Help me find them!!!!!!!!!

Ok guys, I'm new here and need a little help. Yesterday was the first day of the year that I have been out trying to catch me some Crappie. I tried everything and all I caught was one small Hybrid... Ok here's the deal, I am fishing in Hartwell Lake, Anderson SC and the water temp is about 48-50 degree's. What I tried for the day is slow trolling with two rods and just casting another one. My bait of choice was several different colors of the Blakemore Road Runner. I was trolling in about 20 to 6 foot of water and covered alot of it. The first problem I have is no depth finder, so I really don't know if I'm fishing over some cover or not. Can you guy help me put some fish in the live well???? I know fish can be caught at this time of the year, because I have been hearing about people already catching there limit. Thanks for the help!!!!

well the only way I know how to catch crappie during the winter is with a fish finder.I find old channel and look for the edge of the channel with brush then you need fish on the brush then you need fish that are biteing.
Go on to the next brush pile if the fish are not biteing .I have real good luck early in the morning finding fish that bite .
If you are going to buy a fish finder spend as much money as possible and do your research on finder. Good luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheKingfisher

Ok guys, I'm new here and need a little help. Yesterday was the first day of the year that I have been out trying to catch me some Crappie. I tried everything and all I caught was one small Hybrid... Ok here's the deal, I am fishing in Hartwell Lake, Anderson SC and the water temp is about 48-50 degree's. What I tried for the day is slow trolling with two rods and just casting another one. My bait of choice was several different colors of the Blakemore Road Runner. I was trolling in about 20 to 6 foot of water and covered alot of it. The first problem I have is no depth finder, so I really don't know if I'm fishing over some cover or not. Can you guy help me put some fish in the live well???? I know fish can be caught at this time of the year, because I have been hearing about people already catching there limit. Thanks for the help!!!!

---

Don't know anything about Hartwell ... but, the water temps make me think the fish are probably on the move - following channels into bays & creeks.
You trolled in 6-20ft of water ... but, how deep were your Roadrunners ? If the fish weren't staged or schooled where you were trolling, and weren't at the depth (or slightly below) that your baits were running ... then all you did was take a slow boat ride.
If you have heard of other people catching a limit - find out HOW ? And remember ... things change from day to day, and even hour to hour, at this time of year.
If there's any standing timber in 10-20ft of water ... Vertical Cast it or minnow fish it. If there's any large trees (blowdowns) on steep banks, and the tops reach out to 15-20ft of water ... cast a jig to the shallowest part, and gradually work down to the deep end. (and use a weedless jighead !!)

If you don't have a Depth Finder ... hopefully you do have a MAP !! Look for flats that are between main channels and the bank. All the better if the flats show some "timber" on them. Drift minnows on these flats - troll these flats with jigs or RR's set at varying depths - or even crankbaits.

And NO, you didn't try "everything" ... you tried ONE method ALL DAY. Next time ... start shallow and work some good looking banks/cover - keep going deeper and changing methods until you locate fish. And don't get discouraged ... just enjoy your time on the water (that way, even if you don't catch fish, you enjoyed yourself). And take notes of the places you tried, lures you used, methods you used, conditions, weather, etc.

Start on the North side creeks and bays (water warms there, first). Look for rocky banks, emergent weeds, or any "wood" along those banks. Work them over good for an hour or two ... if no fish - move out deeper, and fish a little slower. ............. luck2ya ......cp :cool:

Try slow trolling around points that appear to be steep droppoffs, bluffs, etc. Keep a marker bouy at the ready and drop it off when you get a bite. If you catch a crappie, work the area thouroughly. I would slow troll with either a jig, or live minnow. By slow trolling, I mean that you should be moving very, very slow so as to keep your baits down low. Add some weight to the bottom of your setup if your line is angleing too much. Work the deep points, and I promise you, you will come across some fish. Try starting at 14-20' depths.

One question though, what is the best way to keep those jigs down at the depth you want, when trolling? Crappie Reaper, you said to add weight to the bottom of my setup. Can you explain this? Also, any colors ya'll recommend for that depth? The water is slightly muddy.

if you don`t ave a depth finder. take a reel with heavy line put a large egg sinker and bounce it in the bottom to find the drop offs . then start fishing along the aera . that is the kind of depth finder the old timmers used :D . with a topo map you can git close and the egg sinker you can pinpoint them . when yuo git to a drop off you can moove up or down and drop a marker bouie and find the way the drop off is going . zig zag along that direction . a depth finder would be better but you use what you can aford .

I sent you P.M King, my answer was somewhat lengthy and no need to bore the regs. hehee

I don't know what the PM says that Crappie Reaper sent, so I hope I ain't repeat'n:D just joking... I don't know the contours of that area, but if you don't have a depth finder look at the bank. Most of the time the what is under the water is just a continuation of what is what is above it. By this I mean, If there is a dip, rise, or flat land on the shoreline, it probably will continue into the lake bottom. The same goes for cover. Obviously we all know if there is a trunk sticking up their is a tree top somewhere down there:rolleyes: , but if you also look at the bank for old broken off stumps you can also find those hidden trees. Another way to find cover that works well, without a depth finder, is to watch other boats.:DIf the weather was anything like I think it was there today, its a wander your still afloat. We had a strong north wind yesterday that may have shut their mouths also. You could have very well been on fish that wouldn't bite. At least that's what I'd tell everybody:eek: :p :p :D

go to the SC board someone there can more than likley put you in the right direction

No matter the body of water, you've got to find the structure and cover the crappie are holding on. Obviously, a graph will help you see it and a gps will help you get back to it. But, what you can do now is get some fishing reports on what areas folks are catching crappie. Go to that area and look for points, etc. and try fishing them.

My graph once went out on me during a tounament. But I knew I had to find the cover. So, I got one of my rods out and spooled her with a heavy test and a mega trebble hook. Looked for areas I thought might have some brush and trolled around till I snagged it. Left it snagged, and pitched jigs in and around that snag. I caught some crappie. Not the most effective method, but you gotta do what you gotta do to find the cover.

With or without all the electronics, you've got to learn where the cover is and then begin to follow the crappie as they move from cover to cover, deep to shallow, and then from shallow to deep.