Fishing heavy current???

[crappielimits]

I fish alot of tailraces and other areas below dams for hybrids/stripers, but have fould that their are huge crappie in these areas. .
Any tips on fishing in heavy current or rigs would be greatly appreciated. I typically longline, but love to push or spider rig. The water is usually clear.

[skeetbum]

Don't be afraid to go to a heavier jighead. Crappie have been known to eat 1/2oz spinnerbaits so size doesn't bother them.

[kycreek]

I've caught a few while Sauger fishing below the dam. Never really targeted them but they are there.

[CrappiePappy]

Only tip I know of is :

DON'T fish the heavy current

Find the eddy water & fish it ... even if it's only a small area. Crappie aren't going to fight the current to feed ... when they don't have to !! They'll find the slack water & eddies, and just wait for the bait to get pushed into them by the current.

Saw a couple of guys fishing below a spillway at a local lake, when the water was coming out pretty strong. They were standing on the overlook, right at the end of the concrete spillway, about 10-12 feet above the water. The water was running out high enough that it was whirlpooling just outside the ends of the spillway drop. These two guys were catching bigger Crappie out of this whirlpool eddy, than I've EVER caught from the lake itself ... and I've fished this lake since it opened !! Just sayin !!

... cp

[CrappieFlopper]

X2

[GoneCrappieFishing]

I use to fish below a dam with a friend, and we would fish in the trash gate of the dam. The water there is as crappiepappy mentioned, its very eddy there and calm. Also as the name says, real trashy with junk floating everywhere, but you can set your jig down right through the trash and sure load up on the crappie when they are biting. Never caught any out where the current is.