What do I look for when looking for crappie in a pond?

[cdubya]

I've honestly never fished for crappie before and after catching a few here or there but normally really small ones at best I was just curious as to what areas should produce the best bet. Here's a map of the Pond I'm fishing in that contains Crappie, LM Bass, Catfish, Blue Gill, Sunfish, and Carp. Water color is Stained to Murky.

[bothomas]

how big is that pond? can you walk around it, or is it big enough for a boat?

[cdubya]

I can easily walk around it as well as reach the center of it from the bank and nearly any point except the far end where the the deeper portion is. Not sure if the owners allow boat access or not. They have a small row boat I've been wanting to ask them if it'd be possible to use however I haven't seen them in about a week or so.

[bassfisher02]

Crappie inhabit many of the same areas as LM bass do. They hit about the same things a bass will hit, but I would just fish an in-line spinnerbait. With the pond being so small, you dont really need to 'find' them, just cover the entire pond and you're bound to hook into one.

[otto]

Crappies tend to school up and move a lot during the summer months, so you're better off moving too. The schools will usually not be in any one spot for a long time.

Brush piles, trees, and weed edges are good places to find them.

Puddle Jumpers are my all-time favorite crappie baits. I've used them since the '70s and have never found a better crappie lure. I fish them on a plain 1/32 oz. jig.

[Kawabuggy]

I recently found a Crappy pond by accident. I was fishing for LMB with a 5" Senko. Something kept hitting it, but I was never able to set the hook. I started thinking it was bream. I switched to a small grub. Cast it out and pulled in about a 1 lb. black Crappie. Great fight on ultra-light equipment. I was pulling them out as quickly as I could get the grub in the water and to the bottom.

Finding this pond was simply dumb luck on my part. I would not have been able to tell you anything about this pond had I not just simply gone & fished it.

[cdubya]

should that area where the christmas tree is hold some? I know my map doesn't exactly show what i was hoping but it does give a general idea. Next trip out there I'll get specific shots of the areas I think should be good spots. Even though I've been fishing for quite sometime I feel like I'm just beginning so please excuse my never ending questions.

[bassfisher02]

There is a christmas tree drawn on that map??? But definitely fish it, some fish will be holding on it, and bass love holding to that kind of structure too.

[flfireman]

Beetlespin, beetlespin, beetlespin.

[cdubya]

As promised.. more detailed images of the possible habitats

[JB]

crappy love structure to group around, but at other times of the year they tend to spread out and move around alot, Usually if you find one, you'll find more. My favorite way to catch them is a 1/32 ounce pearl jig or a live minnow. I'd try under those trees, about 18-30 inches below the surface.

[stevomac59]

Right now the seasonal patterns of these fish drive the crappie into deeper water. However, in the spring time they tend to move to VERy shallow waters. Your best bet is probably try to fish in slightly deeper water than expected. Try using some 3''-4'' senkos, they seem to work well!

Good luck out there!

-ST3V0

[adamgambill]

I know I might get burned for this one but an old trick is to use a "culling tag" and a baloon- Only when fishing in a boat so you can go get the sucker after he gives you the info- blow up the baloon attach it to his lower jaw and let him go, 9 time out of 10 he'll head right back to the school telling you exactly where to go.

[Jigger]

I crappie fish quite a bit. Here are a few general rules of thumb:
1.Spring. Fish shallow during the spawn. This is one of the easiest times to catch them. Look for gravel banks. They like to fan nests in gravel. No mud. If you find one you'll probably find others. The males (usually smaller and blacker with their spawning colors on) will move up first. If you're catching mostly the smaller males, the spawn may be just getting ready to go full swing. The bigger lighter colored females move up next and the real action begins. I use a 1/16, 1/8 or 1/4 ball head jig depending on the depth of the water and how windy it is. 90% of the time I use 1/8 oz jig. My favorite trailer is a crappie tube. Blue and white but I also carry a full array of curley tail grubs in a myriad of colors. This is chunk and wind time. Some times they want it slow and sometimes fast. Raise your rod tip and then lower it occassionally. They'll often hit it on the fall. 8 lb Fireline in the flourecent green or yellow I think is the color. You can feel one breathe on your jig with the fireline and the flourescent color lets you see the line twitch. Be a line watcher. Crappie can be real light bighters and sometimes you won't catch too many unless you're watching for that twitch of the line. Spinning reel of course.

2.Summer the fish move out to deeper water and disperse. Fish deep. I rarely fish for them this time of year. I'm bass fishin'.

3.Fall. They could be shallow or deep. The bite picks up. Don't fish for them much this time of year either.

4.Winter. They move deep again. They'll gang up in deep water. If they'll let you sink some deep brush piles, do it. Wait 'till the water gets really cold and anchor the little boat right over the brush pile and drop an 1/8 oz ball head jig with a crappie tube threaded on it right down in the brush and don't even move it. The rocking of the boat is all the action they usually want if that. They'll thump the jig sitting dead still. I fish for them when it's so cold you have to get the ice out of the rod guides. You can slay them this time of year if you can find them. If you can find a jig you like that the hook will straighten out on, it will save you a lot of grief when fishing deep brush piles in the winter. It's weird but if the bite stops, switch colors and they'll often start again. Sometimes you have to do that all day long. Those little spongey pellets Berkley makes sometimes works this time of year. Tip your hook with one of those and that will sometimes induce a bite. Once one bites it will often induce a feeding frenzy.

Just some random thoughts.

Good luck.
Robert