Brushpile Fishing

[crappie wrangler]

When you asked "what is deep enough" I assume you mean what is deep enough to get close to the fish. My home lake is stained right now so even though 20' would be deep enough to get right on top of them I am not catching anything under 30'. There are other important factors to consider other than water clarity.

Wind makes a big difference. If possible approach from the down wind side and keep the nose of your boat into the wind to prevent throwing your trolling motor's backwash into the area you are fishing. If necessary let the wind push you away from the brush pile so that you aren't using your trolling motor right on top of your fish. There are times on calm days I can see the fish spook out of the brush pile just from the motor noise and I have a quite trolling motor (I learned this from striper fishing). If there is a little wind to provide surface noise then the trolling motor noise is not as big a problem.

Mounting position of the trolling motor makes a difference also. If your Trolling motor is mounted so that it throws the back wash down instead of strait out the back of the boat that would be a problem that needs to be corrected. Also, don't run the trolling motor any faster than the minimum to hold your position which will provide less back wash.

Another noise issue that is often over looked is the sound that some Sonar units make. Some units I can actually hear the sound they produce to return an echo to make an image. I figure if I can hear it the fish can also. Admittedly I have a very sensitive sense of hearing. Most newer models are quieter but if you are using an older sonar unit that might be worth considering. In years past i would just turn mine off once I knew where my brush was but these days I leave mine on so that I can watch my jig enter the brush or stay just above the brush.


Many people use long rods to stay back from the brush pile. I do just fine with a 7' ultra-light bait casting rods. which I can either vertical jig or cast a retrieve with. Not saying anything is wrong with a long rod. Use what you like and adjust accordingly.

As mentioned earlier, in clear water your boats shadow can make a difference but you also want to consider the sun's position in that assessment. Your shadow is only directly under the boat when the sun is directly over your head.

In the end nothing beats experience gained by time spent on the water and fishing with other very experienced fisherman can greatly speed up that process. Different people follow different patterns. This time of year my lake is usually very clear and I am fishing 50' deep. nothing I do on the surface seems to make a difference (so long as I don't drop a box of tools on the boat floor ). I have a friend that fishes 10' or less year round. He has to pay particular attention to the noise he makes to keep from spooking the fish. We both catch fish more often than not so for our cases we are both right but have different preferences.

As is evident by now, if those offering advice spend time writing down what they do instinctively you will end up with many a long response and those posting will have tired fingers. Everything mentioned so far on this thread is helpful but fisherman do a lot on instinct developed over years so typing every condition can be cumbersome and many things overlooked. Realistically anyone can only absorb so much at a time and then need to go out and fish.

I think I need to go out and fish now .

[crappie wrangler]

I think I strained a couple of fingers typing such a long post.

[crappie wrangler]

I think I can still set a hook so I’ll be ok.

[crappie wrangler]

I took my own advise today

[Barnettcrew]

Lots of good points crappie wrangler. I, for one, appreciate the long well thought out posts. It certainly helps guys like myself that are serious about learning.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[Peewee59]

Some great advise here. My humble suggestion is simply pay attention and keep records. Try different things and pay attention to how it affects the fish. I tend to remember more from my own mistakes and experiences. That being said you can still glean a whole lot of good knowledge reading will thought out posts from good fishermen.

[catchNgrease]

Some great advise here. My humble suggestion is simply pay attention and keep records. Try different things and pay attention to how it affects the fish. I tend to remember more from my own mistakes and experiences. That being said you can still glean a whole lot of good knowledge reading will thought out posts from good fishermen.

When I started back fishing a few years ago was right about the time I switched to a smart phone. Imagine me asking my 18 year old daughter how to download a diary app. It allows me download pictures and text of the days events. Cycled through the first year with it and it had maybe 20 entries. I knew I had fished more than that. I finally realized I wasn't recording my bad days. And I think they are as important as the good days.

Sent from my E6810 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app