Questions For Any Crappie Experts

For the past 4 mornings I’ve fished a Pool 9 backwater. This area has a consistant 8 feet depth. Friday I got a line in the water by 7:15. Caught a 12 1/2 crappie first time down the hole on a pink cecil. This fish marked on the Vexilar at about 5 feet. No more crappies were caught or seemed to mark no matter what jig I used. Saturday I got there earlier, about 6:45. Caught an 8 inch crappie first time down the hole at 5 feet again using pink cecil. Had a couple fish come unhooked that were right on the bottom, then hooked another crappie, about 10 inches. Had three more fish come unbuttoned that came up off the bottom, felt like crappies the way they bit and pulled on the line. Sunday got there even earlier, 5:45, used a glow Ratso at 1st, marked nothing. After about 15 minutes switched to a glow cecil, caught 3 crappies all at the 5 foot mark. No more fish after 6:30 except for a nice gill. Today, got there about 6:45, caught a 13 inch crappie in the second hole I fished, nothing else except 2 short bass, left at 8:00.

My questions are where do the go, why do the stop feeding? What else should I try to get a more long term bite? The 1st 3 days I stayed fishing until 1:00 or so getting a few gills, both keepers and dinks. They are usually right on the bottom as are the short bass. I even tried minnows at 5 feet, but nothing bit. I’m stumped, I hope the pros or anyone on here can give me some tips. Thanks!!!

Crappie love looking up. Most of my shallow water success this winter invlve jigging the heck out of top 3 to 5 feet then when they showed up dropping the hammer. This is not a dead stick technique.

I’m no expert on crappies except for eating them!

From My experience.. crappies like to move around abit threw out the day!! I’m thinking if you were in an area with a larger school you would be marking more fish and at the very least getting some chasers..

I think you need a new location… try and bounce around.

Find the dead falls or brush in that slough. Most likely they are actively feeding low light. As light approaches they are moving into any near or available cover. Cloudy days and changing pressure should make a larger window for the suspended open water fish your catching. I would also suggest you go to plastic for a more finesse bite as the sun moves overhead!

I think your fish are on the move. In 8 foot water, I’d be jigging just under the ice down to maybe three feet under it. Moving fish are likely feeding fish.

I’d be popping a ton of holes and moving from one to another every couple minutes and I’d forget about fishing any more than 4 feet of line.

Have you tried fishing a conventional 1/32 head with a gulp 1″ minnow or even a 2″ gulp minnow? With days getting longer crappies will start to look for more of a meal rather than sit and wait for worms to wiggle out of the mud. Small minnows get noticed about now.

Try the jig/gulp minnow on an open water rod so you stand back away from the hole too. Using that combination work that jig right up until its at the bottom of the ice, no more than 6″ under it. Lots of late winter crappies will feed on junk that’s floated up and hung on the bottom of the ice sheet. Working that minnow bait right there will get noticed.

On skinny water keep shuffling from hole to hole. If crappies are under that bait and see it above or see it from the side they’ll come to it without any hesitation if they are actively feeding.

To many people fail to get larger in the bait offering department when the days get longer.

Something else to think about is this larger mass of weather thats taking a shot at us right now. Fish will react to big systems like this several days prior to the actual event. It may be that the fish are skittish because of this and are super scattered right now.

Dont be afraid to jig just under the ice, could be they were to high to even register on your electonics…. My go to crappie rig is a tungsten jig and plastics…

Thanks for all the tips so far. I do agree I may be missing the just under the ice bite because of the focus on the Vexilar. If it was warmer and the water was “running down the holes” I doubt if I would be using the Vex. What many of you described as hole hopping I did this on this body of water years ago. And they were always just under the ice then too. Usually used orange or pink Purist and Rembrandts.Maybe I need to go back to olds school techniques.

Chasing crappies last Saturday 5 of us with 4 augers punched about 150 holes to get our 39, keep moving till you find them …

Id drill more holes stay active hole hopping look for the. Lay downs and also the weed lines or lilly pads try moving shallower your bait fish should be in the weeds the active feeders should be in the shallows

On the Pool 4 and 5 backwaters people look at me like I am crazy drilling over 100 holes before I’ll start seriously fishing. If I don’t mark a fish immediately, I’m on the move until I do, and 9 out of 10 times that fish is a crappie and coming topside (cough) red little atom micro nuggies….