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 Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
#5358371
09/30/10 06:08 AM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,412
TarponFly
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,412 |
Welcome to the 2010 "Annual Crappie Run" up the creeks!
Hello to everyone and welcome back to another exciting winter crappie run. If you didnt know, my name is Carey Thorn. I am your licensed DFW Bank Fishing Guide (and a little bit of personal water craft fishing as well). If you have missed my seminars @ Bass Pro Shop or Cabela's, I will try to give out enough info to get you started on some crazy crappie action in the dead middle of the winter, from the BANK! So if you like crappie fishing and you winterize your boat, or you dont have a boat, this will be some of the best crappie fishing of the season.
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 (Picture of client.)
-Crappie Fishing the Creeks: Quick notes
- Jig and Bobber-(bobber is a peggable 2 inch slip on line type so you can adjust it as you move about the creek into different depths
- typical slip bobber w/ bobber stopper for fishing deeper than 5 ft. 1/32 oz jig with your color choice of body w/ 4-6 lb line (fluorocarbon is my choice) A minnow will work with these two rigs as well.
- 6.5 to 7 foot rod medium action. I dont care to much for the ultra light gear and midget rods. My creeking gear consists of a Berkley Cherrywood Rod ($20) w/ a Quantum Optix 20 Spinning Reel ($20), Berkley Trilene XL mono ($5-$6), and at the end of the line I tie on 6 ft of Fluorocarbon 6 lb ($5-$6) The creeks are usually pretty clear around the DFW area in the winter and anglers walking around the banks all day tend to pressure the fish more so super clear line is a must.
- Polarized Glasses- takes the glare off the water so you can see fish and structure. Fishing w/o them results in missed opportunities.
 (White Rock Creek Crappie have huge shoulders on them. 2 lb crappie are not uncommon)
- Baseball Cap- Helps with the glare on the water.
- During the winter, the shad migrate up the creeks to follow the shad. If the shad stay in the main lake in some areas that are shallow, they will die. The creeks are usually warmer than the main lake with rocks and mud that hold heat. Some days the shad get so thick it looks like you can walk across the creek on them.
 (Happy Dad)
 (Happy Kid)
- Look for stucture- crappie obviously holds to structure. A small boulder, tree, brush, sunken objects, debris piles, trash build ups (foam, plastic, and other floatable objects build up behind a laid downed tree; it produces a tent for the crappie. They will be stacked up under the mat of trash on the surface. And usually there is some good structure under the trash mat.You will be amazed what comes out of them, or actually, under them.
-Stay out of fast moving water (crappie dont like moving water)If your stuck will moving water, fish behind the breaks such as: Boulders, stumps, trees, ect...
 (It is cold out, so dress warm. I was colder than these guys!)
-if you catch one crappie, there are more right where you got that one usually.
- if you dot catch anything in 15 minutes of covering every depth in one little area, MOVE!
- If the barometric air pressure is 30.20 or above, clean the house or something. They (the fish) have headaches basically and usually wont bite. (in my opinion fishing over the years in "shallow waters": 29.80 and below are good fishing, falling pressure is usually better, rising pressure usually turns them off a bit or shuts them down completely.)
 (2 Man Limit @ Rowlett Creek with one of my personal water crafts (in the background) I guide out of. Limited to 3 clients per trip in those.)
 (Schooled up crappie hanging on a ledge.)
 (The Crappie were stacked 7 ft from the bottom on top of each other. It was impossible for your jig to hit the bottom w/o a bite.)
My water temp schedule:
Water Temperature: 70 Degrees
Overview: As baitfish move farther back into the creeks and in the shallows, crappie follow and start feeding on wandering schools of baitfish.
Key Location: Check channels, points and flats in the back half of the coves. You should find fish anywhere from two to 12 feet deep.
Pattern: Cover water quickly, hit all structure you can find, hit shady side first, if fishing a stump - hit all (4) corners & and spend less than a minute per corner and move to the next structure.
Water Temperature: 65 Degrees
Overview: Same as above.
Key Location: Crappie uses the same routes they took in spring to move back to the main lake. Find them in creek channels and cover depths in the 6-12 foot depth range.
Primary Pattern: Cast jigs or minnows around creek channels and try to find brush piles and underwater logs.
Water Temperature: 60 Degrees
Overview: Colder nights. As the temps drop and it continues, many crappie begin to leave the main lake and start up the creeks.
Key Location: Deep points and steep bluff banks at or near the mouths of the creeks hold large schools of crappies in the 6- to 22 ft area..
Primary Pattern: Drifting live minnows and/or jigs. Also vertical jigging is an option.
Water Temperature: 55 Degrees
Overview: Things start to get into movement as more and more crappie start to migrate up the creeks.
Key Location: Deep points and steep rock bluffs near creek mouths hold concentrations of fish.
Primary Pattern: Drift jigs or minnows, fish pylons, brush piles, stumps, and under trash piles.
Water Temperature: 50 Degrees
Overview: Its getting better now!
Key Location: Same as above
Primary Pattern: Crappie are holding tight to structure until night fall when they spread out to feed.
Water Temperature: 45 Degrees
Overview: Crappies have settled into a winter pattern now, setting up on deep channels and structure.
Key Location: Deep pockets mainly in the creek bends, brush, rock piles, timber, under trash mats (where trash and debris clog up in one spot on the creek making shade) 8 to 20 feet deep.
Primary Pattern: Fish the bottom along bends and pronounced drop-offs. (example: depth is 10 ft and drops to 15 or 20 ft.
Water Temperature: 40 Degrees
Overview: Crappie are in full swing winter mood.
Key Location: Channels with brushy cover or submerged standing timber. Look for crappies 4-20 feet deep. (4 foot deep? Yes 4 ft deep, if youre questioning this, hit up my next seminar)
Primary Pattern: minnows and jigs.
Game Wardens Direct Numbers
(that work Rowlett Creek & White Rock Creek):
Martin- 214-886-4074
Sergio- 972-754-2934
Fishing Tackle I Recommend:
- 4-6 Pound Fluorocarbon Fishing Line.
- Crank Baits, Jigs, and Minnows.
- Polarized Glasses.
- 6-7 Foot Medium Action Rod
- Spinning Reel
- A Cooler With Ice, To Transport Fish
- Stringer
- Fishing License
( some people have other opinions )
Guided Trips:
(Fly Fishing, Lure Fishing, Or Bait Fishing)
- $150/Half Day for up to 2 anglers. $75 each additional angler.
- $275/Whole Day for up to 2 anglers. $75 each additional angler.
- All tackle provided if needed.
- AM trips are sun-up till 12pm
- PM trips are 1pm till dark.
- FISH GUARANTEE--> If you don't Catch a fish or don't learn anything, Don't Pay! ( Has yet to happen )
- Private Message Me, Call Me, Email Me, or go to my website and click on "Book at Trip" to schedule a guided trip with me. All my information is below.
( I had a lot of clients over the years, buddy up with others from the forum and split a trip. So, if you cant afford the whole thing by yourself, post on this thread you are looking to split a trip. I'm sure someone will! If you are having problems finding someone, contact me and I will help you out.)
-Right now I am booking trips already for the run. If you would like to be on the "first to call list" Go to my website and book a trip, and in the comment box, type "Put me on the list!" So when they start to show up in the creeks, I will call everyone in the order they booked a trip and find a day to put you on the fish. Last year a lot of people didnt get to fish with me because I was booked solid. So dont wait to long!
-Now stay tuned to this thread for future reports and updates from me and everyone else.
It's not called fishing. It's called catching.[/color]
Last edited by TarponFly; 09/30/10 04:17 PM.
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: TarponFly]
#5359294
09/30/10 03:11 PM
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,753
marktx
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,753 |
Great info like always Carey. I hope you the best in the upcoming fishing season.
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: marktx]
#5359651
09/30/10 04:27 PM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 715
No Net Needed
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 715 |
A good day fishing is not losing a jig, a bad day fishing is not losing a minnow!
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: No Net Needed]
#5359993
09/30/10 05:37 PM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 345
txsmoker
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 345 |
That's what I'm talking about!!!!!I LOVE WHITEROCK !!!!
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: txsmoker]
#5360126
09/30/10 06:06 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 559
Onewolf
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 559 |
 +1 On that Info. Help like that is one of the best ways to Stay true to the Thump!! -  Onewolf
Onewolf ___________________________________  One thing will guarentee that you don't get it right--Don't Try. OneWolf
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: Onewolf]
#5360387
09/30/10 06:57 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 38,988
chickenman
1:28
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1:28
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 38,988 |
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: chickenman]
#5360463
09/30/10 07:14 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 55,468
SkeeterRonnie
Super Freak
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Super Freak
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 55,468 |
hard to beat info like that! good job!
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: SkeeterRonnie]
#5361078
09/30/10 09:19 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 16,143
KidKrappie
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 16,143 |
I can't wait for the creeks to heat up. It shouldn't be much longer.
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: SkeeterRonnie]
#5361136
09/30/10 09:30 PM
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 666
u-luckydawg
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 666 |
+1
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: u-luckydawg]
#5362238
10/01/10 01:46 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,267
shill
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,267 |
shill 
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: shill]
#5362871
10/01/10 04:18 AM
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 36
santanajr
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 36 |
thanks for the info very specific and to the point A+
FiShN-4FuN
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: TarponFly]
#5374943
10/05/10 01:11 PM
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 3,129
Paparon
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 3,129 |
I live in walking distance to Rowlett creek and I'm ready to learn how to catch winter crappie from it. I will check out your web site Carey and get on the list! I'm wondering if the low water this year will make a difference though.
Last edited by Paparon; 10/05/10 01:12 PM.
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: Paparon]
#5380787
10/06/10 08:02 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,412
TarponFly
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,412 |
Report: Hit the creek at 7 AM and pulled out 12 Crappie and some Channel Catfish. 6-7 ft was the depth they were at today.   Certified 2 more records at Bass Pro shop. New Crappie and Cat fish record.
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: TarponFly]
#5380833
10/06/10 08:14 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 16,143
KidKrappie
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 16,143 |
Very nice Carey! Was this at White Rock Creek?
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Re: Annual Winter Crappie Run @ White Rock Creek & Rowlett Creek (DFW)
[Re: KidKrappie]
#5381197
10/06/10 09:14 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,412
TarponFly
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,412 |
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