Summer Time Spider Fishing

[LYNYRD]

I have just got started into the wonderful world of spider fishing and would like to continue. My question being : What do you do when the water gets 80 or above? Will crappie get out on the river drops like bass do? What is the depth that you start looking for them in the summer ? I need any advice on this subject that you might have. I have always spent the summer months throwing big crankbaits on the river for bass and I am tired of that. Bassing has taken a back seat in a big way to crappie.

Also will the creek patterns hold up thru out the summer?

Hope yall can hook me up. I would appreciate it.

[Deacon]

As far as depth of the fish I think the best place to start is with electronics, fish finder and temperature probe. I always find it helpful to get a reading on the fish's depth. I would think at 80°F there would probably be a thermocline and the temperature probe would help find that. From what I have learned from some of the experienced fisherman on this site one would want to fish right above the thermocline

[whizkids]

Crappie will be where the bait fish are. Find the schools of shad or whatever the primary forage is in your lake. If shad are on the main river the crappie will be also. If forage is everywhere then some crappie will relate to structure ( drops with stumps) but they are schooling fish and unless there is something out there that will eat them many will still be in open water schools suspended under the bait. I fish one lake where all are on brush ( all I can find). I fish another where I can catch crappie trolling all year long ( plenty of small shad in this lake).
I am not sure what lakes you fish as Eva Tenn. doesn't show on the Yahoo list of Tenn. cities. but I know that crappie fishing on Old Hickory Lake will probably require different tactics than those on Percy Priest.

[fiddlefarter]

Crappie fishing on Old Hickory lake or Percy Priest during the daylight in the summer requires much different tactics than any other time of the year. If you don't get to fish Tues. or Wed. mornings from 4 am to 8 am your best tactic would be to be sure to wear your life jacket so you won't drown when another boat hits you and carry a shotgun with a tight choke. If you plan on spider rigging on the weekends during the summer get 4' poles so they won't stick out far enough for a jet skier or other drunk DA to hit. :D Oh yeah Eva's in west TN. On Percy Priest the few times I have fished daylight during summer we caught a few suspended around the standing timber that lines the old river channel in the mid lake area if you ever need to know. We didn't spider rig though we vertical jigged. But I haven't been spider rigging very long either and I plan to return to the same areas and check them out. Finding fish and bait with a depthfinder was what we did. I always went with my uncle and he's a master at finding fish with a depthfinder. Plan on doing some idling around and looking for fish.

[fiddlefarter]

Oh and do you know if anyone ever shot that big 9 point that was commonly seen on the side of the road there in Eva? I have a friend that worked at Nathan Bedford and he told about it and one night I was driving back to my hunting prop. on Eagle Creek from his house and I saw him. Nice deer.

[LYNYRD]

I fish on Ky. Lake and Eva is in right on the river. I dont know about that deer but I do live about a half a mile from Nathan Bedford Park.

I thank yall for you info on this , I am (hopefully) going to spend a lot of time on the water and try to stay on the fish tis summer. Wish me luck!