Where to go for Crappies?

[perch bait]

Hey everyone, just wondering where some hot spots are for crappies? Retreat Meadows? Champlain? Any feedback would be helpful.

[bootstrap]

champlain

[troutcrazy]

I'm not gonna mention spots in public.  When word gets out, they show up with their vexilars and their hydroglows and their gas augers and catch them until they're gone.  Check your messages.

[perch bait]

Thanks for your feedback, troutcrazy. Hopefully I will be able to catch some crappies with your insight. 

[troutcrazy]

luntfrnd, from your responses in another thread, it seems like you've taken offense at this. 

I wasn't trying to make a criticism of other people's fishing tools.  If I were going to criticize fishing technology, it would be a good-natured and mostly joking around.  Actually I think that would make a pretty good thread. 

Fishermen with gas augers, flashers, hydroglows, pop-ups, and all the expensive tools have a HUGE advantage.  I would more expect someone to laugh and make fun of a low-budget fisherman like myself than to get mad when I talk about it.  "Haha, silly bucket-sitter!  Have fun with your 4 1/2 inch hand auger!"  The fact is I'm broke, and I'd probably buy a Hydroglow if I weren't struggling to keep the heat on.  If I found $100 on the ground it would go toward my December heating bill.

I'm not putting anybody down, but damn straight I'm gonna brag about it a little when I catch crappie with no technology.

I'm not putting anybody down.  I made a statement of fact:  When word gets out about a good crappie spot, people go crazy for them.  You can't tell me that's not true.

The tools I mentioned give the fisherman such a huge advantage that they really can catch ALL the crappie in a small body of water.  With a power auger you can drill a big grid of holes in a likely area.  With the flasher you can check each hole in seconds, and find the depth of the fish.  With the hydroglow, you can go out when the other fish aren't biting, and attract the crappie to your spot.  With a pop-up you can do it in a blizzard. 

I just watched this happen on one of my formerly semi-secret crappie spots.  The guys came every night with hydroglows and caught their limits every night until they were gone.  I'd get there in the morning, count my paces from the tree on the point walking towards the other particular tree, and find the whole area riddled with holes.  (That's right, I don't use gps-- I line up landmarks and count paces).

I don't have a flasher.  I find crappie mostly by being obsessed and doggedly persistent.  I'll fish all day and get skunked, and come back the next day until I find them.  I haven't been fishing for them very long, but I've been completely obsessed for the last year.  I read a lot about their biology and habits, about the structure they prefer at different times of year.  VT F&W has some spots listed.  I ask around a lot.  As you suggested, I have gotten a couple spots from Vexilar guys, but in return I have shared spots with them.  There are some spots I will never share, ones that I found myself and that aren't listed anywhere (yet).

It's all friendly fishing talk!  I enjoy a good-natured argument, but let's be friendly about it please.

 

[BassInVt]

Hey Troutcrazy, Im right there with you.  But I'm not a true believer of how people with all the fancy equipment are better fisherman, or it gives them a advantage.  I am a true believer of having to work for what you have.  That is a rule in my life.  I came up from nothing. This goes with my fishing also.  I love the hunt.  From what I am reading from you, it sounds like you do too.  I admire that. tight lines, and may the crappie gods smile upon you.

[pikeaddict]

Having the fancy equipment doesn't make you a better fisherman, but it does give you an advantage.  I will use flashers as an example. You still need to know how to finesse fish, pick the right bait/lure combination, find structure etc.  Where the advantage comes in is with flashers it tells you what you need/want to know.  There's fish there, there's no fish there, they're suspended, they're looking just not hitting, they don't like my fishing method etc.  The fisherman is still the one putting the fish on the ice.

[gogetthegaff]

Here's what I can tell you from my limited experience with crappies without giving away anyone's honey holes. We have caught them in small ponds, shallow from 4 - 6 FOW. Usually above the weeds to just under the ice. We have caught them in ponds in deeper holes to 12 FOW or so, suspended 3-5' below the ice. On Champlain we have caught them on structure, but also frequently in deeper water (to 30') or troughs near structure. Seems like when they are in deeper water they usually suspend a few feet to 10' from bottom, but a couple weeks ago we caught a few beauties right on bottom to a foot off. I think they are pretty spread out and you have to search some to find them, but there is no shortage of water bodies that hold crappies. Electronics, while not vital, can make a huge difference. Especially finding suspended fish but also anticipating strikes because they can be very light biters. What to use? We've caught them on everything from small tungsten jigs with a spike or two to a larger rattle spoon like a Buckshot with a perch eye or minnow head, to fatheads on a lead head jig or just a plain hook. My advice is get yourself into an area that has weeds with nearby structure and deeper holes. Keep searching and you will find them. That's how we did it. Tight lines!

[Smelty88]

The crappie fascination, fascinates me!

[vtwaterfowler]

It's a money fish, so people hold there spots pretty territorially! 20-25 crappies can make you up to 80 bucks! I've never done that many myself in a day but I think many people on the VT forum have! Good reason to keep it on the down low! 

[gogetthegaff]

It's a money fish, so people hold there spots pretty territorially! 20-25 crappies can make you up to 80 bucks! I've never done that many myself in a day but I think many people on the VT forum have! Good reason to keep it on the down low! 

Never sold a fish in my life. I think for us it's a matter of something different, maybe a bit more elusive than other species like perch which are not particularly hard to find or catch. Plus they look pretty cool, and those white's that can run 14" or better have a pretty nice fillet on them.

[jonny jigger]

there not that hard to find trick is if you find them keep it quit you can stay on a school all winter i stayed on one four 5 weeks limet everyday  once people know they are there they will push them out good luck

[BassInVt]

gogetthegaf, Im right there with you. Its the elusive fish that can easily produce a nice trophy.  I personally have NEVER caught a crappie thru the ice.  I've caught them thru the summer months.  Some place's i would never have thought they would be.  I would love to catch a  nice slab crappie to have it mounted.  also i have never eaten them, so i would like to try some in my frying pan

[troutcrazy]

BassInVt, you better get yourself some and fry up some big fillets!     They can seem mushy if your oil or pan isn't hot enough.  But if you fry 'em at 350 degrees dipped in cornmeal they are delicate and delicious.

jonny that's a lot of crappie!  25 fish times 35 days... 875 crappie!  Leave some for me   Put a couple of guys on a spot like that and you can wipe out the school quick.  I've got two spots this winter, both on smaller lakes, and I have to resist the urge to fish them out.  I've only caught a few on Champlain this winter, and those have been in spots where lots of people fish and there's definitely a crowd of guys going after them and they get 'em all.

Haha, here I found this video that should be called "How to not catch crappie"

[tracker one]

that video is a hoot!!

[jonny jigger]

i should rephrase that i stayed on the school for 5 weeks but only got to fish 3 days out the week so is was only 75 fish pure week but it was fun and made some fast cash not counting the sunnys to.

[VTMatt]

It's a money fish, so people hold there spots pretty territorially! 20-25 crappies can make you up to 80 bucks! I've never done that many myself in a day but I think many people on the VT forum have! Good reason to keep it on the down low! 

I don't think it's legal to sell crappie in Vermont anymore. Maybe someone can confirm?

[troutcrazy]

Yup, it's legal.  There was talk last spring of reclassifying them to "sportfish" which would have made it illegal, but it didn't happen.

[pikeaddict]

Yup, it's legal.  There was talk last spring of reclassifying them to "sportfish" which would have made it illegal, but it didn't happen.

It didn't happen, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen in the future. 

[Lord_of_the_Perch]

Last summer by the sandbar I went out every day for a week. I was bass fishing but saw the same 2 guys camping out on the culverts pounding the piss out of crappies for money. I spoke with them for insight and they were nice guys but damn....2 pails of fish a day. This isn't the ocean  I'm not gonna get into the selling of fish debate but I will tell you that wiping spots dry changes the ecology of an area overnight.

....the limit is 25. They must be huge Crappie!

[stubborn1]

It's pretty tough to "wipe out the ecology of an area" that is attached to a body of water 125 miles long.  Fish move in and out of the shallows of Sandbar every day. 

[perchhauler]

if it takes 2 guys camping out to get 2 pails they aint wiping out much. when it comes to crappie fishing, seems the better you are the more haters you have!