I'm MAD at the crappie.

Got this fever recently to figure these things out. Armed myself with an array of jigs (dont care much for minnows) and have spent quite a few hrs trying to catch them and nothing to show.

Saturday morning around 6am me and a buddy went out on LL to 'slay them'. Started off fishing standing timber and brushpiles in 15-20 ft. Marked some fish, jigged with just about everything I had, with and without crappie nibbles. No takers, moved to another area, nothing.

Went to a bridge, where a guy was pulling them up left and right, talked to him and fished the same area and depth, nothing. Ok maybe we should try minnows. Picked a couple up, rigged a slip bobber at around 10-12 ft. Got a couple small nibbles at first then nothing. Other guy left with a limit and showed us exactly what he was using/doing, which we had already switched to. Nothing at all. We fished HARD for crappie from 6am-11am. Then said to hell with it, and went after the sandy bite and started filling the livewell. Storm pushed us off the lake around 3:30-4PM.

IDK what im doing wrong but its just fueling the fire. Then I look at this forum monday morning and see what you all are producing.........I know its not as hard as im making it out to be.

I think I could benefit by getting better electronics. Im running an old Cuda 250, I dont really trust it, but still. It shows me depth and structure, and I dont trust it much for actual FISHfinding, but when I see structure and a couple fish on a spot, at least one of those spots has to actually HAVE fish, right?

This is spot on. NOTHING, and I mean nothing, will help you more than time on the water crappie fishing. Ask lots of questions on here, fish whenever you can for as long as you can, and pay attention to everything. Paying attention to your line is probably more important crappie fishing than with any other species, because the bite can be extremely light at times. Hang in there and keep after it, trying different things, and you'll learn a lot.

Upgraded electronice isn't a bad thing, I'm thinking of doing the same that myself, but if you want to invest wisely in your future as a crappie guy, hook up with a good instructor/guide. A half day with Chuck Rollins on Cedar Creek, or Ernest Paty on Lewisville or one of a few other's on their lake, will be invaluable. Just MHO.

Sometimes it can help just to change from braid to mono or the other way around. If the water is pretty clear sometimes I feel they get line shy when using braid so I switch to mono and if I get bit then I feel that change made a difference.

Have to gain confidence and like craigo said time on the water fishing for them is experience that can't be overlooked and is valuable.

If your moving you jig much know that sometime they don't want it moving at all. There are so many different little things that fishing time on the water can not be under appreciated so just keep at it and trying everything you read about.

The electronics thing can be big especially when moving from a regular sonar to a side scan.

Good Luck,

Skip

it might be that you are moving the jig way too much...try a monofiliment line about 8 lb test ( Berkley XT is my choice)it might give you a better feel, and less visibility to the fish...

This! Don't forget about Cliff Spindle on Ray Roberts. He's an excellent crappie instructor and is a good guy.

Don't change your equipment. Change you.

Billions of crappie were caught before side imaging, braid and reels. Figure out how those guys did it.
Then add that fancy equipment to make it even easier.

Save yourself some long term aggravation and invest in hiring one of the guides in your area. You'll have a great trip and learn more in one trip than you'll figure out over a year. I never caught crappie on a regular basis until after hiring a guide and following his advice. You'll still get skunked at times but you'll find you will catch more fish afterwards.

I have not doubt you will find them to be more than worth the expense.

This^

Millions have been caught since these things came about while the fisherpeople were using live bait!

When I watch the pros on TV fishing for them and they tip their jigs with shiners/minnows/minners or whatever they are called in your neck of the woods then you know they are on to someting.

BigDozer66

Keep on the move! If they ain't biting, dont try to force feed them! Move somewhere else!

Try using a glove to put on sunscreen(or you could use the spray kind), your bait touches your hands and will pick up sunscreen and the fish don't like it.

Hire Ernest Paty or Benny Dabney on Lewisville or Cliff Spindle on Ray Roberts. Take what you learn from them and apply it to where you fish and then spend tons of time on the water. When you can upgrade your electronics. Either of these guides can show you how to use them better and what you are seeing when you use them.

Also if you join CAT or go to their meetings and watch the seminars online also from CAT. A ton of knowledge comes from the seminars and they post their meetings online for members in video so you can watch them in the archives. Ernest Paty was one of the founders of that club.

You will get better.

I took a beat down today out there in the timber at LL. Caught the heck out of stinkin sandbass around almost every stump I dropped a jig. Only ended up catching a few dinks and 3 or 4 small keeper crappie. Some days are better than others. It was good meeting and talking to Dutch out there today at the ramp.

Best advice I can give is fish with other TFF'rs that fish alot or go with the guides listed above and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Crappie Anglers of Texas meeting and seminar tomorrow (Tuesday) night at Carrollton library. 7: PM.

Public invited.

Keep Fishing!!!! Don't quit!!! Your time is coming. If the truth be told, we have all had days like that at some time or another and you'll be catching em when someone else can't. Trust me, I've been on both sides of the story you wrote