MYTHS.....do crappie feed down

[BAMA S]

I just laugh when I read articles about this. I catch 90 percent of my fish at night dragging the bottom. Please do not be scared to cast out let your line go slack. Then slow retrieve across bottom. Trusts me. Bro, youse can thank me later. And this brings up thermocline water temp 87 degrees right now. I'm catching crappie on bottom forty foot deep. I don't know enough about the thermocline to discuss. But this fish just came off bottom in forty fow

[trypman1]

Interesting, for sure! thanks.

[Erin Brewer]

I dunno about that deep but I have had times in the spring during spawn when I had to bounce jigs off the bottom like a bass jig and they would hammer it!


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[CrappiePappy]

Crappie "will" feed down ... I've seen them do it in my home aquarium (practically standing on their heads to trap minnows against the bottom of the aquarium). But, it's not under "normal" circumstances for them to have to feed "down", they just do so when it's "required" for them to feed on certain things. They will feed on emerging critters (aquatic larvae) and crustaceans ... all bottom dwelling critters.

When they're "hugging bottom" (& you catch one with mud on its belly) .... they aren't actually feeding "below" themselves, but your bait is still within their sight range and/or sensory range and they will turn or roll or dip their heads down to grab what they sense as a meal.

Those of us that propose that Crappie don't "go down" after a bait are generally referring to a bait that's running well below them and may be ignored. With the placement of their eyes, it's far easier for them to see a bait that's in front and above them ... which is why one normally sees them, on their electronics, below and to the side of a school of baitfish.

[USMA65]

I recently saw a Livescope video where a crappie did indeed move down to consume a jig. The fisherman said that video should be proof that they do feed down.

[Slab]

I too watch them in my aquarium and they feed any way they can. Up, down, sideways. Anyway and every way they can.


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[SKs Crappie Catching Adventures]

While fishn with Ketchn pitching docks we see it there too.... Hopping or dragging our jig back a lot of times when you go to move it it's several times heavier..... He and I have had some good laughs about a lot of the myths that revolve around crappie.......

[silverside]

they feed any way they can. Up, down, sideways. Anyway and every way they can.


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So do I. Especially after a couple beers.

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[Asleep At The Reel]

I watched crappie today go down for bait on livescope. Watched them sink, hit jig then come up to visit me!!!!!

[patrapper]

My brother and I fish a lake that most of the time all we do is drift. We use electronics to find the depth that the fish are at and we bounce jigs off the bottom. We do very well using that method at that particular lake. It doesn't always work at the other lakes we fish.

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