Fishing Trip In February

Me and Renee my wife went out last weekend to Lake Fork to go crappie fishing on yes you guessed it, Valentines Day! So, on the way to the lake I was feeling pretty good to offer up a challenge to Renee, Oh by the way we are extremely competitive, the challenge was I will be fishing crappie jigs only vs her live minnows. Needless to say she was pretty fired up about that and told me that she would kick my butt. And as soon as we pulled up to the bridge pillions in 34 feet of water she drops here line first & got bit, in fact she had 3 crappie in the boat to my one. We got out there at 9:00am wind was 15 mph, it was 44 degrees with wind chill 38 degrees and water temp was at 56 degrees and the crappie were on the bottom. So as our 3 hour trip ended Renee had 14 crappie to my 10 and yes she tore me up but only by 4 crappie. The largest crappie caught was mine at 2.3 lbs. So we were both happy she had the quantity and I had the largest this time! - by Robert Tannery

Crappie Fishing Tips

Crappie fishing tips helps you locate crappie as the seasons change, crappie have a migration path that they move to when seasons change. In the spring the crappie will move to the shore lines to lay their eggs, usually March thru April each year when water temperatures reach 62 to 68 degrees. I have seen crappie so shallow the top fin was out of the water. Scan your sonar for shallow underwater ledges, these drop-offs will fall ten feet or more, and shallow ditches, cuts and gullies near bank-side bluffs or coves. Valuable crappie fishing tips is fishing the edges which are especially productive when found near weed beds, timber stands, brush piles or bridges. Crappie will stay in cooler water temperatures of 75 degrees. Crappie are layer fish, what this means is that they are always at a certain depth, on the bottom, or could be suspended, the key is finding that depth and fishing for crappie in the active mode, just stay consistent with that depth.

Using these crappie fishing tips will help you to catch these fish by using minnows with a slip cork, jigs, small spinner baits, or beetle spins that mimic baitfish. Always be mindful of colors if one color works good, another color may be excellent. No matter what you use, get back to the same depth every time and you will get bit. Crappie fishing tips for this time of the year Bass also share the spawn grounds with crappie. I have learned that what bass will bite so will crappie because they use the same shallow waters during spawn. Now remember, when the spawn is over then the crappie retreat back to bridges and timber in deeper water. These are a very important crappie fishing tips, they go back to 75 degree waters.

I am going to give you some more important crappie fishing tips to carry with you to the lake, pond or river when you go crappie fishing. Information is key, stop by and ask your marina dealer what technique is hot (minnows, lures, jigs- ask what colors and how deep), most marina managers will know from fishermen that have been crappie fishing, what’s going on that day or week. Carry a certified measuring stick. Other important crappie fishing tips is that most lakes have minimum length for crappie usually 10” so it’s important to measure them, quantity 25 each per day per person in most states. Make sure that your fishing license is not out of date. Game wardens frown on expired fishing license. In the south they will give you what I call a “Certificate of Award” in other words a ticket per fish that’s under minimum length means that all your fishing that day for crappie, in your possession less than 10 inches must go back in the lake. This could make that check-it stick for 30 bucks look cheap.

CRAPPIE HABITAT

Crappie habitat in area lakes is necessity for not only sustaining good structure for survival but maintaining a great fishing spot. Anyone can build a crappie habitat in their own lake with all different types of structure and we will show you how and where to place these structures with what you have to work with within your own areas. A crappie habitat can be built with oak tree branches or Christmas trees, most cities have an area that is a designated drop after Christmas for trees that are free to the public. You can find areas with willow trees and bamboo or giant cane used to make fishing poles, please make sure that whoever owns the land will let you thin them out.
First you will want to find areas that you like to fish, shallow and deep water is a good start for your crappie habitat. Shallow waters in 10 foot or less for crappie spawn and deeper water for year round enjoyment for summer and winter, these areas will be in 20 plus feet of water at the end of points, creek bends or around bridge pylons. When building a crappie habitat, willow and oak tree branches have been the favorite for years, that are weighted with heavy weight 8 X 8 X 16-inch concrete blocks and secured with heavy duty nylon rope or 5 gallon buckets with concrete. Always take a tarp to lay down on your boat or barge for protection when building your crappie habitat. You can insert oak trees, bamboo shoots thru the concrete blocks or a 5 gallon bucket to make your structure is more upright for your crappie fishing pleasures.
When building your new crappie habitat there is an added plus for bamboo if you can find it in your area, you see bamboo is buoyant and will stand up straight in 5 gallon buckets with 60 lbs of concrete added to the bucket, always make sure that the bamboo shoots are no more than 1 ¼ inches in diameter at the base. This way you can add up to 20 shoots to one bucket and the bamboo shoots can stand up to 15 foot tall. However if your new crappie habitat is that tall you will need to make a 2 X 4 base built around the bucket to keep it upright until the concrete is cured out. Here comes the exciting part, after you have built your new crappie habitat you will be able to start fishing your new structure within a week and start catching crappie. With willow trees and oak trees you will have your fair share of losing your hook setups, now what I am so excited about is bamboo shoots are smooth using the 5 gallon buckets even on the side of an underwater embankment, they will still stand upright and your hook will glide up the branches without getting hung up. As time goes on your new crappie habitat just gets better even when the leaves are gone, the bamboo still offers enough protection for crappie to feel safe and will give you many years of enjoyment.
A crappie habitat can be placed anywhere on the lake and in as many spots that you choose, some will be better than others depending on the time of year. Your possibilities are endless by contributing to nature’s ecosystem by building your own crappie habitat.

Texas Size Crappie

Well here it is in June and the crappie are really turning on. We caught these crappies in early morning June 21 around 7:30 am to 10:30am. We went to Little Caney on Lake Fork and we have a brush pile out on a secondary point in about 24' of water just off the drop off. It's a nice point that from the bank out to the tip of the point at 27' is only about 150 feet off the bank. If you are planning to build you a brush pile, find a point that has a creek coming close by. You have to remember that a creek is a crappies highway, so they are always looking for a safe haven such as a large brush pile, the bigger the better. Ours stands from the bottom at 24' to the top of the brush pile is 19' so ours stands 5' off the bottom in a 13' X 13' square, our mix is a combination of chrismas trees & willow trees anchored with concrete blocks on stainless steel cable.

I like to share with you up to date fishing outings to help make you a better fisherman or woman, it really doen't matter what part of the country you are in as the seasons change crappie will go deeper in the summer time, they are looking for that 73 to 75 degree water. I hope that this has given you some insite as to where to can find crappie. A good tip for you is before you go to the lake get you a map of the lake you are going to and research all points on the lake. Look for the points that have a faster drop off thats close to a creek and you will be in business before you even get there. You will have a plan of action that will allow you to catch more fish in the future, it doesn't matter what you are fishing for it could be bass, largemouth or smallies a good point whether its a primary or secondary point it is the bomb!

Thanks
Robert

Welcome to Fishing For Crappie here you will Learn how to catch your limit of crappie using these techniques, types of baits, habitats, structure and seasons to catch crappie on any kind of pond, lake or resovoir. Our site will teach you everything you need to know about crappie and the best times to go to the lake. Check out our Crappie Recipes, I'm sure that if you love to eat fish then you will love these recipes! Be sure to come back because we are always adding new things that will help you be a better fisherman or woman!