Best Summer Crappie Techniques

[tim37166]

So what is your favorite summer crappie catching techniques? I cant seem to find many crappie in the summer.

[CrappiePappy]

For me, it's always been casting jigs to laydowns that extend out into deep water (>15ft) and on shaded banks ... from Odark30 until the shade is gone from over top of the laydowns (usually around 11AM or so).
Other than that ... fishing at night, under lights, has been my alternative.

Trolling crankbaits, during the day, seems to be a popular & proven method ... but, requires a whole other equipment setup (that I don't have). And that's not to mention that, in the waters I fish, I'd likely be tangling with Hybrid Stripers, Bass, Muskie, Gar, Catfish, and Freshwater Drum, rather than the Crappie I was fishing for

... cp

[Locator79]

Vertical jigging standing timber once you can define a thermocline, mid depths will hold the majority of the fish in the lake. Sometimes you can pull a limit off a single tree.

[genec]

If you are wanting help than post as much about the lake you can ,then some can give you advice ,each lake is different and take different ways to catch many,trees,depth,good channel drops or fill in,brush piles ,deep docks ,mostly white or black crappie,whites like cranks better and so on, then you will get advice from many good crappie fishermen

[jeepguyjames]

Trolling cranks

[jackie53]

Jack's jig's crappie rigs with 3 in curly tail grubs or 2 in crappie tubes on an 1/8 oz head.(Pitch) not cast these into the tops of standing trees and brush piles!!!!

[Donald@CrappieLogic]

Vertical jigging standing timber once you can define a thermocline, mid depths will hold the majority of the fish in the lake. Sometimes you can pull a limit off a single tree.

X2 around these parts the hotter the better standing timber and a single pole =a whole lot of thumpage

[KDAVID1]

spider rigging

[elfros]

I found long lining to be the trick in the small lake I fish early June 10- 14ft but august I am in 18-25.i fish the creek beds and drop offs looking for suspended fish and bottom cover my son and I put 41 in the cooler last Sunday . we troll 1/16 oz jigs, 6lb line with twister tails. try to go slow where fish are active. casting works but the bass guys are usually pounding visable structure.

[WillyB2]

I found long lining to be the trick in the small lake I fish early June 10- 14ft but august I am in 18-25.i fish the creek beds and drop offs looking for suspended fish and bottom cover my son and I put 41 in the cooler last Sunday . we troll 1/16 oz jigs, 6lb line with twister tails. try to go slow where fish are active. casting works but the bass guys are usually pounding visable structure.

I have tried this on my local lake with very limited success. Pick up a crappie here and there, usually short of the 9" size limit. Max depth on this 2200 acre lake is around 25 feet. I can mark schools of fish and vertical jig and can't seem to get them to hit a jig. Maybe I'm marking schools of shad rather than crappie? Not going to give up. I'm retired now so lots of time to experiment. Oh yea, lots of crappie in the lake. Spring time its easy to catch 100 a day buy catching keepers is another thing.