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Thread: CJ BROWN 2019....

  1. #11
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    There's going to be alot of talk again about proper catch and release of Crappie and also questions about Crappie in general….we have a lot of Knowledgeable Crappie guys on here to help out!
    With the new Size and Creel limits....THERE ARE NONE! People will be taking as many Crappie as they can catch!
    Even though Crappie reproduce in great numbers, a bad spawn due to weather, or just Blatent POACHING, can hurt a year’s class of fish, a couple bad years, and things can start to drop off….if you are losing a lot of fish to the fryer, and dead fish from fishermen, plus bad spawns, the Crappie fishery can suffer…. And if you are trying to grow a healthy population of larger fish and a nice Crappie fishery, a few key ideas need to be shared and followed, so you don’t have a lot of floaters, or damage to populations on heavily pressured lakes or areas!

    Proper Catch and release….if you are out for fun and not looking to get a mess for the fryer… and you are going to release crappie that you catch, there are a few things to keep in mind.
    1. Just as with a Bass, DO NOT hold the fish horizontal by the jaw…Don’t torque the bottom jaw down at any time, you can injure, dislocate, and even break the fishes jaw.
    2. If you are taking pictures, you can hold the fish by the bottom lip and let him dangle straight down, or hold them by the lip and support the belly, to hold it horizontal.
    3. Make sure your hands are wet, if you are going to grab or hold the fish by the body….the protective slim coat on the fish is its defense against parasites, disease, etc. Also try not to let it flop around on the boat, use absorbent gloves, towels, etc, to hold them….removal of the slime coat is just taking chances with the fish’s survival.
    4. If a fish is deep or gut hooked, don’t just rip it out. If you can’t get it out with hemostats or needle-nose, try the procedure of going through the gill plates, pay attention to not damage the gills. If all else fails then cut the line as close to the hook as possible and hopefully Mother Nature will “Find A Way”!

    One Point I want to make…if you are continually gut hooking a crappie, then IMHO you are using way to small of a hook, and your technique needs some work!
    I cannot remember the last time I have had a gut hooked fish….I use a #1 Sickle Hook jig head for smaller swimbaits and when they are really feeding, I use a 1/0 sickle jig head for the BIG BOY swimbaits. The hook is either in the corner of the mouth or roof of the mouth 99.9% of the time. Other guys use different size lures or hooks with the same success rates, so ask questions if you are having problems or if you need more info! When a Crappie is in BIG BOY FEEDING MODE, it is going to inhale a small bait and hook…there are times when a Crappie is feeding small, but those are normally in COLD WATER periods.*
    Using microscopic hooks/jigs/lures meant for Bluegill etc, is just asking for problems if you are going to C&R Crappie.
    Now, if you are just catching fish for the table….NO ISSUES!
    Ice fishing is a whole different technique…Crappie at this time are looking for that small meal they don’t have to work for, and most are going home to the fryer anyway. But still if you catch small fish or C&R, the same precautions apply…and don’t just throw them down on the ice and then try to throw them back in later.
    The small fish you put back in, are going to be your next year’s keepers, so take care of your resource!

    Some Crappie Info for New guys.....I still have never seen a true Black Crappie come out of CJ! Please post a pic showing the dorsal spines if you ever get one!

    A MALE White Crappie will turn Black during the spawn, but, Male Black Crappies do not change colors! A BLACK CRAPPIE will stay Black...A White Crappie will turn Pale White in Muddy or heavy Stained Water, but will also turn Black in Clear Water.
    THE ONLY SURE WAY to tell the difference between a White and a Black crappie are by counting Dorsal Spines…A White will have 5-6 Dorsal spines, and a Black will have 7-8.
    NORMALLY, comparing two same aged/growth rate fish, White Crappie are longer and Black Crappie are thicker/taller/more compressed. Both put on weight at the same rates.

    The biggest differences between the two are where they like to live and what they like to MAINLY eat.
    Black Crappie prefer fewer fish in their diets, they eat more insects, crustaceans, invertebrates, and larva….Whites like more Sushi.
    Black Crappie also prefer little or no current, and clearer water with more vegetation with mud or sandy bottoms…these are areas their primary food likes also.
    Movements of both are seasonal, they use the same migration routes year after year, and they migrate following structure, using channels, drop-offs, river beds, sunken trees, rocks, edge lines, etc.

    We have managed to disrupt many of the old patterns by adding all of the cover, now you are seeing the new patterns starting, and ALOT of deviation from the old! This is really going to come into effect with the next few classes of fish and the new spawns…their patterns will revolve around all of the new stuff that has been added.
    Once Crappie find a suitable environment for that particular season and pattern, they will remain until conditions change to a new season and pattern. They may hold tighter to nearby cover or suspend, etc, but unless something drastic happens, they are staying put in the seasonal area! THIS IS ALSO WHY YOU CAN OUT-FISH AN ENTIRE AREA LIKE THE MARINA, OR AREAS OF COVER!

    Fight…
    People complain that Crappie do not fight???
    First you have to understand that Crappie have 2 main feeding patterns in the summer….You also have to remember that most of the time you are fishing for Crappie, your time to fish and their time to eat are totally different.
    Crappie like most fish are trying to stack the odds in their favor when hunting….their preferred time to hunt is in the early morning or during darkness.
    I believe the fish feeding in the early morning didn’t fare so well at the night’s hunt or get full enough! …..They will also feed during cloudy/dark gloomy days. Crappie have a MAJOR advantage because of their superior eyesight AND NIGHT VISION!
    Fish that are feeding at this time just SMASH a swimbait or lure….they hit that lure with everything they have….and then put up a great fight for their size.*
    When the sun is out they are chillin’, looking for shade, or just waiting until they have the advantage over the prey again…fish at this time will eat, but most of the time you have to present it properly or drop it right on their noses…STILL, sometimes you cannot get them to bite.
    These can be the times when they are finicky…. if they have full bellies, your offering has to be A SERIOUSLY EASY MEAL…AT THESE TIMES, Crappie can barely nudged a bait, they taste it, look it over, and gently take it in….then they may fight, shake their head once or twice, or surfboard right to you!
    Of course, these are basic guides and other circumstances come into play.

    During the Spawn, it is a whole different ballgame…there are A LOT of Professionals running around then, each has a magic bait, color, or technique!
    I never try to help someone to become a Crappie fisherman at this time…every lure and technique known to man, works….and you can get into bad habits that will frustrate you for the rest of the year.
    Just because you caught every Crappie Possible during the Spring Doesn’t mean a thing the rest of the year….the rest of the year determines if you are a Crappie fisherman or not!
    I tried to explain this to a couple guys once….they said I was full of it…..so I caught a 9 inch crappie on a 5 inch swimbait, and actually was catching same sized crappie on the 5.8 inch swimmers most of the day ….this last spawn I was catching crappie on a piece of plastic and paper on my jig head, just to prove my point (I still have the pics)….I could have fished all day long with the plastic and paper and caught fish….these guys kept telling me they were experts and I had to use certain things that they were using or I wouldn’t be able to catch fish like them! I never see these people out the rest of the year, because ”The Crappie just aren’t biting anymore"!...amazing isn’t it!

    Good Fishing!
    Intimidator
    Last edited by INTIMIDATOR; 01-23-2019 at 08:16 AM.
    Keitech USA Pro Staff
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  2. #12
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    lots of excellent information Sir Intimidator !
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  3. #13
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    Hey, What a game huh.IO won $75 on the game but I lost $125 on instant replay. I can't win.. I'm hungry (for goose
    cjp)
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  4. #14
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    Heading to the Columbus, Ohio Fishing Expo this Saturday at the expo center in the fair grounds 10am to 7pm,just hope I can remember 1/4 of what watch in the demonstrations .
    May all the fish tales you catch be longer than the ones you tell !
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  5. #15
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    made it out to the Marina Saturday for several hours. no bites, no fish and saw very few caught...
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  6. #16
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    What is the COE going to do once the Spring Rains start???
    Looking forward to fishing from the parking lots again, and the very top of the breaker walls, and having deep water in the emergency spillway....I hope the COE can't release water till June!
    I was weird the last time this happened, seeing Bass spawning in the woods! That's actually when the fish population of CJ exploded! It's just about time for My Walleye season to hopefully start.
    Keitech USA Pro Staff
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  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by INTIMIDATOR View Post
    What is the COE going to do once the Spring Rains start???
    Looking forward to fishing from the parking lots again, and the very top of the breaker walls, and having deep water in the emergency spillway....I hope the COE can't release water till June!
    I was weird the last time this happened, seeing Bass spawning in the woods! That's actually when the fish population of CJ exploded! It's just about time for My Walleye season to hopefully start.
    Hope this is a great year for all of us that fish C J , the day I stop learning about fishing is the day I need to put my pole away.


    Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
    May all the fish tales you catch be longer than the ones you tell !
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  8. #18
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    ??? I'm confused...you guys aren't even up to summer pool yet. What level does it have to be to hit the parking lots?

  9. #19
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    CJ is only dropped 3 ft from summer pool in Winter....in the Spring of 2008 she was probably 6 ft above summer pool, but spread out more.
    The Marina Parking lots were flooded, water was in the restaurant, and water was at the very top of the Marina Breaker walls.
    I fished that week and did Fantastic...no one else was out fishing.
    Water on the west bank was up into the woods. CJ proved how much water she could hold because water wasn't even close to going over the emergency spillway....it was probably only half way up...meaning CJ could double her size before it would release from the emergency spillway to spare the main dam from danger.
    That was the most water I have ever seen in CJ since she was built.
    That's why I bitch so much about the COE's operation of the lake.
    Keitech USA Pro Staff

  10. #20
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    Wow...all that for only a single 6' rise over 10 years ago, now that's crazy. Dang... EF, Paint Creek, Caesar's and several other go up that much 10 times a year. The other day I looked at Paint and it was up something like 43'. I think it was 2008 when EF was up over 40' and all the restrooms were under water. We still had quite a ways to go before the water hit the spillway. Every time we get rain like we're getting now I wish CJ was a closer drive cause it's so stable. It's all perspective I guess.

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