Over the past few summers i have caught more and more big crappies (12-14in) on a lake near me while walleye fishing.
last winter i took a day but was not able to find the big crappies i wanted. The problem is that this lake is very large and the crappie bite is just starting to get good. It is a classic walleye lake with an unbelievable amount of structure and huge flats. Any ideas to narrow my search?
Find a large basin and check the inside turns and points. I fish a similar lake and the past few years fishing shallower in smaller holes that have a hard bottom seem to be putting out bigger fish. The holes with soft bottoms or mud don’t seem to hold the larger fish.
how deep does that lake get to? i would look near there around this time of year. They don’t really have to relate to structure. I use a humminbird and should look like a christmas tree if they are schooled.
Like I said the lake is very large one basin gets to 94 feet another few basins hit 60-70 feet and many basins hit the 40 foot average. The problem is there is so much structure it could take a week of strait fishing to cover all the spots I see as fishable. I am not afraid to reveal the lake because it is known as a walleye lake and not many people target crappies on it yet. It you want a challenge take a look at the west basin of island lake resivior north of Duluth Minnesota and tell me what you think.
Sam, good question. I admit, I fish a totally different type of water here in Kansas so I may be of little help. We fish reservoirs that are 4000 to 17000 acres and relatively featureless other than the channel. In winter we catch our biggest fish near the deepest parts of the lake. The key for me is to cruise the channel or even deep flats thoroughly and watch for the truckload of fish to show up on your screen in sub-40 degree water. After marking a school we generally move to the edge and find something sticking up to key on, but sometimes we slow troll double 1/8-ounce jigs in the area.
As for the larger lakes, the prevailing wind direction of the last few days seems to help and the areas which may collect the flow. I’m sure you’re more than aware of that though. I guess I’d plan out a specific route to search, fire up the sidescan and plan on cruising a lot at a decent speed.
That’s a great idea getting out in the fall and finding them with a boat before the ice gets here! That will give me a starting point at first ice. I will try to get out there soon.
Yes sir. I hope you find ’em. Best of luck out there. Let me know how it goes.
Use and trust your locator. Basin fish will be somewhat scattered, yet relating to something. If they lake isn’t infested with crappies, it will take time and effort to keep after finding patterns. Good luck with it.
I’d find shallower bays/flats that top out at about 26 feet. Masses of crappies will focus on these flats and feed heavily on young of the year minnows, even smaller sunfish. These flats will be best if they are found between or adjacent to the winter digs. Personally I like the wind to do the boat moving when on flats and adjust jig size to the line size and drift speed but be prepared to tie on a sock or toss a light anchor to slow things up if you mark fish but don’t seem to get hits. And at this time of year take minnows, waxies, Gulp and plastic/hair jigs. And be sure to carry plenty of color choices. These fall fish can change preferences in a blink and being prepared is essential. Change color and bait often until you hit on what they want.
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