Crappie fishing

[shannondawg]

Just wondering if we have any crappie fishermen on board.

[MSUDawg4Life]

Sac-a-lait!

[BeastMan]

I just got in to it last spring. I caught a few decent fish. I bought an ultralight spinning setup and I just walk the banks fishing a jig under a cork like I trout fish

[SapperDawg]

Kayak crappie fishing - I can fish in inches of water and get almost anywhere. Going to try spider rigging six poles out of my yak this spring.

[jbjones]

I like jigging, and do OK with them, but the last few years I've done pretty good with a tip SapperDawg gave me. Crank baits. It's what I tie on first.

[Westdawg]

I like jigging, and do OK with them, but the last few years I've done pretty good with a tip SapperDawg gave me. Crank baits. It's what I tie on first.

what size cranks do you use for crappie?
i have access to a 10 acre pond that is slam full of crappie and the guy that owns it may go 10 times and catch less than 50 total. he actually uses a small live minnows and a cane pole. i know that there are a ton of them that need to be caught out, but i have never fished for crappie much, and i really would like to go and catch a bunch before turkey season starts, because, well, it will be turkey season!!!

[SapperDawg]

West, what has worked for us have been the Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnows - white, crawfish and baby bass have been the best for us. They are shallow diving, so you can get away with bank fishing them pretty easily. If the lake has some depth, try out a Bandit crankbait. They have about 1000 colors, but dive deeper and give a larger profile.

The Blakemore Road Runner has been a winner for us a well, especially when paired with a Bobby Garland tail. I am a yellow/black color man, myself.

[Barking 13]

West, what has worked for us have been the Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnows - white, crawfish and baby bass have been the best for us. They are shallow diving, so you can get away with bank fishing them pretty easily. If the lake has some depth, try out a Bandit crankbait. They have about 1000 colors, but dive deeper and give a larger profile.

The Blakemore Road Runner has been a winner for us a well, especially when paired with a Bobby Garland tail. I am a yellow/black color man, myself.

This dude is a crappie catcher.... I wanna see a pic of that spider rig on your 'yak... If I did something like that, it'd look like me and spiderman got drunk and got into a wrestling match...

Have you ever jigged a roadrunner? 12 ft jig pole with an underspin is my rig..4 or 6 lb test flouro.

[jbjones]

Have you ever jigged a roadrunner? 12 ft jig pole with an underspin is my rig..4 or 6 lb test flouro.

Hell, all we fished with for a few years was RoadRunners. Jig, cast, drag alongside the boat...all of those methods worked.Caught several species off of them on the same trip. Cats, bream, crappie. Love those lures.

I like slater jigs, but the versatility of a RR is too much to overlook.

[SapperDawg]

I wanna see a pic of that spider rig on your 'yak... If I did something like that, it'd look like me and spiderman got drunk and got into a wrestling match....

I will post a pic soon, as I am just about done with the rod holder mods. It is a Native Ultimate 12, and was the best money I have spent in a long time. I have two 12' jig poles with Abu Garcia spinning reels, and three St. Croix ultralight rods 4.5-6 feet long with the same reels. That will be my initial setup, but I may have to invest in more dedicated jig poles to make it work effectively.

[Uncivilengineer]

I have a few dumb questions since I have never fished for Crappie.

Is it best to troll for Crappie in lakes with crankbaits or sit in one spot with live minnows? What about on a river?

What lakes or rivers are good in south Mississippi?

When is the best month for a good bite?

[MSUDawg4Life]

Those are actually good questions.

Crappie, white perch, sac-a-lait or whatever you want to call them tend to be found in schools around structure. Submerged trees, bushes and so forth. If you do find them in open water it's usually because they are following bait fish. In the spring when they spawn, they do move into the shallows but still seem to be attracted to structure.

Some people do slow troll until they find them (or use their depth finder) and then sit there to catch fish after fish. I have seen people troll lakes and rivers and catch enough to satisfy them.

Close to Picayune, I've heard good things about Paul B. Johnson State Park and Flint Creek Water Park though I can't confirm. Of course, some of the locals may know of some good spots along the Pearl River. I would ask around.

Crappie can be caught year round in Mississippi. However, the favorite months for many are February and March. Right now is a good time. Over the past week, I've seen several pictures of nice messes of fish. It should get better as the month goes on.

In the video below, you'll notice several boats sitting in one spot. I'd bet they were sitting over structure or bait fish and using jigs or live minnows. Good luck.

[MSUDawg4Life]

Another video suggesting a similar strategy.

Find 'em. Structure. February-March. Jig.

[SapperDawg]

Is it best to troll for Crappie in lakes with crankbaits or sit in one spot with live minnows? What about on a river?

I am not a typical fan of trolling crankbaits, as it takes alot of line to get them down where they need to be. See this:

http://forums.bullnettlenews.com/40-...pth-chart.html

You could add a weight below it and push them, but that is way outside of beginner tactics.

If I was just starting out, I would stick with Slater Jigs (black, white and chartreuse) vertically jigged around cover from 1' to 8' deep depending on the water temp and clarity; I would also have a bucket of a dozen minnows to be fished under a cork 2-5' deep near cover; and I would have an ultralight spinning reel with a beetle spin for casting in/around shallow cover. These are several very inexpensive setups that will allow you to fish practically any condition for slab crappie in MS.

What lakes or rivers are good in south Mississippi?

Cant answer this one, as I have mainly been a river fisher. I can tell you that any oxbow or slow moving tributary connecting to your local river system will hold crappie around cover.

When is the best month for a good bite?

South Mississippi should be anytime FEB-APR, but you are really looking for the right water temp between 50 and 65 degrees to get them shallow and thinking about spawning. Our heavy spring rains really mess things up, and seem to always come right as the fishing is getting about perfect.

[MSUDawg4Life]

2-8 afternoon sacs

[BeastMan]

Nice catch. Good eating there

[Barking 13]

A buddy of mine was fishing the runoff down at Gainesville Dam and caught 9 good slabs pull corkin' a roadrunner about 15" deep in moving water the other day.. The biggest was 14-1/2 inches. They are for sure getting ready... a couple good days of stable warm weather will probably put them on the bank. Then they will go back out for a few weeks until they get good and horny.