Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,902
Posts557,119
Members18,452
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,420
ewest 21,475
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,112
Who's Online Now
8 members (Boondoggle, bstone261, DenaTroyer, Theo Gallus, Shorthose, Freg, Fishingadventure, RogersTailgate), 899 guests, and 186 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 471
J
jsand13 Offline OP
Lunker
OP Offline
Lunker
J
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 471
I have about a 5 acre pond, I know that there is crappie in it because every now ant then I catch one by accident when im fishing for bass. I was wanting to know what is the best rig to use to catch them. The water temps are in starting to get in the middle 50's so I figure they are moving shallow, but I have never really fished for crappie and didn't know how to catch them.

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 55
N
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
N
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 55
Minnows on a slip float work nicely...


The Lab
A 5-acre Stunted BG Project
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
I tried to move this topic, and I'm not sure what has happened.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
OK, seemed to work.

I believe that you need to first locate the depth at which crappie are suspending. Once you have that figured out, you can slay them with fatheads, worms, maggots, or little jigs.

This is assuming that you are fishing for them early in the year when they are still schooled up.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,939
Likes: 268
Moderator
Lunker
Online Confused
Moderator
Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,939
Likes: 268
Aren't they supposed to hang around brush and sunken trees, pre-spawn?


"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
[Linked Image from i.pinimg.com]
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 119
F
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
F
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 119
I think Sunil is correct about finding the right depth the Crappie are suspended in. In East Texas lakes we catch some good crappie in February, most of the fish are suspended from
4'to 8' deep in 20' of water, but always suspended over brush piles. In our area the crappie seem to start their mover shallow about the middle of March. My favorite crappie jig is a 1/16 ounce jig head with a black and chartruese curly tailed body.
The water is still cold now, we have more bites trying to keep the jig steady than actually jigging this time of year. To much jigging action in cold water does not work as well for us.

Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Offline
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
jsand13,

If you went on vacation and I snuck into your pond for the first time and stealing your crappie is what I am after this time of year, I would find some structure in about 4-8' of water and cast a fathead minnow on a number 4 baitholder hook with a split shot about 12" above my bait and a small bobber about 2' above the split shot. If your water is clear and it wasnt windy that day, I would take off my bobber and split shot, and just cast a fathead on the small hook! If your crappies were BIG, I would exchange the fathead for a golden shiner!

Remember, Crappies usually feed up, dont fish below them, near the bottom!


Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 471
J
jsand13 Offline OP
Lunker
OP Offline
Lunker
J
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 471
Thanks yall. I will try some of the things that yall metioned. Im just not a big crappie fisherman, all I ever fish for is LMB. other fish just aren't as fun to me.

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
jsand13, you know if you have white or black crappie, or both?


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043
Likes: 1
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Offline
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043
Likes: 1
Fishing at night under a lantern with a slip bobber and fathead minnows is the next most effect method for me behind dynamite.


If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 471
J
jsand13 Offline OP
Lunker
OP Offline
Lunker
J
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 471
It is all black crappie. When we first purchased the pond in 1992 my dad loved to eat crappie so he put 50 2-3 crappie in the pond. It is overpopulated with bass so I don't know how many survived. Ive caught a couple by accident but never fished for them.

Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Offline
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
Makes me wonder how many are in there?

Cecil if you ever want to fish at night, I highly recommend a green monster underwater fishing light. They look amazing and the fish congregate by them after dark. Makes night fishing super fun!


Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 644
W
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
W
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 644
 Originally Posted By: Cecil Baird1
Fishing at night under a lantern with a slip bobber and fathead minnows is the next most effect method for me behind dynamite.


Me too. A small fly often works really well in the same situation too.

A lake I fish often in NW Missouri has an overabundance of white crappie. In the evening, when the dock light comes on and the bugs start falling into the water, the crappie create what looks like boiling water going after them. You'll have a hard time NOT filling your basket.


12 ac pond in NW Missouri. 28' max depth at full pool. Fish Present: LMB, BG, RES, YP, CC, WB, HSB, WE, BCP, WCP, GSH.
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 328
E
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
E
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 328
I need to get a light for my pond...I hope placing structure helps and the fish just aren't biting right now. It's kind of depressing. One small white crappie and one small bass today on shiners. Never thought live bait fishing could be this boring.

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Sometimes when live bait fishing is slow (I pretty much only live bait fish), I pull out the Yum Crawfish Scent Spray bottle. I can see the excitement in the shiners' eyes when I pull out the bottle.

Just make sure you are up-wind when you spray that stuff.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,712
Likes: 3
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,712
Likes: 3
 Originally Posted By: n8ly
jsand13,

If you went on vacation and I snuck into your pond for the first time and stealing your crappie is what I am after this time of year, I would find some structure in about 4-8' of water and cast a fathead minnow on a number 4 baitholder hook with a split shot about 12" above my bait and a small bobber about 2' above the split shot. If your water is clear and it wasnt windy that day, I would take off my bobber and split shot, and just cast a fathead on the small hook! If your crappies were BIG, I would exchange the fathead for a golden shiner!

Remember, Crappies usually feed up, dont fish below them, near the bottom!


I don't think anybody could provide better advice than that posted by N8ly -- except maybe for Cecil's dynamite.

 Quote:
Fishing at night under a lantern with a slip bobber and fathead minnows is the next most effect method for me behind dynamite.


I didn't measure the fish, but the knife is just over 12 inches from the end of the handle to the tip of the blade. No bobber -- just a small fathead. I filled a stringer and cast iron frying pan with these critters.


Last edited by catmandoo; 02/21/08 10:38 PM.

Subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine

Peculiar Friends are Better than No Friends at All!
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 102
D
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
D
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 102
A couple more tips:

Use gold hooks, for some reason crappie love gold hooks. Also, crappie will always go up and hit a lure, most of the time while it is falling. Rarely will they go down and take one.

Personally of they are biting good I like those 1.5" tube jigs in red/white that Wallyworld sells for about $1 per 20. If you have stained water go with red/chartruse or black/green. If they are slow bitting tip them with a minnow.

Hope this helps.

Donnie


1 Acre pond in Central KY
CNBG or BG?,CC,& LMB
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Offline
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
DonJovi,
Gold hooks do work great for crappie, mainly for me because they bend pretty easily allowing me to pull them right out of a snag when fishing heavy cover. Fishing in a 5 acre pond I wouldn't use them because Mr.catfish and Mrs.largemouth often times will straighten the hook.

Catmandoo,
That is an awesome looking crappie! Is that from your pond?


Joined: May 2003
Posts: 948
Likes: 37
R
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
R
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 948
Likes: 37
Hard to beat previous advice; but wanted to add that good info at this site too. Crappie.com is where I learned about pondboss.

http://crappie.com/crappie/index.php


[Linked Image from i108.photobucket.com]
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,939
Likes: 268
Moderator
Lunker
Online Confused
Moderator
Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,939
Likes: 268
Thanks, Ranger - it looks like they've got more BG fishing info there than other websites I've seen before.


"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
[Linked Image from i.pinimg.com]
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 126
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 126
Awwwh yes, the crappie bite well in February. They can go crazy in March/April during the spawns, more so around full moons. Jigs with one of those glittery tiny marshmellow power baits works about as well as live bait. Slow up and down action around brush. That's good cause you want to feel where the underwater brush is without getting hung up. If one hits in a certain spot around the brush, try finding another crappie lie, then return to that previous spot in 5-10 min. Pay attention to how many (reel) rounds down they like to hit at. Generally, the spot (a favored fishing hole) has something going for it and other crappie will fill in for the caught crappie. Fillet 'em, pop 'em in the microwave with margarine, lemon-pepper, and or salsa. So good, you forget it might be healthy!

Last edited by SoSauty; 02/23/08 01:42 AM. Reason: can't help myself

Self-educated rednecks, the real intelligentsia.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043
Likes: 1
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Offline
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043
Likes: 1
 Originally Posted By: n8ly
Makes me wonder how many are in there?

Cecil if you ever want to fish at night, I highly recommend a green monster underwater fishing light. They look amazing and the fish congregate by them after dark. Makes night fishing super fun!


Been there done that especially on lakes where the where the bugs will carry you away with a lantern. Putting the light underwater in those cases works well.

One thing to keep in mine is crappie suspend a lot.


If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Offline
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,505
Another crappie microwave recipe is to slather a mixture of mayonaise, mustard, and your favorite seasoning on the fillet, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes and enjoy! about half way through the process add a slice of cheddar and you have the best, fastest, easiest fish sandwich!


Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,365
B
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
B
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,365
I like crappie and bass fillets breaded in corn meal and fried in bacon grease. :P

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
In my pond, I find that the crappie are schooled up and suspended in two situations:
1) Early in the year (Late March/Early April for my area)

2) In the first year when they are maybe 3-5" long

Outside of these cases, they could be anywhere in my pond.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."


Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
cro, HC1968
Recent Posts
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by RogersTailgate - 03/29/24 05:45 AM
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by jpsdad - 03/29/24 05:43 AM
pond experience needed
by esshup - 03/29/24 12:45 AM
New pond middle TN: establishing food chain?
by Bill Cody - 03/28/24 07:57 PM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by FireIsHot - 03/28/24 07:33 PM
Working on a .5acre disaster, I mean pond.
by PRCS - 03/28/24 06:39 PM
Fungus infection on fish
by nvcdl - 03/28/24 06:07 PM
Can anyone ID these minnows?
by Dylanfrely - 03/28/24 05:43 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/28/24 04:48 PM
Yellow Perch Spawn 2024
by H20fwler - 03/28/24 04:29 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by LANGSTER - 03/28/24 03:49 PM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5