what type of structure were you fishing?
I KNOW THAT THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE THE EASIEST TIME TO CATCH CRAPPIE BUT THIS IS THE TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN I HAVE THE MOST DIFFICULTLY. SINCE CRAPPIE DON'T CARE FOR SUNLIGHT DO THEY GO TO THE SHALLOWS AT NIGHT ONLY? SHOULD I LOOK ALONG THE RIP RAP, ROCKS, OR VEGITATION? THE WATER TEMP THIS WEEKEND WAS 58 SO I FIGURED THEY SHOULD BE MOVING IN. SEARCHED THE WATER FROM ABOUT 12' TO ABOUT 4' FOUND ZERO. IT WAS SUNNY SO WAS WONDERING IF THEY JUST GO IN AT NIGHT?
what type of structure were you fishing?
brushpiles and logs, one rod, one bobber, it's jig poppin time:D
They will bite better around dusk, but you can catch them earlier. Did'nt you have a cold front hit this Saturday evening? That will move spawners out and shut them down for a while.
Where you look depends on what you have in your lake. Stumps and grass hold spawners in that order and I would not usually look at riprap at all this time of year. My best spots on Toledo are deep pockets (3' is deep in this case) tucked behind grass beds.
Are you a member of Texas Fishin Forum? Lots of good info on metromess area lakes there.
Just my thoughts, there's lots more good advice to be had from others here.
Good luck
seeing that i am in TN and you are in TX i have no idea what the waters are like. here at this time like the past few wknds i have been pulling good numbers of slabs with nice size out of any form of weed beds or brush in 6-7ft of water. stakebeds of course are key and when the cold front moved in as was said above they go back to deepers waters. if you can find some turned over trees in the water off the banks that go into like 8ft or deeper waters and drop down fishing in between the branches that may help. but like i said you would have to trial and error and look. but the spawn should be soon with these water temps if not already. hope that helps a bit.
good luck
S.M.
brushpiles and logs, one rod, one bobber, it's jig poppin time:D
It all depends on water clarity . The clearer the water , the deeper they spawn and vise versa .
When they are on the beds , they usually are about a foot deeper than the depth of water clarity .
First off, take off the caps button. It's irritating. Second, most of your bigger fish will come from very shallow brush. I'm talkin about the deep areas being 4-5' Max. Now, work towards the bank. Any stump, any downed tree. If it's a big tree, quietly work the outside and a couple of feet into it. Once you've caught the ones hangin around the edge, belly up to the brush, QUIETLY. Start Jiggin any interior area you can hit. This is called "Doodlesocking". Do this up a creek, or shallows off mud flats. Hit EVERY stick, stub, stump you see. You should come out with one of the best days fishing you have ever had. Early morning, 3 a.m. to around 9 a.m. will be your best times.
Last edited by Crappie Reaper; 03-25-2008 at 09:21 PM.
Reaper, Where Fish come to Fry
Are you allowed to sink your own cover? I see a lot of Texas guys talk about doing it. If so, place some brush, stakebeds, christmas trees, pvc beds of your own in shallow water protected bays or flats close to deeper water. It may not immediately produce this year, but it will help out down the road. If there really is no shallow cover to spawn in, they still have to spawn somewhere. Maybe try trolling shallow water till you locate some fish. If they are in the spawn stage, you probably won't find them in those deep trees for a while. If you have shallow vegetation, they should spawn there.
Bob's Jigs Prostaff
www.bobsjigs.com
Find an area if possible, that has a combination of Grass AND Gravel, preferably in a shaded area. You should find spawning crappie within 2' to 3' of the bank, hang your bait about 6-8" below a bobber and work the shoreline. This works IF there are Crappie spawning. Blades of grass above the surface is good, it attracts bugs that can be had for dinner. This type of area is great to check out during a light rain.
Last edited by Crappie Reaper; 03-27-2008 at 05:32 AM.
Reaper, Where Fish come to Fry