crappie and smallmouth question

[carolinagstring]

I'm new here guys so kind of bare with me and my limited experience. I've been fishing most all my life. Used to fish mainly for largemouth and catfish. If I caught a crappie it was by accident. I've never caught a smallmouth in my life. Anyway I would like to start leaning more toward crappie fishing. I live on a river here in sc and I just learned the other day there are definitely smallmouth in the river. My question is do crappie and smallmouth favor the same water conditions or is it just wishful thinking? A friend of mine caught some smallmouth last week in behind the rocks in deep holes with jigs. I had no idea they would have even been there. Thanks for any thoughts or advice.

Wayne

[Tony the Tiger]

Can't answer your question but welcome to the site. Someone will have an answer. You may want to ask in the SC forum

[carolinagstring]

Your probably right. I'll try the sc forum. Thanks for the help and btw that's a nice deer.

[CrappiePappy]

String ... there's always a possibility of Crappie & other species occupying the same structure or cover. If those rocks provide a current break, and there are baitfish in the vicinity, then there are likely times that Crappie would occupy that area. They may or may not be as deep in that "hole" as Smallmouth or Catfish, or other species, but they certainly would utilize any current break or eddy water available if/when the current was fairly pronounced.

The two species don't necessarily favor the same water conditions, but they both are subject to behavior changes when water conditions change. And you can certainly catch either or both on a Crappie jig, a jighead & minnow, and/or a jighead w/plastic body + a minnow.

I used to fish Watts Bar Lake, a reservoir in East Tenn, many decades ago for Smallmouth ... using a 1/16oz weedless jighead & large minnow. When the Smallmouth weren't cooperating on one particular trip, we began fishing these same rigs around some standing & fallen timber and caught some very nice Slab Crappie (1lb+). In the years since, my trips to Watts Bar have been almost exclusively for Crappie ... and a 1/16oz jighead w/plastic body has taken the place of the plain jighead w/minnow rig.

I did notice that Smallmouth were mostly inactive & deep when the lake had little to no current, but picked up noticeably when the dam gates were opened & current began to flow. They also moved up much shallower in the water column, during those times. Crappie will avoid current, when present, but will shift their positions on cover they're holding around when current is generated ... even if it means having to leave the shaded side of that cover. They may go deeper, if possible, to gain back that "shaded" ambush potential.

... luck2ya & to Crappie.com

... cp

[Alphahawk]

Yes they do share same waters....and conditions.....if they are both in the same body of water you are fishing. I don't know who invented the Float'N Fly but I do know who came up with it on Dale Hollow Lake....that would be crappie fisherman. They would get asked in the winter if they were catching any crappie.....their answer would be "Well if we could keep the darn small mouth off our lines we would be". So small mouth fisherman took note of that and modified the crappie guys method of fishing a jig under a float and the Float'N Fly became popular on Dale Hollow. I crappie fish a lot below Pickwick Dam and catch quite a few Smallies fishing.....I do the same on Center Hill Lake.


Regards


Regards

[carolinagstring]

Man I sure appreciate the knowledge and advice fellers. Hard to find that stuff. I may have to touch base with ya'll on some of those rigs you mentioned. Thanks again for the replies.