Crappie at Mott Lake?

Since I like eatting em so much, and since somebody has turned me on to crappie fishing, I think I'd like to start targetting them at Mott Lake.  Anybody got any recommended techniques or tips to finding them there?

Step 1:  Find a different lake.

Mott Lake is a managed lake meaning "The majority of fish sampled during fisheries surveys on these lakes are species that are not typically sought after by anglers, such as lake chubsuckers, chain pickerels (jacks), and warmouths. That being said good fishing can still be had, as largemouth bass and bluegills are also present; albeit at a lower relative abundance than in the intensively managed ponds."

Some of the intensely managed lakes have black crappie.  Haven't heard of any Bragg lakes where people have been killing crappie.  Maybe someone on the other side of post can comment.

If you're dead set on Mott Lake then find the map of the fish attractors that were sunk out there a few years ago.  Scanning the bottom with a fish finder will show you where the channel and any sunken cover is that will hold crappie.

When you get skunked try out the gamelands.

Snagged wrote:Since I like eatting em so much, and since somebody has turned me on to crappie fishing, I think I'd like to start targetting them at Mott Lake.  Anybody got any recommended techniques or tips to finding them there?

Chris-

I would start by doing a very slow troll with a double minnow rig in the deepest parts of the lake by the dam! I have never caught crappie out of Mott but if they are in there that is were I would start! Once you find them I would continue to troll at a VERY SLOW SPEED and through a horse head road runner blade and let it sink all the way to the bottom and very slowly just enough speed for the blade to spin bring it back to your yak!

If you are looking for a local place to slam the crappie I am having a lot of luck out on Lake Upchruch. I have in the past had a lot of luck on Smith lake on fort bragg and there are also some crappie on Simmson lake by the air field. Let me know when you are heading out I want to hunt some crappie too! Also let me know if you want to head out to Jordan or Harris in the Yaks to hunt some crappie!

My goal was to find some local crappie for the freezer.  I'm in the Raeford/Rockfish area, so Mott makes the most sense.  I've read a few scattered reports of crappie in Mott, but not enough to go on.  I'm not real sure where to start looking in these shallower lakes/ponds; obviously the deeper holes and channels up near the dams would be the place to start.

I do like the Harris crappie, but I might wait til it warms up a bit more before I take the yak up there.  I'm still not confident enough to take it in to colder waters yet (see my profile pic to the left), although I did pick up some waders recently just for that purpose.

Wanna hit up the game lands this weekend?  There's tons of crappie in there, very easy to get to.  I don't even bother with Mott anymore.  There's to much other fishable water around.

Luni wrote:Wanna hit up the game lands this weekend?  There's tons of crappie in there, very easy to get to.  I don't even bother with Mott anymore.  There's to much other fishable water around.

I wish I could go but I am going to be helping out with the fly fishing clinic. Let me know if you want to go the following weekend which would be the 11th or 12th of Jan.