Why are Crappie so difficult for so many to catch

[DeadlyDan]

Not sure about other parts of the country, but in south Louisiana crappie, aka sac a lait, are consistently caught by only a select few. This seems to hold true through the years. I’m 71yo, but in my 20’s I saw the same thing.

example - 7 boats in a small dead end location canal and only one guy in a single boat is consistently catching fish. The successful angler is generous to share his knowledge, baits, and tactics. Still the others are not catching. That was ~50 years ago.

Yesterday - Fishing near an expert, both of us using livescope. He catches 54, I didn’t catch a single crappie. We spend some time fishing near one another, while he gives me pointers. In spite of his help. No fish.

If this was a rare situation, it would be understandable. But the expert consistently catches large number of fish while the great majority of other avid sac a lait fisherman catch hardly any. By the way, I had the expert on my boat last week and he setup my Garmin and caught 20 fish on a “bad” day.

I’ve spent a large portion of my 71 years catching a lot more than most, except crappie. What makes them so persnickety and elusive to most fishermen? My brother and I have targeted crappie for the last 18 months, fishing nearly once a week. We like the fact that they are a challenge, but never dreamed they would be this hard to catch.

Have others experienced this same phenomena?

Danny

[DockShootinJack]

I don't have any answers. But I am interested in hearing what is said

[keeferfish]

Sometimes no explanation.

Me and a buddy were fishing docs in the winter and he was kicking my.......at the end I had the exact same set up, jig, type, color, weight, same depth and I would put my rod as close to his as possible basically line touching and he was still catching fish but not me.

[DeadlyDan]

I choose to target sac a lait because I wanted a challenge, BUT this has become way more than I bargained for. LOL

Thank, God. I am persistent by nature. I’ll need every bit of that persistence to succeed. I told the expert yesterday, I’ll dial this on IF I live long enough. At 71yo I’d better hustle up… LOL

[silverside]

I might have the answer. There is an old trick that has something to do with keeping your worms warm.

I have noticed the same thing through the years. For instance, my brother in law and I fished together in the same boat. Me in front and him in the back. We were anchored to the same submerged tree. After I caught around 30 to his 0 we switched places in the boat. When I had caught 20 more he quit fishing due to still having 0. I have had other similar events with other fishing partners. I tend to lean towards this. Each angler's natural odor can be offensive or neutral to fish. That being said... scent masking products such as Slab Sauce and others should offer a remedy for that, so my theory is flawed.

[Grainraiser]

I think sometimes it's just sure luck while other times it can something very subtle. Back in the early 70's me and my brother were fishing for crappie off a boat dock. We both were using some small floating poppers with split shot to get them down. He was catching a fish every 2 minutes while I could not get a single bite. The only difference in our baits was his has rubber legs and mines did not. I ran into the bait shop and found on with rubber legs and only then did I start catching fish. That's been 45 years ago and I can still remember it as if it was yesterday.

[SuperDave336]

If everything is the same it could just be the angler and how they present the bait. Some give more action to baits than others. It doesn’t take much to make a jig really move. Also, confidence I think pays a part of it as well. And always use scent!

[Mstr Dan]

As my dear old grandpa use to say, "you gotta hold your mouth right" LOL But seriously I think sometimes people get use to have a strong hit and don't notice the light hit of a crappie. Also, some folk make it look easy while folk like me are just happy to catch a few. The challenge of finding them and getting them into the boat is what keeps me chasing them. Not everyone can be a Ketchn!. I have improved a bit but I don't limit out. I am a single pole guy and don't do live scope. I just love the challenge.

[UnLikeU]

Not sure about other parts of the country, but in south Louisiana crappie, aka sac a lait, are consistently caught by only a select few. This seems to hold true through the years. I’m 71yo, but in my 20’s I saw the same thing.

example - 7 boats in a small dead end location canal and only one guy in a single boat is consistently catching fish. The successful angler is generous to share his knowledge, baits, and tactics. Still the others are not catching. That was ~50 years ago.

Yesterday - Fishing near an expert, both of us using livescope. He catches 54, I didn’t catch a single crappie. We spend some time fishing near one another, while he gives me pointers. In spite of his help. No fish.

If this was a rare situation, it would be understandable. But the expert consistently catches large number of fish while the great majority of other avid sac a lait fisherman catch hardly any. By the way, I had the expert on my boat last week and he setup my Garmin and caught 20 fish on a “bad” day.

I’ve spent a large portion of my 71 years catching a lot more than most, except crappie. What makes them so persnickety and elusive to most fishermen? My brother and I have targeted crappie for the last 18 months, fishing nearly once a week. We like the fact that they are a challenge, but never dreamed they would be this hard to catch.

Have others experienced this same phenomena?

Danny

@Deadly Dan I don't know if you felt me hugging you after you made this post through the air or not! FANTASTIC POST! Quite frankly the world needs more of this. I've been in this similar situation but we will discuss this later because this is about YOU & YOUR POST!. Even though your personal situation has differences I will tell you what was done & discovered the 2 times it's happened with me.
*1. They were putting an action on the bait not attractive to the Crappie
(Solution: Too Much Bait Movement. You need to think of moving like a bait fish or bait. )
*2. They were not at the depth the Crappie found interest in
(Solution: They wanted to fish at the same depth of the fish. Crappie have eyes above their heads & feed Up or Down mainly vs horizontal at the same level)
*3. They didn't know how to detect the bite
(Solution: They were straight getting bit on the drop & didn't know the fish already had it in it's mouth swimming UP or it bit & didn't run with it. All can be seen on LivesScope that you said you have to stop DAT!.)
*4. They were fishing for the "WRONG SPECIES OF FISH"
(Solution: They had to stop fishing for Dots & learn what the Dot's Were. Sand Bass & Bass normally are higher up in the water column and they swim sporadic & around trees. Get that bait too close & they are "GONE WITH THE WIND". Crappie are Prey & Predator they like ambushing their prey. TEASE THEM ACT LIKE A "STIPPER OR IS IT STRIPER" I GET CONFUSED CAUSE 1 IS A FISH.
*5. They were truly unware/in tune with Rod Tip action & how much action gets transmitted through small tip movements
(Solution: When I brought the bait up and said look at the bait when you move they couldn't keep up with their bait nor did they know how to hold the rod for it to transmit the most sensitivity. Yes there is a way to hold a rod. )
*6. They were clueless of how far they were fishing down in regards to where their bait was when they picked up or reeled in their line.
(Solution: They didn't realize most rods are near or at 1 full turn of the handle being 2 foot. What to see & know the guys that know what they are doing? They know where that bait is in relation to where they are fishing AT ALL TIMES!. Question? Ever seen a kid or excited person catch a fish & they reel their line all the way to the top of the rod? Even seasoned people do it at times but for them it's a lapse at the moment. A good fisherman using a 13ft rod that is fishing 15ft down knows that 2 turns has them where all they have to do is lift the rod up because their line is less than the length of their rod out the water. Real Ole school fishermen won't even reel their line in when they catch a Crappie they pull the line with their hands so they go right back to the exact same depth that they caught the last fish)
*7. Sorry "Mr.Dan" has it right, "They weren't holding their lip right".
(Solution: I finally had that explained to me as a kid but never could get an answer ON THE WATER! I pleaded for an answer OFF THE WATER & got it. My Grandpa meant that when you are thinking Like the fish your lips are like you are cunning, tricking, & in control. When you were too anxious, not in tune, or green you facial expressions transmit how you are feeling & more than likely your LiveBait or Artificial fishing is going to be trash.) THINK LIKE THE FISH! If you saw a hamburger on the ground would you eat it? Nope. If you saw a hamburger right beside your bed that was hot sitting on the night stand as you woke smelling & looking good in your reach you more than likely would think your someone you love left it for ya.


Just saying.. There is a reason & if you have LiveScope there Needs to be NO REASON YOU AREN'T WEARING OUT CRAPPIE EXCEPT IF YOUR FISHERY ISN'T A GOOD CRAPPIE FISHERY. GO GETTUM DEADLY DAN!!!!!!! POSEIDON SPEED!!

[DeadlyDan]

Great writeup, Terry. I will re-read this more and plan to apply it on the water. The intricacies of crappie fishing draws me to it. If I ever become proficient with these rascals, I always remember the time and effort it took to learn. I like a challenge, so considering that, I’ll consider myself in Hog Heaven… LOL

This tip is one I will work on in a major way -
They were putting an action on the bait not attractive to the Crappie
(Solution: Too Much Bait Movement. You need to think of moving like a bait fish or bait. ) It’s not easy to do nothing.