Lance34

COE opening the flood gates a 1/2 foot at noon today. Plus full generation.

Took this picture on my bike ride this morning. This is taken from the road right across from War Eagel marina. Saw several big logs, more like trees floating around Hickory Creek area too.

Well this is a first. Two fish on one rod. Had two rods get bites at the same time. Grabbed them both and reeled one up enough to sling it over. And then reeled up the other and it had two on it. To bad none of them were keepers. Pretty much how went today, 12 little ones. Pushed minnows 2 cranks off the bottom in 19-22 feet of water. Going to change it up next time out and do a different area to see if I can find where the bigger fish are roaming.

There is a video of Krappie Kings on YouTube where they did an episode called side pulling for crappie. I think the guy's set up is a lot like how F&F describes.

Boy that would be a cluster! I would say here you go, have at it guys take the rods too!

Got into them that way for first time several weeks ago. I never had more than one on at a time, just constantly one at a time. Made for a busy fun day. The challenge that day was trying to keep them out of other lines. Luckily the mess I caught that day only once did my lines get tangled. I was able to sling them over quickly since I wasn't very deep.

Seems to be the most consistent way for me to catch them when I'm able to go this spring. Today was the first time in a fews weeks that I have finally been able to go. Water temp was 67-68. I stayed out in 20 feet of water pushing minnows 2-3 full cranks off the bottom. Caught 14, 5 really nice females that still appeared to have eggs. The rest where 10-11 inches and a few little over achievers. Not the best day in numbers with size but I was glad to finally get back on the water. A fella that was fishing from the bank gladly took them off my hands. Question, is it looking like their going to reabsorb their eggs again this year?

Winners where fishing 20 to 30 feet down right on the bottom. Biggest fish caught was in the ball park of 1.7 pounds I think. The 8 CM teams caught their 7 fish limit with 9 pounds and some change being what they all weighed in. The weight doesn't even come close to what is weighed in at Lake Washington,MS and Grenada, MS. I've not really been able to go fish the past couple of weeks. Last time I went I caught them 10-13 feet of water in brush. None on the bank. Other than what I heard from the tournament and what I've done in the past I don't really have nothing. Any other input would help. You may pull Arkie 350 cranks or Spider rig to find them. And them stay with them. Smaller ones my be shallow or in sunken brush.

Found a honey hole! Sounds like 3 hours of fun. Well done Blueman.

Here's a different kind of black crappie that I think are neat looking too. I have caught several of these "black noses" in Beaver in the past. Correct me if I'm wrong but, what i have read is it has some kind of extra pigment to make them look that way. I think in Mississippi they produce what they call a "Magnolia Crappie." It's a cross between a white and a black crappie that doesn't spawn. I think they put them in ponds and small lakes to avoid over population.

Thanks, I know what your saying about a different bite. Some of the fish I have caught, have been like a weird resistance bite. To where I feel my line slide in my index finger. Either it gets tight or gets slack. No thump at all. I had the same bite feel in the fall a lot. So, I kind of know what to feel for now. 9 times out of 10 it's been a black crappie. Which I'm not surprised. They sometimes bite different than a white, due to their mouth size. Hope that makes any since. You might already do this: I always hold my line between my index finger and my rod. It helps me feel that light bite better. Another thing I did about a year ago and don't plan to go back is I switched to a 15# braid line on my dippin stick. I use Spiderwire Ultacast Invisi-Braid. It's helped me feel those light bites a lot better. Hope their more of a thump the next trip out for you.

I always ask for medium size minnows at the bait shop. 2-2.5 inches long I say.

Got out for most of the day yesterday. I started out spider rigging in blue springs until the wind kicked it into high gear. If you are looking for white bass go towards the back of blue springs about 50 yards before the last open wooden dock on the right and have at it. They love minnows. It was like work again with those things but man was it fun. I quit counting after 15. I didn't have much luck spider rigging for crappie due to playing with the whites. Only caught two. Another fella I talked to was having better luck up towards the front spider rigging the rip rap area. After breaking everything down. I headed up river fishing different pocket coves to avoid some of the wind. I tied on a silver and chartreuse shinee hinee with a bobber and fished thick brush and lay downs in 2-4 foot of water. I ended up catching 10 with six of them being some really nice ones. Still haven't found them in a area to where they are bunched up yet and are more active. Having to be on the go a lot. Great day yesterday. Going to get out again today at some point and head back up river to some other areas that I didn't have time to fish yesterday. Here's a couple pics. The crappie was hardly hooked. He lifted the bobber straight up and I just lifted my rod and pulled lightly and dragged him to the boat. This is my favorite way to catch them by pulling them out of shallow cover.

I usually find the color at Southtown in Fayetteville and sometimes at Cabelas. I know when I do find them I buy several packages. Other colors I like to use is red/chartreuse silver, pearl, monkey milk, electric chicken and black/pink. I got about every color out there. Crazy how it goes sometimes, I'll go through all my go to colors and then put on some color that's at the bottom of my bag and start catching them. I've haven't tried the itty bits with the small jig head yet. I have friends in other areas that swear by them in the winter. They where having success tying two jigs heads about two feet apart from each other using glacier and ice out. ( That reminds me that's some more colors I want to get!) Ha Ha! I think I might give them a try one of these days. Glad you found them and hope they fill your live-well.

Awesome congrats to her! Sweet pic too.

Being that I'm off work for the next 5 days I was able to get out earlier than normal yesterday. I just single pole fished and launched at 412 bridge and headed down river dipping lay downs. Found one thick completely submerge lay down that was in 18 foot of water. I could only dip down about 9-10 feet. Any deeper I would get hung up. I sat there for an hour or so and caught 13. It was a lot of fun even though most were all 9-10". I did manage 3 that were pushing 12" but ended up throwing them back too. Later in the morning I changed it up a bit and went into Blue Springs. Water temp there was 60-61. I moved in close to the bank with a bobber and 1/16oz lights out BG baby shad to see if anything might be up there. I fished anything I thought that might hold fish. I didn't really do that good. I would get a lot of bobbles from something but, I only caught 2 bass and 1 crappie in a area where there is a stretch of log jams. Can't seem to find the big fatties yet. Getting out again Monday and Tuesday so hopefully I'll be slinging bigger fish over the side. Happy Easter everyone. Lance

Thanks for the tip, yeah don't know about 2oz weights either. Right now all I have is 1/2oz rigs. Sure wish I had some 1oz rigs yesterday. I think that would of helped with the way the wind was yesterday. Going to go ahead and order or find some 1oz rigs so I can handle the conditions better.

Got out again today and went back into Blue Springs. Instead of trolling the rip rap stretch. This time I went further back into the back. I caught 10 crappie and 1 white bass until I ran out of minnows. The size of the crappie where all mostly in the 10"-11" range except for 3 of them being shorts. I pretty much stayed in that area and didn't go past the last section of docks. The fish I caught up in there where in 8-12 feet of water. I would set my baits about two full cranks off the bottom and go from there. After I ran out of minnows. I decided to go down to Friendship Creek and fish some lay downs and brush along the banks. I ended up catching 5 more until it was time for me to head back to the ramp. A couple of keepers and the rest where shorts. I was using bobby garland baby shad lights out color with a chartreuse head. Except for the wind and two rods getting snagged at the same time. This trip went better compared to the last. Just wish the crappie where in the size range I like to keep.

I bet that was fun! Congrats!

Here's what I use to get started last year. Rod holders- Hi-Tek Stuff, for 3 holders on the T bar is $78 each. They are removable with just a flush mounting plate to the floor. My main reason to going with these is because they are metal and best bang for the buck. Rods- 12 foot Pinnacle Limits. They are a medium action, graphite composite rod $17 each. They catch crappie enough said. 12 foot is the best length to use for getting started. I'm not that old yet, but fellas will also spray paint their tips to help them see a bite. Reels- Hi-Tech fishing lazer spinning reel. $7 each. Pretty cheap reels, but good enough to hold line on and real up a crappie. Plan on upgrading at some point. For side by side seating on the bow. I have a EZT pole perch double seat pedestal. To me this is the neatest part about spider rigging. You and your dad drinking peanuts and coke shooting the bull. $125 I have 8# Hi Viz line on the reels and I use BnM 1/2 oz weight double minnow crappie rigs. The rigs seem to work alright if not deeper than 14 feet but, pushing it, They tend to go under the boat if I go any deeper. Thats even moving at a snails pace. Trolling motor set at one. Going at .5-.7. I plan on getting heavier weights for summer and see how that goes I always try to go into the wind. Which slows me down even more which also helps keep the lines vertical. I've have friends on Reelfoot that drag a 5 gallon bucket, or chains behind them to help slow them down even more. May just get a drift sock if comes to that point with this. That's what I use and hope this help put you in the right direction if you are wanting to get started.

I've only used minnows, but you can use different style of jigs. That's what I'm going to do with my Mr. Crappie rigs now is take off the hooks and put on jigs and to have different variations.

I use six 12 foot rods spread out across the bow. With my tips about 6-12 inches above the water. This is the only pic I got. Small crappie I know. Just took the pic to rub it in one day to a friend that was working.

4 hybrids at once. I bet that was a cluster. Thanks for the the tips. I started spider rigging some a year ago and I want to try and do it more often this year. I was using Mr. Crappie troll tech rig. The one that is a double hook rig that the top hook circles around the line to avoid tangles. But, my thinking was this strange looking wire object moving through the water column was decreasing my catches. Maybe wrong but do something different and see how it goes. So, I started using the BnM crappie rig this year. The hooks straighten out easier when I snag into brush. Which I like. I seemed to have more bites but a ton of misses, but that's my fault with head down and hands full. Line, right now I have on is 8# hi viz. That's due to when my dad was in better health and could go with me he could see the line better between rods. Good news is he feeling better now and would of went with me if didn't have a appointment. It is a lot fun to do. It's like anything else the more you do it the better you get at it.

It was today anyway! I put in at 412 bridge and went over to Blue Springs. Went under the bridge and right off the bat started seeing bait and fish. It didn't take long before I landed my first fish for the day. An 18" striper. That was a exciting time on a 12 foot limber crappie rod. Wasn't able to get a pic. Saw another bite on one of my rods while trying to measure it, so I released it quickly and jumped back up and landed my first crappie for day. I continued to troll the area getting 8 more crappie, 2 small spots before I ran out of minnows and time. Don't know what it was about today but every time I had my hands full today with a fish or baiting hooks is when a fish would bite. Missed a ton of bites due to that today. One funny thing that happen was. I was taking a fish off and another rod tip sunk way down in the water. I go to grab it, set the hook and that's when all heck broke loose. Line started coming off and my pole was doubling over. I'm assuming another striper I guess but don't know it straighten my hook. It was exciting when it happen but man did I have a mess with tangled lines and everything. Wasted a lot of time. The crappie I caught where in 14-16 deep in 20 foot of water. Water temp was 53ish.