Cold Front Crappie
Less than a week ago it was mid-80's and sunny. The past three days have been in the 40's with intermittent rain scattered throughout. All else equal this means a more reluctant fish that are harder to find. However, don't be to discouraged. Crappie can still be brought to hand, it just takes a little more work. Now I am not a Crappie expert, but I can hold my own, have read a fair amount on the subject, and talked with several much more experienced than myself. As a result I have come up with four conclusions on how to increase your success with cold front Crappie:
- Decrease the size of your presentation. I typically drop down one or two lure/fly sizes on my presentation.
- SLOW down your presentation. The fish are going to be more lethargic and more reluctant. Slowing down keeps it in front of them longer and increases your hook up percentage. I typically go at half my normal speed.
- Try deeper water. Deeper water is more resistant to temperature changes in the short-run and often those fish that were shallower during the warmer weather will be found in deeper water adjacent to where you were catching them earlier.
- Stick close to cover. Present your lure/fly tightly next to cover, whether that be submerged timber, a rock pile, or vegetation. You may snag more often but its the price to pay.
I employed those four tactics yesterday and had a very successful day despite the odds being stacked against me. I had to work for the fish but in some ways that made it all the more rewarding. No monsters but I still had fun.
6 Comments:
Thanks for sharing some knowledge with me, Bryan. Appreciate tidbits to add to my knowledge base too. Those are some nice Crappie in my opinion. Quick Question? Were you fishing from shore on the lake?
Al
I adhere to those rules anytime I am fishing with my brother for crappie in the lake he fishes in Mississippi. We don't use the fly rod because he is a believer in the micro light combo to fish for these fish, which is a 7 ½ ft. ultra light spinning rod coupled with an ultra light spinning reel spooled with 4 lb. test line. I am always along for the ride, but I do land fish. He uses small crappie nibbles in the white color tipped on the end of his hook which serves as an attractor. It emits a slim film in the water and gives off a scent as well. The nibbles have worked on the very slow days when nothing else will work for us. The white seems to work the best, I guess because the crappie thinks it may be some sort of a grub worm. I don’t know if the nibbles will stay on a fly with the amount of false casting but it might be worth a try. If it dose let us all know. Those are some awesome looking crappie which would be some delicious table fare. Thanks for sharing—I have included a link to the nibbles
http://www.best-deal.com/search/landing/query/crappie+nibbles/s/google/koid/7112805673/gkaid/66956347/adid/2425204747/gkyid/1372178994/?query=crappie+nibbles&mob=0&gclid=COKik6X1ir4CFRQV7AodMXQArw
Originally had intended from my Kayak but there was a storm rolling in later so I fished from shore.
Bill, thanks for the comment and the link, I will be sure to check that out. Crappie on an ultralight can be a blast as well.
some good looking fish! :)
thanks for stopping in today! :)
Thanks for the comment TexWisGirl!
Post a Comment