I know i have worn you out but crappie is a new challenge for me, even as a lifelong angler. Heres the final question (well not really but it sounds good)- i have attached a couple pics i took on my active target 2 (livescope lowrance). On every structure we found fish- lots and lots of fish. And caught enough to confirm they were crappie- black and black nose. However, you would have thought they had no interest in eating. They would follow, then pull up. Or totally ignore. We through everything at them. Caught enough to call it a good day ( all 10 to 11"). At 9 they totally stopped. Just a few bream and a small walleye after 9- we left at 11. So my question- whats the secret. Different color, different bait, live minnows. Is it just heat ? Water was 84 degrees. Just crappie being crappie? I think the livescope only makes it more frustrating when you see more fish than your livewell could hold, giving you the finger!
Ok crappie guys……
- Thread starter redblood
- Start date
I've had my livescope for a couple months now. I'm new to livescope, but have crappie fished exclusively for 30 years. Everything you have said describes exactly what I have experienced with livescope thus far. I am able to catch a few with it, but it seems that I have to pretty much drop it on top of their heads. I know the experts will chime in, but right now I'm having the exact same experience as your describing.
chimneyman
Well-Known Member
Sometimes they just aren't hungry. Maybe try a smaller jig
Just because you can see them doesn't mean you can make them bite.
When I'm fishing I don't sit on in one spot very long (maybe 5 mins) then I'm moving unless they're biting. Usually the active fish will bite pretty quick.
When I'm fishing I don't sit on in one spot very long (maybe 5 mins) then I'm moving unless they're biting. Usually the active fish will bite pretty quick.
Thats what i have to make myself do. I tend to stay too long. I tell my buddies after 10 minutes we are going but they seem to try and want to stick with it. I tell them we need to keep moving until we find the ones that want to play!!
I know. But its hard for me to leave 200 fish in standing timber. I cant help but think it is water temp to a certain degree
i wrote some posts on black crappie a few years ago you might be interested in, pre-livescope of course. a few disagreed and i quit posting tips, until they installed livescope and started catching more blacks on ky lake.
one tip i will give you, quit parking over the top of them like you would white crappie. once you spook them theyre done and they are very spooky. when they are tight lipped cast a slip float or float and fly rig and pull it thru them slow. a black hair jig, popeye feather jig or black and chart crappie magnet will usually get a few more bites. 85 degree water temps doesnt phase blacks like it will whites.
good kuck
one tip i will give you, quit parking over the top of them like you would white crappie. once you spook them theyre done and they are very spooky. when they are tight lipped cast a slip float or float and fly rig and pull it thru them slow. a black hair jig, popeye feather jig or black and chart crappie magnet will usually get a few more bites. 85 degree water temps doesnt phase blacks like it will whites.
good kuck
Leave and go back ... do it 5 times. You wont ever make em bite. Saturday morning, No telling how many we had turn and come up to our baits and didnt take .
I know your right. Its just hard to do
Leaving non-biting fish becomes easier once you do it a while.
Kinda like letting small bucks walk.
Kinda like letting small bucks walk.
So where are the pics? No pics, didn't happen.
If you find 10 spots or so and you can catch 2-3 keepers off each one you'll have a nice mess of fish. Might even rotate back through those spots later in the day.
Im marking waypoints as i find them
Lol. They are a few posted in other thread . We kept 6 crappie 4 rock bass and 2 bluegill. Not a bad morning. But the bite wasnt as frantic as i would have expectedSo where are the pics? No pics, didn't happen.
Any value in the scent attractants to spray on your baits or just another gimmick.
I'm still a novice, but I fish with some guys that are incredible with a livescope and a sniping pole in their hands. According to them: Color doesn't matter. Jig type doesn't matter. Presentation and finding fish that want to bite is everything. Two of these guys fish together 3 or 4 times a week. Usually they catch the limit. They move fast, are always scanning, and they are experts at presenting the bait. Keep in mind, they are mostly fishing open water for suspending fish. They just fish with whatever is tied on their poles. One day a couple weeks ago one of them used a blue and white rubber jig and the other one used a chartreuse hair jig. They caught the limit. They keys are bait presentation, finding fish that want to bite, and not wasting time on fish that aren't feeding. The only thing I've seen that changes that is minnows. I've seen days where it was really tough and a couple of the guys in our group would go get minnows, start tipping their jigs, and start catching them pretty good.
I've been trying it some and I don't see any value in it. I've also tried crappie nibbles with no positive results. It really seems like the fish that want to bite will bite anything and the ones that don't want to bite won't bite no matter what.
Treat it how you would if you weren't staring at them on the screen knowing exactly what they're doing. Before live scope what would you have done to make them bite? Change baits? Bigger/smaller presentation? Change casting locations/positions? Dead stick or give it a wiggle, etc. If it weren't for the screen, instinct would probably tell you "this is a bust right now" and you would try elsewhere.
The fish aren't doing anything different down there. People see all those fish on the screen and think it's going to be easy, but the old saying still holds true: It's called fishing not catching.
The fish aren't doing anything different down there. People see all those fish on the screen and think it's going to be easy, but the old saying still holds true: It's called fishing not catching.
Great advice. I actually never crappie fished till now. I was a stream fishermen and fished the same rivers and creeks that i grew up on. In the rivers we floated, i knew every bluff. I couldnt see the fish, but if the weather was right and i oicked the color of the day- the fish would bite. M some days fair, some days great. But typically didnt have to make a lot of casts to catch a fish. I guess spotted bass and smallmouth are just less picky than crappie
If you want to just sit on a piece of structure and really catch em. Try winter fishing. The fish are usually piled up together and you can have the lake all to yourself. My favorite time!
