Spooky fish

[Ketchn]

Many of the sunfish species are spooky when they are shallow on beds . Most of the time predators are targeting them and they are built to run off at the slightest provocation. That said crappie are spooky when they spawn and in many cases leave the beds in the daylight hours. I see herons on spawning beds at night frequently and they are not considered nocturnal birds . So if the water clarity is good do not expect crappie to stay shallow in the daylight.
Several spots I hit unless it’s ovecast and or turbid water conditions there is not much of a real shallow bite in the daylight . The fish stage off the beds a little ways out sometimes and patience is key on them . The males will be closest in most cases with females farther out past them . Sometimes the female fish won’t be much past them , sometimes they will be way out past them.
This all said target your fish accordingly and you will have more success. When the bite stops adjust your presentations a bit deeper farther off shore and be patient , they won’t be as aggressive off the beds and tend to bite lots slower on the takes.
The spawn is a tricky time and comes and goes daily and what was on fire today might be diddly tomorrow and back on a day or so later . Never say never and pitch often in areas you have found them in the past when they spawn. They tend to spawn in the same general areas year after year .
Hope this helps those in need of some help .
Stay tuned and have a great day

[Redge]

Thanks for the post, I always enjoy your writing.


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[ET Fish]

Good info!

[doggone]

If you watch real close when your dipping beds on Cypress and Tupelo gum trees with grass and Lilly pads... in some of the swamps and oxbows... you can see the crappie take your bait on the bed. First time I really noticed it I was a kid. I was watching the minnows in the sunlight flash as they struggled on the hook. Then all of a sudden you wouldn't see the flash. At first you think maybe they just quit struggling or got too deep to see. But heck its two to three ft deep and near gin clear. Finally figured out when I started looking closer it was the crappie sucking them in without even hardly making the line twitch.The fish were hard to see because their backs blend in and they didn't roll enough to flash....till you jerk that pole LOL. We didn't wear sunglasses back then much less polarized ones. The glare on the water made it hard to see sometimes.

[GreenLine]

Many of the sunfish species are spooky when they are shallow on beds . Most of the time predators are targeting them and they are built to run off at the slightest provocation. That said crappie are spooky when they spawn and in many cases leave the beds in the daylight hours. I see herons on spawning beds at night frequently and they are not considered nocturnal birds . So if the water clarity is good do not expect crappie to stay shallow in the daylight.
Several spots I hit unless it’s ovecast and or turbid water conditions there is not much of a real shallow bite in the daylight . The fish stage off the beds a little ways out sometimes and patience is key on them . The males will be closest in most cases with females farther out past them . Sometimes the female fish won’t be much past them , sometimes they will be way out past them.
This all said target your fish accordingly and you will have more success. When the bite stops adjust your presentations a bit deeper farther off shore and be patient , they won’t be as aggressive off the beds and tend to bite lots slower on the takes.
The spawn is a tricky time and comes and goes daily and what was on fire today might be diddly tomorrow and back on a day or so later . Never say never and pitch often in areas you have found them in the past when they spawn. They tend to spawn in the same general areas year after year .
Hope this helps those in need of some help .
Stay tuned and have a great day

I agree. It helps to be stealthy when working shallow areas. In places that have cypress trees. I have the best luck with trees that have low hanging limbs and other cover like saw grass or bushes. They are tricky to fish but fun when a big male takes the jig when you only have 12 inches of line in water !