How "spooky" are crappie?

[waxworm]

For years I thought crappie in tree tops were really spooky so I would use long poles and try not to let the boat bump any limbs - that is...until an old crappie master showed me something I didn't know. From January to Mid March, I used to like to fish lay downs in 7 or 8 feet here in MS and in TN. This guy had an alligator clip on a rope tied to the front of his bass boat. His tactic would be to run his boat up into the tree top right on top of the fish and clip on to a limb, then fish with regular spinning gear right by the boat with a jig about a foot under a float in the V's of the branches. Even the fish sitting that high in the water column weren' spooked at all. We caught many, many crappie like this.

I have trolled for crappie for years but am getting back into jigging, and my question is - how spooky are crappie holding tight to wood? Was this tactic out of the ordinary?

[Kokanee King]

it depends on the water clarity. If the water is clear they will be much more spooky if the water is off color most times you can run on top of them. but the is this one lake that I like to fish that is stained and i fish in 4 to 6 feet of water and the crappie wil hold in the lilies and even with the trolling motor on low and being 8 to 10 feet away the crappie will still spook, you will see the water churn a little and the pads move, and when that happens i whont catch any out of that hole.

[Moose1am]

I have heard of guys beating the sh***t of of a lay down with a paddy and then coming back to that spot after a rest. The beating knocks off algae from the limb and that attrach minnow which feed on the algae. They in turn attrack the crappie.


I would suspect that many a big crappie (OLD, Wise and been caught a few times and remembers what boat is) would hit the road when your boat ran up on the lay down.

Maybe if they remained in one position and just let the fish calm down after ramming into the lay down or brush pile that technique would work.

But then again you may be onto a new tactics that no one else has figured out.

For years I thought crappie in tree tops were really spooky so I would use long poles and try not to let the boat bump any limbs - that is...until an old crappie master showed me something I didn't know. From January to Mid March, I used to like to fish lay downs in 7 or 8 feet here in MS and in TN. This guy had an alligator clip on a rope tied to the front of his bass boat. His tactic would be to run his boat up into the tree top right on top of the fish and clip on to a limb, then fish with regular spinning gear right by the boat with a jig about a foot under a float in the V's of the branches. Even the fish sitting that high in the water column weren' spooked at all. We caught many, many crappie like this.

I have trolled for crappie for years but am getting back into jigging, and my question is - how spooky are crappie holding tight to wood? Was this tactic out of the ordinary?

[unknown 5]

I think it has to do with timing. I have often run my boat up on brush piles, both in the river and on a lake. There are times it will spook fish but alot of times it won't. Even if they are spooked, they will soon come back if you are fairly quiet.
If a place has been fished alot, they get real spooky.

[crappster]

I really think it just depends on whether they are feeding or not. If they are feeding, not much spooks them.

[Darryl Morris]

This ole boy with the alligator clip, he fish Tunica Cuttoff? If so, I know who you're talking about. He certainly does catch the crappie. Buy him a pack of chewing tobacco and he'll probably take ya fishing. lol.

[Crapbie]

I think that the sudden increase in shade outways the vibration, now I would not have guessed that it would work that well but if it does good for him for figureing it out. Although it would suck in tournaments if you cant get off the boat.\

What kind of boat does he have?

[bluecatman]

Great question. I was wondering if they spook when you get snagged and have to pull to bend the hook or break off? I hate it when the first cast gets snagged because now I'm wondering if we just chased all the fish off by shaking the limb.

[chaunc]

So my secret is out.... I've been tying up to blowdowns for a long time. Sometimes i pull up in there as far as i can then drop an anchor over the main trunk. Just dont let it all the way down. Just enuff to hold the boat there. I've decorated some of them trees so good with jigs, they look like x-mas trees. But i've caught lots of quality crappies there. Works all year up here in Pa.

[crappster]

With a canoe you can slide right into that blowdown and they will never know you are there. I've had some great success doing this up in Maryland.