So the past two weekends I’ve been on the lake (LOP) I’ve literally been skunked and I have tried everything. I have found them in 16-20ft of water on the Livescope in many places and I can watch them swim right up to the minnow/jig and then turn and swim away like they’re spooked. I’ve tried every color hook they make, every color jig. Even tried hooking the minnow in different places. Been using 8lb fluorocarbon
Could be a number of things. Crappie don’t often bite those golden shiners you get at the bait shop when there’s a plethora of freshly hatched tiny shad and minnows in the lake. Sometimes the minnow size can make ever difference in the world, even better, get a 1/4” mesh cast net and net your own minnows at the lake. Put something they eat on a regular basis in front of them and you’ll probably get thumped. As a general rule use the lightest line and jighead or weight you can get away with. Downsize your line to 4lb and what I would do is try a small jig, something like one of those tiny Bobby garland jigs, the tail half of a thump buddy, or a tiny slab bandit on a 1/32 or 1/16 oz jighead with a #6 hook (#4 hook will be too big for these tiny baits). My experience with summer time on pines has been that downsizing the jig usually helps.
You could also try cutting the Minnow in half for starters or possibly into 3's and try dropping just a piece of the Minnow down there. That works sometimes as well. It is sometimes referred to as the Headless Horseman.
Good Luck!
ACC CRAPPIE STIX BONEHEAD TACKLE LEWS REELS PEPOPS JIGS FEARLESS JIGS BUBBAS BAITS MAD CRAPPIE JIGS DANS JIGS CRAZY ANGLER TACKLE THERMOCLINE LURES CONSTANT PURSUIT OUTFITTERS MR CRAPPIE POWER PRO SUPER SLICK BRAID BERKLEY VANISH GOLD/TRANSITION LIFT SAVER TROLLING MOTOR MOUNT SHUT UP AND FISH SLAB SYNDICATE JIGS THUMPER ELITE OUTFITTERS
I’ve been picking up quite a few big whites on standing timber there the last few weeks. Not big numbers but a mess of big fillets. Mostly using minnows. You have to move a lot this time of year to find some feeding and even then I usually only catch one or two per active tree. Don’t think twice about leaving fish you know are there because they aren’t biting. If I spend a few minutes on a target and don’t get a hit, I move. I’ve had the most luck in +/- 20ft of water, fishing 10-16ft down. I’m no expert by any means but that’s been working ok for me.
It was tough this weekend for sure but we still managed a limit Friday and Saturday but it took 6 hours to do it. Sunday I had two folks with me and they boated 30 or so fishing 5 hours. Like others posted, keep moving. I would find a pile of fish and catch 1 or 2 pretty quick then nothing. If I fished 10 minutes without a bite I would move on. Friday and Saturday I caught all my fish on 1/4 oz jigs tied in #6 hooks pretty much as small as I could make them along with crappie nibbles. Sunday we used minnows under slip corks. The smallest minnows we could find worked best.
one thing that works for me when the bite gets tuff is I'll try this...in brush, structure, bridges,.. I rig a crappie hook 2/0 on a about a 1 1/2" loop knot, leaving the tag end about 12"-14" long and tying a 3/8 weight on the bottom, looks like a drop shot with a hook on a loop knot. Using a minnow hooked right in the middle, I'll drop it to the very bottom of where we are fishing. Once the weight touches the bottom on a tight line, lower the tip of your pole about 6-8", this lets the minnow swim freely, let it set and try not to move the weight off the bottom. Every 30 seconds or so move the bait a little right - left and do same thing... every so often lightly pop the weight up a couple inches off the bottom, and let it set. I think fish cant refuse a free minnow thats not moving, and looks like its dying on the bottom...be careful because this will also attract big bass and catfish,..I hate that..!!
Lots of great ideas listed here. Main thing is don't get discouraged....we've all been where you're at now. It'll come back around and you'll have a cooler full.
I have not fished that lake yet, but plan to soon. Right now I am seeing the fish in the same locations, but the ones that are biting on Lake Palestine seem to be 8-10 feet deep. Like said above, I will see 40-50 fish on a tree and will only be able to get 1-3 off it. I fish with a bell weight right above a swivel, then a 1.5 - 2 food leader then the jig. I am noticing that once it is down there in front of the fish, I will drop it down fast, then a slow pull up in front of them. Sometimes they just need to get ticked at it. I try to hit them or get right beside them on the drop, then pull up and they will sometimes attack it. If nothing in 3-4 minutes, move to the next tree.
______________________ Chris Gill United States Army Ret Served my Country Proudly! Even Freedom isn't free, people paid with their lives to give us the opportunity to do what we do today! https://lonestarwarriorsoutdoors.org/
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