Just totally puzzled

[lhumphre]

Heres the deal..My brother and I fish this lake every year and do well in the spring around obvious wood cover..usually fishin 3-5 ft deep..Got a lot of 12-14 inch fish..Now that the spawn is over, obvisouly big fish ahve moved out...Today we fished that obvious wood again just to see if there were any stragglers..All we could get AT EVERY SINGLE TREE was crappie 4-8 inches..you would no more than drop your jig in the water and it was going sideways..why do the msall ones stay so shallow in heat and not the bigger ones? i put on a heavier jig to get it past the little ones and no matter what depth is was small crappie just hittin it all the way down...we fished all the way out to 16-20 ft and picked up two 10 inchers..but every trip in the spring we get at least 10 really nice fish..we doin something wrong or where are the big ones at? and why in the heck are those little ones still there..almost seems overpopulated..seriously, it is either 6 incehrs or 13 inchers..i dont know...

[CrappiePappy]

tend to think that the larger fish were not relating to trees. The smaller ones may need the security of the tree/branches, and they don't need the oxygen levels to be as high as larger fish do. The Slabs may not be suspended any deeper than the dinks, depthwise, but they're probably out in more open water. The thermocline will determine how deep they can go, and the baitfish schools will determine where they go.
During the spawn, alot of the "feeding" activity is not only "eating", but also "killing" any intruders. Now that all that has taken place, and the fish have schooled back up, it's all about "eating" again ... for survival, to replenish the nutrients lost, and to continue to grow. The "food" is also bigger, and thus subject to the same needs (more oxygen, more food, depth security, and as comfortable a temp as can be found ... with the other ingredients, combined). The larger fish will eat larger prey, knowing they will get more nutrition with less effort, and may thus be less active.

One thing, that alot of anglers seem to overlook, is that one link in the chain ... the baitfish. They study the other links (temps, depth, clarity, oxygen levels, structure, cover, and the preferences of the species they're after) ... but, they don't study the habits of the prey of those species. They know enough to imitate them, with their bait choices, but not always where & why & when they are ... where they are, given the time of year and conditions of the water. Predator fish, like Crappie, are not going to be far from a foodsource, unless conditions prevent them from it. Find the food, find the fish

.... cp

[WestTennCrappie]

Ok CP,

So where to look in areas that have only shallow water? I have a long post in a thread about this. I noticed the other day i was out at Reelfoot in a ditch and along the weed edge in this ditch (3ft) the bait fish were plentyfull. Also an area such as this would have no thermocline right? Also, I was thinking about these lilly pads. What is the O2 level gonna be like in there. I woudl seem these pads would provide shade from the heat, but being shallower wouldnt the water be a bit warmer by nature? Does this cancel out at all? here at Reelfoot we have a large number of black crappie that stay in these shallow areas. In the deep areas of the lake, over the past 3-4 years I have caguht only maybe 5 or 6 black crappie trolling for crappie, and those were not even the deepest areas but more mid range. 99% of the fish I catch are white crappie, and with nearly half of the population being black crappie it seems we may be missing out on some real nice cappie int hese 2-4ft water areas in the summer. Any thoughts?

[CrappiePappy]

Ok CP,

So where to look in areas that have only shallow water? I have a long post in a thread about this. I noticed the other day i was out at Reelfoot in a ditch and along the weed edge in this ditch (3ft) the bait fish were plentyfull. Also an area such as this would have no thermocline right? Also, I was thinking about these lilly pads. What is the O2 level gonna be like in there. I woudl seem these pads would provide shade from the heat, but being shallower wouldnt the water be a bit warmer by nature? Does this cancel out at all? here at Reelfoot we have a large number of black crappie that stay in these shallow areas. In the deep areas of the lake, over the past 3-4 years I have caguht only maybe 5 or 6 black crappie trolling for crappie, and those were not even the deepest areas but more mid range. 99% of the fish I catch are white crappie, and with nearly half of the population being black crappie it seems we may be missing out on some real nice cappie int hese 2-4ft water areas in the summer. Any thoughts?

Since they don't have anywhere else to go, depthwise, they're likely to seek shade over depth. The water is going to be cooler, under the pads & shade of the Cypress trees (if any). The water warming up, as the day progresses, may not run them deep ... but, it will stress them to the point of not really wanting to eat.
You might be better served to fish from the crack of first light, til around 11AM ... concentrating on the shaded banks/areas, first. The water should be at its coolest, then. The pads should keep the water underneath, a bit cooler than the open shallows. The O2 level should be higher around the weeds/pads.

I don't think the shallows or ditches of Reelfoot, would have a thermocline ... but the main body may ... regardless, the thermocline is only a depth that you don't want to fish below
Black Crappie prefer weeds, cooler & clearer water ... that's why they do so good in Fla & up North.

Hey, don't complain too much :D at least you're getting to go, and catching some I ain't !! Everytime I have a chance, it's Thunderstorm Time

... cp

[skeetbum]

I asked a question similar to this to a friend, and this was the reply. Go to a park and look for the old folks. You won't find them in the midst of all the kids where its real active and noisy. You'll find them off to the side away from all the commotion and crowds. I now look for the outside of a piece of structure and work my way in. Good luck, hope you find your answer.

[WestTennCrappie]

skeet,

again, i forget to get back with you on those poles. SORRY!

Ill send you a pm soon!

and thanks for the reply's CP and skeet

[Ken Jones]

I use the wind. Wind blowing into bank is where I like to fish for crappie. Reason: I believe the wind pushes bait fish towards the shore line and crappie tends to be where theres plenty of food. Also other fish. We have a lot of caddis fly hatches going on almost every night during the summer months. So light color jigs works well.