Trolling Crankbait help

[dallman]

I'm trolling and pushing crankbaits. I am fishing on Kentucky Lake in the Eagle Creek area. I haven't found any crappie. Tried lots of colors and depths. I'm going over the bait balls at 1.7 mph using a 80lb terrova on cruise. I have caught more than my fair share of Gar a couple of 5 lb bass, etc. No catfish as of yet. I have been working outside the creek on the flats in 18 to 35 foot of water. I have tried trolling slower and only once did I try 2.0 and excited the Gar. Is it early for trolling? This is my first year trying this. I'm using counting reels and 10lb pound yellow power pro braid.
Is the any hints for finding them on the flats? I would appreciate any hints.

[kickingback]

It's not early for trolling. You need sonar to find the drop offs and ledges along old riverbeds as well as structure close to them. Find any type of structure and troll back and forth at different depths or multiple rods at different depths to find them. If you want to find them on the flats there is usually some type of rocks or shallow holes or weeds they hang around. You again must use a sonar to find structure like these. You could spend all day trolling without a sonar but it will take you all day to find them!

[Rees Guide]

May just not be there yet, don't give up. Look for boats and try those areas, I know it sounds kinda tacky but hey seems that's crappie fishing on big water and when struggling I use just like everyone else does. Creek system or river system with 15 foot of water over the banks here is good a lot of the times, zig zag back and forth across it, sometimes just going straight across the does this as the creek or river is zigging and zagging on its on. GPS in the depth finder is key, good maps in it helps as well, when you hit a fish mark it, mark em all to start with and it will show you a pattern hopefully. Flats are easy fishing when they are there but sometimes you have to go a little bit shallow or into the timeber some. When it starts happening for you it will be like a switch was flipped so like I said earlier don't give up.
If there is a lake close that is loaded with dinks go fish it, may not be catching the fish you want but you will be learning. The year I started this is what we did and it helped a lot just getting the experience of catching some fish and working thru the lines and such. good luck.

["G"]

Look for shad on your fish finder......the crappie will be with them

[M R Dux]

It's early yet. I was out Sunday on KY Lake and had 11 keepers in all the lake lice but they were very scattered. It will get better as July progresses and the crappie start schooling up. KY Lake doesn't have a thermocline like the MS lakes so it takes more searching to get on the correct ledges and flats.

[dallman]

I have good fish finders. I appreciate the help. I started late and will keep searching for the right ledges. Once I catch a few I'll get the hang of it. I knew Eagle Creek has a thermocline of 10 feet. The bait balls were still in the creek last week. But were gone this Sunday. I sort of figured with the water still below normal temps and all I was a little early with no experience. I am using a tracker v18 all-fish with a hds12 touch at the console and a 1199 on my terrova facing the bow mounted on the console so I can watch the rods and map at the same time. I just got the lakemaster map it will definitely help. The 1199 is movable to the bow when I am fishing more normal. I have only seen one school of Crappie (at least I think that they were) I am see some weird fish stacked unlike anything I have seen maybe Asian carp. Again thanks for all of the help. mrdux I watched the video of you last year and it has helped me some.

[lowe rider]

Hey dallman, do you live in the Eagle Creek area? I live just off E. Antioch and I have a V18 Allfish too.

[dallman]

i live in Columbia. I have the boat at Cuba Landing.

[cnette01]

Have you tried trolling at a slower speed? I usually troll crank baits from 1.2 to 1.5 mph for the crappie.

[dallman]

I will try that. The slowest I have tried is 1.5

Thanks