Thread: Why redear are hard to catch

Originally Posted by redearhoosier

My unlce and I have finally figured out a pattern that has been very successful for cracker fishing. Obviously fishing on bottom and using live bait, wigglers or crawlers is a must, but there's much more to our pattern than that.

I'm not here to tell our secrets though, I've been thinking about another reason they're hard to catch...they don't show up on a depth finder. The fish you see on a depth finder are suspended fish, like bluegill or crappie. Redears are on the very bottom and generally don't show up on fish finders, making them very elusive to the average panfisherman.

The lakes we fish around Southern Indiana, are for the most full of redears. But very seldom do I see fisherman with any good number of redears in their coolers, maybe two or three they caught by accident. A hint for good redear fishing...look at the terrain.

So your really not goin to tell us ur secrets
I would tell you if I knew a secret to catchin redears (shellquackers) lol
Only secret I know is that they like snails more then wigglers or worms :D

they are not hard to catch, as long as they are feeding, and you are in the right place. I fish for them in about 12 feet of water on average, on the bottom with red wigglers, on a size 4 or 2 crappie hook, with a couple good size split shots about 3 feet above the hook. put about 2 or 3 wigglers on the hook with the ends free so they move alot. just like crappie, they don't always bite, so it's best to have 4 or 5 spots to check. one of those spots will likely produce. they don't have to be spawning, for you to fill the cooler, just feeding. fish with 2 or 3 rods, and sit back and watch the rod tips. anchor the front and the back of the boat so it doesn't move around alot. and they can jerk the rod out of the boat too. I use 9 or 10 foot rods, so it makes it harder for the fish to do that. lol dropoffs, submerged humps, sloping points, 10-12 foot deep flats. they best places have some wood debris, or stumps etc. they eat the little aquatic larvae etc. off the wood.

Originally Posted by redear

they are not hard to catch, as long as they are feeding, and you are in the right place. I fish for them in about 12 feet of water on average, on the bottom with red wigglers, on a size 4 or 2 crappie hook, with a couple good size split shots about 3 feet above the hook. put about 2 or 3 wigglers on the hook with the ends free so they move alot. just like crappie, they don't always bite, so it's best to have 4 or 5 spots to check. one of those spots will likely produce. they don't have to be spawning, for you to fill the cooler, just feeding. fish with 2 or 3 rods, and sit back and watch the rod tips. anchor the front and the back of the boat so it doesn't move around alot. and they can jerk the rod out of the boat too. I use 9 or 10 foot rods, so it makes it harder for the fish to do that. lol dropoffs, submerged humps, sloping points, 10-12 foot deep flats. they best places have some wood debris, or stumps etc. they eat the little aquatic larvae etc. off the wood.

Bingo, that's a great post. We do all of the above, but I do put an emphasis on fishing the flats in 8-12 foot of water. That's our pattern, flat fishing, I don't seem to catch many in other areas. I'll have to try baiting with two or three wigglers, I normally use one good one. My poles might be to short too, they're only 5'6 poles and I do seem to miss lots of good bites.

Redear, thank you for sharing.

Originally Posted by Bluegilll

So your really not goin to tell us ur secrets
I would tell you if I knew a secret to catchin redears (shellquackers) lol
Only secret I know is that they like snails more then wigglers or worms :D

I gotta secret I'll tell you Bluegill. But remember this is a secret, so don't tell anybody else on here cause I don't want them catching all my fish :D.

Okay here's the secret...In times of low water such as the winter draw down, you can scout the shorelines and banks of the lake and find areas where there is an abundance of shell fragments and cracked open clam shells where they have been washed up. Keep those spots in mind when the water comes back up cause the quackers will hang in the water in front of those banks just a few feet deeper than the small gills. You can also do this scouting during the summer, you just see a lot more in the low water.

Hope this "secret" works fer you. Sure works for me.

Originally Posted by redear

they are not hard to catch, as long as they are feeding, and you are in the right place. I fish for them in about 12 feet of water on average, on the bottom with red wigglers, on a size 4 or 2 crappie hook, with a couple good size split shots about 3 feet above the hook. put about 2 or 3 wigglers on the hook with the ends free so they move alot. just like crappie, they don't always bite, so it's best to have 4 or 5 spots to check. one of those spots will likely produce. they don't have to be spawning, for you to fill the cooler, just feeding. fish with 2 or 3 rods, and sit back and watch the rod tips. anchor the front and the back of the boat so it doesn't move around alot. and they can jerk the rod out of the boat too. I use 9 or 10 foot rods, so it makes it harder for the fish to do that. lol dropoffs, submerged humps, sloping points, 10-12 foot deep flats. they best places have some wood debris, or stumps etc. they eat the little aquatic larvae etc. off the wood.

Good information...you are exactly right!

the reason for the long rods, is that they really help when the wind is bowing the line, and you get a bite, and also, it enables better control of the fish close to the boat. they head straight for the anchor lines sometimes. If it seems that some fish have indeed moved up shallower, around cypress trees etc. I will use a slip cork with the hollow plastic tube protruding out both ends. I won't use a stop knot but rather just observe the cork laying on the water. If he grabs it, you will see the cork jiggle or move. or you will see the line moving thru the cork. I think you can tell I'm ate up with it. what ever I have learned about catching them, came from one especially generous ole timer. .lol

Out here we find the post spawnners out on 8'-12' flats and along the deep side of weed banks. Our lake is really prolific and these REs gorge themselves on all kinds of larva and fry. Got one last week that was alomost 11" long on a silver minnow thang (with a cricket).