Crappies fishing from shore, possible?

[JustJames]

how hard is to find crappies from shore? I wanna start target for crappies more seriously but not sure where to start.

I do have some type lures for crappies like Marabou Jig, Trout Magnet Kit, beetle spin, inline spinner and 2" jerk bait. For the life of me I only caught less than a handful so I'd say I know nothing. 

Anyone wanna give me some idea of how and where should I start? Should I fish in the same general area where I fish for bass? Techniques for shore fishing and such? 

 

[soflabasser]

Yes you can catch crappie from the shore. I catch crappie in South Florida in areas with running water and catch them on crappie jigs,jerks baits,live minnows,etc.

[jimmyjoe]

   Around here, I fish for crappie only in lakes. I hit the points and then the ledges, throwing 1/6 to 1/4 oz. spoons first. The reason I throw spoons is that you can control the depth, gradually going deeper and deeper until you hit the school.  I also throw #2 Mepps Aglias, 1/6 oz. Super Roostertails and use slip bobber setups if there's a perfect breeze.  The problem is, obviously, finding the school. If you can't, it's tremendously frustrating. If you can, it's tremendously satisfying. And like all things fishing, it helps to be a little bit crazy. ?  jj

[bassh8er]

In the spring, during the spawn, it’s usually no problem to target them from the shore near damns, rocks, or cover.  The rest of the season is probably a different story as they tend to spend a lot of their time suspended over deep basins of main lakes.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

^^^^this^^^^

 

Springtime, yes, from the shore no problem. But any other time they are usually deep and suspended. 

[Crestliner2008]

Tough time of the year to be looking for concentrations near the shore. Cooler weather sets them up in the deeper, more stable temp water. Not sure what your water temp is there, but if it's down in the 40's, the best hope is for you to use a 1/32 oz. marabou jig under a slip bobber. Using that kind of set-up, you can adjust the depth of your jig to where the fish are located. Target any brush piles or drop offs you can find. Or, where a deep channel swings in close to the shore.

 

Also get yourself some straight tailed plastics (i.e.: Bobby Garland Baby Shads) to fish on 1/16 oz. ball heads. They'll produce for you just as well as minnows, if not better. JMO.

[TOXIC]

Going out tomorrow for our first crappie trip.  Our top areas are docks and a few canals on the Potomac river that could easily be fished from shore.  Crappie are normally on shore structure in the Spring and Fall.  Summertime they move out deep.  Although we will be in a boat, we fish the docks with slip floats and 2" tubes on 1/16th jigheads or the same setup without the float for casting in the canals and open water around the docks.  We tear them up.  For added bites we dip the tubes in Smelly Jelly or tip the hooks with Crappie Nuggets by Berkley.  

 

 

[soflabasser]

6 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

Springtime, yes, from the shore no problem. But any other time they are usually deep and suspended. 

 

Caught a crappie as bycatch this past summer in Broward county from land where they usually are hard to catch. Usually catch them in West Palm Beach/around Lake Okeechobee and I can catch them every month of the year if I want to. These crappie are in areas with running water next to manmade structure and bite best at nighttime during the Summer.

[Gundog]

The problem with crappie fishing from shore where I fish is that the good spots always have people camped there. They'll bring a couple of folding chairs, a cooler, a grill and a radio and be there all day. That is why I'm glad I have a canoe. It gets me where I want to go with just a little bit of paddle power. 

[slonezp]

On 10/26/2018 at 8:59 AM, TOXIC said:

Going out tomorrow for our first crappie trip.  Our top areas are docks and a few canals on the Potomac river that could easily be fished from shore.  Crappie are normally on shore structure in the Spring and Fall.  Summertime they move out deep.  Although we will be in a boat, we fish the docks with slip floats and 2" tubes on 1/16th jigheads or the same setup without the float for casting in the canals and open water around the docks.  We tear them up.  For added bites we dip the tubes in Smelly Jelly or tip the hooks with Crappie Nuggets by Berkley.  

 

 

I had 48 degree water on Saturday and fished 2-1/2 ft down in 5 ft of water. I took home 3 dozen.

[slonezp]

On 10/25/2018 at 9:19 PM, JustJames said:

how hard is to find crappies from shore? I wanna start target for crappies more seriously but not sure where to start.

I do have some type lures for crappies like Marabou Jig, Trout Magnet Kit, beetle spin, inline spinner and 2" jerk bait. For the life of me I only caught less than a handful so I'd say I know nothing. 

Anyone wanna give me some idea of how and where should I start? Should I fish in the same general area where I fish for bass? Techniques for shore fishing and such? 

 

Finding them is the hard part. A number of years ago I launched the boat and fished the docks on a 300 acre lake with marginal success. Before getting back to the ramp i tried a downed tree no more than 10 yards from the ramp. I pulled 45 crappies off the tree. I was in view of every shore angler and none of them were happy i found it first.

[soflabasser]

The current world record crappie was caught from the shore. I am sure they are some boaters that would love to break that record but it will be a hard record to break. Catching 13 inch crappie or better is a common catch for me and others in South Florida. It takes a 15 inch or better crappie to impress the shore fishermen down here. Anyone can catch a bunch of sub 12 inch crappie just like anyone can catch a bunch of sub 20 inch bass.

[TOXIC]

We did OK.....well over 50 keeper fish with 20 or so in the size of the pics.  All caught in canals that you could cast across from one side to the other.  

 

 

[JustJames]

Thanks everyone, I know fishing them is not super hard but finding them is totally opposite. I caught only a few crappies, and 2 of those came from drifting. My buddy even caught a few bycatch with his jerkbait but never ever happen with me. The last time I went crappies hunting instead I caught a 6-7 lbs catfish and a few bass on Marabou Jig. I might try drifting again in winter when the lake emptied from those water skiers.

[slonezp]

3 hours ago, JustJames said:

Thanks everyone, I know fishing them is not super hard but finding them is totally opposite. I caught only a few crappies, and 2 of those came from drifting. My buddy even caught a few bycatch with his jerkbait but never ever happen with me. The last time I went crappies hunting instead I caught a 6-7 lbs catfish and a few bass on Marabou Jig. I might try drifting again in winter when the lake emptied from those water skiers.

Contrary to popular belief, different species of fish do intermingle with each other. If you find crappies, there will likely be more. Crappies will hang out with bass, bluegills, and catfish if the right conditions exist. Not so much with white bass or perch who I believe are the "bullies" of the table fare fish.

 

You need to start by learning the seasonal habits of the fish on your water. Second, crappies are suckers for shallow man made cover come spring and fall. Can you sink fish cribs on your lake? Christmas trees, pallets, pvc, rebar or wooden stakes?  

[TOXIC]

You almost have to dedicate gear to crappie fishing if you want to catch them consistently.  Although they will bite bigger lures like cranks/Jerks they are a bi-catch.  Small baits, light line and downsized rods/reels help catch and as has been said, you have to look in different spots and use different techniques.  When we went out last, I took 3 rods and a tiny bag of gear.  It is well worth it if you want some great tablefare.  

[Dorado]

On 10/26/2018 at 5:13 AM, Crestliner2008 said:

 

Also get yourself some straight tailed plastics (i.e.: Bobby Garland Baby Shads) to fish on 1/16 oz. ball heads. They'll produce for you just as well as minnows, if not better. JMO.

YES!!!! Game changer

[JustJames]

Will this work for crappies? How would you fish it, jigging or slow swimming?

Zman Slim SwimZ 2.5" on 1/20oz jig head.

 

@Doradohow do you fish bobby garland, I think I have some along with 2" grub. Anyone use double rig? I plan for double rig 1/20oz bottom and 1/32 or no weight on top for float fishing?

 

[JustJames]

My first crappies of Canyon Lake ????, using lure above with bobber about 2' down. I know it not big only 10" but I hope more to come.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

My go to rig is 1/32nd jig head, grub body, under a small bobber. 

 

I like that weight best because I feel it's sinks just fast enough for specks. Also use the smallest bobber you can, I feel that plays into the action of the grub. 

-this is my crappie setup 90% of the time

 

And congratulations on your catch! Get the grease hot!

[Dorado]

On 11/4/2018 at 12:03 PM, JustJames said:

Will this work for crappies? How would you fish it, jigging or slow swimming?

Zman Slim SwimZ 2.5" on 1/20oz jig head.

 

@Doradohow do you fish bobby garland, I think I have some along with 2" grub. Anyone use double rig? I plan for double rig 1/20oz bottom and 1/32 or no weight on top for float fishing?

 

From a kayak, I’ll paddle out to diving birds and watch my sonar for balls of Shad or “Christmas Trees” (name given to stacked Crappie during this time of the year). Once I see that, I stop paddling and let the current or wind drift me along naturally.  What I’m going for is a painfully slow strolling motion.  This is key. 

 

Before I discuss the rig, your line is vertically going down almost at a 90 degree angle. You want the Bobby Garland Baby Shad (BG) to have as little “moving” as possible.  Think of the minnow as just levitating and suspending as long as possible In the strike zone. In other words, NO reaction bite here. 

 

In my experience, this excludes the spawn, the more ‘neautral’ the more the minnow appears completely oblivious to their surroundings. Crappie are constantly looking up to feed. Remember that.  They get so easily seduced by a presentation that just hovers and let’s the natural currents slightly quiver the tapered tails of Shad-bodied baits or the tails of 2” Kalin grubs or smaller Keitechs

 

The rig? 1/4 to 3/8 (mostly) to 1/2 ounce (windy days) split shot weight tied to a swivel.  Use 18”-20” of #4 Fluro leader tied to a 1/16oz chartreuse or white Roadrunner under-spin. These give me a little more flash underwater and is a perk that I believe in, just my added touch

 

Lastly, BS minnow gets tied onto the jig as straight as possible and i’ll drop that rig down a couple feet above where I’ve been marking my targets.  I put two rigs out on each side of my yak onto rod holders and literally will put my paddle away. Now, my presentation is just tantalizing the entire zone with this unaware, unguarded , solitary Shad that just helplessly ends up “lost” around a pack of hungry hyenas   What do you think is going to happen next?

 

anyone who hasn’t used ultralight rods with #4 test line to catch slab Crappies is missing out on some addicting fun! Go get em! 

 

And last shout out to @everythingthatswims For guiding me into this technique that has seriously elevated my confidence and game!

@JustJames  You can still apply those same techniques mentioned above but from shore.  Just use a slip bobber and apply the same concept. I never even pop my rod with minnow baits From shore with a bobber. 

[JustJames]

i failed miserable today. Took the boat out in hope of finding some crappies bite end up with 2 super tiny bass. gear Marabou Jig under bobber and 1/20oz with Zman Slim SwimZ.

Gotta go look for my road runner, inline spinner and beetle spin for next time. 

Man this is tough once I'm in open water don't know what to look for and how to find them. All I do is cast to shoreline and slow retrieve back,

that how I caught two bass. No bite on double 1/32oz Marabou Jigs under bobber. 

[TOXIC]

When I had no idea where the crappie were when I was in my 2 man boat, I would put the TM on 2 or 3 and drag the freelined curlytails in my post around until I found the school and then stop and start casting to them.  I don't see why you couldn't do the same in a Yak.  

[JustJames]

What size Jig you guy use on beetle spin? I found some of my crappies but they are not in good shape might have to stock some more like road runner and shallow crank. I'm set more on searching Lure becuz I don't know how to find them with fish finder and most of the time would be bank fishing.

[TnRiver46]

On 11/7/2018 at 5:53 AM, TOXIC said:

When I had no idea where the crappie were when I was in my 2 man boat, I would put the TM on 2 or 3 and drag the freelined curlytails in my post around until I found the school and then stop and start casting to them.  I don't see why you couldn't do the same in a Yak.  

I do this often but they never bite the cast, only the troll