Southern Ohio Crappie

[JWH1971]

Hello all,
can anybody post a pic of what kind of jig or any bait that is best for early season crappie please and, where to fish for them in early season. like near banks or in the deep. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ANY HELP!!!

[CrappiePappy]

Minnows or jigs ... your choice depending on how you fish (what method you use).

Jigs can be a plain jighead with a plastic body or fur/feather type ... adding a minnow to the hook can sometimes increase your odds.

Depending on depth of water ... jig sizes to consider would be 1/32oz (1-5ft deep) 1/16oz (down to 15ft deep) 1/8oz (>15ft deep or under windy conditions) ... * when casting method is used.

Where they'll be is normally dependent upon water temps, water levels, water level changes & speed of those changes, and weather stability.

A general rule of thumb is ... for water temps around:
50deg = Crappie are moving from the main lake deep to the creek channels
55deg = Crappie are moving from the creek channels to flats and making moves towards the shallows
60deg = Crappie are staging ... males making beds & females staged just off from the bedding banks
65deg = Crappie are spawning, moving in to spawn, or finishing up spawning & males are guarding the beds, while females are back in their staging spots recuperating.

But, you must be aware of the fact that Crappie cannot read so they don't always follow any such pattern ... and may simply follow their instincts as to what conditions prompt them to be where they are, when they are, and for the reasons they are there.

Water color & temp can dictate at what depth they will spawn ... but generally, Black Crappie like clearer water and will spawn the earliest & the shallowest & stay shallow the longest. White Crappie like stained to murky water and will spawn at a slightly higher water temp, slightly to much deeper than Black Crappie, and return to deeper water flats quicker when finished spawning.

Black Crappie like emerging weeds & rocky bottoms, while White Crappie prefer wood cover & hard mud bottoms (but not mucky or silty bottoms) ... but, both will make do with what's available if their preferred cover is not available.

Best method to finding them ... IMHO ... is to start shallow & work your way out to deeper water. Reason being ... the fish will come shallow to feed prior to setting up for their spawning tasks, so you stand a better chance of intercepting them as they move, plus fishing shallow means fishing faster & covering more water. Once you locate where they are (area, depth, activity level) then you can choose the presentation method that will keep your baits within their range and at the speed of movement that triggers their interest.

I reserve the right to be completely wrong on any of this ... as these are "very general" rules, and like I said ... Crappie can't read

... luck2ya

... cp

[JWH1971]

WOW THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! That is great info. I will keep that response with me so I can refer back. Again thank you!!!

[scrat]

Here is another helpful post that cane pole posted about temp. and depth. that you may want to save for future reference.


http://www.crappie.com/crappie/begin...vs-temp-gauge/

[JWH1971]

THANK YOU scrat!!!!

[wahanlin]

Yep all great info right there. Another thing to remember is that the optimal color of jig to use will likely change depending on the light levels, water clarity, and the preference of the fish. One color won't work in all situations.

[scrat]

Hello all,
can anybody post a pic of what kind of jig or any bait that is best for early season crappie please and, where to fish for them in early season. like near banks or in the deep. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ANY HELP!!!

Went today 2:00pm to 5:00 pm 64° water temp. 72°weather temp. wind northeast 4-7 mph barometer 30.07 used black/chartreuse tube jig caught 10 threw back 4 small size fish were in 5'-6' water fished 3'-31/3' down from surface. Picture has the jig I was using in front of fish. Hope this helps as I am learning to use artificial jigs myself.

[JWH1971]

what to you use to check temp of water?

[CrappiePappy]

what to you use to check temp of water?

Most of the latest depth finders have water temp sensors in the transducer and have the option to show that temp reading on the screen.

In the far past I have used a submersible temp gauge or the Combo-C-lector probe to determine water temps at any depth up to the length of the cord/cable being used. Depth finders with water temp sensors can only read the temps at the depth of the trolling motor ... or what is commonly called "surface temps".

... cp