March 30 - April 1 Crappie Trip

[Phil Lilley]

Me and Paul Crews met up at Bucksaw on Monday evening for some crappie fishing.  Stayed at Bucksaw RV park in Paul's 5th wheel.  I pulled my boat up.

We put in at BS Monday and fished for a few hours before dark.  Didn't go very far... picked a cove (they call them arms) and started casting.  We ended up with 8 nice keepers and a few shorts.  I lost something very large - wrapped me around one of the millions of trees in the lake.  Using my trout gear so I couldn't do much with him.  4-pound line.  It happened again on Wednesday but the hook pulled out.  Not a cat... no slim on the line.

We fished the lake again on Wednesday, full day.  We ventures out further towards the main lake but never got to the 13 bridge.  So here's what we did on the lake-

I have a Garmin Livescope.  Paul esp wanted to see it work so we scoped out trees and tried to catch fish... It didn't work like it did on Table Rock.  The fish would scatter when we pulled up on the trees.  Spooky.  But we did utilize the technology... we found them in areas plus we could tell what depth most were holding which was 10--12 feet almost everywhere.  We didn't find fish in less than 12 feet of water generally either... all out in deeper water.  And scattered.

So we did better casting and retrieving, or trolling.  Paul used the 2-jig method and made me a believer pretty quick.  Depending on what we were doing, we'd use 2 1/16th's or 1- 1/18th and 1-1/16 with the heavier on the bottom.  On the river, we used heavier jigs altogether because of the current.  We used curly tail grubs, swimming minnows but mainly used Bobby Garland's Baby Shad in anything that had chartruese in them.  I tried my marabou jigs... I caught whites on them.  Crappie didn't want them

WT was 53 early, warming to as high as 60 in the afternoon.  Water color was muddy, turbid... I'm not used to describing water like this so... it was good for crappie fishing.

Lots of people out all 3 days, just like Bill reported last week.

Tuesday we fished the river below Truman Dam.  Everyplace there was an eddie, it was FULL of fish and mostly crappie.  Up close to the dam, down at the first bend on the right (inlet to a residential cove) and on the left (point).  And we drifted and casted on the river right from the line down to the bridge and caught mainly whites and one hybrid.

We had no problem catching limits on the river and didn't keep anything under 10 inches but didn't have anything over 12, and the crappie didn't have the meat on them like the lake crappie did.

Wednesday on the lake - we struggled a bit.  We experimented a bit, moving and fishing bluff banks and cuts where no one else was fishing.  And we found them there and caught them but never could get a string of them caught.  Here and there.  Did do well trolling a transition bank area when the wind picked up.  Set the Trolling motor about 1 mph and drug a couple of baits 50-60 feet behind the boat, trying to keep them about 12 feet deep, fishing 24-28 FOW.

They're not even thinking about moving to the bank IMO.  Eggs were firm and they're still scattered.  But they're getting hammered pretty hard my the Livescopers and Spiderriggers.

No pics... sorry Bill.

[MOPanfisher]

That first bend downstream by the big Rock has been the site of many a crappie slaughter with the occasional walleye thrown in.  The big runner on the lake could have been a walleye but more likely a hybrid, they are hard to lan on UL gear if they don't turn for open water.  But I simply cannot forgive the no pictures, some of are living vicariously hough those of you who are fishing!  😷

[Phil Lilley]

I took my go pro intending to make a video too... terrible. Paul took one of the hybrid. I didn’t even ask for it. 

[Bill Babler]

Sounds exactly like my report from Truman last week with the exception that we Spider Rigged the full day and used live bait.  Interesting on the live Scope as you relayed the same information the gentleman we spoke with also referenced.

You would think with the hundreds of thousands of trees in that lake that perhaps there would be one that the fish had not been found or fished but from what we were told you have to get up Deep Water creek or at least past the Hwy 13 bridge to get away from some of the pressure from Bucksaw.

Also heard this week that just about every open ramp was totally full of rigs.  I didn't see this but a good friend that lives there said the lake was probably under the most fishing pressure he had ever seen and he was there prior to it filling up.  It always gets attention during crappie time but he said this was the most, especially during the week, with most folks not working and the kids not in school, the lake is paying the price.

He also said none the less it is fishing well for big thick crappie and the catfishing has been simply fantastic.

Thanks for the report, we might go back up next week and fish lake O. at the 60 mile mark or around there.  I might also wait for Turkey Season and make it my annual duel trip.

[liphunter]

I went to the Sparrowfoot ramp area on Wednesday and only caught 3 crappie. Lost two. But the 3 I caught were all in the 12 to 13 inch range. I was a little disappointed in myself. Thought I was blowing it according to reports. Was using minnows and could see them on my graph, but very few takers. Then talked to at least to ten other people from a distance of 6 to 25 feet.  They were having the same kind of day. I think they just were scared to take a bite... Onward and upward. Mike

[oneshot]

I’m thinking we need few days of steady warm for Crappie and Mushrooms.

I’m sure ready.

oneshot

[Bill Babler]

Let's take Lake O for an example.  15 years ago usually around deer season it pretty much shut down except for a person or two coming down and fishing a bed they had put under their dock  There were also some locals that would walk vacant docks and catch a few crappie.  

Then came the invention of dock shooting and it became a killing crime.  Lots of crappie especially lots of sows that for the most part rested under the docks just Wintered in fine shape feeding up for the spawn.  The dock shooters with side imaging started working on these and worked on them HARD.  Folks began to fish all Winter, except if the lake froze and that does not happen like it used to.  When I was a kid most Winters we could walk across from Ivy Bend over to Pine Cove no problem.  Course if we got caught we would get the TAR whaled out of us.   We did it anyway.

Then the last 5 years the open water suspended fish and the staging fish have been targeted by the Spider.  What it has turned into is the fish are pretty much harassed 12 months out of the year when it used to be about 6-8 months.

Same on Truman however to a greater extent as it is just a crappie fishermen magnet.  Panoptix in the trees and Spider Rigging in open water.  Fish are pretty much always under heavy fire.

Game has changed and will continue to change with more knowledge and always increasing electronic intelligence at our finger tips.

Facebook has been hot on Truman since last September as the guides pretty much kept on them all Winter posting pictures and information.  January lots of these fish began to stage at the mouths and back channels of the creeks and they have just been in the news and on our minds since with everything we are seeing on social media.

I caught 30 yesterday Spider Rigging on Table Rock.   Who would have Thunk that 5 yrs. ago.   Only had one keeper as my size is 12" or throw back,  but that is 30 fish I would have never caught without all the new information of fishing extremely open water for crappie.

Times are changing

[Phil Lilley]

When I get old, I'll spider rig.

 

May be

[fishinwrench]

5 minutes ago, Phil Lilley said:

When I get old, I'll spider rig.

 

May be

I'd rather just sit at my kitchen table with the window open, and re-spool line all day. 🙄

[Phil Lilley]

You know.... there's just something about the "thump" a crappie makes when he eats your bait.