Apologize. Reposting with questions.

I’m in Texas and originally put this under the wrong category.
Hello everyone, EDIT: my apologies I just realized I posted this in the wrong place. I joined the forum in 2021 and ask a few questions about a local lake which I tried crappie fishing and catfishing only to find out the two lakes I live in between are great bass lakes and not known for other species except for Fayette county has nice brim in it.
Two years later most of which I spent rebuilding my boat.
My favorite Lake is Lake Somerville a little over an hour away but it’s worth the drive. I’ve been catfishing the few trips I’ve made but I want to catch some crappie. I could really use some advice. I usually go during the week when it’s not busy but this Saturday looks like a good day weather wise for a week.
I’m in a 1983 16’ extra wide and deep flat bottom with 1992 40hp Yamaha.
I’m currently using a back up trolling motor bow mounted but no spot lock etc.
I know where a lot of the structures/brush piles are on the lake and will be fishing the ones on the main lake.
I’m using the Navionics app along with a Garmin striker plus 4 which Is new and I’m still learning it. I plan on marking the gps coordinates and making a map of the spots I want to try. The wind will be SSE only 2mph early getting up to 8mph S (at least that’s the forecast for now could change in 5 minutes welcome to Texas).
The spots I want to try are on the south side. Should I start out there and head north later if the bite stops?
My main question is I’m going to have to anchor. The only crappie fishing I’ve done on a brush pile was in 25’ water and was able to tie off to a tree and be directly over the condo. I’m going to have to anchor this trip as I’ll probably be solo and want to put out several rods.
Should I anchor on the deep side of the brush pile and pitch towards it or get on the side of it and pitch my rods towards the deep side? I want to have as little boat maneuvering around it as possible.
I also wondered if I anchored past the brush pile bow to south and let my boat drift past the brush pile and lower a stern anchor then pull myself back to be over the brush pile? I wont try that unless it’s deep enough. I’m afraid to spook them if I try trolling motor except for sneaking up on the spots.
How long should I wait to get bit before trying a different spot?
I appreciate any advice and the sharing of any knowledge about the nature of crappie ie how easily do they spook and will they come back after settling down?
I’m using minnows and worms.
Thanks for reading my story and again I appreciate any knowledge.

Doug

Welcome back. I can’t help you but I’m going to copy this to the Texas page so some fellow Texans can assist if possible.

I don’t think anchor location will matter that much as long as it’s not in the pile. Good luck friend!


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Also, I know some people’s experience is trolling motors spook them, but my personal experience it doesn’t make a huge difference, especially if I’m deep water. Sure, it can but if I catch 10 fish instead of 12 I think I’m doing good lol. Minnows this time of year can be really productive


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I really appreciate you replying. I was afraid it was going to be nobody.
I have gps coordinate’s for brush piles I picked off a regular paper Hook-N-Line map. All around the south east corner. I seen someone on an old post that said he was a guide and the post happened to be in September and they had a dry scorched summer just like this year.
Now the Hook-N-Line map recommends spots on the west end we’re it gets shallow this time of year.
I went ahead with the old post because TPW fishing report this week said crappie are biting on main lake brush piles.
Thanks again.

Most of the spots are 14’-18’ and on the edge of drop offs to around 24’. The deepest part of the lake is around 30’ but it’s 5’ low right now.

You got it man! Y’all go hammer them for us


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i used to hit the yegua some 50 years ago and it might seem strange but we found crappie in the deeper holes WAY upstream away from the lake in the summer time , so far up that often times the water was only ankle deep in most of the creek ...
graph some structure and place your anchor way upwind and never mind the second anchor , big piles will hold lots of fish even with a boat un top of them ....
dance your bait right above the piles and let the boat do a bit of swing back and forth in the wind , you will pass sweet spots on the pile that way and ketch lots of fish is my guess ....luck to ya

p.s. if you are on top of active crappie , you won't have to wait long to get bit , lots of times a solid spot will produce bites first drop if you have the bait right above the fish , depth of the bait is critical, if all else fails take some live bait and do NOT put it in the pile , just right above it ....

Will definitely try it out. I appreciate the information. We’re about to start cooling off. Think they’ll stay in those holes for a while?

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Originally Posted by Douglasdzaster

Will definitely try it out. I appreciate the information. We’re about to start cooling off. Think they’ll stay in those holes for a while?

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whatever the pattern is on somerville for fall ketchn is the one that I would chase until late in this year , just saying
those fish might run up the yegua in the fall following shad if there is enough water in there to do so .....
thats a pretty solid pattern in lakes with feeder rivers and large creeks in Texas :cheers2

We have some rain in the forecast and a front cooling things down towards the end of this week. We’ll probably go back to Somerville next week see if we can find em.