Where did the crappie go?

[Tim S]

About this time in the late spring early summer where do the crappie usually hang out? Recently I've been fishing this one local pond and at first all I would catch is crappie after crappie occasionally toss in a blue gill and bass. But now the crappie have disappeared. The past two times I've fished I've only caught one or two out of 3-4 hours of fishing. I've used the same flies and have fished the same hours. So, where did they go?

[Jeremy]

Try using a sinking line, right outside the weed drop-off area. Right next to the weeed....they'll hide under that deeper stuff, out of the sunlight!

I use a sinking line and a Jansens Shad or the like. The fly is not too specific. A minnow streamer...

[Tim S]

I dont have a sinking line but I do have a few weighted muddlers. I'll give them a shot. Thank you!

[Jeremy]

Tim,
That may be tough. You'd need to be down 5 ft in the lakes I fish most often.
I hate to suggest this but you can purchase a 5ft long sinker portion from the fly shop.

Better yet if you need one email me your address and I'll send you mine. They're not pretty to cast on a 3wt though, even a 4 is clunky...

Jeremy.

[Tim S]

Its not that deep where the weeds and lilypads are. Maybe 5' at most. I can always add on to the leader to bring it down further. I have a feeling the sinking tip would not work. I fish with a 2wt and if its ugly on a 3wt I cant imagine what it would look like on a 2wt. Thank you for hte offer though.

[dixieangler]

My guess is that they went to deeper water where the water is cooler and where most of the minnows have gone. Happens down here too. They might be deeper than 5 feet though. I know a spot (not a pond or lake) right now where they are anywhere from 12 to 18 feet down right out in the middle.


------------------
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"

[Rick Z]

Fish unweighted flies very slowly. Let them drop for a long time before you start to retrieve them.

Rick

[Tim S]

Sounds good guys! I tried again last night and all I caught were baby bass 6" at most. Maybe 3 4" blue gills and no crappie. It must be the water temp. I'll tell you though when those little bass hit the popper the water exploded everytime. It was a bad nite though maybe 10 fish and I lost 4 flies to the lillypads, looks like I'll be tying weedless from now on.

[Jeremy]

Tim,
I also fish the light line rods and wait unil you tag one of those 16" or so bass on your sunny popper! *grins*

I really like my 1-3wts and fish them often for trout. The 2/3 wts are wonderful for sunnies and crappies though. Especially in the calm of an evening, in a boat, just outside of the weeds! Makes a boy grin...

And yes, use a lot of mono weed guards on your flies. I like around a 15 lb single mono loop. Works great but keep it smallish and fish it slowly so you don't hang up much.

Have ball.

Jeremy.