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Crappie and rising water #10838340 05/12/15 05:11 PM
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fishful thinking Offline OP
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With the recent rains in Texas and many of the lakes becoming full, I'm wondering how this rising water affects the crappie. The school of though in bass fishing is that bass move into newly flooded timber and you can catch them right on the bank. Do you think crappie do the same thing? Not necessarily move right on the bank, but at least move into the new inundated timber? It always think that crappie are sensitive to new muddy water coming into a lake and shut down, but now that I think about it I just flat out don't fish for crappie when it floods because I don't believe they will bite. What do yall think about this?

Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10838393 05/12/15 05:35 PM
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Mckinneycrappiecatcher Offline
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They're probably really shut down right now. With lakes rising and floodgates open on most lakes there is a current in the lakes that spreads them out.

Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10838765 05/12/15 07:36 PM
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I've got a spot up here in Oklahoma that must be flooded in order to catch em. It's a small creek between a spillway of a small lake and one of our rivers that flows into Eufaula. We have to have a few inches of rain for it to get moving and the crappie swim up as far as they can go. If you find out where they're at, they're gonna be STACKED in there. It's definitely different jigging a fast flowing creek but I love it. I went Saturday and it was wayyy too flooded to fish but I know they were making there way up there. I'm going back after work to check things out.

Here's some pictures from when I went Saturday to give an idea of the conditions lol







Last edited by Bissett; 05/12/15 07:38 PM.


Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10838929 05/12/15 08:38 PM
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Ken Gaby Offline
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Crappie that live in rivers are used to current and periods of muddy water. In rivers, they react the way most fish do and hold up in eddys and other likely ambush spots. Crappie in lakes don't necessarily like a lot or current and tend to shut down when water is rising fast. And they are sensitive to falling water levels also and that hampers the bite. Muddy water usually affects them for 2-3 days, then they adjust and feed again. With an abundance of new water and new cover, I believe the crappie move and cover a lot of territory, especially at night. If there's 3-4 ft of new ground covered, you can still find them at some of the same haunts as before. When there's 6+ ft of new ground, good luck finding them. And that's really hard when the lake has shallow banks and allows for a lot more new ground. About the time they adjust to the new habitat, the gates are open and falling water levels disrupt them again.
Now's a good time to hit the shallows for some catfish.


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Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10839850 05/13/15 02:39 AM
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fishful thinking Offline OP
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Ken, I totally agree with you on the catfish. Went to my local lake today and caught 20 blues.

Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: Bissett] #10840131 05/13/15 06:09 AM
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Duckcreek Davy Offline
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Originally Posted By: Bissett
I've got a spot up here in Oklahoma that must be flooded in order to catch em. It's a small creek between a spillway of a small lake and one of our rivers that flows into Eufaula. We have to have a few inches of rain for it to get moving and the crappie swim up as far as they can go. If you find out where they're at, they're gonna be STACKED in there. It's definitely different jigging a fast flowing creek but I love it. I went Saturday and it was wayyy too flooded to fish but I know they were making there way up there. I'm going back after work to check things out.


Yessir. I used to hit right below the spillway of Mcalester city lake .....number 3 I think. It emptied into Coal Creek and lake Eufaula a short distance away. After a good rain it was awesome for huge slab crappie and big sandies. They'd be up in there for several days until the water started dropping.


Dave Morris



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Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: Duckcreek Davy] #10840218 05/13/15 11:56 AM
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When I was younger (about 20 years younger), when Lavon would flood I would wade fish in the timber and brush that was flooded and knocked the socks off of the crappie. Although, the cottonmouths did present a problem. When you are pulling a stringer of crappie tied to your waist, you'd be surprised how it attracts cottonmouths. But that was just a part of the fun.


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Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10840516 05/13/15 02:01 PM
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Texoma is more than 10' above normal and rising with another 2-4" or rain forecast for today!
Guy, ain't no way I'm wading with a stringer tied to me with snakes chasing 'em! I love crappie fishing as much as anyone but, that just isn't in my plans in this lifetime!


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Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10840642 05/13/15 02:36 PM
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Never had the snakes after the fish but back in the late 60s when Lewisville got on a 2-3 ft rise in the spring, we'd have a blast wading in Cottonwood. Crappie would get in the flooded willows and we'd beach the boat and wade back out to the willow trees with a cane pole, cork and a minnow bucket tied to your waist. Had about 3 ft line with the cork set at 2 ft. Just push the pole back in the trees and wait for the bite. Used those old slim green bottom corks with the red/white stripes on top. Good times back then.


A life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no point. Billy Graham
www.thermoclinelures.com "Helping YOU catch MORE & LARGER fish!"
http://www.crazyanglertackle.com Premium crappie baits and jig tying accessories
http://www.proanglertackle.com Best crappie and catfish rods/reels
http://www.beereadys.com World's Best Rod Holders
Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10841115 05/13/15 04:33 PM
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fishful thinking Offline OP
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The only time I remember ever having success with rising water was when our lake rose a foot or two and began flowing over the morning glory spillway by the dam. The current created by the water kind of sucked the baitfish close to the morning glory. If you cast a jig on the side of the morning glory and let it fall you'd get a big crappie or sandbass almost every cast.

Re: Crappie and rising water [Re: fishful thinking] #10841282 05/13/15 05:24 PM
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If it is a deep lake and clear enough the crappie will suspend in timber along creek channels. We have had rising water for 2 months now and we have been catching them in main creeks around any visible standing timber in water 20-35 feet deep. The crappie was 12-15 foot deep. Throw a jig and count to 10 and slow roll back. Try different counts til you get bit and pay attention to your electronics.They maybe scatteredbut keep skipping from one stob to the next and after while you got a mess.


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