a little new to crappie fishing

[bluegill19]

i live in the fort myers area and have a chance to fish lake okeechobee throughout the winter. i usually fish from a solo canoe and do most of my fishing for snook, redfish, etc. in the coastal areas. i have been hauling quite a few bluegills in lately, and i'll have to say they taste pretty sweet.

but i'm trying to get a headstart on the coming speck season. what are some of the better crappie methods when fishing from canoe that doesn't use a trolling motor? would i better off casting jigs and spoons, jigging brush and underwater structure with a cane or jigging pole? i grew up fishing in tennessee, but the waters in florida are a lot different. thanks for the help.

[Brandon Jennings]

I am not familier with the type of water you will be fishing in, but I have fished from a pirogue here in Louisiana since I was a young teenager. I have enjoyed being able to get into those spots off the beaten path so to say. As far as Crappie fishing from one, I have done that also, easy to ease around in and keep from disturbing them as you might do in a larger boat, although you do sacrafice the comfort factor. I usually fish with a single pole, due to a lack of room for a multiple rod rig, and drifting is not my technique either. I would try to locate structure and focus on it that way. I have a friend who makes his own jigs ( and is pretty darn good at it), he has an old friend that fishes Okeechobee and every year he has several orders to fill for this guy and his buddies, so I know they must be catching crappie out there. You should invest in a good Crappie rod, maybe (12') and use some type of ultra lite spinning reel or crappie reel so you will be able to fish at many depths, rather than having a cane pole, etc. Good luck with it, and have fun.

[papasage]

bluegill go the ga. forum and check out crapster in valdosta . he is a canoo fisherman and has don a lot of crappie fishing this year . go back down the forum and read some of his post . i don`t fish a canoo my self they are to small . gitting to old to to stay cooped up . :D

[bluegill19]

bluegill go the ga. forum and check out crapster in valdosta . he is a canoo fisherman and has don a lot of crappie fishing this year . go back down the forum and read some of his post . i don`t fish a canoo my self they are to small . gitting to old to to stay cooped up . :D

thanks for the info. i'll check out the georgia forum.

[dsacalaitman]

I am not familier with the type of water you will be fishing in, but I have fished from a pirogue here in Louisiana since I was a young teenager. I have enjoyed being able to get into those spots off the beaten path so to say. As far as Crappie fishing from one, I have done that also, easy to ease around in and keep from disturbing them as you might do in a larger boat, although you do sacrafice the comfort factor. I usually fish with a single pole, due to a lack of room for a multiple rod rig, and drifting is not my technique either. I would try to locate structure and focus on it that way. I have a friend who makes his own jigs ( and is pretty darn good at it), he has an old friend that fishes Okeechobee and every year he has several orders to fill for this guy and his buddies, so I know they must be catching crappie out there. You should invest in a good Crappie rod, maybe (12') and use some type of ultra lite spinning reel or crappie reel so you will be able to fish at many depths, rather than having a cane pole, etc. Good luck with it, and have fun.

hey tree frog can you hook me up with your guy that makes them jigs it gets hard to find round here some times round spring all the fair weather crappie fisherman come out of wood works and fish ill show yall later this year when they start lining the banks by the 100s litterally