Hard bottom, weeds, or topography...

[FishTank]

Just this winter I got permission to fish a private lake near me. I've been working an area pretty hard the past two weeks{12hrs each day both sundays and mondays} and have found ample perch and a couple walleye. The area I'm over is a weedy bottom and it's a spring fed glacial lake, with a bowl like contour to the topography. The far side of the lake is a huge boulder field, and at some point the weeds give way to boulders in the middle of the lake. There's no real coves as the lake is kidney shaped for lack of better mental image. The lake's max depth in one spot is about 35', but for the most part doesn't get deeper than 25'.

I'm interested in hearing any input pertaining to dialing in the crappie, if you were in my shoes, given the afore mentioned info on the lake.

Just wondering where you would start looking for them. The word from first hand reports on this impoundment is crappies to 16".

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Tightlines!!!

 8)

[fiesty]

find where the weeds give over to the boulders, I love it when we find em in the rocks...if conditions are favorable, they'll hang in the rocks for long streches, but I would start on the end of the weedline, if there are that many, you should be catching them in the weed though too...if you've got a finder, try to find suspended fish...if not, fish the entire depth of the water you're over....keep trying and good luck....

[FishTank]

Thanks Fiesty!!!

I do have a portable eagle fish finder, but stopped using it as right now I have it hooked up to the AA power source in the travel container it came with. So when it's in the 20degF range it was only pulling 11volts, and I became suspect of what it was showing me, especially cause it was telling me fish were at 8' under the surface in 20fow. It performed haphazzardly at best, or maybe I don't know what the heck I'm looking at!!! LOL

At any rate maybe Sunday I'll bring it along again as we're supposed to get close to 40degF daytime hi's and the batteries should be warm enough. I think I'm gonna' give it a go to find the weedline/boulder transition area and see what happens.

Worst case scenerio I have the perch bite dialed in on the lake and can settle for them if the crappie don't show.

Thanks again!!!

Tightlines!!!

 8)

[iluvcrappie]

to tell you the truth maybe your finder wasnt lying to you...........I have had fish from 6" off the bottom up to 15 ft off the bottom and only been fishing in 20 fow.............if the fish are aggressive they will come after your bait.............that is the best piece of advice I can give you..........try to find the active fish and make them come up for your lure if they want it bad enough they will follow it as far up as you pull it................as for finding crappies try and find transitions in the bottom or as said before give the weed line a shot it never hurts to have an under water camera to scope out the under water world..............

[DukasGt]

Personally, I awlays look for a plateau or such, maybe a channel between two higher points?  I always try to look at finding crappies like deer hunting.  They are always on the move, so you have to find a highway or funnel point.  I will always choose and inside corner of a contour first, just seems to be my ticket.

[rboot]

Try finding some of the big boulders in deeper water, the crappies might be suspended over those.  It that doesn't work I would try the spots where the weeds give way to the boulders, at first light and last you should be able to intercept the crappies transistioning between food and cover.

[Swift]

Near where the primary food source on the lake is. Each lake is different and can be where you least expect it. They roam but don't roam simply for the sake of it, lunch is usually nearby.

[FishTank]

Thanks for the insight Fellas!!!

The day time hi is supposed to be close to 40degF so I think I'll break out the fish finder for another shot, complete with fresh batteries.

I'm thinking my game plan is going to be finding a transition zone in substrate and a change in the elevation of the bottom. I'll run my traps as usual, starting them out low in the column as the perch are pretty much a lock 15" off the bottom, but I'll reserve one trap to hang at the elevation the electronics tells me the fish are at. I have a pet tip-up that has a hair trigger rigged with a #10 Gami octapus that rarely misses, so I'll probe the given elevation, and jig from bottom up.

I somewhat stick to the rule of thumb "don't leave fish to find fish", and if the perch are a steady pick 15" off the bottom, I get leary moving 5'-8'+ up in the column on a prospect I'm not sure I believe in. Then again nothin' ventured nothin' gained.

Oh well, I'll give it a go and let Ya' know how I fare.

Thanks again for the insight!!!

Tightlines Fellas!!!

 8)

[rboot]

Don't forget that perch and crappie don't hesitate to swin together. . . if the perch are there it's fo a reason.

[FishTank]

rboot, I've been noticing a pattern in the lake in that the perch seem to come in waves, and I'll get a flag in about 12' of water, then a flag in about 20' of water almost instantly, with the bait 15" off the bottom. Then there will be a 10min-15min lag and the same traps go up, and I have 4 out, the other 2 will lay dormant with a flag here or there, but not consistent.

The thing is that when I've hooked up the walleye it was shortly after a flurry, and it was the trap in a hot hole. I'm kinda' wonder'n what the possibility is that cruisin' walleye are drivin' the perch. Also, almost to a T, when the perch hit the trap, they are running deeper, or towards the middle of the lake, rarely parallel to the shore.

Last, the bigger perch are falling to my hand tied marabou jigs, and I'm getting a few short strikes and misses on them, so I'm wondering if the 7"-8" smaller perch aren't out competing the larger or less agressive bigger perch. On the traps I'm using about .5"-1" fatheads.

Just some observations on various repeating phenomena I've been witnessing. I don't know if there's something to it, that would lead one to modify approach to find the crappie that may be mixed in???

Bare in mind too, that I'm still getting to know this impoundment and have maybe thoroughly covered about 1/8 of the total area of the lake, and that may be overstated.

Sunday I have to take into account too that my dad will be fishing with me, so he's a little less patient than I am, so being I have an almost given in the part of the lake I know, he'll opt for the fish on the deck as opposed to poke'n around for possibily better fish, or less action, with the uncertainity chewing away his confidence.

Now Monday, I'm on my own and there's precipitation forecast, so hopefully I can hit the leading edge of the front, and once it sets in will spark a bite and activity, in which case I will be exploring.

So much ice so little time!!!

 8)

[rboot]

Do you have a vex, or some kind of electronics?

[FishTank]

I have a fish eagle by lowarnce, mainly used from the kayak, but don't fully know it, and am suspect of it being that I'm motionless.

From year to year where I'm at in Pa. I can't always bet on ice so droppin' the coin on a vex is a bit much to swallow when I have to watch my budget when it comes to being able to afford fuel to get after the stripers when they move in to my Jersey haunts come the spring. It aint easy being me...

I will have my electronics out for my next 2 trips, and will work with it a bit. When I first tried it a few weeks ago I spent more time foolin' with the unit than I did fish'n.

 8)

[rboot]

well in that case, try the weeds I guess, I've been cathcingnice sized crappie in 5 fow in the thickest weeds.

[Swift]

well in that case, try the weeds I guess, I've been cathcingnice sized crappie in 5 fow in the thickest weeds.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..................There's big Perch & Gills in there too

[WhackMaster]

fish the bowl... i'd start at the deepest spot i could find and work my way out. got a flasher or a fish finder?