Quick question

[macfly55]

[#800000]Since I have been getting skunked routinely I am looking for some advice.. as ususl.. [sly][/#800000]
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[#800000]According to reports crappie are hitting at a local lake the best they have in 15 years.. lots of activity.. 2 + pound fish.. so here is the question....[/#800000]
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[#800000]what flies or tactics.. I am thinking of using poppers with a drop fly of maybe a renegade or pt nymph ...let that float for a bit then a very light tug.. let that rest... then slow strip in a bit... or.. [/#800000]
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[#800000]any suggestions on flies to use and what combor and or tactics would be appreciated..[/#800000]
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[#800000]also.. according to reports bass are coming in to nest so they seem to be in shallower waters.. same flies.. same tactics???[/#800000]
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[#800000]heheh all I really want is a good hard hit so I can lie about the one that got away... [laugh][/#800000]
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[#800000]MacFly [cool][/#800000]
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[flygoddess]

[#0000bf]Mac Fly, Trial and error is FF. Not knowing how deep the pond is, try a 9' tappered leader on your floating line with a renegade and a haresear or pheasant tail dropper about 18" to 2 ft behind the renegade. Attach an indicator at about seven feet. Toss it out, let it sit for awhile, then short slow strips back.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]At Yuba, I had some fish hit the fly under the indicator, but got more hits while retrieving the fly.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Give it a try.[/#0000bf]
[#0000bf]Joni[/#0000bf]
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[Tarpon4me]

I'm not full force into the world of fly angling yet, but I know crappie. Based on my experiance, it would seem crappie would be an extremely difficult fish to target with a fly rod. Crappie usually hold tight to deep structure in large schools. They like lots of flash and lots of wiggle. I've never known crappie to hit top water. I have caught them at sub-level depths on beetle spins or small spoons, but in the warmer months of summer. Jigs are very affective verticle jigging around docks, pilons, and bridges. My personal favorite is live minnows run deep on a cork.

Now, LOL, the trick is to take what i've just told you and find a fly that will:

1. Have plenty of flash and movement
2. Reach the depth of the fish
3. Maintain that depth in the strike zone
4. Easily controled to prevent snags

Now, like I said, i'm no big fly angler (yet), but maybe this info will help you adjust your tactics and find success. Your lake conditions may be different. But i've fished many different types of water for crappie, and they all held in the same spots. Narrow, shallow river: Around the deep water pilons of bridges. Medium sized rivers: Bridges w/ slow current or submerged structure in deep holes. Lakes: Deep water structure, around docks or deep bank structure, etc... If you find crappie on top water in the shallows, that would be a first for me. Usually to be successful, you'll need a sonar unit at your disposal. They make castable sonar units if you're on the bank. From a tube, you know the deal. I hope this helps! Let us know how you do or what you figure out! [cool]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][size 3][green][cool]Hey there macfly55 - I guess one cannot receieve too much advise good or bad so I'll throw my hat into the ring.
Forget all about "matching the hatch." Simply throw anything as simple as a "made-in-China" cheap bug with rubber legs or any fly, wet or dry, you've used for trout. Whatever you throw is apt to be rewarded with a quick and savage strike. Panfish will hit almost anything from big bass bugs to silver spoons too big to fit in their mouth. What a deal and what more can you ask from a little fish the size of you palm?
When choosing colors flies etc. the all time crappie favorite appears to be chartreuse, followed by yellow. In the early spring, white is also good, especially if there is some fuchsia or hot pink in combination. Bright greens are also good - in fact any fluorescent color will have value on various days. If it is cloudy, early morning or late evening, use black, white, chartreuse or dark colors.
The single most important tip for catching crappie that I can give you is to very gently - keep your bait/lure moving – ever so slightly. You'll have the best chance of landing a crappie doing this - they bite so incredibly softly, and if you allow your bait to just sit there, they'll mouth and fool around with the bait/lure - and drive you nuts. If you are lucky enough to catch a fish using the 'just sit there' method - you'll be very lucky indeed; and likely the fish will have swallowed the hook. Be sure to keep your hooks needle sharp.
I hear that the Clouser Minnow is an excellent streamer because its lead eyes get down deep, and they cause the hook to ride tip-up. Hope to give the CM’s that I have recently tied a go next week. I don’t want it to bounce the bottom as Crappies look up for their food not down.
Catching these dudes on a 3wt rod would be a lot of fun. But how do you prevent a nice bass from taking your fly? You will have a good fight on your hands if you nail a sizeable bass on a 3wt.
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[Tarpon4me]

Hey DR, he's refering to a regular crappie right? Or is that a pet name? LOL This is the one i'm talking about:

[url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:White_Crappie.jpg"][/url]
White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)

[url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pomoxis_nigromaculatus1.jpg"][/url]
Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)

Both species with recorded catches of over 5 pounds. These little brutes are on top of the panfish foodchain, and are probably in the top 3 for eating quality.

I was surprised you said they hit softly DR. Everyone i've ever caught slamed the bait like a mack truck. That's why I ask if we are speaking of the same fish. []
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[macfly55]

This is the area I will be fishing....

[url "http://lakewohlford.com/images/lake2a.jpg"]Map of lake
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If you go from the boatdock (no fishing right there off the dock) around the cove to the first small point.. that is bass point.. the net bigger point (biggest in the map) is crappie point.. once you get to that area there are lots of overhanging bushes and limbs etc.. small saplings coming up .. that type of thing...

the only crappie I have ever caught in my life was on a small golf course pond in May of last year (or year before .. damn memory).. I was using a 5 wt rod and a med size foam popper.. I was casting as far as I could across a mild wind and then letting the wind/water action bring the popper back into a small trees with branches that were hang over or into the water.. and then slow retrieve back to me... I got a hard hit on the slow retrieve so did it all again.. this time as the popper went under the limbs just above the water I got a hard hit.. lifted the rod.. and bingo... my first (and only ) crappie on any type of rod.. LOL'

we will see what happens this weekend... []


MacFly [cool]
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[macfly55]

the lake in question has black crappie.. and the one I caught on the golf course lake was a black crappie as well.. that guy was the size of my hand close to twice over.. so a good sized one.. did not have a camera on me at the time.. so no picture proof.. [mad]

Thanks for all the advice.. Ill post a result.. good or bad.. [sly]

MacFly [cool]
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[macfly55]

Ill be using my 6 wt rod.. figure if I get a good hit from something bigger Ill have the rod in hand to handle it..

the whole area from boat dock cove to crappie rock is the area I will be wetting my line...maybe Ill get bold and rent a boat...lol. we will see...

MacFly[cool]
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[Dryrod]

[center][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][cool]Hitting softly is my way of saying they haven't hit me like a run away freight train. I guess everyone has had different experiences. My first steelhead hit very quitely[softly] then holy [/size][/green][/font][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]%##@/~it[/size][/green][/font][/url][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]! [pirate] What[/url] fun. [/size][/green][/font]
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[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Hey there T4M you got me thinking why do they hit you hard & me softly? Found this piece about catching Panfish might clarify things a bit: [/size][/green][/font] Crappies (Black or White) Crappies are a little fussier when it comes to food. They seem to prefer submersibles and it needs to be presented as if it were alive, especially streamers or minnow variations. They will hit top water flies at different times of the year, especially during spring spawning season but, again, the fly or popper needs to look and act as if it were alive or "fresh." Also, because of the difference in the mouth structure and the way they take food, more patience is needed with crappies than sunfish species. Usually a sunfish will grab the fly, swallow it and run. A crappie, on the other hand, will usually "taste" it first. Then, if it likes it, will close its mouth on it. So I usually leave the fly or popper go until the crappie is swimming away before I set the hook otherwise it will just spit it out. Crappies definitely relate to structure of some sort and prefer shady areas, like under docks or overhangs, during bright, sunny days. They seem to stay closer to deeper water near downed trees along shorelines or in the eddy's of rocks or trees in the middle of streams. Once you find a school of crappies and find a fly that works well you'll have yourself a great time pulling in these little scrappers. One other tip I'll mention is to take plenty of flies and tippet material because once you have a crappie on the line the first thing it does is head for the cover of the thickest bunch of branches or timber, meaning your going to lose a lot of flies if your not quick enough to react.
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[flygoddess]

[#008058][size 3]I gotta agree (cause everyone says it) on the color choices. Now the reason I () that, is I have caught Crappie, Bass, Trout, Bluegill, even Carp on a bead head prince.[/size][/#008058]
[#008058][size 3]I do agree with T4M about hotter days deeper fish, that is why I mention a 9' Leader.[/size][/#008058]
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[Dryrod]

[center][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Why not try a sinking tip?[/size][/green][/font][/center]
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[macfly55]

?? can you define hotter day... Im willing to switch to something sinking like a clouser or another fly by using split shot or dipping it into non floatant (cant remember the name darn it)... and are we talking about air temperature or water temp or air temp as it affects surface water temp.. Im figuring the water to be cool early... and depending on the the air temp as to whether or not it has an affect on the water temp (especially surface) later in the morning.. (

(not sure if I said anything right here but I think it sure looks impressinve....LOL......[laugh])

MacFly [cool]
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[flygoddess]

Mac, as summer approaches with the heat of the day, the fish will move deeper to stay as cool as possible.
Are you thinking on Xink (stuff to make flies sink)?
Your type II will get there, just try counting down. Throw it out and count to 20, and if that doesn't work 15, and so on
With the floating line that I mentioned, it does make it nice if the Prince has a Tungsten bead, but you can always add split shot (and add it to the very bottom of the leader when using an indicator on stillwater so the flies are above it.)

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[Tarpon4me]

Hey, that was a really cool panfish picture thing in your previous post, where did you find that? [cool]

Also, that's some interesting reading. I'm thinking the body of water and the type of bait you use effects things a bit too. Now that you mention it DR, they don't hit quite as hard when using a soft plastic bait, but they really slam the crap out of it with live bait. Artificials must make them hesitate, causing the strike to initially not be as hard. Does that make sense?
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[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][cool]Yes it does T4M. Now the next panny will probably take me to task. "Like I'll show him how hard I can hit his fly". Now wouldn't that be cool.[/size][/green][/font]
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[Dryrod]

[center][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][cool]Hey there T4M I forgot which site I picked up that chart from but here is a better one. Just type in "panfish" into Google using the Image tab.[/size][/green][/font]
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[tubeN2]

Hey macfly55, I have fished lake Wohlford before. Crappie point just seems to have more bushes and underwater structure to it.

I have fished there with spinning and fly gear. You would be best to tie up a mini Clouser in black/white colors and yellow or red eyes using the 1/32oz eyes for slow decent.

Since that lake isn't subject to freezing like the northern lakes, you can generally get them suspended in the 15 to 30 foot mark of the water column. When they are a little more spunky, you will be able to hit them a little higher up.

Early dawn and during the dusk, you should do good on the poppers. White with baby blue air brush on sides. Yellow eyes.

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[macfly55]

I got skunked... lol.. but had fun anyway...

I used renegades.. and pt nymphs.. and hares ear... plus a red and white clouser.. and a black and white clouser.. a bright yellow and a bright green buggers.. individually.. and in combos.. nothing..

I got to the lake later than I wanted .. around 8:30 am.. bass and crappie point had boats all around them.. so fished west end buoy line are first... then went over to work the area between crappie and bass point...

I was out about 4 hours or so.. had a good time.. learned a little about working against and across the wind.. also with it..

Left tired but happy.. all I could think about is one day.. one day...LOL>....

MacFly [cool]
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[tubeN2]

You may not have had the best of conditions but you did have a good time. That is why we call it "Fishing" and not "Catching".

You will get them next time.[cool]
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