Thread: EZ should be .....

Originally Posted by ezgoing

Thanks for telling me about google earth pro. I used Google Earth to look at the lake but did not know there was a pro version. I just Googled it and found it under Google Earth versions.

I found a second map for the lake that shows more in the line of structure and provides fishing hot spots. It even provides gps coordinates for each location. It does not provide crappie information but does provide hot spots for bass. Those spots all have the type of structure that crappie love so this map is more useful than the first map I bought.

As soon as I can get out on the water I am going to check out the spots it provides.

I have mixed emotions about no limits on crappie catches. I do believe that in lakes with large numbers of crappie the size limit should be around 8" to remove the smaller crappie but I am not sure about being allowed to keep all you can catch. But apparently it does not do the harm I bought it would since Fish & Game sets the limits on each lake.

One saving grace in this area is that everybody is salmon crazy so from what I have been able to find out, few people fish for crappie.

Glad it helped you out. Hopefully it works out good for you.

I just need to break this jinx that is keeping me from going crappie fishing here. 1st I couldn't get a boat slip, then when I got a slip the previous slip holder did not move out on time, when she did move out I had to leave for Chicago on vacation, and now that I have returned it is in the 30's and raining or snowing for the next 10 days. Everybody says it doesn't get into the 30's or snow until mid-January, but it had to make an exception this year just to keep me from going crappie fishing.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, something stole my fish finder and just returned it, after the rain and snow had started. I'm jinxed. Or there is a conspiracy to keep me from fishing here.

down here we say cowboy up mi amigo, but it seems now the new terminology for you is ....eskimo up bro , go get em ....

Sorry, I can cowboy up but I draw the line at eskimo up.

I can take light or moderate rain and snow and cold down to the mid-30s and have often fished under those conditions while in Texas. But when you add wind to the mix it becomes too hard to jig. I've never had any luck catching crappie when the jig keeps jumping up and down with the waves.

And I am not about to go fishing when the lake is iced up to where my boat will not take me to my spots.

There are limits to what I will endure to fish and the older I get the tighter those limits get.

My clients that fished Lake Washington talked more about yellow perch than crappie. And fishing deep. The reservoir I fish on the Snake River is steep and deep and all rock structure. After the crappie recover from the stress of the spawn they school up on points, high spots and irregular structure. Smallmouth, perch and bluegill will often be mixed in with them. Summer through Fall the bite is light and 2lb test with the lightest tip pole does the best. This August we caught crappie and bass 40' deep on the same spot. Vertical fishing. The 1" Gulp minnow gets them when nothing else will. The Corp of Engineers raises our reservoir in the Spring with cold water when the crappie are wanting to spawn. This has really hurt our crappie population and Spring fishing. I hope Lake Washington doesn't have this situation.

Originally Posted by Oregon slabman

My clients that fished Lake Washington talked more about yellow perch than crappie. And fishing deep. The reservoir I fish on the Snake River is steep and deep and all rock structure. After the crappie recover from the stress of the spawn they school up on points, high spots and irregular structure. Smallmouth, perch and bluegill will often be mixed in with them. Summer through Fall the bite is light and 2lb test with the lightest tip pole does the best. This August we caught crappie and bass 40' deep on the same spot. Vertical fishing. The 1" Gulp minnow gets them when nothing else will. The Corp of Engineers raises our reservoir in the Spring with cold water when the crappie are wanting to spawn. This has really hurt our crappie population and Spring fishing. I hope Lake Washington doesn't have this situation.

Thanks for your post. Most of the pan fishermen I have talked with fish for yellow perch and most of the youtube videos about Lake Washington are about fishing for yellow perch. I assume that is because they are plentiful and easy to catch but since I have not caught any yet that is just my assumption.

I have seen a couple of underwater videos that shows large schools of crappie so I know they are there. Also since Fish & Wildlife does not have any size or catch limits on crappie in this lake I assume they believe the crappie population needs to be harvested. So it is just a matter of finding them. I bought two maps that provide the locations of underwater trees, structures and weed beds. So it is just a matter of getting out there and finding them now that I know the general area to search. But I will not be very helpful in the harvest as I keep very few of the fish I catch each trip.

I prefer to vertical jig but will cast if necessary. I prefer ultra-light to light rods but I use 8# or 20# braid since I normally fish in trees and brush piles. I have never fished in clear water before so I expect I will need to make changes as I learn to fish in deeper and in clear water.

I often find bass, bluegill and crappie around the same brush piles. Generally the bluegill are the highest up, followed by bass and then the bigger crappie on the bottom. So it can often be a challenge getting your jigs down to the crappie if the fish are active.

Thanks again for your advice. Once I am on the lake again I will post my results here and is the main forum.

If I get any info from my Washington friends I'll pass it on. You'll get into them, just a matter of time. Spring time they'll be shallower.
Night fishing is pretty effective in the NW and in clear water lakes. I hope to try some this coming season.

Originally Posted by Oregon slabman

If I get any info from my Washington friends I'll pass it on. You'll get into them, just a matter of time. Spring time they'll be shallower.
Night fishing is pretty effective in the NW and in clear water lakes. I hope to try some this coming season.

I apologize for not responding sooner. I'm not accustomed to posting in the Washington State area and I forget to check it. I appreciate your offer of help.

I did get once chance to fish the submerged timber on the South end of the lake. I caught a lot of yellow perch and a few crappie. It was hard to get a lure past the yellow perch to get to the crappie. But they were all fun to catch.

Unfortunately the weather and my schedule has prevented me from making a second trip. And my schedule prevents me from fishing again until January 24th as I will be out of town next week and must spend this week getting ready for the trip.

But when I get back I plan on fishing at least a couple days a week, even more if the weather allows.

Thanks again for your offer and I do apologize for this late respond. I must member to check this forum each time I log into crappie.com.