[ShilohRed]

In Yellow Creek on Pickwick, i caught them last year mid day in August 90= degrees light winds and sun. But the water there has some color to it.
Spider rigging in 24 to 30 ft of water. And the fish were hanging in 15ft of water.
Pete

[Billbob]

if you want trolling advice ask jeff white tell him i sent you

[Eager Beaver]

I catch fish all day long here. The lake is clear and 60ft at the deepest part. I fish a ledge when it gets hot out and can catch them in 100 degree temp.

[waxworm]

I drink a lot of beer in August down here in MS, but the trolling aint bad early and late, just don't be scared to fish in the deepest water you can find.