steakbeds and other artificial hides

[crappie52]

i am new to crappie fishing and i am hooked, i have made several artificial fish hides using pvc and 5 gallon buckets, where should i put them and when can i use them? i know where to fish in the spring but can these help me in the middle of summer? also i would like to try night fishing i bought some submergable lights but i do not know wether to go on points shallow or deep in middle of lake. please any suggestions on either topis or any other mid summer tips would be appriciated. in am fishing this weekend i am from ky. thanks!

[eddiebhome]

Nights this time of year we fish deeper water (45 feet for us) on points, edge of creek beds creek bends, etc. Favorite place is just above where a creek bed drops into the river channel. The fish are generally holding between 15 and 25 feet even in the deep water. Good luck

[jfraley]

Welcome to the board!
For night fishing, check out this http://www.crappie.com/rango/index.htm

For placement of structure:
You need structure placed in deep water for middle of the summer. For me deep is ~30'. That is the top of the structure is at 30'. I am in the process of putting out structure so that will be able to have fishing spots throughout the year. For me, it is better to put structure where I can catch more fish in the spring (post spawn) and in the fall. I don't do much day time fishing in the heat of the summer. I have found that structure placed in coves or off points along the north shore pay off quite well. You also need to think about having multiple places out of the wind. There is a board dedicated to stucture. I mainly use pvc, bamboo in a 5 gallon bucket (condo), and bamboo through concrete block in an X pattern (Mats). I learned about the boo from Jerry Blake. (Give credit where it's due). I am sure others will add to my rambling.
Again, nice to have you on the board!

[CrappiePappy]

i am new to crappie fishing and i am hooked, i have made several artificial fish hides using pvc and 5 gallon buckets, where should i put them and when can i use them? i know where to fish in the spring but can these help me in the middle of summer? also i would like to try night fishing i bought some submergable lights but i do not know wether to go on points shallow or deep in middle of lake. please any suggestions on either topis or any other mid summer tips would be appriciated. in am fishing this weekend i am from ky. thanks!

Welcome to Crappie.com, neighbor :D What lake are we talking about ? You'll get a wide variety of opinions from the membership, and some very good & usable info. Don't forget to post questions and fishing reports on the KY Forum, too. ......... luck2ya ... cp

[crappie52]

i want to try several central ky lakes, tallorsville,guest creek,elmer davis,ky river, and a new lake called cedar creek lake. any advice on night fishing or putting out structure let me know. also can i night fish over the structure that i put out?

[crappie52]

Welcome to Crappie.com, neighbor :D What lake are we talking about ? You'll get a wide variety of opinions from the membership, and some very good & usable info. Don't forget to post questions and fishing reports on the KY Forum, too. ......... luck2ya ... cp

how can i get to that site?

[Ferdi]

Hey crappie52, just buttin in here. Look under the State forum when you log on to crappie.com. Just scroll down past the main forum and other topic forums and visit any of the State forums. Enjoy yourself. Ferdi

[CrappiePappy]

i want to try several central ky lakes, tallorsville,guest creek,elmer davis,ky river, and a new lake called cedar creek lake. any advice on night fishing or putting out structure let me know. also can i night fish over the structure that i put out?

Taylorsville - most reports are saying that plenty of Crappie can be caught, but the size is small. Haven't been there this year, myself, so I can't vouch for those reports. When I do fish it, I mostly fish from daylight til midday .. slinging jigs at blowdowns that are in the shade. If they aren't cooperating, I troll a crankbait with a jig trailer .... for White Bass & Hybrid Stripers. Usually catch a few Crappie, and the occasional Catfish, while trolling this rig. Crappie size/creel limits = 9" & 15/angler/day

Guist Creek & Elmer Davis - haven't Crappie fished either of these lakes.

Ky River ... haven't Crappie fished it in years - last time I fished it for Crappie, I fished the bridge pilons at Clays Ferry, and caught some nice fish from the brush that had accumulated next to it. Other than that, you'd have to find a good sized blowdown or root wad, and fish around those (on the down current side).

Cedar Creek Lake - plenty of Crappie, most are still too small to keep. Minnows or jigs will get you plenty of action, but the lake is still too young to have a very large population of keeper sized fish. Size & creel limits = 9" & 15/angler/day

If I was wanting to night fish for Crappie, in the Central Ky area ..... I'd consider Herrington Lake. Look for docks with huge lights down next to the water, and drift around just outside of the edge of the light. (and watch out for huge Hybrid Stripers, they like to frequent these places too :D ) Otherwise, I'd find a large tree to tie to, in about 20 or more feet of water ... fishing with minnows under your lights. No luck in an hours time, move to another tree/dock.

Usually, once you place structure in the water, if it's in the right place, you should be able to catch fish off it within 24hrs. Which lake to put it in .... best bet would be Taylorsville. Not that it needs it, as it does still have quite a bit of standing timber. But, there are plenty of banks that don't have any standing timber, it gets lots of fishing pressure, and any "secret hole" that you can make will allow you to not have to fish "used" water

Ky Forum page : http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/forumdisplay.php?f=18

.......... luck2ya ..... cp

[crappie52]

thanks guys, lots of great info, i will use what i am able to this week and let you know. thanks again.