6/17 Report

[Old dog 417]

Launched at Ruark ramp 11:AM. I decided to try something different (for me) just for giggles, so I went Southeast until I spotted a decent sized creek.

I trolled the creek a short ways and caught a nice crappie. The heck of it was I wasn't where I wanted to get to to start serious fishing but if one crappie

was willing maybe there will more. And there was!

   20 -25 Ft, trolling 2 mph, fire-tiger #7 flicker shads or basically a shad type bait that would reach about 12 ft. An occasional drum would hit also just to

stir things up. I ended up with 10 keepers (had 4 shorts) with most in the 12" + range. Some inhaled the bait taking both trebles so they were hungry! 

Another good thing...only snagged/lost 1 flicker shad to those submerged wood villains of the deep!

Cloudy and cool early on but...it became sunny and very warm. 

Water temps; 80.7 degrees

Wind; SE, nice light breeze  

Water clarity; Good and improving each week

Tight lines to all.  

 

 

[Kramr]

Thanks for the report! Isn't this about the best time of year for trolling crappie? Were they in open water or hanging around structure?

[Old dog 417]

You're welcome Kramr.

This was a first for me meaning..this time of year I'm typically trolling for walleye and pick up an occasional crappie but

because of OAF angler's reports I decided to mix it up and try trolling inside a creek. It evidently is the best time and I noticed

this morning other reports are supporting that fact. The creek I was in had some standing wood at the sides and in the

back but I was basically following the old creek channel contour on the screen holding close to the 20-25' depth.

I starting trolling just inside the mouth of the creek and turned around when the trees were getting too close to my path so

yes, they were primarily in the open water. After catching a few it occurred to me this pattern could be available in most

creeks and especially those that are good during the spawn. So, on my next trip I intend to try several just to find out. This

old dog likes learning these new tricks!! 

 

[top_dollar]

14 hours ago, Kramr said:

Thanks for the report! Isn't this about the best time of year for trolling crappie? Were they in open water or hanging around structure?

Yes, this is a great time to troll for crappie.  This pattern will generally hold through summer.  After crappie spawn, they move back off of shallow structure, and in my experience do 1 of 2 things.  1.) They will move out in the middle of a spawning cove and suspend, often times in areas devoid of structure, but they will hold at a specific depths.  I start trolling at whatever depth i can see the bottom plus 5 feet...meaning, if you can see bottom in 6 feet of water, i start at 11 feet....thats general, and just my own little way to pick a starting point. 

2.) Others will move back out to the main lake areas, and will hold on points with brush and various other structure.  Main lake flats, points, islands, humps and rolloffs....areas where one might troll up some walleyes will often hold crappies, and giant ones at that.  Repeat ability is key, if you pick a fish up, make a mental note of the depths and type of area you are in. 

The other nice part about trolling this time of year is that you will catch tons of fish, regardless of species the action is usually quite consistent.

[Kramr]

Great info! Gonna be there this weekend. Will be concentrating on walleyes but never hurts to have a lead on crappie if I have the time.