Clear water pond

[crappiefarmer]

Hey guys,

I have a friend who has an 18 acre pond with gin clear water in it. He had it stocked with black crappie back during the spring. We are used to tanin stained water being on the coastal plain of N.C. but this pond was dug in a sandy field. There is no clay or trees close by to muddy or stain it. The problem we see is that grass has grown high in the water colomn. The deepest places are 20' deep with the grass up 10' off the bottom. We have never fished in a situation like this before. We also would like to place some brush it the pond but don't know how to get it to stick up above the grass and need something that will last a long time. Could use any help on seasonal movements, methods of fishing, and placing brush where it will work effectivly. Thanks for the help. CF

[Patrick Vowell]

i have a couple of places I fish in Indiana. One is a 5 acre pond and the other is a 1200 acre lake... both are clear with tremendous weed growth... My first question is are you catching any crappie now ?

Clear water lakes yield fish at about the same depths you would find on a stained or muddy lake except you have to be a little less detected going after them because the stain or lack of thereof is working against you when it comes to stealth..... My favorite technique is called rip fishing made famous by a jig design and fishing technique from Denny Tittle out of Florida... Tip a rip jig or small maribou with a beemoth about 3' below a bobber.. Cast into areas with pockets or bring it right over the weeds.... With the clear water these fish will actually swim up out of 8 to 10 foot of water to hit this...
Point your rod tip towards the bobber and sweep your rod back rapidly towards you about 1 to 2 feet. let the jig settle down and repeat.. This works great when everything is right ... it's also a great way to catch nice gills...

Structure should be placed in areas close to a depth change.. It doesn't have to be a significant change but try 10 to 12 or 14 to 18 feet.... be sure it is in a clear area.. If that is not an option, pile it up right on the weeds... Don't be stingy either with the density of material used whether logs or brush..... use concrete block for weight Fish will move in fairly quick.. fish just above it or vertical jig it with a 14 to 16 foot rod... One thing to remember is to stay off of it, if your 'e detected the spot is done for awhile.... Casting a bobber rig works best with a minnow about 8 to 10' down or just above the weeds or brush in the immediate area...

Hope this helps some..... good luck patrick

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

I know this is probably stupid, but what is a "beemoth" Patrick, or anyone?

Thanks, <,"}/>{ Rippa

[crappiehunter]

A small white grub about 1/4"-3/8" long. It is actually the larvae stage of a bee I think. In Indiana we called them bee moth. In tenn. they call them waxworms. Tip a crappie jig with them and hang on. It can be a difference maker! Use them the same way as crappie nibbles

[Roberta]

Technically, they're Galleria mellonia, a type of moth.

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

OK, now I can let out the big proverbial "DUH"! Thanks everyone.

<,"}/>{ Rippa

[Big Zig]

I'm wearin' the dunce cap right beside ya Tim. :rolleyes:

[Patrick Vowell]

Hey yall,
We won't hold it against ya.... Rip Jigs are available from Hoosier Hills marina on Patoka Lake.... Give Jeff a call .... Blue with a clear tail works great...Get Jeffs Info from the web....

[Roberta]

We carry a tubes in combos of blue/ pearl and blue/purple and I'll bet neither one of us has had two hits on that color at the lake we fish the most. Sure could trim down the jig selection if we knew for sure what the crappie wanted on any given day. Last year, we had one day when we caught one fish after another on a Rattlesnake silverflake/firettail stinger tube, but it hasn't produced worth spit since - after we bought a back-up package, of course.

BTW, A big dunce cap for me, too. I typed in the species name wrong for waxies. It's Galleria mellonella, in case it ever shows up on a test. ;-) - Roberta

[Patrick Vowell]

hey, hey,,
Anywhere I fish that has a weed system I try these and they always catch fish.. Sometimes it is just bluegill.. but they do work great... Color is really irrelivant here, I beleive it is the actual jig itself.... When it comes to tubes, you won't catch me without a blk/chart. on with the occasional red/chart.