Thread: Tip Of The Day.... by GCF

Today’s tip of the day is about fishing line. Many years ago I was asked to go crappie fishing with a friend and I gladly accepted. I remember the spot he took me to this day and I remember how things went. We was both using ordinary rod and reels, fishing with floats, hooks and minnows, except only one of us was catching any fish. He caught crappie after crappie while my poor old float just sit there without even so much as a tiny nibble. I watched my friend catch about 12 to 15 fish while I was changing hooks, the way I was baiting my minnow and everything and then I finally realized, it has got to be my line. I asked him what size he was using, and he said 6 lb test. I changed my line to the lighter thinner line and I too went to catching fish. We spent the day drifting over a big stump bed over and over all day in around 8 foot of water. I still have the pictures we took that day, and although I can not remember exactly how many fish we caught, 40 something, I can easily remember the lesson I learned about having heavy and old line on my reel.

If what I just said was true, and it is, why is it that today many crappie anglers use florescent colors that can easily be seen and they still catch fish? I think it could be a combination of things so let’s explore them. My trip before was a spring trip, so the fish we were after was bedding fish and was up in pretty shallow water. I bet my biggest issue that day was my line was coming off the spool and staying in the circles and the fish can see that pretty good, Another thing heavy line does is keeps your minnow from looking and acting natural if you are using too heavy of a line he won’t be able to swim around on heavy line very well.

My personal opinion about florescent green fishing line, is that the fish are attracted to the chartreuse look of it. The florescent line I like to use, looks like chartreuse color, and its called florescent green. I also for those who may be wondering, use 6 lb test in a good quality brand that I have to buy online but I really like it.

Let’s wrap this up by saying, the Tip of the Day today is to try and use no more than 6 lb test line for average everyday crappie fishing and change it often enough that you don’t have the line spoon circles down your line while you are fishing. Line should come off and be straight. Florescent line in my opinion is easy for you the angler to see when you are getting strikes and also its like a bill board to the fish. Crappie are drawn to it and may even swim close by it to check it out, then all of a sudden this jig with a chartreuse body comes swimming by attached to it, and that ole crappie cant take it any longer and eats the jig. That’s how I see it. Until next time, this is GCF saying if you get a chance to, go fishing, have fun and be safe on the water. :D

Ever pull up to a spot and say, wow look at the crappie shown on the depth finder. You turn off your engine, get out your rod, bait up and catch a fish or two, then all of a sudden, you realize, you have stopped catching fish just as quickly as it started. What happened? Why did they stop biting that fast? There could be many reasons for the sudden stop in catching fish, but let’s explore some of the more common mistakes we make that run fish away from where we are. One of the most common mistakes we crappie fishermen make is getting too close to the fish. You can get away with this on real windy condition type days because the fish don’t hear you or pay as much attention to you because they are already hearing a lot of noises from the water waves. It is possible to sit right over the top of the fish with no problem at all, but if you are prone to making too many noises and you walk real hard in your boat when taking steps or your seat squeeks real loud as you rotate, you may need to back off of them some.

Another big mistake is banging noises. Man you will run every fish in site out of your catching range, simply by dropping your rod locker door or live well door. Don’t believe it, just try it. I KNOW the fish will scatter after you make loud noises that send sound vibrations into the water and poof, no more biting fish. If you want to talk to your buddy while fishing, feel free to go ahead. This type noise, in my opinion, won't disturb the fish at all. Some may feel it will, but we are there to enjoy ourselves and if I have to sacrifice a fish or two to talk, it is well worth it, but I personally believe it's totally ok to talk while fishing. I do know this, when I concentrate harder on my fishing, I feel I catch more than I do when I am talking about my job or the super bowl. lol

Another way folks mess up a great spot is with the boat. You never want to send prop wash under a dock while you are fishing that dock because this will spook the fish. Always troll up at a slower speeds and fish it with as little as possible movement you can get away with. Always use your slower speeds on the trolling motor while close to your fishing location.

Lets end this by saying, today’s Tip of the Day, is to make a special effort to make fewer noises while crappie fishing. I am sure the guys who come in with limits consistently practice these tips on every trip. If you don’t believe it, just ask them .They will tell you. Until next time this is GCF saying get out there and catch some fish. Be very quiet and stealthy while there and have fun and be safe.

All us crappie guys like to think that all other crappie fisherman will just throw everything out there and just tell all about everything once at the dock, but there is usually some information holdback of some important bits to the puzzle. For instance, I use to go crappie fishing and would speak to this gentleman I knew well and we would discuss our crappie fishing outings with each other. I would say, well I didnt do too good, just caught 5 and he would say, we was a little slow today too, only caught 23 today, but 11 was real nice ones.How deep was you fishing, Id say, and he would say we caught them today in 18 feet. Well for many trips later I would remember all the suggestions he gave me but I couldnt ever get a good stringer till one day it dawned on me the exact words he was using. He was catching fish at 18 feet.I knew he wouldnt lie, but what he ALWAYS neglected to tell me was that he was fishing in 25 to 30 feet of water or deeper and catching them at 18 feet.Point is, seasoned veterans fish alot and are extremely wise and we need to pay real close attention to what they tell us verbally or by just watching them while they are on water.

Watching them very good is a huge key. If you want to know where the crappie are, or at least the area of the lake they are in, all you need to do is watch these older guys.This sounds easy, but I will tell you, they are quite good at being elusive, let me tell you.These are the guys who pull in at the dock while you are unhooking your 21 ft triton, or 19 ft skeeter, and zip in with that 14 ft flat bottom with a 25 hp tiller motor on the back and be in and out before you get your motor straps off. Their boats show signs many times of being fished out of daily because that is what happens.Dont horass them but be observant as to what part of the lake they are fishing on and in about how deep of water.Dont even try to watch and see if you can see them catch a fish because you probably wont see that.They can snatch a fish and sling it in the boat and be rebaited before you can even notice if they are getting a bite. Believe me, they know what they are doing.They, in many cases, will have a fish on and never pull it out of the water till they pretty sure you aint looking their way.

Ok, so the tip of the day is this. Watch the veterans.Remember that 90 percent of the fish, are caught by 10 percent of the fishermen.Its those quiet older gentlemen who will teach you.All you need to do is listen to them but do it with your eyes. They spent alot of time keeping up with where them crappie are so dont expect them to give us weekend wannabes everything they know that took them days and days and years to figure out. Until next time, this is GCF saying, get out there.Watch them from a safe distance and enjoy some great fishing.Remember to always have fun but be safe on the water.

Bait choice

When it comes to crappie fishing, just about everybody you run into will tell you they are biting something different than what the next guy will tell you. I mean you may hear something like, use a 1/16th oz jig head with chartreuse body on it. The next guy says, just a plain old number 2 aberdeen hook and live minnow is the best and so on and so on.

Truth is, one may be better than the other during a certain time of the day such as mid day hours, and then the other from 3 to 6 pm and so on and so on. How or what is a good rule of thumb concerning tackle or bait choices? Here is what I try to remember while I am out there fishing.Although, it never hurts to try muliple colors and let the fish tell you what they prefer on a given day too.But for this articles sake, lets explore where I try to begin at.

A good rule of thumb that I use is this. When the day is a darker day, I will try darker lures or darker colors first, and then lighter sunny days, I get clear or very lite colored baits as my first choices. An old fashioned minner as I call it, is good just about anytime but there are those who would debate you about jigs being better than minnows. Which one is better you ask? I will tell you this. In my years and many hours on the water I have come to learn a few things and one huge thing I have learned is to have confidence in what I am fishing with. I mean if you are fishing with a jig and wishing the whole time you was fishing with a minnow, I think in that case, for you a minnow would be the best bait. If you don’t have confidence, it won’t do you any good cause you probably wont be doing a good job of presenting what you have to the fish.I am sure there are times when they will bite mostly just jigs, then there are days you will hear anglers say, they wouldnt hit anything but a live minnow, or they would only bite the black today, etc...

Let’s sum up this with saying this as a tip of the day. While verticle jigging a jig or a minnow, always use as small a weight as you can get away with. Remember dark baits in dark water or on dark days and light or bright colors on sunny or clear water condition days. The minnow is a good choice for a novice and jigs will give your fish something a little different to go after but if you are not fishing the jig properly, you would be better off with a minnow. Until next time, this is GCF saying let’s get out there and go fishing and remember to have fun and be safe.

Why do crappies prefer docks? Why are some docks better than others? I have heard from many of my friends that they go down the lake for miles, sometimes passing several docks on the way, to get to certain docks. Let’s explore some reasons why some are holding fish while others don’t hold fish at all. Docks provide a great habitat for crappie. Crappie use docks because they find them to be great cover and also minnows congregate around docks. With cover and an ample food supply, crappie will feel very contented around docks. Pontoon boats that are sometimes parked in docks, will heat up the water under the pontoons from the sun shining on the metal that is out of the water and the heat transfers to the water right under it. Also algae will grow great on the underside of pontoons.

The next thing you may want to know is which docks do crappie prefer the most? They like wooden docks with wooden pylons that sit low in the water the most.Also docks that are pretty old are more likely to have been made more from wood and the old docks are very appealing to them as well. Metal docks tend to make too much noise and spook the crappie.

What type of tackle is best for targeting dock crappies? That is simple. Use an ultra lite spinning rod and reel combination with a light line of your choice. Preferably 4 or 6 pound test monofilament. Several of my good friends love shooting docks as they call it, to most any other style of crappie fishing. With that ultra light rod, preferably something around 5 foot in length, you can grab the head of your jig, open your bail and pull back and flex the end of the rod tip back and release and release the lure and it will sort of have a sling shot type of release. See dock shooting on you tube for a more in depth explanation on that, as this article is more about where to shoot than how to.

What bait or lures should you use? Any lure that imitates the minnows near the docks will do the job. The most efficient crappie lure is a jig tipped with a small curly tail jig colored red or yellow. If you use lures, cast as close to the dock as possible into the shady side of the dock. Your retrieve will normally be straight, slow paced through the water back to the boat. As you retrieve, try twitching the tip of your pole to give the lure a different action. Some anglers add the lure under a bobber. While using a float just cast, let the lure settle and then twitch the tip pf your pole, but don’t retrieve immediately. Twitch, giving the lure some action, stop, twitch again, stop. Then twitch a third time and retrieve very slowly.

Halfway back you can stop reeling and twitch again.

Also, you can tip your jig with a live minnow. Hook the minnow through both the lips. Add a bobber if you like. Cast as close to the dock as possible and be ready as crappie love minnows and your bobber will disappear quickly with live bait.
Ok to sum this up, the Tip of the Day is, do not pass up the docks that fit the description for the perfect type of dock. They just might be where those fish are holding and just waiting for you to come by and give them something to eat. Till next time, I am GCF saying get out there, try something and remember to have fun and be safe.

When you finally have that chance to go crappie fishing after its been a while since you got to go last, I suggest that you take a little time, before the trip starts and have a game plan together before you get there as to how you plan to fish.

So often you see guys who consistently catch more fish than you, and one time you see him he is jigging just off the end of a point. The next time you see him, he is slow trolling down the river channel ledge, or jigging the bridge columns vertically, and then on another day out, you see him camped out over a tree top he has found. Why do you think this is? I want to tell you, I don’t think it is because he gets bored from fishing one particular style all the time. I think it is because he realizes that to catch crappie consistently, you have to go where they are and give them the bait, they are looking for at that particular time. Being versatile is not an easy thing to do for some folks especially if they have fished one particular way almost every time they have went for years. It takes time and a lot of effort to change life long habits formed while crappie fishing.

I have a friend who I have the utmost respect for that is a crappie fisherman. He has been fishing my home lake for years, and he tells me that the fishing there now has changed from what it was for so many years and years that he fished there. The lake had been primarily full of white crappie, but has since been stocked with the black nose black crappie, and they have thrived well in our reservoir but apparently have different habits. He realized after many years of successful fishing that he must now improvise and change how he approaches crappie fishing because the game has changed. Also, remember if you are fishing a reservoir most likely there was structure present 20 years ago at your favorite location that may not be there now from rotting away. Sometimes you have to adjust to fishing different styles in order to take more fish home at the end of the day.

Today I will sum things up by saying that the tip of the day is to leave home prepared for at least one game plan ready for attacking the fish and be set up to go after an alternate style if game plan A don’t work out for you. It will allow you to catch a lot more fish as you get more and more able to change up your styles and break that old habit of doing the same thing you always did. That may or may not get you the same result that you always got……..Till tomorrow, this is GCF saying have fun and good luck on the water.

One of the biggest mistakes I think I have made and some of my closest crappie fishing friends make even today, is we rely way too much on what the local weatherman says and not take advantage of a day that we could go fishing and choose not to because of the weather report. On more than one occasion, I was able to go fishing, was ready to go and decided that the weatherman said it’s going to be real high winds today or 80 percent chance of rain all day today and I stayed at the house. Then I check crappie.com and one or more of you post that you went to the lake today and had a limit by 1 to 3 pm and it never rained a drop. Makes me sick to think, I could have went but I didn’t go. So, I said all that to say this. Some of the best times to go fishing, is when the weather is going to be a hit or miss kind of day. Some of the best days to fish are based on fronts approaching that will cause the wind we don’t particularly like, but these weather fronts cause excitement in the fish we are there to catch and if you can be at the right place at the right time, everybody is a winner, except for the fish.

Tip of the Day is if you get a chance to go fishing, and want to go, and feel there is a chance you could have a wonderful time, by all means go ahead and get out there and enjoy the day. You may be surprised at how much better the fish bite on those days you just had never tried going on before due to the possibility the weather may be bad. I bet you will be shocked at how good those fish are biting then.

Many Crappie Fishermen believe that you can't catch Crappie in the Winter. That just isn't so! Just take a look at ice fishermen. They routinely learn how to catch Crappie beneath the ice. If they can catch Crappie beneath the ice, then us Southern Anglers surely can catch Winter Crappie. Here's how to do it.

I suspect many winter Crappie fishermen have a hard time locating the Crappie. Just like trying to find them in the Summer and Fall. It has been my experience that finding Crappie in the Winter is easier on average than finding them during the Summer.

To catch Winter Crappie, start your search along old submerged creek and river channels in the 15 to 30 foot depths. Using a good quality depth finder will make this job a lot easier. What you want to be on the look out for is brush along these channels. Crappie will be holding somewhere around that brush.

Some days the Crappie might be holding tight to the brush. If this is the case, you'll have to work a jig in tight. This is where a graphite rod and light line will come in handy so you can "feel" your way around. Face it, you're going to loose some jigs and Crappie on these days!

Using a minnow during these times can drive you nuts. The Minnow will want to get into the brush also so he can hide from predatory fish. As he swims into the brush, he takes your hook along with him!

Other days you'll find the Crappie hanging at the outer edges or even suspended above the brush. I've seen Crappie suspended at 15 feet over a brush pile in 30 feet of water.

Land locked fishermen can also get into catching Winter Crappie, although they'll have to work a little harder.

First you'll want to take note of the Marina's on your lake. Then see if they have slips over deep water. These will generally be for large sailboats and the big Cruisers. If you have a portable fish finder, use it here! What you're looking for is the drop offs from the bank to the furthest slip. It's along these drop offs and even beneath the larger boats that you'll find Winter Crappie. Just make sure the Marina allows fishing from the docks. Some do not!

Another place bank fishermen can try for Winter Crappie is anywhere a bridge crosses over a lake. In some cases, the bridge will be over a creek or river channel. This is where you'll have to experiment with minnows below slip floats to find the depth the Crappie are holding.

The best bridges are the ones with piers out in deep water near the edge of the channel. Try drifting jigs or minnows right up against these piers. Vary the depth of your Crappie jig and minnow until you find the Crappie.

Winter crappie are not as aggressive chasing bait as they are during the Spring. This means you'll have to move your bait slowly or very little. They also are light biters during the Winter. Many times you'll just feel a little extra pressure on the line when they hit. Again, a good graphite rod like a B&M Crappie rod will really come in handy.

If you're using a slip float, I suggest the tiny quill or pencil floats. Watch them closely because it can be difficult to tell when you're getting a hit or if the minnow is swimming around.