Nolin??

[JimDi]

Thank you for the respsonse... will post when I return with a report. Still working the kinks out in my new to be boat(1995 Ranger) and hopefully it doesn't give me issues. Was just going to run it at Taylorsville, but I would rather mow the lawn than fish that lake sometimes.

[Big T @ E.C.]

I fished brier creek sunday, did'nt do a bit of good. Came out on the main lake, fished little coves, and sec. Points, wound up catching 6 bass, 1 walleye, 17 1/2". Caught it on a 'trap. Most of the bass on big worm, grn pumpkin or watermelon seed. I fished the banks the wind was blowing on... Tr

[JimDi]

jfw:
Were you in a creek or main lake? Don't want to know what creek, just curious if they are in the creeks or how far back. Seems to me they are moving for the spawn, but not spawning yet. This weekend is the full moon, but don't expect the big push this soon.

[Big T @ E.C.]

I fished piney sat. (1st creek up from the dam, and brier creek sunday, did'nt do any good. All mine came off main lake. I don't think they've moved to the creeks yet. Tr

[Ranger492]

Really only crappie fished last Wed/Thu but was throwing a 2" crappie jig the entire time. Caught several bass both days and was mainly in Dog Creek or main lake coves and deeper pockets. Most of the bass were slots but two were right at 15 and both came in less than 2 ft of water back of Dog Crk near boat ramp area. Each of those two appeared to be females with fat belly's full of eggs.

[JimDi]

How did you do on the crappie? Might try them if the bass aren't hitting....

[Ranger492]

How did you do on the crappie? Might try them if the bass aren't hitting....

Caught 30 keepers in about 8 hours of fishing over two days, so not on fire...but a good mess.

[JimDi]

Probably going to try Red Rock and Conoloway on Friday to start out with. How do you work the crappie jig? I am a complete novice on crappie and only catch them by accident while fishing for bass. I have been going to Nolin since I was 2 years old, I am 45 now, and haven't caught more than 15 crappie, but haven't ever fished for them.

[Ranger492]

Probably going to try Red Rock and Conoloway on Friday to start out with. How do you work the crappie jig? I am a complete novice on crappie and only catch them by accident while fishing for bass. I have been going to Nolin since I was 2 years old, I am 45 now, and haven't caught more than 15 crappie, but haven't ever fished for them.

There are as many answers to that as there are different types of crappie jigs ;-) But personally, I like to search out any wood cover (preferably brush piles or stump fields and then laydowns). I will fish them as shallow as a foot or as deep as 8-12 feet depending on the fish (I have a friend who still fishes them in summer as deep as 15-20). Sometimes you might find brush in 8 ft of water that reaches all the way to the surface...the fish may hold a foot off bottom or be as shallow as a foot or two in/around that tree. They'll tell you what they want. Throw the jig past the cover and count it down to different depths and see what they want. WIND IT SLOW and then SLOW DOWN SOME MORE. Keep your rod tip high with a slight bow in line so you can feel the "tick" when they hit it. Gently set the hook and reel simultaneously (they are not a bass and are called papermouths for a reason). I prefer 1/16 oz horsehead jigs with a small spinner blade but many will say only a plain-round head. I also prefer curly tail grubs 1.5-2 inches long in chartreuse pearl or white pearl (again many prefer tube jigs instead of curly tail...I think all that matters is what you have confidence in).

Besides the method above there is also spider rigging where you cover a lot of ground with as many as 12 rods and pull jigs with trolling motor along shoreline contours or creek channel contours, etc. Many people prefer this method but am neither set up to do it nor inclined to fish that way (just not my preference). It works really well though, especially early before spawn and late after spawn.

Some also fish a jig vertically on a single rod around cover like brushpiles or standing timber and drop it right into or next to the cover.

Again, I prefer to cast to wood and work every angle of a piece of cover several times, catch what I can from it (or not) and move on). It's a bass fisherman's approach to crappie fishing as I call it. Of course, it works best when they are shallower and spawning or preparing to spawn....however, once I catch a few limits in March/April and stock the freezer, I move on to bass fishing anyway.

[jfw]

jfw:
Were you in a creek or main lake? Don't want to know what creek, just curious if they are in the creeks or how far back. Seems to me they are moving for the spawn, but not spawning yet. This weekend is the full moon, but don't expect the big push this soon.

We were up in the river 2nd cove up from wax lots of standing trimber

[Ranger492]

Anybody been crappie fishing at Nolin this week and got a report? Leaving in the morning for the next week and will be crappie and bass fishing all week. Hoping the cold front slows them up a bit and then the warmup brings them shallow for the spawn next week.