Deer Creek crappie

Hey guys ,
Heading to Rocky Point / Deer Creek for some crappie fishing 4-9 , just wondering if anybodys been there and done any good . BTW went to the Interlake area Good Friday for some bass fishing and frozen my kester off ! Only managed 4 small bass . From the empty liver containers & used line on the bank it looks like someone else has been fishing also . So much for keeping it clean . It always amazes me how much trash people leave behind - Ive been 8 miles back in the woods mushroom hunting and will find beer cans . Any lake with bank fishing will have a wads of old fishing line , bait containers , and as always , beer cans , even if there are trash cans around . Whats up with that ? Anyway , any info on the crappie fishing will be a great help .

Well ,
Got back from Deer Creek and have a dismal report . First thing the Rocky Point bait shops minnows were almost all dead - we got maybe 4 dozen live ones . Put in and hit some boatdock but no crappie . Moved to the first stump field - no crappie , see a pattern here ? Moved up creek to the narrow stump field and found a beaver lodge with lots of brush in the water and ah ha , crappie ! Well , 2" - 6" crappie . Caught one 10"er & 15 little ones . Oh well . Hopefully the weather will warm up and so will the fishing . Water was 48-50 dg . , murky downstream and clearer upstrem . River was level .

Bassmanic1:

I buy my minnows at the "Evansville Worm Ranch" which is located out on Old Boonville Highway in Vanderburgh County just North of Evansville, IN.

The Worm Ranch is located on Old Boonville Highway between Telephone Rd and the new Lynch Road. It's South of the Lynch Road intersection and North of the Telephone Road intersection and it's on the Right (east) side of the road as you head north on Old Boonville Highway. Bob and his son Matt run the place.

They have great bait of all kinds. This is a whole sale shop by they will sell you a dozen or 10 dozen minnows or you can by the minnows by the POUND.

Most of your bait shop owners buy from the worm ranch and then sell the minnows to you at Retail Prices.

I buy a 1/4lb to 1/2lb of minnows at a time. I transport them in two 5 gallon minnow buckets with the bubble aerators lids. I also freeze One Liter sized Water Bottles and then drop them in the minnow buckets to keep the water icy cold. This helps to keep the minnows alive longer.

Keep changing the water every couple of days to remove any waste that accumulates in the water. Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrates will kill the minnows and dirty up the water. Remove any dead minnows ASAP. I use a couple of aquarium air pumps to keep air in my water. I also use the Blue crystals to treat the minnow water. You can buy a jar of this stuff from the Worm Ranch. It will last you more than a few years so if you fish a lot and use a lot of minnows it's worth the money. Better Bait also sells this stuff on line.

Buy your minnows ahead of time and then take a few dozen with you on each trip. That way you don't have to wait for the bait shop owner to get out of bed and sell you minnows the morning of your trip.

A large Stryofoam cooler also makes a great bait bucket and will hold 4 to 8 dozen minnows for several days. Get the bigger ones and keep them outside in the shade somewhere where it's cool during the summer and warm during the winter. Anything above freezing will hold the minnows. Minnows last much longer with clean water and COLD water. I am talking about 45 deg F water. I maintains my water at 50 to 60 deg even during July. I keep several extra 1 liter sized frozen water bottles in a cooler just to add to the minnow buckets as the day wears on while I am out on the lake fishing. This keeps the water cold and the minnows alive.

Hot water holds much less dissolved oxygen and also make the fish's metabolism sky rocket. This creates more fish waste in the process. By keeping the water cold you slow the fish's metabolism down and they don't pee and Crap as much and the water stays cleaner. And cold water hold much more dissolved oxygen which helps keep the minnows health and alive.


quote=bassmanic1;292668]Well ,
Got back from Deer Creek and have a dismal report . First thing the Rocky Point bait shops minnows were almost all dead - we got maybe 4 dozen live ones . Put in and hit some boat dock but no crappie . Moved to the first stump field - no crappie , see a pattern here ? Moved up creek to the narrow stump field and found a beaver lodge with lots of brush in the water and ah ha , crappie ! Well , 2" - 6" crappie . Caught one 10"er & 15 little ones . Oh well . Hopefully the weather will warm up and so will the fishing . Water was 48-50 dg . , murky downstream and clearer upstrem . River was level .[/quote]