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Thread: Brush piles for a new Crappie fisherman.

  1. #1
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    Default Brush piles for a new Crappie fisherman.


    I'm just starting to fish Crappie.I sold my pontoon and purchase a Jon boat and a ok fish finder. Last week I put out two brush piles in two different coves. I'm fishing Lake Hartwell in the North West corner of South Carolina. I put both piles in 22 foot of water, they are each about 12 foot tall. Used sand bags for anchor and 1 gallon milk jugs to keep them vertical. I'm after feed-back and don't mind criticism.
    1. How would you fish them?
    2. How long does it take Crappie to find and congregate around brush?
    3. Any good ideas about improving them or better ways to build the next set of brush piles?

    I have 7 grandkids I went to impress with my new found skills and cunning.

    Thanks much for your reply,
    John
    Likes ultralightrooki LIKED above post

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    I like casting to them and around them to start with Jigs or minnows. Best to throw a buoy up wind from them as to know where you are casting also. When the fish are holding close and deep I like to vertical fish them like CrappiePappy talks about in his vertical casting posts.

    https://www.crappie.com/crappie/crap...tical-casting/
    Be safe and good luck fishing

  3. #3
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    I moved this thread to the Main forum so as to get more coverage.

    I'd do pretty much as Scrat has suggested ... casting to them, over them, beside them, and then Vertical Cast them (if conditions allow). If the grands can't cast ... put a minner on under a slip float and slowly ease around & by the piles, with the minner at least a foot above the highest point of the pile.

    It's pretty hard to determine how quickly fish will find & use new cover. Sometimes it can be mere hours, other times you may only find them there a few times a year.

    If you're going to be using open hooks ... I'd suggest using PVC or plastic hoses of some sort on your next builds, and put them close to the current piles you have out. And I don't know about putting them in that deep of water, unless you only intend to fish them in Summer & Winter. But then I don't know Hartwell, either, or if it has a thermocline that deep (or at all) ... so I'll defer to those that fish the lake & know it.
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    What they said!! - Please have fun!

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    I just spent a couple days fishing with friends and we fished brush piles that were all the way from sticking out of the water to some that were under water 6 to 8 feet deep. Because of the way the brush piles were placed we were able to both cast and vertical jig at some locations.

    You lose some gear when fishing these structures but you also catch a lot of fish. Each day we were able to keep 45 (three of us with 15/day limit) crappie that were 10 to 14 inches.

    It was great fishing with good friends.

    ClearCreek

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    Thanks, for all the great advice. I'll be doing the buoy, casting in and also cruising with the grandkids. Also, plan to build onto the current piles by moving closer to the shore line to get more shallow. (Less deep)

    Thanks again for taking the time to reply and pass on your experience.

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    Sounds fun, keep in mind that as the winter months come on they are less likely to be on those brush piles, but more suspended in deep water. After spawn they will retun to those brush piles, so I would do what you can now to add to them and make any changes. I am dropping PVC piles in this week to get ready for next season. Oh one question that was not answered was it depends on time. I have seen fish on brush piles 2 hours after they were dropped, but normally takes a little longer to get consistant fish on.
    Chris Gill
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    pile location will dictate how fast they get on it . pile location will dictate how long they like to be there seasonally or if they like it at all .
    I typically like to hold a bit off one on the downwind side and pitch into the wind and let it fall back to the pile and or along side the pile myself.
    many times I find a location I know fish like and then put cover in the area . some piles for some unknown reason always hold fish better than others it seems to me as well .
    I would try any pile I sunk as soon as possible .I have seen them load up quick with fish in the past .
    sum kawl me tha outlaw ketchn whales

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    Thanks again, scrat, Crappie Pappy, & Clear Creek. Also, thank you Asleep at the Reel, and Ketchm great advice.

  10. #10
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    I don't know why you sold your pontoon to fish for crappie. I have been using a pontoon for the last six years to fish for crappie. It has a few scratches on it now but that is just the price you pay for fishing standing timber. I suggest you watch SK's videos and follow his advice. Find stumps that are ignored by most crappie anglers and fish them. You might drop a brush pile a few feet from a productive stump. In the past I have used pvc for my fish attractors as you don't hang up as often. But I've now decided to just cut brush from the public areas of the lake and use cement blocks to drop them.
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