Crappie Hunt 2014

First topic message reminder :

There's been a lot of talk across multiple threads about getting together to hunt down slabs.  Figured it was about time we consolidated into one general chat thread instead of trying to plan across a couple different threads.

There isn't a perfect weekend for everybody so we'll throw up trip planning here as the weeks go by.  If you guys want to PM me your phone numbers it will help with day-of coordination so we can get everybody to to the boat ramp at the same time.

I'll be on the water this weekend Saturday afternoon and/or Sunday.  Need to break in the new rod.  Fish finder won't get here until next week so unless someone with electronics wants to take the lead I'll be hitting up the gamelands.  Small water, easy to find fish and figure them out without electronics.

Weekend of 1/12-1/13 I'll have a fish finder and I plan on using the crap out of it.  Thinking Lake Upchurch, get on some of the deep channel crappie that hemi has been scooping up.

Unless something changes I'll be out of town MLK weekend.

Post up your plans, reports, and tips here and we'll start 2014 right with tight lines and full stringers.

Made it out back to the pond.  Spent an hourish clearing a solid path to a decent put-in.  Broke through the ice to get to open water.  Water temp was 40-42*.  Fish were in the same spot they were last time and biting on the same jig combo.  Solunar table showed major activity in the middle of the day and it was on.  It was one of those days.  I was getting hit on every cast.  Missed a ton a fish, mostly bluegill carrying the jig away but I know a lost a couple decent crappie.  Every fish was on a tube and jig under bobber on ultralight with 4 lbs flouro.  6 crappie, 2 bluegill, 1 bass, and 1 shiner.

Got everything but the shiner before 3:30.  Came in to warm up and wait out the rain, went back out around 5 but the bite was still shut down.  Picked up the shiner in the middle of the pond by shear dumb luck.  He came unhooked in the net and his mouth was to small to lip him, no idea how I hooked him.

Took home 6 crappie for the frying pan.  Didn't take pictures of the fish under 12" that I caught in the rain.  I'll get a group shot before I filet them.















And everyone all together!

Quick update.  Sunday, hit Upchurch with hemi and crappieassassin.  Marked a ton of fish in the coves but it was a tough bite and couldn't get bit on a jig.  Hemi was having some tugs at live bait but nothing would commit.  It was plenty windy and and after a couple hours crappieassassin and I decided to haul off and head the secret crappie hole which was less windy and promised to be a lot easier to figure out.

Got out there, saw plenty of fish moving in 48* water but black/purple wasn't getting bit this time.  Swapped up colors and in the first hour we both had reeled in crappie.  Tried a couple different colors but the fish were in a funk so the bite never really got hot.  We each managed another fish before the sun went below the trees totaling 4 crappie for the day.  On the way off the pond we paddled through the shallows and scared up plenty of bass.  Crappieassassin swears he saw a pond monster.  It'll be fun to get out there and throw topwater once it warms up.

Both of my fish were the same size, just shy of Kayak Wars points but plenty big for a frying pan.  Finished my weekend with 22oz of fresh crappie filets.

Congrats Luni! Let me know the next time you plan on fishing there!

Wednesday.  There's a training event and those of us not participating are off.  It's rain all week so that's a given but it looks like it should be light with temps 60-70 and falling pressure.  The way I see it the fish should be settled down from the weather change, warmed up, and active with low pressure and cloudy skies.  There's also a minor activity peak in the morning and a major peak mid-late afternoon.  Looks like another good day to be on the water.

Made it out to the honey hole this afternoon.  Got a 10.5 and an 11" crappie in the boat before the front passed and then it was dead water.  Found a whole bunch of shiners holding in a lay down and I pulled out one and a friend pulled out another, keeping him off a skunk.  They were both somewhere in the 8-10" range.  That place is gonna be fun once the bass wake up.

Williamson Pond with crappieassassin was a good time.  Tons of fish in there.  Couldn't help but catch some undersized crappie.  Finally got into some good fish.  I caught a bass off an eddy the wind was creating off the island.  Pulled a small crappie out, got some nibbles, and finally the bass just smashed it.  Great fight.  Crappieassassin pulled the elusive 12" crappie off a grass line with a minnow after catching every other crappie in the pond first.  Fish were out of their post front funk and if you could handle the wind they were active.

Congrats Luni and Crappieassassin! Load them up for points!

Ollie's had these for $19.99 plus a whole lot of Zoom plastics.  I bought one because I don't have any crappie specific poles.  Plus ya get a few jigs with it and it's right down the street and I was going past there anyways so I saved shipping cost.

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-9-Feet-Crappie-Hunter-Underspin/dp/B000ODNDOI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Thanks for sharing coach!

Weather looks good what are you guys getting into this weekend?

I am thinking about fishing sunday afternoon. I don't know where yet but it maybe upchurch, Williamson pond, or uplands.

This doesn't have anything to do with crappie but I think that went out the window a few weeks ago.

Got a 24 hour shift tomorrow into Sunday but I'm gonna try to chase some cats Sunday afternoon or Monday.  I was just going to toss some carolina rigged chicken livers into the deep end and channels and see if anything takes it.  Any ideas on which pond to start in?  Never caught a catfish before looking forward to checking it off the list.

Luni-

 I am thinking about fishing for some cats at Lower McKellars on Sunday! I will let you know if things change!

Thought you couldn't put boats in on lower mckellars?

Luni wrote:Thought you couldn't put boats in on lower mckellars?

They have change some of the rules on fort bragg. I talked to the guys in the lodge who sell the fort bragg license and they told me you can now put kayak's in the catfish ponds!

Nice. Never heard of anything with much size coming out of mckellars and I heard it gets tons of pressure but maybe winter has been keeping people off the water.

I fish McKellars for the channel catfish. Some people say they have landed some nice bass in there but I have had zero luck getting bass in there. There are some nice size cats that come out of there!

Good luck out there Luni!

Luni wrote:

Fish are dumb.  Got skunked again today.  Haven't given up yet.  Picked up some minnows from Goodwin's Archery on the way home and I'll be heading out the Mackall first thing in the morning to see if my favorite pond has crappie in it.  Pretty sure it does and heard some stuff that makes it worth a solid look.

Did you find some Crappie at Mackall?

No crappie but caught everything else.  There was a 6-8ft deep grass flat that I was sure was holding crappie last time I was out there but hanging a minnow 2-3ft under a bobber didn't get any bites.  Might have had better luck tight lining.  Targeted some baitfish bubbling at the surface and found the jack that was getting them so excited.  It started raining and on the way back in saw some huge wakes moving out of the shallows into the deep flat.  Packed everything up just as an old man was pulling up to fish the bridge.  Chatted with him while I finished my coffee and as I was about to get in my truck he pulls a nice size bass out from under the bridge on a jerkbait.  I stayed to watch, some more guys came out, and then I figured if I was gonna hang out I might as well do it with a line in the water.  No real size to anything but still had a good time catching.  Final count was 2 big bluegill, 2 small bass, and lost count of how many jacks, most from shore.  Stayed until I was out of minnows and my clothes were soaked through.

I did hear a few stories about good sized crappie coming out of that pond so I believe they're in there.  I just haven't seen one yet.

Got a surprise weekend. Was supposed to have duty and got swapped out. Anyone wanna get into something?

Keeping with my tradition of catching the hell out of crappie in intensely managed catfish ponds I pulled 4 crappie out of Wyatt Lake today.  3 over 11" 1 over 12".  Gotta admit I dropped the first 2 11"s trying to get the stringer through their bottom lip.  Wasn't sure I was going to keep them and didn't want to damage the gills if they weren't destined for the frier.  Fingers slipped while I had them lipped and off they went.  The second crappie I caught had a ripped top lip, half a tail, and some scales missing.  He deserved to escape.

The third 11" and the 12" gave themselves away when they started busting topwater in the middle of the pond while I was chasing cats.  They drilled a panfish assassin on a jig head under a bobber while I was letting it float behind the boat and working my catfish rod.  One of those "hey where'd my bobber go?" moments then reeled down into a FIGHT.  They choked the jigs down.

Also hooked into my first 2 catfish ever.  Working 2 rods at the same time got away from me quick when the crappie and cats were hooking up immediately back to back.  Channel cats over 18" each.  They're ugly but after trying to catch one for weeks I was glad to see them.

Congrats! Looks like a good meal.

I forgot my phone and lost track of time. Got off the water 2 1/2 hours after I was supposed to have left for dc. Just threw the fish on ice and drove them up. We'll see how her roommates like it when dinner starts with me hacking up 4 whole fish. I dressed up a skinned and gutted rabbit and everyone got squeamish and had to leave the room. City kids.