So how long did it take you to become a decent crappie fisherman?

[Tim Frazier]

I bought my first bass boat this year and for the last month have been going after crappie and failing miserable. My best outing was I caught three 12 inchers under a tree in the water. I'm to the point now that today I bought binoculars and was just driving around watching boats seeing how fast they where catching wrote their position down and will hit the spot up when i go out again in a few days. Did all of you struggle at first ?

[Rees Guide]

Hope to become a decent crappie fisherman one day, hang tuff. Until last year I had never fished for crappie other than the spawn, I struggled to say the least. I was pulling cranks but once it started coming together it became fun and enjoyable. A little tip is to go somewhere that has a ton of dinks in it, more bites means more knowledge. I was trying to learn on Grenada and it never really turned on to cranks very good last year, this made it hard to learn as I was not getting many bites. Started going to Enid, a good lake but known for catching a bunch of throw backs (on the COE lakes in north MS we have throw back 12 inch and under). Man what a difference, many times had 5 fish on at one time.
Another thing is to get in good enuff with a good crappie fisherman on the lake you are wanting to fish and just get water depth and fishing depth from them as a starting point. Time on the water in most cases makes a big difference, good luck adn keep your chin up.

[Turtlebait]

[Tim Frazier]

Hope to become a decent crappie fisherman one day, hang tuff. Until last year I had never fished for crappie other than the spawn, I struggled to say the least. I was pulling cranks but once it started coming together it became fun and enjoyable. A little tip is to go somewhere that has a ton of dinks in it, more bites means more knowledge. I was trying to learn on Grenada and it never really turned on to cranks very good last year, this made it hard to learn as I was not getting many bites. Started going to Enid, a good lake but known for catching a bunch of throw backs (on the COE lakes in north MS we have throw back 12 inch and under). Man what a difference, many times had 5 fish on at one time.
Another thing is to get in good enuff with a good crappie fisherman on the lake you are wanting to fish and just get water depth and fishing depth from them as a starting point. Time on the water in most cases makes a big difference, good luck adn keep your chin up.

Thanks for the advice. From what I've read one of the better crappie lakes around East Fork Lake outside of Cincinnati is in my backyard. I'll just have to learn every inch of it.

[Crappie 1]

Were still working at it. It seems if we can get on a lake that has a good population of Crappie we catch some. We hit some lakes and just can't find the fish. It's taken us a couple years to get to this point, and we have a long way to go. For us, it has taken lots of time and patience and trying all kinds of techniques.

[kycreek]

Still working on it.

[shipahoy41]

I bought my first bass boat this year and for the last month have been going after crappie and failing miserable. My best outing was I caught three 12 inchers under a tree in the water. I'm to the point now that today I bought binoculars and was just driving around watching boats seeing how fast they where catching wrote their position down and will hit the spot up when i go out again in a few days. Did all of you struggle at first ?

Welcome from Alabama. I am 67 and still learning. The more you check out c.com the more you learn what it is you did not know. I used binoculars a lot just to see where people were fishing brush piles. I would take pen and paper notes (NO GPS back then) and return a few days later to see what I could catch. Just have fun. Save a few Crappie for the rest of us.

[Donald@CrappieLogic]

still learning

[Cray]

I bet if you post about wanting to learn and looking for a ride someone that fishes the same area hit you up with offer to take you. Also ask about any clubs in your area. You will find everything you need to know on this site and ton's of folks wanting to help you out. So don't hesitate to ask questions. Best thing to do first is go out to those spots and don't even try to fish at first. Just ride around and use your electronics to figure out why those people were fishing where they were. Like Ship said if nothing else note book and pencil. One you see what they were fishing ride around and look similar spots. It just takes a little time and patience. But this site will reduce that a hundred fold.

[skeetbum]

Everything said so far is spot on. I was in your shoes in '07, catch a few one trip and blank the next three. Time on the water is the best teacher. Fishing alone also helps you focus on the subtle things that are happening that most folks miss. You need a "Bag of Tricks" to dig into when things get tough and you have to build it from scratch. The folks here have helped me so much, if I had to pay them I'd be broke for a very long time. One technique I use when checking out a new spot is a casting method I call the "Pitch and Glide". Get within a long casting distance from your target and cast toward it. You want to start from a ways back cuz not all the fish are on the structure but around it. After casting, raise the rod tip to about 10 oclock and turn the reel just enough to get the coils out of the line in a nice bow, and watch the line and let it fall counting as it goes. Don't reel or move the rod tip, just let it fall. Every now and then drop the rod tip about an inch and bring it back to where it started, this will sometimes trigger a strike, but not always. I use light unpainted heads, 1/16 or 1/32 and a panfish assassin or Bobby Garland baby shad, sometimes a curl tail. There are times the curlies are counter productive, but always worth a try. They sometimes want less movement and the 2 former baits shine in those conditions. Set the hook from the wrist when the line does anything you didn't tell it to. Fish a spot about 30 minutes, maybe more if the Fish Finder is showing lots of fish, and move on til you find active fish. This has helped me find fish on many occasions, hope it helps you too. Keep after it and your personal style will form and it'll become easier. Tight lines, and Welcome from Middle Tennessee.