During the warmer weather crappie fishing starts to get tough. That is unless you know the summer secrets to crappie fishing success. Don’t quit fishing after the crappie spawn the summer season can be just as fun. All you have to do is nowhere you need to look and how to entice summer crappie. The following summer crappie fishing tips should set you in the right direction.
Summer Crappie Fishing Tips
Don’t get frustrated when you are catching any crappie, you’re just not looking in the right place. If you follow these 10 tips you’ll be able to catch your limit and then some.
1. Try Bottom Fishing
When fishing from a boat keep an eye out for the thermocline’s depth. The thermocline is the area at the bottom of the lake where there isn’t enough oxygen to survive. Venture out into deeper water(20 feet plus) and use your fish finder to look for a line that will indicate the thermocline. Fish like to suspend just above the thermocline. If you’re unable to find the thermocline increase your fish finders sensitivity until you do.
Once you’ve found the thermocline try fishing a live minnow just above the line. Try using a slip sinker, barrel swivel and 3 foot leader of line tipped with a minnow. Simply cast the rig and allow it to settle just above the thermocline.
2. Slowly Drop Your Line In Submerged Trees
Summer crappie love to suspended 10 to 20 feet of water directly below cover. Look for deeper water around submerged trees and branches where fish are likely to hide. To reach them quickly lower a small spoon directly between the branches. These Lightweight South Bend Trophy Spoons work well and attract a ton of panfish.
To reach suspended crappie lower your jigging spoon slowly and give it a tug every 3-5 feet. Crappie will inhale these little spoons as they fall and it’s tough to feel them. You won’t be able to tell what you have until you raise your rod tip.
3. Scatter Some Chum
When fishing starts to slow down you can either go home or change things up. Nighttime fishermen have long known the importance of attracting minnows. Instead of using a light you’re going to want to use a little bit of chum. Try scattering chum in the shallow water areas to attract minnows. You can use whatever you have on hand, dry dog food bread and other similar things work well. Scatter the chum by the handful in the shallows and continue to look for other places to chum. After a little while return to your first location and drop in a minnow. You should catch a lot more fish now that minnows are naturally around.
4. Try Using a Drop Bait
You should try using a drop bait to catch some monster crappie. Smaller fish might pass up your lure, but the big ones are what I’m after. I like to work my old school Mann’s little George spoon along deep channel drops. It’s amazing how many fish you’ll catch using one of these basic baits. Keep an eye out for deep channel drops, humps and ledges where drop baits are going to be most effective. Keep an eye on your sonar and freeline the lure where fish are lurking and quickly retrieve it. Most of the time you’ll feel hard reaction strikes right after you reel.
5. Drop Some Scales in The Water
Here’s another method that should attract those stubborn crappie. The next time you fillet crappie for dinner save some your scales. Rinse them off and store them inside a Tupperware container for later. Johnson’s Crappie Buster is an excellent alternative if you’d rather save a little bit of time. Johnson’s Reflective micro scales are visually appealing and mimic descaling prey.
The next time fishing starts to get slow bring out your container of scales and drop a few in the water. Less is more when using scales. Most of the time nearby crappie come to see where all the scales are coming from. When predators eat baitfish they typically blow out the scales and let them drop which attracts more fish ready to feed. Tossing in a jig or minnow is a sure fire way to get a ton of bites.
6. Watch Rising Water Temperatures
When water temperatures rise crappie tend to get lethargic and tough to catch. You’re going to have to find areas where they can beat the heat. Look for natural overgrowth and hollow cypress trees that are cool safe havens for fish. The best trees are going to have a small to medium-sized openings that doesn’t let in a lot of light. Drop your minnow or jig just outside the opening and hope for a bite. Cypress trees are only found down south so try the same technique around drainage pipes and fallen trees in northern lakes.
7. Troll Slowly
There’s no method better than slow trolling for crappie. Go as slow as you can so that your line can mine through deep structure. One of the easiest ways to slow down your control is to turn your motor sideways and push against your boat. Traveling in this fashion should be painstakingly slow if you’re doing it right.
8. Storms are Your Friend
Normally the weather is pretty stable during the summer, but when you see a few days of thunderstorms popping up try and plan a fishing trip just before the storm. I’m not trying to say you should be out on the water during a lightning storm, but it doesn’t hurt to fish in a little rain. Just before a storm hits crappie tend to move towards the surface to feed. During the half hour or so when the crappie rise to the surface you can quickly catch your limit. Just make sure you get off the water before the storm actually hit.
After the storm scout for crappie in the thickest cover you can find. Look for all kinds of brush, willows and substructure. Let the wind blow your boat into the cover and drop a jig into the brush. Fish the jig with little movements trying to work every little hole you can find.
9. Work The Dock on Sunny Days
On bright sunny days you might want to try staying close to the dock. On bright days crappie like staying close to the shallows as long as they can find some overhead cover. Try working boat docks, fishing piers and swimming platforms that provide easy cover.
When it’s really bright you might not have a lot of luck fishing from boats. Crappie scare easily and will definitely see your boat rolling up. Walking on the wooden structure will give you an advantage when the sky is bright and the waters clear. To work the dock let the wind drift your minnow or jig suspended under a bobber. You can also try vertically jigging directly underneath the dock if you can find a wide opening.
10. Take Care of Your Catch
During the spring and fall you can get away with leaving your catch in a still live well, but that isn’t the case during the summer. I’m talking about when the temperature is in excess of 90 degrees. Summer fish placed in a still live well or stringer in hot water will quickly die. To keep your catch fresh shut off your livewell and bring along a ice chest.
You’re going to want to bring along an ice chest with a couple inches of ice. As the water melts drain it out so the fish don’t sit in water for long. At the end of the day you should have firm fresh fish with a delicious flavor. If your cooking is up to par you’ll rival the best fishhouse in town.