crappie on bottom

[upjon]

fished all day today,managed 4 crappie, any \where from 2ft to 8ft off the bottom in 16 fow,,,this guy walks on the lake at 3 30   drills 30 holes close to one another walks off the lake at 445   with 9 crappie,,i asked him what column of water he was in ,,he said 2inches off the bottom,,,he had no electronics,,,i said to him bs,,they are not on the bottom,,,he drop it down,, and boom ,,1 more for the bucket,,,is this normal,,or just the lake

[lefty2053]

Was he walking on water or Ice? LOL

That sounds interesting to me. I have been looking for Crappie and see them on my screen but I can't buy a bite. Never on bottom but 2-6 ft up.

[Van_Cleaver]

Crappie are funny in how often they change there habits. My favorite lake sometimes has them 3-4' off in 9-10fow, but sometimes they are glued to the bottom like perch and have to be coaxed up. Either way I seem to have better luck catching them a little higher in the water column.

[Swift]

Depends on the lake and what they're feeding on and/or what they're feeding on is feeding on. Have taken them on the bottom where they were into slurping worms for a bit. Or their minnow prey was down there eating something to their liking. Not uncommon on the same lake to have them scrapping their backs on the ice, figure out what they're feeding on and when, then be there

[bigredonice]

They are fish.  there is little rhyme or reason to what they do at any given time, especially crappies.    This year I limited out on crappies in open water in front of a very busy boat launch, basically fishing the hole at the end of the ramp.   Go figure.  Try the whole water column.   I've even caught them a foot under the ice in 30+ feet of water.

[sparky]

That's where I start all the time and keep changing depths until I find the zone.  Sometimes they will just hug the bottom and hardly move.  Next time your on the same lake try bouncing your bait off the bottom a couple of times and than raise it up.  You'll create a small cloud of sediment and the fish will come into investagate.

[fiesty]

depends on how active they are, depends on the clarity of the water....we catch em on bottom to just under the ice....usually in clear water on active fish, even if we are in thirty plus foot I only fish with about ten foot of line out..the active fish will find the jig....other days they are buried in the mud....thats fishing....

[rswope2004]

The biggest crappie i caught through the ice was on the bottom.  But most of the time if you see fish suspended its crappie.  At least the lake i fish in.  the perch hug the bottom and crappie are suspended.  They can be anywhere.  They are where the food is like any other species.

[diealive]

If they are not on bottom, try mid level. You can guarantee they'll be suspended.

[shiner5]

this one pond i fish allways has them on the bottom to,,must be the pond or lake

[fl18guy]

caught mine today in 4' fow and on bottom six inches. Never caught a crappie that shallow thru ice. Flasher was saying 3.6 ft deep. to me really weird.

[fiesty]

love it when they are shoal...makes for awesome sight fishing.....

[TeeBugg]

this one pond i fish allways has them on the bottom to,,must be the pond or lake

Same here. Always on the bottom. At most maybe a foot off

[fish-kabob]

all the crappie i cought in the winter are with in a foot of the lake bottom. except with the suspend only some will suspended in late winter most will be with in a foot of the lake bottom most of the time inches of the lake bottom. there huging bottom cuase weeds die off no cover to hide from big game fish. any ways they blend in better at the bottom of the lake. you got to remember there are transition periods between cold water, eaaly ice, and late winter, there is ten periods and the fish behave differently threw out the year.  then those periods like winter versus spring or summer etc there all different i think you are in the latest part of late winter and close to ice out maybe 1/2 a month away ... ware the weed are dead  and they are hugging the bottom and some are suspended any ware from 1 foot -20 foot . but the most will be with in a couple inches of the bottom.

[fiesty]

every lake is different....some New England lakes they never go anywhere near bottom throughout winter...
others they very seldom move off bottom.....

[fish-kabob]

every lake is different....some New England lakes they never go anywhere near bottom throughout winter...
others they very seldom move off bottom.....

that is a true state ment cause some lake are newer and deeper then others in age. see lakes  they tend to load up with dust dirt over time or age.  they get shallower over time and when the lake stratifi or layer the tempture in the warter colum during the fall and winter months. some times water it is  colder in deeper in the water then it is in shallow lakes so in shallow lakes. so they will hang on the bottom ware in deeper lakes they suspened. see why that is a true statement...

but any ways  there are so many varibles that it is hard to say this lake will do this when you realy need to do this. the books i always mention are just  a guide line on how to figure them out. most of all the books crappie wisdom and ice fishing secerects by infishermenbolth book are by infisher men you mite be able to find a cheap used copy on half.com .  as always best of luck....

[onice2013]

I was getting soft bites but no takes on smallest size swedish pimple with a teardrop a foot up tipped with spikes. The crppie were definitely suspended ten to fifyeen ft off the bottom 20 to 30 fow. I could see them on my showndown but they weren't biting mode.. tried but, they wouldn't hit in several areas of the lake  so the bite was off  both Saturday and Sunday for me and my fishing buddy.  My fishing lunar watch wasn't showing any fish either We also our limit of tipups baited with lively shiners suspended off the bottom a few feet. Not one flag.. either day.. and we tried three different locations on this lake. Sometimes the bite is off but I wish I knew why.

[fiesty]

sometimes it's just that area...deep, shoal, whatever might be off...many times we find certain areas may be off on a lake, but other areas are cranked...don't be afraid to move.....gotta stay on ACTIVE fish to catch numbers of fish....

[onice2013]

We pulled our sleds and did a lot of walking. As I said, the fish were showing up on the electronics but they were not really interested, We always try locating the ledges and creek beds too. I'm hoping sometime soon we get into them real good before the ice melts.. it is looking good so far for safe ice this February at least in Sullivan county ny

[Townie]

Search everywhere! I fished a lake for years before finding a nondescript spot in the middle of 9-10' featureless flats-- gills & crappie were there in numbers. Go figure 

[fish-kabob]

I was getting soft bites but no takes on smallest size swedish pimple with a teardrop a foot up tipped with spikes. The crppie were definitely suspended ten to fifyeen ft off the bottom 20 to 30 fow. I could see them on my showndown but they weren't biting mode.. tried but, they wouldn't hit in several areas of the lake  so the bite was off  both Saturday and Sunday for me and my fishing buddy.  My fishing lunar watch wasn't showing any fish either We also our limit of tipups baited with lively shiners suspended off the bottom a few feet. Not one flag.. either day.. and we tried three different locations on this lake. Sometimes the bite is off but I wish I knew why.

did you try to get it about 1foot to 6 inches above these suspened in the water colum?  try the same tear drop tiped with a minnow tail head cut off and jigging it to attract them. so that would be 9 to 14 foot down going buy what you said. you should be able to see you jig as it falls on the show down ...  ya crappie are after minnow so horzintal jigs work best for this  with the minnow tail. ya there eye are not on the bottom of their head so you got to get it above the crappie a bit so they can see it. ya and thsoe were most likely gills with that soft bite that is how gills bite they get real close to the jig and litely suck it in i have a problem some times detecting them on a spring bobber some times. any ways wish you the best... 

[onice2013]

yes , I watch the column, the depth/my lures/the fish easily show up on my showdown. I caught a few teasing them up by slowly twitching and than still the rod tip as I slowly lift.. see the fish react and follow.. look at it and move back down.. as I said, this weekend the bite was off,, perhaps they were eating some tiny hatch or just were not in feeding mode. Me and my friend know Our jigs and do quite well when the bite is on. Hoping to get out this week again on a different lake. I really want to jig and will leave the tipups behind for this lake is good jigging water.

[ejp419]

We have been nailing crappies this winter. 95% of them are within 3 ft of the bottom. Silver Swedish Pimple or Forage Minnow tipped with a mealworm or minnow head/tail. They can't resist...Good luck

[onice2013]

We have been nailing crappies this winter. 95% of them are within 3 ft of the bottom. Silver Swedish Pimple or Forage Minnow tipped with a mealworm or minnow head/tail. They can't resist...Good luck

I'm confident where I fish, just waiting for next trip

[fish-kabob]

yes , I watch the column, the depth/my lures/the fish easily show up on my showdown. I caught a few teasing them up by slowly twitching and than still the rod tip as I slowly lift.. see the fish react and follow.. look at it and move back down.. as I said, this weekend the bite was off,, perhaps they were eating some tiny hatch or just were not in feeding mode. Me and my friend know Our jigs and do quite well when the bite is on. Hoping to get out this week again on a different lake. I really want to jig and will leave the tipups behind for this lake is good jigging water.

by the way you said that it sound like gills coming up to look at the bait seeing it move and swimming back down to ignore it. but you would know if you cought them that day or not.   

i hear you on the bite was off who know maybe some of this info will help you the fish suspend differently during different time of the year so here is a pic out of two book one ice fishing secerets and the other crappie wisdom  bolth by infisher men they can be found used on e bay's  half    .com  any ways wish you the best mite have to search for them.

[onice2013]

kabob with all due respect, I know you are very knowledgable and appreciate your help. I first want to point out that this is a  hydro electric power reservoir with little weed line even the flats have little weeds because there is consistant water level changes in this reservoir. The only thing I can think of are points and dropoffs and the deep end which has been too thin to ice fish last few seasons. 

[Ironeagle]

It's prob because he was fishing active fish. Did you try to move around any? You need to move and find active bitters. Do t waste your time of locked up fish. About every time when crappie bite is on first drops down a fresh hole will get you couple fish. So keep moving.

[onice2013]

It's prob because he was fishing active fish. Did you try to move around any? You need to move and find active bitters. Do t waste your time of locked up fish. About every time when crappie bite is on first drops down a fresh hole will get you couple fish. So keep moving.

next time we should have better luck, I know what you are saying because that is how we think too. We know not to stay in one spot for more than 15 minutes especially when we both have fishfinders.. we also concentrate on the main dropoffs and underwater structures near channels too trying to avoid the dead zones.

[fiesty]

that's right...move move move...till you find active fish....no point in wasting your time on inactive fish.....

[fish-kabob]

kabob with all due respect, I know you are very knowledgable and appreciate your help. I first want to point out that this is a  hydro electric power reservoir with little weed line even the flats have little weeds because there is consistant water level changes in this reservoir. The only thing I can think of are points and dropoffs and the deep end which has been too thin to ice fish last few seasons.

first off never sit arond that is true. second try crotches like this the lake i fish is a damn up river with a ton of weeds. althought your fishing spot is the oppsite.  they tend to follow the old river cuts or channels in to ware there going to be. like on this pic i marked two crotches , one at the top and one mid way in the river. when you find these it is like fishing a point for bass. the crappie will run shad and minnows up on to the points so it get close to them like right were the "x"   mark the spot is. i set mine up at night and catch them under the lantren light. some times moving screws you up some time it does not help at night. any ways study this maybe you can give a better idea of what your damned up river looks like.  is it shallow or does it drop off is it wde covering a large area or like a river with a ton of feeder creeks there are 5-6 different type of damned up reservoir's. can't help unless you give more info you know and at that point it may give it away. any ways they all fish the same it is eiter fish the drop or the crotches like marked in this pic. i would try to locate a map of the lake showing the river before the damn went in. this will show the old river channel then when they flooded it if forms a lake over these crotches are under water that i am refering too.  you may have to scout it out i find it best to be at the closest crotch to deep water. and stay mid lake were it is mid deep not up by the damn were it is deepest. like your saying it will be thin or no ice there. cause moving water does not frezee this is ware thsoe mid lake crotches come in.  you go to the left on the pic it is too shallow and the fish are not there the mid section of this picture i took has the best area to fish. any ways hope this help you out the more you can give the more i can...