so I was in my yak today for some cold weather crappie fishing. I am usually bass fishing but I have been liking the challenge of finding the crappie and the "good eatin" lately . I am getting used to "not really setting the hook, which took some practice to get rid of that instinct. So I caught a few but the guy beside me was killing em. I tried different depths, and was getting most hits barely moving the rod or even not moving at all. I did notice he was very mobile and able to drop in every nook between the slip and the boats being that he was on foot. Anyway kinda frustrating...also think it may have been my jig color or type (even though I was getting hits on my jig). Oh well at least I caught some and am learning. Any thoughts on slip fishing would be appreciated.

(I am getting used to "not really setting the hook) The bite has been very lite and when I feel it I set the hook. You need a very flexible rod so that you don't jerk it out of there mouth, but I set the hook. The Crappie in our slips have been hugging the bottom in the brush so work your jigs vertical in the brush or around it and have a very sensitive rod so that you can feel the bite and set the hook. We killed them today. The afternoon bite was the best but the morning wasn't bad either. I should also say fish the deepest water you can find for now. The guys in the shallower slips are not catching as many as us in the deeper water. I have 17to 18' under my boat and catching the fish at 16'.

If you were fishing from your yak and he was walking the slips you really can't compare your success rates.

He had better control of jig placement than you could have had fishing from the water. He could also hug closer to the edge of the walkway or under the boats with his lure than you could.

Right now my health is not allowing me to use my boat so for the last six weeks the little fishing I have done has been from the slip at Joe Pool. And the few fish I have caught this month have came when my line was straight down from the edge of the deck. Even six inches out would not result in bites.

And if you are switching from bass to crappie it will probably take you some time to learn to differentiate between the bite of the two fish. Often with crappie you will only feel your line go slack for a moment or notice an upward movement of your line, especially in this cold water we have now. Or sometimes it will move sideways.

If I feel anything different about my line I will lift up with my rod tip, tightening the line. That is usually enough to set the hook when crappie are biting light. And you must keep the pressure on the line. If you allow any decrease in line pressure the crappie usually throws the hook. Or at least that is what happens to me.

The summer is a different story.

The winter bite has been hit and miss on the docks,Just haven't had one of them great days yet, even good days are few and far between, fished la mancha at lake leon saturday, figured Id slayem with tha front comin in. Squeeked out 4 keepers and maybe 10 dinks. Fish are very tight to bottom and very light bite, sometimes there just there as your easin your jig slowly along the bottom, I coulnt imagine that bite in a Yak unless it's a super calm day.

How deep is your slip?
Mine is too shallow right now to hold crappie...

Why are you not setting the hook? If you feel the slightest tap, set the hook, or if you think you feel one, set the hook. If your line stops on the way down set the hook, it if moves set the hook. Crappie don't have hands, Its not a bass hook set its a crappie hook set and you better do it and do it quick.

in a boat its going to be difficult to hold as still as you need to for winter dock/slip crappie
I just started this slip thing this year , not a fan but its something different . the first thing I found out is a lot of the time you cant move the bait at all . the slightest movement will cause a non bite scenario ...there are times when you can pitch and let it fall and every once in while they want a slight twitch, but I suggest you figure out the depth ....and hold so still it hurts ....
in the day time is most likely a foot off the bottom and set the hook if you get the slightest idea of a whisper ....
Neches has it right brother ...anything that could be a crappie just might be a crappie

My current slip is 14', give or take a few inches, depending on the day. The bait fish are hanging out at around 2', just below the surface.

You can see them swimming in the slip when the light comes on at night in my neighbor's slip. I haven't rigged up my light since I've moved to the deeper slip. Just haven't much felt like doing anything lately.

The fish I'm catching are between 5.5'-6', when I can get them to bite. Mostly it is a case of lockjaw. The crappie are hanging out near my fish attractors, just outside the light.

Sometimes you can see them dart in and grab a bait fish at night, then go back into the shadow.

I'm not surprised they are not hitting jigs and minnows much, given all the bait fish they have available.

The neighbor behind me has bought a bait net. He is going to try to catch some of the bait fish to use instead of minnows to see if that makes a difference for him.

I told him good luck on catching those swimming bait fish but he is confident he can do it once he gets some practice.

Hope he is right, he's promised to give me some if he does.

I thought so too until I thought to turn on my finder at the rear of my boat in the slip.

I found they were all suspended 5'-6' deep, under the bait fish, where were suspended at 2'. It did not matter what time I checked, they were always in the same water depth. I have checked this on on several different days, during different weeks, and found them at the same depths.

Of course I have two pvc fish attractors back there so they could just be suspending at the top of the two attractors.

Now if I could just get them to bite.

I've been doing pretty decent on EM lately. Been using 1/32 and 1/16 oz jigs and shoot up under pontoons. And between floats. I don't stick to just my slip though, I stay moving, that's been the key to my success

I fish the slips on my dock where the owners have given me permission to fish their slips.

There were a couple who said no, as they have a lot of possessions on their slips and don't want anybody in them. But most don't care as long as they know you and know you will respect their property.

I have also talked with other slip owners who fish all the docks of the marina from their boats. Right now they are all having the same results I am having.

What marina if you mind my asking? I have a boat and have fished all the marinas and aren't thoroughly impressed....I fish this lake often and do very well shooting docks (at least when they have water under them) and have located several brush piles that are hit or miss. Maybe you could tag along one day and pick each other's minds...

welcome to the forum!

hope you get to feeling better.

No, I don't mind naming my lake. Nor my marina. Nor the dock my slip is on. Nor location of my slip. I don't keep my secrets very well.

I am located on A dock, Joe Pool Marina, at Joe Pool Lake. I have the next to last slip on the north side of the lake, facing the fishing barge. It has a Bass Buggy 18 DLX pontoon parked in it.

I have two pvc porcupine fish attractors suspended at the end of the slip, one on each side.

I normally would have green LED lights running around the sides of it plus a 175 watt mercury vapor underwater light on at night in the front of the slip.'

But I just moved to this new location last month and haven't had the energy to get the lights installed again. They are there but I haven't wired the electrical connections to them yet.

But the slip next to me has a 175 watt mercury underwater light installed in it that goes on every night so I may not need my light.

If you need coordinates of some brush piles at Joe Pool Lake I have the coordinates of most of the bp's that the Corp put out for public use. PM me if you want them.

It will probably be a few months before I am fishing again. It appears the time has finally come when I must have the bad valve in my heart replaced. And that is what is keeping me out of much action right now and will probably keep me out of action for a couple of months after the surgery.