Canyon Lake 3/21/15

[TETF]

I have been very busy with people fishing during spring break but it's raining today so I will give a Canyon Lake report covering the last week or so. On Wednesday and Thursday last week (11&12) I began noticing smaller crappie sizes while spider rigging just a foot or two off the bottom in the 21' to 25' depths. But they still were not biting in the tops of trees. Friday afternoon I found 3 nice big crappie in the top of one tree and everything else still coming deep. Saturday morning was the same situation but that afternoon was the game changer. The bigger crappie have finally moved up into the tree tops about 6'-8' over 14'-20' of water. I am not sure how this rain will affect the bite but I am confident the spring bite is on.

Over the past month or more, we are catching most on jig tipped with soft plastics and nibbles. However, minnows also work. I like the jigs from Pro Angler Tackle which are made with Matzuo sickle hooks best. I also use their live bait hooks. I can't say that the red hooks catch more fish but I prefer the red over the gold color, most of the time. I also use their crappie rods and have found them to be very sensitive, with lots of backbone and rugged.

When I fish, I prefer just using a jig so I can feel the thump and can probe all depths. However, the majority of my clients are new to fishing or to inexperienced for straight jigging. Therefore, I have them use jigs or minnows with slip bobbers. They still miss a lot of bites due to distractions and skill but at least they know, most of the time, when the fish bite. These are some photos from the past few days. The longnose gar was also caught on a 12' Pro Angler Tackle rod and the Matzuo sickle hook jig. That should show their worth. Had cerified scales be available, it would have been the lake record at 57" and 30 pounds.

[LowePro]

Holy cal!!!! Way to take it to em!

[TurboDan]

Thanks for the pics and report!