Another Newbie????

[TomC]

Ok……I’m going to give crappie fishing a try for the first time this coming weekend. I have been reading quite a bit and it seems I’m becoming more confused with every article as there seems to be a million opinions on what to fish wish and how to fish for crappie. I could really use some advice on what would be best to fish with. Although minnows seem a favorite choice I would like to try jigs tipped with something just so I don’t have to go buy minnows every time I go out. Knowing what most of you veterans know now, if you were just getting started what setup would you use and more importantly how should I fish the setup. It seems 1/32 oz jigs are a good place to start but what should I tip them with (nibbles, grubs or what) and also what color jigs are best. I will be fishing with a couple of 6’6” rods with spinning reels on 6# test. My other main question is should I park the boat after I find some cover and fish on my fish finder, put down an anchor and fish stationery or should I just throw a couple of lines out and troll slowly with my trolling motor. And last but not least should I use a slip bobber or just throw the jigs out and slow retrieve. Sorry for all the questions but I’m sort of under the gun as my wife has paroled me for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning (very rare for this to happen) and I want to put together a setup and a method of fishing that gives me a decent shot at success on my first trip out. Also if it makes any difference I will be fishing on lake Oconee in Georgia which is fairly stained.

Also, if any of you out there ever fish a lot on Oconee and want to go, I’d love for a pro to show me the ropes. I’m just getting into serious fishing have a lot to learn. I have a pro bass guide taking me out the following week to give me tips on the finer points of bass fishing but also want to learn how to fish for crappie as I think it would be a lot of fun with more “action” so I can take my 6 year old son out. He’s got a few more years before he will have the patience to bass fish. Thanks for any pointers.

Tom

[badbrad]

Tom, I can't offer you alot of advice on fishing for crappie. I'm still in the learning mode myself. You've come to the right site though. There are some very knowledgeable fisherman who visit the site and don't care to share their advice. I liken it to the restaurant where you meet every morning to talk fishing over coffee. This serves the same purpose. I've fished for everything; bass, muskie, catfish, and bluegill. I still enjoy by far pulling up a slab crappie the size of a frisbee and there isn't any better table fare. Good luck and good fishing.

[Moose1am]

Here is what I would do:

1. Take a couple dozen minnow just in case
2. Jigs, I like the Southern Pro style in Chartruse. Any thing with chartsue
3. Tip jig 1/32 oz to 1/16 0z with a Chartruse crappie nibble.
4. Slow troll. By slow I mean going less than 0.5mph as recorded with a good gps unit. Crappie like the jig to be moving very slowly. You can do this by slow trolling or by casting out and reeling back in really slow.
5. Tight line with the sinker below the jig or minnow about 12" to 18" using a sensitive rod and 6lb test fishing line that can help you straighten out a hook if you get snagged on some brush. I like the aberdine thin wire gold hooks as they will straighten out when pulled and then you can bend them back into shape and they will bring in a 3lb crappie too.
6. Find a good spot and slow troll though it to establish if there are fish there and if they are actively feeding. If you find a good spot you can move to the side after throwing out a marker bouy and then anchor the boat to stay within casting distance. They you can use your slip bobber setups. You should have recorded the depth of the bottoma and the top of the brush pile or dropoff and know how deep to send the jig or minnow below the slip float.
7. Get a good map of the lake and study the map before you go. Check the weather report and look at the weather trends for the week before you actually go fishing. Pay special attention to the wind directions the previous days before you start fishing and the wind direction the day you fish. Winds will push the warmer surface waters across the lake and where that water ends up it will be a few degrees warmer. Northern shorelines that are protected from harsh Northerly winds and that have shallow darker colored bottoms with wood are best. They are exposed to the southern sunlight longer and warm up first in the spring before the deeper waters do. Also if the winds are from the South they will blow the warmer water into a Northern Bay and that can really help produce if there are already other things that crappie like in that bay. Access to deep water close by and the shallow waters to prepare to spawn.
8. Fish may be spawning if the water temps get into the 60's and if the water is in the low 50's they may be staging to spawn. Find the mouth of a spawning bay and slow troll across the mouth of the bay and check the points on each side. If there is a ditch or creek that runs though the bay be sure to slow troll along that also. Start at the mouth of the bay and work towards the shallower waters unless you find very warm water already in the back of the bay. It all depends on the water temperature and how much sun and rain you have had in the week before your trip and if the sun is shining or not. Water that is on a warmeing trend or stable weather will send the crappie into the shallower water to spawn. The muddier the water the shallower the crappie will go. Clear water may see the crappie spawing much deeper. Muddy water warms up much faster than clear water.

I hope this helps somewhat.

Remmber there are many ways to fish for crappie and there are many more ways to clean, cook and finally devour them. LOL

I am surprised that no one else has responded to your request for help.

Ok……I’m going to give crappie fishing a try for the first time this coming weekend. I have been reading quite a bit and it seems I’m becoming more confused with every article as there seems to be a million opinions on what to fish wish and how to fish for crappie. I could really use some advice on what would be best to fish with. Although minnows seem a favorite choice I would like to try jigs tipped with something just so I don’t have to go buy minnows every time I go out. Knowing what most of you veterans know now, if you were just getting started what setup would you use and more importantly how should I fish the setup. It seems 1/32 oz jigs are a good place to start but what should I tip them with (nibbles, grubs or what) and also what color jigs are best. I will be fishing with a couple of 6’6” rods with spinning reels on 6# test. My other main question is should I park the boat after I find some cover and fish on my fish finder, put down an anchor and fish stationery or should I just throw a couple of lines out and troll slowly with my trolling motor. And last but not least should I use a slip bobber or just throw the jigs out and slow retrieve. Sorry for all the questions but I’m sort of under the gun as my wife has paroled me for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning (very rare for this to happen) and I want to put together a setup and a method of fishing that gives me a decent shot at success on my first trip out. Also if it makes any difference I will be fishing on lake Oconee in Georgia which is fairly stained.

Also, if any of you out there ever fish a lot on Oconee and want to go, I’d love for a pro to show me the ropes. I’m just getting into serious fishing have a lot to learn. I have a pro bass guide taking me out the following week to give me tips on the finer points of bass fishing but also want to learn how to fish for crappie as I think it would be a lot of fun with more “action” so I can take my 6 year old son out. He’s got a few more years before he will have the patience to bass fish. Thanks for any pointers.

Tom

[TomC]

Thanks badbrad

At this point I'm leaning toward trying 1/32 oz jigs with red heads, green bodies and yellow tails and also trying the same jigs with red heads and chartreuse bodies with slip bobbers set at around 3-5 feet and maybe tip with a grub or crappie nibble? While bass fishing last weekend I found a couple of nice coves just off the main body of water that showed a fair amount of structure on my fishfinder so maybe this will be a good starting point. This time of years its hard as all get out to keep the boat in one place due to the wind so I am wondering if I should go get a couple of anchors??I'm realizing in a hurry that one thing that is a royal pain in the rear is trying to fish while fighting the wind with the trolling motor all at the same time. It would be nice to get stationery once you find the fish and then just fish without having to fight the wind!

tom

[TomC]

Thanks moose......great pointers! A question with regard to trolling. This may be a real stupid question but since I'm sitting on the front of the boat with my trolling motor would it be best to troll with the boat going backwards?? This way it looks like I would have a better view of the bobbers and the line wouldnt get in behind the boat and tangled around the motor, plus I wouldnt have to run to the back of the boat if I get a fish on the line?

Also, I have a lowrance 332C in the console and a lowrance x135 on the bow. I havent really messed around with the setting much since I just got my boat a couple of weeks ago but are there any setttings with regard to sensitivity or other settings on these units to make them the most effective at seeing fish and bottom structure? Any favorite settings you guys have?

Oh man.......I need a light too I guess for fishing at night. Serious fishing is more complex than I thought. I need to start an excel spreadsheed for all the goodies needed per different species of fish. Who'd of thunk it....... Sure is fun though!

tom

[whiplash]

Thanks moose......great pointers! A question with regard to trolling. This may be a real stupid question but since I'm sitting on the front of the boat with my trolling motor would it be best to troll with the boat going backwards?? This way it looks like I would have a better view of the bobbers and the line wouldnt get in behind the boat and tangled around the motor, plus I wouldnt have to run to the back of the boat if I get a fish on the line?

Also, I have a lowrance 332C in the console and a lowrance x135 on the bow. I havent really messed around with the setting much since I just got my boat a couple of weeks ago but are there any setttings with regard to sensitivity or other settings on these units to make them the most effective at seeing fish and bottom structure? Any favorite settings you guys have?

Oh man.......I need a light too I guess for fishing at night. Serious fishing is more complex than I thought. I need to start an excel spreadsheed for all the goodies needed per different species of fish. Who'd of thunk it....... Sure is fun though!

tom

you should be slow enough [05] mph to troll off the front---be very hard to push boat backwards----- turn the sounders on and start fishin --they work very well by themselves

[Tn_countryboy]

Thanks moose......great pointers! A question with regard to trolling. This may be a real stupid question but since I'm sitting on the front of the boat with my trolling motor would it be best to troll with the boat going backwards?? This way it looks like I would have a better view of the bobbers and the line wouldnt get in behind the boat and tangled around the motor, plus I wouldnt have to run to the back of the boat if I get a fish on the line?

Also, I have a lowrance 332C in the console and a lowrance x135 on the bow. I havent really messed around with the setting much since I just got my boat a couple of weeks ago but are there any setttings with regard to sensitivity or other settings on these units to make them the most effective at seeing fish and bottom structure? Any favorite settings you guys have?

Oh man.......I need a light too I guess for fishing at night. Serious fishing is more complex than I thought. I need to start an excel spreadsheed for all the goodies needed per different species of fish. Who'd of thunk it....... Sure is fun though!

tom

TomC; have you downloaded the 332/337df Emulator from the Lowrance web site??? It's a GREAT learning tool, will save a lot of time while on the water just learning the front panel and where to find the options. Turn on the simulator and play with the zoom and sensitivity settings.....I don't know enough about crappie yet to give you any tips about fishing. Moose1am covered most everything I think.
Good Luck.

[TomC]

Yea I have downloaded the simulator and its great. It really helped me learn my way around. I need to play with it some more but its on my wifes pc laptop as I use an apple which it won't work on apprently. I need to figure out how you revert to the orginal factory settings. Last saturday morning I was out and uncheckd the "auto sensitivity" button to play with the manual sensitivity settings and later went back and re-checked auto sensitity but it doesnt seem to be the same as before I started messing around with it. I probably goofed up something somewhere! Both the 332 and 135 appear to be great units so hopefully I'll get em figured out here shortly!

tom

[Moose1am]

LOL on the Excell Spread sheet. Great idea.

Trolling backwards? humm. I use a 10ft long Richard Williams Rod and a 12 ft long BnM jigging pole and sometimes I use my 7.5ft RW pole.

Most crappie fishermen that I see fishing the Crappie USA tournaments and other recreational fishermen fish off the front of the boat and troll into the wind or use the trolling motor to HOVER over a spot even in a wind. But if the winds get to strong that becomes very hard if not impossible to do. Then you might either anchor or find a spot that is out of the wind or at least protected form the high direct winds.

I mount the dephs sounder on the bow of the boat so that I can see it when I face forward in the front bass pedistal seat. That way I am looking forward and going forward into the winds and I tight line the baits to keep them from drifting behind me. I get my trolling motor (the transducer is right on the bottom on the trolling motor) right over the top of a brush pile, stump or submerged tree and then fish right next to the trolling motor off the very front of my 16 ft bass boat. Some guys use rod holders and then some bobbers to keep the baits at the proper depth. Jerry Blake fishs like that out of his boat. He guides a lot and would better be able to explain his setup than me. But he is rather busy right now as this is the start of the peak season in Ark. I know that he is only coming into the chat room for a few minutes and then hitting the hay so that he can get back up eary the next day. But he may answer a question on the main board if you ask. I know if hes not real tired or busy fishing he will respond and give you lots of great information on how to set things up to fish with bobbers (slip type).

I personally like to anchor or hover with the trolling motor or fish in a wind protected cove when I use the ultralight rods and my slip bobbers.

You can also cast into the wind when using a slip bobber rig and even set the depth to about 8ft and still work off the front of the boat while keeping the boat's nose pointed into the wind. Just don't get snagged or fouled up when you do that or you may get pushed way down wind while trying to retie. That happens to me a lot when I fish at Patoka Lake which is full of snags. I need to setup to use the Oldhams weedless jigs to prevent that problem

I have even seen guys put double chairs on the front of the boat.

I think that Patrick in here makes and sells some seats like that and I belive that the titeloc people do also.

I know that Terry Elliot who guides part time on Big Sandy on KY lake has the double set arrangement on his boat.

Thanks moose......great pointers! A question with regard to trolling. This may be a real stupid question but since I'm sitting on the front of the boat with my trolling motor would it be best to troll with the boat going backwards?? This way it looks like I would have a better view of the bobbers and the line wouldnt get in behind the boat and tangled around the motor, plus I wouldnt have to run to the back of the boat if I get a fish on the line?

Also, I have a lowrance 332C in the console and a lowrance x135 on the bow. I havent really messed around with the setting much since I just got my boat a couple of weeks ago but are there any setttings with regard to sensitivity or other settings on these units to make them the most effective at seeing fish and bottom structure? Any favorite settings you guys have?

Oh man.......I need a light too I guess for fishing at night. Serious fishing is more complex than I thought. I need to start an excel spreadsheed for all the goodies needed per different species of fish. Who'd of thunk it....... Sure is fun though!

tom

[JEFFRO]

Ok……I’m going to give crappie fishing a try for the first time this coming weekend. I have been reading quite a bit and it seems I’m becoming more confused with every article as there seems to be a million opinions on what to fish wish and how to fish for crappie. I could really use some advice on what would be best to fish with. Although minnows seem a favorite choice I would like to try jigs tipped with something just so I don’t have to go buy minnows every time I go out. Knowing what most of you veterans know now, if you were just getting started what setup would you use and more importantly how should I fish the setup. It seems 1/32 oz jigs are a good place to start but what should I tip them with (nibbles, grubs or what) and also what color jigs are best. I will be fishing with a couple of 6’6” rods with spinning reels on 6# test. My other main question is should I park the boat after I find some cover and fish on my fish finder, put down an anchor and fish stationery or should I just throw a couple of lines out and troll slowly with my trolling motor. And last but not least should I use a slip bobber or just throw the jigs out and slow retrieve. Sorry for all the questions but I’m sort of under the gun as my wife has paroled me for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning (very rare for this to happen) and I want to put together a setup and a method of fishing that gives me a decent shot at success on my first trip out. Also if it makes any difference I will be fishing on lake Oconee in Georgia which is fairly stained.

Also, if any of you out there ever fish a lot on Oconee and want to go, I’d love for a pro to show me the ropes. I’m just getting into serious fishing have a lot to learn. I have a pro bass guide taking me out the following week to give me tips on the finer points of bass fishing but also want to learn how to fish for crappie as I think it would be a lot of fun with more “action” so I can take my 6 year old son out. He’s got a few more years before he will have the patience to bass fish. Thanks for any pointers.

Tom

Tom just go fishing and do what you know how to do and be observant and you will answer most of your own questions . The beautiful thing about crappie fishing versus bass is that for far fewer dollars you can have all the essentials needed to catch a mess of crappie . Good luck and good fishing

Jeffro