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a quick question for the guys who have experience fishing clear lakes. i've noticed that on sunny days the fish will quit biting very early and are almost impossible to catch during the day. is there a trick that some of you use to entice them. i've tried everything i know to do. i'm almost to the point where i won't go to a clear lake unless i know it's going to be cloudy. thanks in advance
cloudy, drizzle rain, and even windy days are normally more productive on clear water lakes. You can also fish the early dawn and late dusk periods of the day ... staying on banks or timber stands or submerged structure that is in the shade. That's not to say that you can't catch Crappie in the middle of the day, just that it's much harder then. Crappie will tend to drop down deeper in the water column, when the Sun penetrates to their level. They will seek out deep structure, which affords them a shaded hiding place from which to ambush their prey. They will generally hold much tighter to the cover, in the shaded area, if not bury right down into the cover itself.
For those times that you do still go to a clear water lake - be extra quiet and stealthy, fish the shaded water, face the Sun when casting to your target area (so as not to cast a shadow on the area), use your trolling motor and electronics sparingly, keep your distance from the target area as much as possible, use low vis line if necessary, fish slow and deliberate, use weedless jigheads to probe the weeds or timber cover, and ..........luck2ya ........cp :cool:
CP gave you some very good advise already.
Crappie have huge eyes and can see very well. I would add trying to down size your presentations. Adding scent, minnows, or both will help you fool more of them into your bucket too. One other thing, transparent or solid colored offerings may be a better choice to use. They seem to be more acceptable to clear water fish for some reason.
Full baskets to ya!! Thats why they call it fishing & not catching! :p
<,"}/>{ Rippa
crappiepappy summed it up pretty well, but I have done really well in the middle of the day on a clear lake though as long as I fish just like crappie stated.
Excellent advice from the others. I'd like to add, maybe trying 4 lb line, or even thinner, to further cut down on underwater visibility.---Pooch
I find the tallest stumps and the highest brushpiles and fish the shaded side. They dont have to be in deep water either. I'll use my favorite jigs first then go to live bait second. Minnows, maggots, or waxworms on tiny jigs(1/80) work best for me. Dont forget to try crappie nibbles or some other scent product. MIGHT help you catch bigger fish.