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Crappie fishing in the still waters of our lakes and reservoirs has become an American icon of sorts. Through the years, most of our tackle and tactics have been tailored toward catching these tasty pan fish in calm water situations.
But those who have not experienced crappie fishing in moving waters are missing a highly enjoyable — and productive — sport with a species that isn't known for being sporty.
Catching crappie in flowing water is a completely different game from the lake or reservoir situations that these pan fish are most often associated with. As a result, our rivers and streams are largely untapped resources for crappie enthusiasts.
"There's nothing quite like catching crappie in rivers," claims Gary Lick, a diehard crappie angler and renowned fisherman who regularly fishes the Mississippi River near his Vicksburg, MS., home. "There is nothing static about it."
When searching for crappie in a river, it is important to remember that each river has its own course, contour and configuration, But there are many features that are common to the majority of the rivers you will fish. For example, great holding areas for crappie are naturally slack-water spots or any type of area or object that slows the current. That is true regardless of whether the river is located in Mississippi or LA..
One such hot spot is
the mouth of a feeder ditch or creek that enters the main current (especially
if there is a very slow current present or no current at all). Other places
where crappie are traditionally found on a river include the down-current
side of objects like stumps, logs, drifts, rock piles, or even a point.
A point will break the force of the current and turn it outwards. Crappie
will lie in the comfort of the quiet water behind the point and occasionally
dart out and grab passing baitfish or wait until a minnow works its way
into the calmer water.
River Crappie
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"Any time the current strikes something, it does two things: it changes direction and it changes speed," Gary says. "And crappie know that. Remember that crappie will seek shelter from faster water, but will maintain a position where they can feed easily."
One key holding area to look for when searching for crappie in moving water is the down-current inside of a shoal. Here the water will form a slow transitional zone that ranges from a lazy flow to almost dead water.
Another place would be any eddy. Eddies are a prime feeding station in a river situation. In fast current, fish will also use an eddy as a resting location. Eddies are likely to be formed where water swirls around the point extending into the river. Or where a ditch or creek enters the main current. And you can find eddies where the river makes a bend. Gary emphasizes that it is easy to locate eddies by looking for foam, leaves or other floating debris that collects in a small area. Be alert to the formations of this debris and then capitalize on it by fishing these eddies carefully.
"Lake fishing is fairly predictable, once you understand its structural makeup and seasonal patterns," Gary adds. "But moving water is a different story. Not only is moving water more structurally complex, its mood varies — moving calmly along one day and raging almost out of control the next. Lure presentation and location on a lake is usually simple, except in heavy, dense cover or in very deep water. However, on a river all elements can be present, with the added complication of current."
Gary and other river fishermen stress that crappie are usually found shallow — less than 10 feet in most cases and even shallower in muddy water. Despite the lack of depth, vertical fishing is usually the most effective way to present a lure or minnow to river crappie because it enables you to keep your lure in front of the fish for a longer period of time.
In fact, in many fishing spots in a river, vertical fishing is the only sensible approach because of the always-present current.
"For
river crappie, my choice of equipment is a medium-heavy jigger pole with
a small light-weight underspin reel loaded with 6 to 8 pound test line,"
Gary details. "On the line I use a slip cork that will allow my bait to
be fished at a certain depth. One of the most productive lures for river
crappie is a 16th-ounce Strike King Mini-King jig."
River Crappie
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"You would normally think that this type of set-up would be best suited for live bait, but believe me just a plain old jig of the right color and the correct size will do a fantastic job. I can create action to the jig by lifting my rod tip and gently jigging the bait without moving the float or I can drag the float a few inches and the jig will follow the float — swinging or swimming back under it, creating enough action for a strike. This technique has been highly productive for me especially when crappie have not been that active."
The slip cork enables Gary to work the lure at a precise depth level, which can be critical in moving-water situations where the fish are non-aggressive. Generally, crappie are not going to be overly active unless the conditions are stable. If the barometric pressure has been steady for several days and there has been no significant fluctuation in water temperature, they will usually be active.
But the opposite is true when crappie have just experienced a shift in the water temperature or a pressure change. As a result of their inactivity, the strike zone is greatly reduced in water clarity that is off-colored. This is when vertical fishing really pays off. But Gary and others emphasize the need to work the jig slowly (to avoid spooking the fish) and maintain a tight line in this situation.
One of the most reliable places to find crappie in moving water are boat docks. Like bass, crappie will stack up around the pilings and beneath the overhead platform of the dock.
Gary, "crappie expert" consistently catches these river inhabitants with a tactic he calls shooting the docks.
"In most river situations, the fish will be well back under the docks for a couple of reasons," Gary explains. "Low-light penetration and because they're eating algae off of the brush and pier pilings. And shooting a jig is the only way to reach them."
Shooting
the docks involves using a light spinning or spin-cast outfit (with 6-pound
test line) to propel a jig into the darkest parts of the dock without casting.
Instead, Gary uses the strength of the rod to sling-shot the lure toward
its target. After opening the bail of the reel, he creates a deep bend
in the rod by using his free hand to pull the lure backward and then releases
it in rhythm with the momentum of the rod. The jig reaches spots that no
type of conventional casting could match.
River Crappie
"Balloons"?
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Mississippi's Gary Lick is best known for Bass fishing, but he spends considerable time in the spring and summer chasing crappie on the Mississippi River. It was while growing up on the river that he learned a trick from the old-timers that still enables him to stay in the middle of a school of river crappie for hours at a time.
The slip cork enables Gary to work the lure at a precise depth level, which can be critical in moving-water situations where the fish are non-aggressive. Generally, crappie are not going to be overly active unless the conditions are stable. If the barometric pressure has been steady for several days and there has been no significant fluctuation in water temperature, they will usually be active.
"Crappie typically run in schools, but staying with them is sometimes a problem," Gary says. "You will sometimes catch eight or 10 crappie real quick and then they just quit. But they really don't quit biting. They just move."
"What I do to follow the school is take the first or second crappie I catch, partially inflate a balloon and tie it to the crappie using 5 or 10 feet of line. Turn it loose and the fish will get back in the school and go down the river."
Gary ties light monofilament line to the hole in the crappie's mouth created by the hook penetration.
"It's
funny what happens," he continues. "The fish will go back to the original
school right then and stay with them. You'll be catching crappie for 10
or 15 minutes when they will suddenly quit biting. You look for the balloon
and it's 300 yards down the river. All you have to do is catch up to the
balloon and you will usually keep catching fish."
Cranking
for Crappie
The
term "crankbait" is automatically associated with bass
fishing.
But knowledgeable crappie anglers have come to realize
that
these fast-moving diving plugs are extremely effective under
certain
conditions.
The
small diving lures generally get deeper more quickly than a
jig
or spinnerbait and will cover more water — critical qualities
when
trying to locate crappie.
Many
crappie fishermen have discovered what may be the best
all-around
best fish-catchingest lure on the market — Rebel's
Teeny
Wee Crawfish. The little lure is extremely lifelike and has
a
natural swimming motion. And it runs surprisingly deep. Other
favorite
crappie crankbaits include Cordell's 2-inch Jointed Spot,
the
Bagley Honey B and the 2-inch Countdown Rapala.
"These
little crankbaits are especially effective in the early spring
and
through the spawn," "The crappie are very protective of
the
stump or other structure where they are going to spawn and
they'll
hit a crankbait for that reason. And there are other times of
year
when they'll hit a small crankbait out of pure hunger. But the
biggest
problem with fishing crankbaits for crappie is that the
hooks
are exposed, so you will get hung up a lot."
The
small crankbaits are good tools for catching wary crappie in
both
shallow and deep clear water. Since the crankbait is a little
heavier
than some other crappie baits, it can be cast from
considerable
distances on ultralight tackle, allowing the
fisherman
to put some space between himself and his prey.
A Tightline to Success
Gary
once believed that crappie mysteriously
disappeared
after the spring spawn and would re-emerge in the
fall.
From June through late September, Gary simply stowed
away
his light tackle and concentrated on other pursuits.
But
then the Vicksburg, Ms angler made a discovery that
changed
his life as a crappie fisherman.
"One
thing that people still don't understand is that you can
catch
crappie all year long," says Gary, who has fished for
crappie
on The Mississippi river and surrounding lakes for the
past
30 years. "Those fish don't leave the lake once the spring spawn is over.
"You
can follow crappie throughout the other months of the year
by concentrating on any drop-offs and ledges in a lake that offer
a change of depth. These places are migratory routes as the fish
go through their seasonal changes. It's actually quite easy to
follow them."
Gary made another discovery more than 18 years ago that
enables him to consistently take advantage of the crappie he
locates. Gary is a devotee of the double-hook tight-line
technique.
The tight-line rig has been described as a poor man's depthfinder
because it allows the angler to maintain contact with the
structure below. The rig consists of a 3-foot leader connected by
a barrel swivel to the main line and a pair of 2-0 hooks set 18
inches apart on separate 6-inch leaders. A 1-ounce bell-shaped
sinker is tied about 18 inches below the bottom hook.
"The tight-line rig is the
most productive way I've found to catch
fish," Gary explains.
"It is so effective for two reasons."
"First, that big sinker actually feels for
you on the bottom, so you
stay in the ballpark the entire time.
Despite the sophisticated
depthfinders we have today, it's
still a game of feeling the cover.
And, secondly, the tight-line rig
allows you to fish two different
depths at the same time. By using
two hooks at different levels
at the same time, you're going to
pinpoint the depth that the
crappie are holding at different
times of the day."
Gary uses both a small minnow
and tiny plastic tubejig on the
double-hook rig. An added advantage
of the tight-line rig is that
the weight of the large sinker will
usually free the hooks from
brush or stumps.
"A Pair of Crappie Tricks"
Gary has a pair of
tricks for catching crappie
that are inactive and uncooperative.
"One sneaky way to catch fish is
to shoot the docks," he says.
"The fish will be back under the
docks for a couple of reasons —
low-light penetration
and because they're eating algae off of the
brush and pier pilings.
And shooting is the only way to reach
them.
Shooting the docks involves using
a light spinning or spin-cast
outfit (with 6-pound test line)
to propel a jig to the darkest parts
of the dock without casting. Instead,
Gary uses the strength of
the rod to sling-shot the lure toward
its target. After opening the
bail of the reel, he creates a deep
bend in the rod by using his
free hand to pull the lure backward
and then releases it in rhythm
with the momentum of the rod.
Gary's other sly crappie trick is
completely different from the
fast-action sling-shot approach
to dock fishing.
His "dead-pole" technique is a laid-back
method of fishing for the
times when crappie are sluggish.
"I use 10-foot Slater poles and
I lay them across the bow of my boat,"
he explains. "I never
hold them in my hand. I want the
jig or minnow to be perfectly
still as I watch my depthfinder and
use my trolling motor to
slowly work right over top of brushpiles
or stumps that may be
out in the river channel in 10 to
12 feet of water. "With the
dead-pole technique you stay in
the productive zone the
maximum amount of time. With casting
and retrieving, you're
going to fish through the strike
zone. But with this method you
never get out of the strike zone.
And when the crappie are
dormant or suspended, you have to
keep the bait right in front of
them for as long as possible."
That's just a few of the tricks of
the trade for America's diehard
crappie anglers. Any of these
tricks could be the difference
between striking out and limiting
out.
Lets Go Fishing!
"Good Luck"