I live Nor Cal and have night fished black crappie most of my life under a green LED light. Night fishing has been pretty successful, but I just do not have time to spend nights on the lake then too tired the next day to do anything anymore. It is July with 95-100 dry heat in Nor Cal, where did all the black crappies go?
I spent a few days last summer in the Mid East tightlining, which I have successfully replicated in California during the spawn but summer is still unsuccessful in summertime. Here is what I have done in the past three times in past two weeks out to the lake:
-bought a 598 hummingbird side imaging unit and know how to use it, but not locating any large groups. Side imaged some fish hanging in 9ft lilly pads but they are bitting. Not sure what kind of fish they are.
-Jigged all sorts of weight, color, and live minnows in shaded trees and parts of the 5-8 ft deep flooded forest but nothing, only cats.
-Tightlined creek channels and the 30ft dam at different depths but nothing too.
I am about given up!
Here is the Lake stats: Reservoir with two creeks (non-flowing at the moment). Current lake temp is 83-86 depending on location. Water clarity is only about 25% or 3ft depth clarity. 25% of the lake floods the forest. Most of the lake is 12ft deep with dam being around 30. No shad, but lots and lots of ghost minnows. So many ghost minnows during this time that I actually watched baby large mouths swallow them like nothing. Those ghost minnows seems so blind.
Any help is appreciated.
Welcome to C.com, try a drop shot rig and put your hook at 12-18 inches off the bottom, or you
can use two hooks and set them about a foot apart. Hope this helps
Good luck and good fishing
Fish the deep points and river channel. They are holding tight to structure or rocks deep.
USAF Retired and fishing!
Thanks for the advice! I spent an hour last night youtubing and rigging up an ultral light pole for the drop shot method, 4 pound line. Never done it before, but drop shot sure looks fun on youtube. I should be on the lake again next week and will let you guys know how I do.
after I go fishing the fish are still in the same place they were before I went fishing!!
smiles are contagious, spread them around
Proud Member of the ZIPPER Club
& Team Geezer
i have been catching them 8-20 ft of water around structure like water overflows and branches on ledges.
California crappie huh? Then it is entirely possible that your failure to locate and catch them may be a Zen thing. Most probably your boat's Feng Shui is all messed up. A bass fishing buddy of mine, to help him stay focused and visualize what his bait is doing, slowly fishes his Texas-rigged worm back to the boat while transcendentally chanting over and over, "I AM the worm." It works: he usually out-fishes me from the back of the boat. Try a crappie variation of that.
Last edited by Tonykarter; 07-25-2014 at 08:01 AM.
Crappie ciller, Tom 513 LIKED above post
I believe Chevy Chase invented that method.
I got 350 heads on a 305 engine.
I get 6 miles to the gallon.
I aint got no good intentions.Slab LIKED above post