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A Crappie Life

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:35 am
by Boogieman1
Starting to feel a bit frisky and tied up a few. Another couple weeks things are gonna get serious! Stay tuned.....

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Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 2:57 pm
by Boogieman1
When I fired this sucker off I was expecting to be in hot pursuit any day. Since then the weather has really gone south. Have had the roughest Arctic blast I can recall come through. The highs the past few weeks have been in the 20s! Monday’s high is single digits and a guarantee of at least 10” of snow.Not good! Cabin fever is setting in....

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:17 am
by Sailfish_WC
Those are flies i assume?

I’m not a crappie guy, but I thought (here anyways) in cool weather they get in deep water to spawn.

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:24 am
by Boogieman1
Sailfish_WC wrote:Those are flies i assume?

I’m not a crappie guy, but I thought (here anyways) in cool weather they get in deep water to spawn.


I’m not sure what constitutes as a fly. These are 1/16 oz lead heads I tie with feathers.

I’m not sure what controls the crappie spawn in other parts of the country. But here it is purely water temp. When water temp reaches mid 50s the males are coming and preparing nests. 62-65 in prime spawn here. Now that’s not main lake water temp. Certain shallows warm faster than others. I chase water temp from late February-May and typically stay on the fish. Not saying there isn’t deep spawners just saying there isn’t near as many.

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:36 am
by Sailfish_WC
Boogieman1 wrote:
Sailfish_WC wrote:Those are flies i assume?

I’m not a crappie guy, but I thought (here anyways) in cool weather they get in deep water to spawn.


I’m not sure what constitutes as a fly. These are 1/16 oz lead heads I tie with feathers.

I’m not sure what controls the crappie spawn in other parts of the country. But here it is purely water temp. When water temp reaches mid 50s the males are coming and preparing nests. 62-65 in prime spawn here. Now that’s not main lake water temp. Certain shallows warm faster than others. I chase water temp from late February-May and typically stay on the fish. Not saying there isn’t deep spawners just saying there isn’t near as many.


Our waters are pretty much 80 or warmer almost year round
Winter they drop
Maybe the drop in temp Jan/feb triggers the /spawn


There are sinking flys, I guess if you’re using a spinning rod and not a fly rod....then those aren’t “flys”

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:57 am
by MichiganMike
Those look deadly! do you tip those with anything?

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:05 am
by Boogieman1
MichiganMike wrote:Those look deadly! do you tip those with anything?

I don’t but know several crappie killers that due on there fav jigs during other times of the year. I focus my efforts on pre spawn- post spawn. A simple way to put what I do... I wade cove banks barefooted jumping the gun. I do it primarily when males are coming in late evening or after dark b4 prime time. But when I find the beds it’s usually by the thousands. Once timed up it’s just ugly. I find em in every cove and form a steady pluck rotation. Even the best of technology can’t compete with my feet :lol:

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2021 5:14 am
by MichiganMike
Boogieman1 wrote:
MichiganMike wrote:Those look deadly! do you tip those with anything?

I don’t but know several crappie killers that due on there fav jigs during other times of the year. I focus my efforts on pre spawn- post spawn. A simple way to put what I do... I wade cove banks barefooted jumping the gun. I do it primarily when males are coming in late evening or after dark b4 prime time. But when I find the beds it’s usually by the thousands. Once timed up it’s just ugly. I find em in every cove and form a steady pluck rotation. Even the best of technology can’t compete with my feet :lol:

thats the way to do it! i have a boat, but there's something about pounding the banks and coves on foot. I seem to do better that way. Can get into some flooded brush and timber better where they hang.

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2021 6:40 am
by RiverBottoms
Boogieman1 wrote:
MichiganMike wrote:Those look deadly! do you tip those with anything?

I don’t but know several crappie killers that due on there fav jigs during other times of the year. I focus my efforts on pre spawn- post spawn. A simple way to put what I do... I wade cove banks barefooted jumping the gun. I do it primarily when males are coming in late evening or after dark b4 prime time. But when I find the beds it’s usually by the thousands. Once timed up it’s just ugly. I find em in every cove and form a steady pluck rotation. Even the best of technology can’t compete with my feet :lol:


Sounds Fun!

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:33 am
by Boogieman1
Was 65 out yesterday and 79 out today with a night time low of 57. Yep! It’s go time....

Some monster motivational music lol
https://youtu.be/dscfeQOMuGw

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2021 3:04 am
by RiverBottoms
Good luck, I just fried up some crappie last night. Tasty little buggers.

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2021 4:49 am
by MichiganMike
Cant wait until that weather comes up here! Still getting them through the ice. Not a lot - but a few. Month of May is the primetime around here.

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 11:36 am
by Boogieman1
Well finally got a chance to go. In a earlier post I stated I was going for the first trip. That turned out to be one of the sorriest days of my life! Heading to the lake I got my truck stuck in the mud. Then stuck my wife’s truck trying to pull mine out. Was an all day extravaganza I don’t care to talk about.

Today was a beautiful day 72 degrees. Although was pretty dang windy with a 20 mph straight south wind. Water temp was colder than I expected (still hovering around 50 in the shallows.) Shorts was not a good choice! Fish were pretty well scattered in the shallows and I couldn’t locate a sweet spot. Managed to catch enough for dinner but nothing serious. Try again tomorrow.....,,

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Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:15 pm
by P&YBuck1
Boy still a nice batch of some big crappies, which will have some tasty fillets...

How do you work the jigs you made since fishing around brush? You have them underneath a bobber OR ?

Keep us posted.

Re: A Crappie Life

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:58 pm
by Boogieman1
P&YBuck1 wrote:Boy still a nice batch of some big crappies, which will have some tasty fillets...

How do you work the jigs you made since fishing around brush? You have them underneath a bobber OR ?

Keep us posted.

Gonna be a tough spring of fishing for me. Lake is at full capacity. The cove banks are covered in thick buck brush. Currently using a technique known as doodle sockin. Basically let about 1ft line out on a 10ft rod. Use your free hand to pull the line so the jig is tight to the rod eye. Poke the rod back in the brush, release the line to drop jig and get ready. Slow process! Much prefer a low lake with less hiding spots. But good thing is these fish will be completely non pressured. Boats can’t get back in there. Water still a tad to cold for my liking. Just small waves of crappie easing in currently. Lil sweet pockets I find now will be plumb ugly when the water hits around 62! Just a matter of time