This week

[cedarglenguy]

Thinking about bringing my buddy down this week Wed and Thur. Will be fishing the Niangua and Little Niangua area.  Have yet to really figure this area out for Crappie.  I fish from a pontoon so fishing the docks is quite a bit more difficult. Any advice for how to and where to go after them in this area would be appreciated. 

[shrapnel]

Fishing is VERY tough right now for the occasional anglers.  If your not out there 2-3 days a week tracking them they can be hard to find.  Unlike a couple weeks ago when the crappie were on the banks being caught 3' deep, the colder and muddy water has moved them a bit and it will take a week or so for them to recover.  Fishing docks isn't a requirement right now, you can find them stacked in fairly large schools on secondary points somewhere between the mouths and backs of larger coves /creek arms and just cast to them.  Side imaging is almost a must if you don't have proven spots to fish.  We had been averaging 5-10 crappie a day on jerkbaits while bass fishing.  Fished 8 hours yesterday and did not catch a single crappie on them.

[Seth]

Guy posted a report an hour ago talking about how they hammered the crappie this past weekend. They were bass fishing and caught crappie on jerkbaits and then switched to crappie gear and pounded on them. Rock to pea gravel transitions and fishing jigs below a float. Like shrapnel said, it can be really bad or really good. You just have to find the fish. I know not everybody has side imaging, but I can not stress enough as to just how valuable that tool is for crappie fishing, especially when you're on new water.

[Charlie Shilharvey]

Fished for two hours Saturday and me and another guy cleaned 18.  Two hours sunday cleaned 14.  Trying to figure out my side scan but found a cove littered with crappie, when we finally figured out how to catch them the boat was in 7'-9' of water casting to the bank and catching them the first 3-4 cranks. 

[fishinwrench]

44 minutes ago, Seth said:

Guy posted a report an hour ago talking about how they hammered the crappie this past weekend. They were bass fishing and caught crappie on jerkbaits and then switched to crappie gear and pounded on them. Rock to pea gravel transitions and fishing jigs below a float. Like shrapnel said, it can be really bad or really good. You just have to find the fish. I know not everybody has side imaging, but I can not stress enough how valuable that tool is for crappie fishing, especially when you're on new water.

I got a call last night echoing that exact same report.  Jigs under a slip bobber out over 12-15' after finding them with side imaging.   Loaded the boat with big slabs in no time at all, and they were still biting when they left.   

[Seth]

16 minutes ago, Charlie Shilharvey said:

Fished for two hours Saturday and me and another guy cleaned 18.  Two hours sunday cleaned 14.  Trying to figure out my side scan but found a cove littered with crappie, when we finally figured out how to catch them the boat was in 7'-9' of water casting to the bank and catching them the first 3-4 cranks. 

As you get better at using your side imaging, catching crappie on LoZ almost becomes a gimme.

[fishinwrench]

32 minutes ago, Seth said:

As you get better at using your side imaging, catching crappie on LoZ almost becomes a gimme.

I suppose.   But it ain't exactly hard to come up with a mess, even if you don't have a boat to install side imaging sonar on. 

[Dinkslayer]

Side imaging is a big help.  Not always a necessity until they stack up under docks in late fall.  It isn't needed now although, it will reduce the time spent looking for them. 

[cedarglenguy]

Thanks for all the good feedback.  I do have side imaging but still learning to use it.  Have always been frustrated trying to find the crappie.  Been fairly successful with the Bass over the years.  But have always wanted a couple bags of Crappie in my freezer for the fryer.

 

[fishinwrench]

5 minutes ago, cedarglenguy said:

Thanks for all the good feedback.  I do have side imaging but still learning to use it.  Have always been frustrated trying to find the crappie.  Been fairly successful with the Bass over the years.  But have always wanted a couple bags of Crappie in my freezer for the fryer.

 

If you can't catch them now, just wait about 3 weeks and you'll be able to load every freezer in your neighborhood in a single weekend.