Crappie Report

[paper-mouth]

I put in at mutton creek at 6:30 and went north towards the mile long bridge and started fishing brush piles with minnows in about 20 to 25 fow ended up with a limit by 9:30 all the fish was on one pile fished three other piles with not even a bite so you just have to go from one pile to the next untill you find the fish.

[straw hat]

I put in at mutton creek at 6:30 and went north towards the mile long bridge and started fishing brush piles with minnows in about 20 to 25 fow ended up with a limit by 9:30 all the fish was on one pile fished three other piles with not even a bite so you just have to go from one pile to the next untill you find the fish.

Thanks paper-mouth. May head to Ruark tomorrow and that gives me a good starting point. Sounds like you had a great trip!

[CrappyKing]

I put in at mutton creek at 6:30 and went north towards the mile long bridge and started fishing brush piles with minnows in about 20 to 25 fow ended up with a limit by 9:30 all the fish was on one pile fished three other piles with not even a bite so you just have to go from one pile to the next untill you find the fish.

AM or PM?

[BigMinnow]

I just can not catch a crappie on this lake to save my life. Went out today for six hours and not 1 keeper, not even a dink. What, how, were do you catch these ghost crappie?

[dennis boatman]

I just can not catch a crappie on this lake to save my life. Went out today for six hours and not 1 keeper, not even a dink. What, how, were do you catch these ghost crappie?

I have been catching Drum. Lots of em. Minnows, trolling, jigs, doesnt matter. It's Drum. Occasional Crappie.

[Professor Jim]

I just can not catch a crappie on this lake to save my life. Went out today for six hours and not 1 keeper, not even a dink. What, how, were do you catch these ghost crappie?

I haven't been on the lake since early June. I've been up north for a few weeks and it's just too darn hot down here these days. However, catching crappie shouldn't be too difficult once you locate a brush pile or two. Park over one and vertically jig with a small jig (I'm partial to pink) tipped with a crappie minnow. Use at least a 6' rod (light action graphite) as it's too deep for shorter ultra lights to get decent hook sets. Use 2 lb. diameter Fireline and you will feel every bump from the fish and the brush pile. Since even 2 lb. Fireline is strong enough to pull a battleship, you'll be able to pull your jig free of snags by straightening the hook. Keep your pliers handy to put them back in shape.

Drop your jig straight down to the pile. Once you're there, if you get that far, start bringing it up sssslllloooowwwwlllly. Crappie tend to be closer to the bottom with bluegill further up. Set the hook if you feel the slightest twitch (Fireline's good for that) or if your line goes slack too fast on the drop. Crappie tend to slurp it in and sit there. You actually have a second or two to set the hook. If you don't catch a fish within about 10-15 minutes on a brush pile, move to the next. Keep going until you find them. A slight chop on the water helps as it gives movement to your jig. Too much chop is a pain in the rear as staying over the pile can be problematic. Please don't drop your anchor in the pile as it starts to tear them up. I've found that morning before 10 and evening after 7 are best, but most of my experience is with brush piles in Wisconsin. However, conditions are similar and crappie are crappie.

Hope this helps. Of course there are other methods like slip bobbers and crappie lights. I don't use those, but they do work very well for others.

Good luck.

[CrappyKing]

I just can not catch a crappie on this lake to save my life. Went out today for six hours and not 1 keeper, not even a dink. What, how, were do you catch these ghost crappie?

As Proffesor jim stated, find brush piles this time of year in 15-30' of water. And on top of that you can go to any of the MDC marked brush pile and at the very least catch a few short fish( I can never seem to catch any keepers off MDC piles???)

I went today, and it was sweltering out. I was catching fish but couldnt stand it any longer and had to retreat to the shade for a few hours. But the crappie were biting pretty good even midday. Mostly on jigs today, minnow bite was too light and never could hookup on the few strikes I had... Only 7 keeps though out of probably 40 fish. My problem is all I'm catching is black crappie(which are always shorter and stockier from what I've seen). If I could find some white crappie maybe I wouldnt have to measure every stinking fish to see if its a 1/4" over ten for the cooler... anyone else catching any white crappie anywhere? Blacks sure are thick but always been hard to find keepers in my opinion.

[Predator1]

As Proffesor jim stated, find brush piles this time of year in 15-30' of water. And on top of that you can go to any of the MDC marked brush pile and at the very least catch a few short fish( I can never seem to catch any keepers off MDC piles???)

I went today, and it was sweltering out. I was catching fish but couldnt stand it any longer and had to retreat to the shade for a few hours. But the crappie were biting pretty good even midday. Mostly on jigs today, minnow bite was too light and never could hookup on the few strikes I had... Only 7 keeps though out of probably 40 fish. My problem is all I'm catching is black crappie(which are always shorter and stockier from what I've seen). If I could find some white crappie maybe I wouldnt have to measure every stinking fish to see if its a 1/4" over ten for the cooler... anyone else catching any white crappie anywhere? Blacks sure are thick but always been hard to find keepers in my opinion.

You could step on them...but that just wouldn't be right