River fishing for Crappie

[Seth G.]

This is something I have not heard much about. Some guys fish the structure on creeks but I never hear anyone fishing the river for crappie.

If anyone regularly fishes the river please chime in.

What patterns do you watch for in rivers?\

Depth?

Structure?

Current?

Eddies?

What do you look for when they spawn?

Very Interested.

Seth

[Bama Slab]

I fish the Tombigbee river. On the Tombigbee I look for trees that have fallen into the water where there is no or little current. I like a top that is in about 10-20 feet of water, or a top that is on the edge of a drop. This seems to hold fish all times of the year. I use two different types of rigs to fish. One is the old stand by cane pole , cork, and minnow. The other is a rod and reel with a 1 oz. weight on the end of the line. I tie a loop in the line and place a hook about a foot above the weight. I drop this in the middle of the top ust like you would a pole. It works really well especially for the deeper fish. I have tried jigs on the rod and reel and it will catch them too. But I pefer minnows.

[creekslick]

I fish the White River in Arkansas. Look for eddy water, top, log jams, and other structure where there is little to no current. You can also try the mouth of creeks that empty in the river.

[wefish]

I fish Cape Fear River and look for basically the same things as the others and also this time of the year fish mud lines @ creek mouths. They are very productive this time of year, also tree laps in eddy water.

[mighty]

I have fished the ten river and i look for any breaks in the current along the riprap, big boulder, crappie like to hang behing them and also and river bridges. Despite what many may say crappie can be caught in the current, not current but say if the current is going around a bend or something cast into the current and let the bobber float.

[GRIZZ]

We have a creek here called Conawango creek, and I keep hearing about massive crappies being caught there as big as 20 inches. So far I have just chalked it up to people exaggerating, but I know there are crappie there and some nice ones. Its a fairly small creek with a system of oxbows that flood when the creek gets high and the crappies are in the oxbows. The creek get up to about 100 feet wide and gets really bad when it rains. I plan on giving it a workout this spring and seeing for myself how big these crappies get. I have fished there and caught a few, but nothing spectacular and using typical moving water methods works fine. Casting with jigs or minnows with or without bobbers. I plan on trying microspoons and glowstrikes there this spring, plus a few more new things.

[Seth G.]

Thanks for the info. What is a mud line?

Seth

[Bama Slab]

I have caught crappie in current but you will get hung up so much specially with a pole and cork. In light current conditions I use the reel and rod with a 1 oz. weight. It helps to keep the bait on the bottom and still.

[creekslick]

Thanks for the info. What is a mud line?

Seth

It is where stained water from a creek mixes with clear water in a river or clear water from a creek mixes with stained water in a river.

[LBM]

Seth

There is a very nice river to fish very close to you -- The Elk River running into Elk City Reservor. In the winter and spring some very nice slabs can be caught there. Like all places it can be feast or famin but some of the locals that are familiar with it and fish it frequently do quite well at times. Think Card Creek dumpes into the Elk close to where the ramp is. http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/lay...reek_boat_ramp


I've fished it a couple of times and when ever I hear the bite is on there I'm sure tempted to make the trip back down there.

Sure wished I had a river near by to fish when the wind makes it difficult being on the lake.

Anyhow good fishing and enjoy reading your posts.