Five Questions On Crappie Fishing

[MOPanfisher]

I am secure enough in my manhood that I will admit to really enjoying the"tap" of a crappie hit and catching hem on UL gear.  Of course once in a while that tap turns out to be a walleye, white bass, wiper, catfish or even a nice bass. I don't enjoy catching them as much in the winter as I do casting to them though.  Some of it is the social aspect with up to 4 guys in the boat etc.  Heck even fishing for white bass can be fun under those circumstances.

[Seth]

On 2/17/2018 at 10:30 AM, David Unnerstall said:

I  spend so much time with my nose planted on the grindstone that when I do get a chance to go fishing I just enjoy it so much I do not concentrate enough on catching fish.  Last Spring my buddy Rick out-fished me on Wappappello.  Well I want to change that this Spring and I have five questions:

1.       Wait until you feel a hit, or randomly set the hook when you feel confident a crappie is there?

2.       I like the nine-foot pole, at times, and drop straight down in brush and straight up to avoid snags – what is the general opinion on this?

3.       Simple: jigs or live bait?

4.       And regarding live bait: (now I don’t have a moral problem using live bait if the fish that is caught goes into the fryer – I do have a problem with those who torture live bait ……) how        does one place the hook and why?

5.       Old Plug says he uses monofilament, I think I recall, because it sinks more slowly.  Do others agree?

1) Use high viz line and learn to watch for your line to jump. You will feel the thump most of the time, but sometimes you will just see the line jump. The ones that make the line jump, but you don't feel tend to be better quality fish. I'm not sure why that is.
2) That's up to whatever you prefer. I use a 10' Sam Heaton super sensitive for that purpose and I love it. I held an 11 footer, but it felt considerably heavier where as the different between 9' and 10' wasn't as drastic, so I went with the 10'.
3) I haven't used minnows in years, but there is no denying that they aren't effective. There is nothing wrong with either one.
4) If fishing below a float, I tend to hook them through the back. When tipping a jig, I hook them through the lips. I'm not sure it really matters, but that is what I do.
5) Fluorocarbon sinks and mono floats. Most serious crappie anglers use the hi viz mono and braid. I use hi viz on my dock shooting setups and 15# Power Pro for dipping heavy brush. The braid is so I can straighten my hook and get more fishing time in instead of breaking off and retying all of the time.

[Seth]

4 hours ago, MOPanfisher said:

I don't enjoy catching them as much in the winter as I do casting to them though.  Some of it is the social aspect with up to 4 guys in the boat etc. 

I'm not sure how you crappie fish in the winter, but one of the funnest crappie trips I've been on was last winter when we had that "icepocalypse" roll through. The main roads were clear by Saturday so we loaded up four of us and headed to LoZ. We fished from the 2mm up to the toll bridge and brought back four limits of slabs and never saw another boat the entire day. Four adults in a boat is busy, but the fishing was ridiculous!

[Seth]

20 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

I pretty much ignore crappie until the big ones start piling up along the shorelines in April-May and I can have a few fish frys and then put a possession limit in the freezer.   Then I forget about them again until next year.  

No elaborate techniques to master, just run down the bank and throw little jigs at pea gravel transitions until the livewell is full.  It's about as exciting as picking mushrooms.

Crappie don't excite me enough to spend thousands of dollars on specialized equipment and sit out over 40' of water just to feel a little "tick".  They don't fight, they don't jump, they are just food.  Marginal food at that. 

I try to get my fill of crappie fishing in during the winter months when the lake isn't a mad house. By the time the water warms up enough for the crappie to move to the banks, the fishing traffic is far worse and you start seeing the big cruisers starting to show back up again. I also don't fish 40' deep either. Most fish on docks are less than 10' deep. The only expensive thing I have on my boat is a side imaging fish finder and I utilize it for far more than just crappie. Crappie gear is also MUCH cheaper than bass gear.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, Seth said:

Crappie gear is also MUCH cheaper than bass gear.

The tackle shop owners around here will tell ya that Crappie gear is where the money is at.   The only decent bass gear around here is at Dick's, and one other little shop in Osage beach that is the most miserable unfriendly place in the whole state.    They say "Bass guys won't spend any money, they think everything should be given to them at cost".    

[Seth]

Doesn't surprise me. I'm sure they get tired of dealing with "patch pirates" that believe they are the second coming of KVD.

[slothman]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

The tackle shop owners around here will tell ya that Crappie gear is where the money is at.   The only decent bass gear around here is at Dick's, and one other little shop in Osage beach that is the most miserable unfriendly place in the whole state.    They say "Bass guys won't spend any money, they think everything should be given to them at cost".    

I have spent a little time in the Osage Beach Bait and Tackle shop down near to PB2 lately and found the owner in there to be pretty friendly (he has a somewhat decent selection too). He is at least willing to chat with someone who isn’t necessarily “someone” in the bass world. I say “someone” with quotes because sometimes some people think they are a much bigger deal than they necessarily are. 

[Old plug]

I am with you Wrench.. Just do not need to mention sun drenched bouldef banks with early flowers growing. 

[Old plug]

I am with you Wrench.. Just do not need to mention sun drenched bouldef banks with early flowers growing. 

[fishinwrench]

4 hours ago, slothman said:

I have spent a little time in the Osage Beach Bait and Tackle shop down near to PB2 lately and found the owner in there to be pretty friendly (he has a somewhat decent selection too). He is at least willing to chat with someone who isn’t necessarily “someone” in the bass world. I say “someone” with quotes because sometimes some people think they are a much bigger deal than they necessarily are. 

Last couple years that place was only open "by chance", so I figured they were on the way out.  Are they up and running dependably once again?    That's good to hear.