Crappie / makin em bite, help

[rtwing]

Ok, I have access to a private dock on Cumberland. I regularly go down and use a cast net to catch shad for bait (or just b/c I'm bored and want to practice/kill time). I regularly catch significant #s of what would be keeper crappie (as well as some very nice Ky bass) but of course can't keep them. Because I know there are lots of good size crappie suspended under and around the dock, I've taken my kids down a couple of nights with minnows and shad, experimented with light line, hooks, shallow, deep, extra lights, yadaydadayada. Lucky to catch one or two over 4 hours or so. I guess its as simple as explaining that these fish are suspended and not feeding but I've now fished for many hours and haven't been lucky enough to be there during a feeding cycle.

Any ideas? Do they just not actively feed under such situations? Its a bear to fish in a spot for a couple of hours, decide to head home, throw the net one last time and catch multiple fish and bait just to have the pleasure of letting the kids throw em back . . .

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[smljaw]

4-6 pound line. 1.5" or 2" white tube jig (make sure you have several colors but white tends to work best). 1/32 oz jighead... Drop jig straight down next to dock edges. Let it go down deep (20'+). Reel up REAL SLOW and give the rod tip a super light jiggle as you're reeling up. Let me know how you do.

This works best from October - April but works in summer too. Will catch lots of good crappie and Kentucks!!!

Good luck!

[rtwing]

Thanks smljaw. I'll try anything. Knowing 13-15" crappie are there (b/c of catching them in the net) drives me nuts when I can't catch em in a manner I can keep a few for the skillet.

[smljaw]

Keep it simple and use small baits. Mix and match jig colors to find what works. I prefer white or salt/pepper in clear water. I'll also drop chartruse/red or pink tubes. Try black or staight chartruse too... Make sure to report back with results.

Again, if you can stand the cold weather, try this technique between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. Results on BIG SLAB CRAPPIE will surprise you...

[LH]

I have my best luck catching suspended crappie late in the spring to early summer. Its more of a post spawn pattern for me that will last up until the lake develops a thermocline, which usually happens here around the first of July. When the thermocline sets in fish will relate to cover more. When catching suspended crappie you have to be right in the zone the fish are at, if you are off even a couple of feet you may not catch a thing. If you are using a slip bobber you can measure ahead of time and know how deep you are fishing and pull a foot or two deeper as you fish to find them. I usually tightline over suspended fish and I will mark my line, with paint or fingernail polish. You can mark your line at 15ft. and 20ft. or if the fish is deeper 20 and 25ft. deep. If my line is marked at 20ft. and I graph fish at 18ft. deep I pull my 20ft. mark 2ft. above the water's surface. On this pattern I usually use minnows but shad would work great to. If you drop down and your minnow or shad is dying, you are not in the strike zone. A lot of times until you find that right zone your minnow will die for lack of oxygen. Once you find it, he will do fine. If I know the fish are in the area I am fishing, I don't try to draw a lot of extra baitfish. I know a lot of crappie fishermen do that, and in certain areas I am sure its a must, but when the crappie are already there feeding on a few baitfish why draw in hundreds more of baitfish. Think about it, if you have hooks in 3-4 shad around a school of 50 shad, and a hour later after lights are out the school of shad has grown to 100-150, what has this done to your odds. I catch suspended crappie a lot of times right over the channel or right in the middle of it. They are not relating to any cover, relating more to shad. The shad are done there and if you don't do everything right you won't catch a thing. Its hard competing against a school of shad with a crappie minnow, but it can be done. I have a lot better success with live bait on this pattern as with artificial, I am sure there may be a bait out there that works well but at night I have always done well with live bait. If you are not graphing fish real deep and there probably fairly deep on the big Cumberland you may try using 4lb. test and a #4 golden hook with a minnow, no sinkers. I usually just pull out line and let the minnow sink down. This can really intice a reluctant crappie to bite, the only disadvantage would be if they are real deep. It can take a while to get the minnow to the fish. Sounds like you have done found the fish so you have a lot of the hard work over with. Good luck and I hope this helps.

LH