Old hickory crappie

[skillet]

Found about 14-18 crappie yesterday. All in brush piles that are 10+ feet deep. We didn't get any keepers though. It seemed that they were all 9 1/2- 9 3/4 long!! All came on chartreuse grubs slowly swimming them under a slip bobber. Gonna try again here in a little while. Good luck and y'all be safe

[deezelteck]

Found about 14-18 crappie yesterday. All in brush piles that are 10+ feet deep. We didn't get any keepers though. It seemed that they were all 9 1/2- 9 3/4 long!! All came on chartreuse grubs slowly swimming them under a slip bobber. Gonna try again here in a little while. Good luck and y'all be safe

Same thing on Sunday...

[skillet]

Yup...we went out again on Sunday, caught about the same number of crappie. Did manage 2 that were 12.5" long, a nice redear, and 5lbish catfish. Deeper brush piles this time with a little better result. Some on minnows, some on grubs and some on trout magnets. All artificial bait was chartreuse or chartreuse and black.

It was a gorgeous weekend and feel sorry for those that couldn't get and fish!!

[tsuggs]

nice catch !

[Heiny57]

/\. X2

[skillet]

The keeper crappie have been hard to find for us. This is the first time we've really targeted crappie on old hickory. Any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Both of those 12.5" inchers came in different brush piles and at different depths. One came off of a brush pile in 15 fow and the other in about 11. The 15 footer I was fishing 12 foot and the 11 I was fishing 8-9 foot. we tried different depths all day. Fishing 2-3 foot off the bottom on the outsides of the trees seemed to be key but they were all small except those two.

We will keep on and get these finicky creatures figured out though.

[TnCreekMaster]

I agree skillet after this spring ive had the crappie curse cant catch any good ones (12" and above) like this slab at 16"+

http://www.fishingtn.com/picture.php?albumid=34&pictureid=214

Guess that crappie masters tourney fished em out lol

[skillet]

Man that's a nice one. I believe this coming spring will produce a lot of nice crappie from all the 9.5-9.75" fish we've been catching. Last year, 2014, I caught some monster crappie while bass fishing with dt6 crankbaits!!! Actually one day I almost had a limit of crappie, smallest was 14" and I had a limit of bass largest being almost 4 and smallest was 2-2.25!!

Even though we haven't found the big girls yet, but like I said...we'll get it figured out! I'm thinking the water is still a little too warm. Let it cool down another 8-10 degrees and see what happens.

[TnCreekMaster]

Man that's a nice one. I believe this coming spring will produce a lot of nice crappie from all the 9.5-9.75" fish we've been catching. Last year, 2014, I caught some monster crappie while bass fishing with dt6 crankbaits!!! Actually one day I almost had a limit of crappie, smallest was 14" and I had a limit of bass largest being almost 4 and smallest was 2-2.25!!

Even though we haven't found the big girls yet, but like I said...we'll get it figured out! I'm thinking the water is still a little too warm. Let it cool down another 8-10 degrees and see what happens.

I usually start doing real good when the water gets in the mid 40's. Biggest to date was a 18.5" monster that I thought was a giant bass

[skillet]

I haven't gotten one that big yet!!! I bet it was nice fight!!

From what I've been reading when the water gets below 50 degrees it's on!! So I can't wait. I welcome the warmer weather but I really want that water to cool down!!!! Tennessee weather is so bipolar!!!! Lol

[TNBronzeback]

Thats a toad for sure!
my spring crappie was a bust, i started searching too late, then my summer spot didnt produce as in years past for numbers or size, so i agree, this spring should be a good one!
Lol....my problem is i take about 30 minutes looking for crappies then i have flashbacks of my epic hybrid day 2 years ago so i stow the crappie gear and chase the hybrids! lol. Those big, hard hitting, drag screaming hybrids! lol

[skillet]

Hahaha...hybrids and stripes are on the hit list as well. I've only tied into a few of them and man was I surprised. We were out one day and noticed the birds diving down into the water!! I told my fishing partner, deezltek, let's go see what's happening. Hybrid and stripes were just hammering the bait like crazy. We started throwing whatever top water we had tied on and it was on!!! We were catching them so fast it was crazy!!! We got so excited in his 14' v bottom that he accidentally put his popper in my back!!!! And just as fast as it started it would stop. 50-75 yards off it would start again and the chase was on again!!! We did that for hours Lol. We like to call this action "The Phenomena"!!! It's only happened like that that one time while we were out there but ever since then we're always watching the birds!!!

All this was happening on old hickory too. Priest guys see it all the time from the sound of it and what I read on here. I do get lucky every once in a blue moon and tie into one on a crankbait, but it's rare.