Today: Friday 29 March 2024
  • Ranger Alluminum
    Crappie Kingdom 15 Dec 2016

    Crappie Kingdom

     

    COLD WATER TECHNIQUES

     

    First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!  I sincerely hope the New Year brings many bites and plenty of hook ups. 

    I would love for the temperatures to remain in the 70’s year round but knowing that it’s not possible in the Midwest, we just have to adapt.  According to my records, December has registered some of the foulest weather we have had in the past.  It is very unpredictable and can be fair one day and foul the next.  Cold fronts come and go as well as high and low pressures.  Consequently, these conditions can make the fishing unpredictable as well.  It appears, these conditions affect the location of bait fish in the lakes which in turn will affect where the Crappies are located.  One thing for sure, you can bet that if you find the bait, you will find the fish. 

    The use of good electronics will assist greatly in finding the baitfish.  Side image will also be beneficial if you have it on your unit.  I use Hummingbird equipment because it is user friendly and accurate.  Regardless of what unit you have, learn how to read it and identify what you are looking at.  I have attended seminars that were helpful and fact filled.  I urge you to attend one and learn to read your unit.  I use my advanced electronics more in the winter time than any other time of the year.  Locating and staying with bait movement is much easier with the use of electronics.  Without them, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.

    Looking for the baitfish will include viewing brush piles in all depths of water depending upon the day.  Very rarely will I find fish in the shallowest structure.  In the cold water, the oxygen column elongates and allows more oxygen to be in deeper depths which will allow the bait fish and crappie to go deeper.  This turning over effect is caused by the surface water temperature becoming colder than the deep water.  We know that warm water rises to the top so the bottom water rises and the lake water does a “flip flop”.  The oxygen rich surface water goes down taking the oxygen with it making the oxygen column longer.  In deep water lakes, I will start looking for fish in depths no shallower than twenty feet when the water temp falls into the low forties.  The depths will increase as the water turns colder.  Crappie can be caught in extremely deep water.  I personally have caught them in water exceeding fifty feet on the bottom.  There are exceptions to my rules but consistency is what I’m looking for.  I have already caught fish this year in excess of 30 feet of water and the water temperature was in the low 50’s. 

    Shad, which is a primary bait fish for crappie, will “school” up in huge masses in the cold water.  If you are lucky enough to find a huge school of shad, the crappie will be in and around the school.  These schools will be in deeper water generally associated with drop offs, ledges, or deep structure.  It’s almost impossible to drop a buoy to mark the shad since they are moving about.  Side image will enhance the visibility of where the shad are in relation to your boat.  You can move the boat with the shad and stay with the fish. I have found that if the shad school is connected to the bottom, the fish are easier to catch.  Suspended wads of shad are harder to fish and less productive.  If the fish are deep, I use a heavier jig to get down in amongst the fish quicker.  The 1/8 to 3/8th oz. jigs work well for the conditions.  I will also increase the size of jig body.  A three inch tube is not too big and even a four inch tube will catch fish.  Drop the jig into the shad and slowly retrieve the bait.  The bite will be ever so slight, so it is essential to watch the rod tip and line closely.  The ratio of big fig vs small non keepers is much higher in these deep schools of shad. 

    Deep brush piles of structure will also produce fish.  The shad and small minnows are attracted to the deep cover which also attracts the crappies.  I don’t care how deep the structure is if it is holding bait.  I will check several depths and will define a pattern to follow.  It will change so “every day is a new day”.  Be sure to check the entire structure including the outer perimeter.  Many times, the fish will be laying outside the structure on the bottom.  A vertical drop and jig techniques works well in the deep structure.  If the bait is suspended, pitch and drift the bait through the suspended bait depth.  Plain jig heads and roadrunner heads work well in these conditions.  My color preference of tubes is chartreuse and chartreuse combinations of black, green, and brown.

    One final note.  Take care to be more cautious on the water.  The water is cold and a man overboard cannot last long in cold water due to hypothermia.  Generally, you are dressed in more bulky clothing and it is more difficult to move about.  I’m getting older and have found out there is no need to be in a hurry and be careless.  Take your time and be cautious!

    Read more

    • 03 Mar Transition Time

    • 15 Feb Cold Water Crappie

    • 05 Aug NOTHING LIKE DOG DAYS IN AUGUST

    • 11 Jul KNOW YOUR BUSINESS

    Listen Live

    Listen live

    Upcoming guests

    Our sponsors

    © Copyright Respoolin 2011. All right reserved
    Registration

    Please contact us with any questions you might have.