(10-19-2025, 08:41 PM)perchinski Wrote: Didn't think we'd get the boat out again, but couldn't pass up a bluebird fall day.  Put in at 7am to 39 air and 55 water.  Hit our 3 main
spots and had a ball with 9-10" perch, 11-17" smallies, two 9-11" crappies and one slimer.  Play-of-the-day was our smallie double-header, 
one a 16"er, the other a 17, both hooked within 10' of each other.  Bass spitting up crawdad parts.  The great majority of our fish came from the 15-22' range, tho saw schools both shallower & deeper.  Initially concerned about the wind which was supposed to approach double-digits around 10am, but that didn't show until we left at 12:30.  Drifting with the wind more productive than spot-locking and fan-casting.  Drop-shotted light-colored Yamamoto shad shape worms did most of the work today.  Nada on jerkbait and spinnerbait.  Courtesy dock still in, but ramp has gotta be gettin' close to falling off into the abyss.  Hoping to return this coming Thursday.

(10-20-2025, 08:42 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:

(10-19-2025, 08:41 PM)perchinski Wrote: Didn't think we'd get the boat out again, but couldn't pass up a bluebird fall day.  Put in at 7am to 39 air and 55 water.  Hit our 3 main
spots and had a ball with 9-10" perch, 11-17" smallies, two 9-11" crappies and one slimer.  Play-of-the-day was our smallie double-header, 
one a 16"er, the other a 17, both hooked within 10' of each other.  Bass spitting up crawdad parts.  The great majority of our fish came from the 15-22' range, tho saw schools both shallower & deeper.  Initially concerned about the wind which was supposed to approach double-digits around 10am, but that didn't show until we left at 12:30.  Drifting with the wind more productive than spot-locking and fan-casting.  Drop-shotted light-colored Yamamoto shad shape worms did most of the work today.  Nada on jerkbait and spinnerbait.  Courtesy dock still in, but ramp has gotta be gettin' close to falling off into the abyss.  Hoping to return this coming Thursday.

Sounds like a great morning on the lake and catching a couple of crappie was a bonus, were you using anything different when you caught those two? With them not letting water out of the dam because of the repair they are doing, it's not likely the water level will drop too much more this year, plus the last time the water was lower than it is now, they extended the ramp, so it goes way out there now.

(10-21-2025, 12:24 AM)perchinski Wrote:

(10-20-2025, 08:42 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:

(10-19-2025, 08:41 PM)perchinski Wrote: Didn't think we'd get the boat out again, but couldn't pass up a bluebird fall day.  Put in at 7am to 39 air and 55 water.  Hit our 3 main
spots and had a ball with 9-10" perch, 11-17" smallies, two 9-11" crappies and one slimer.  Play-of-the-day was our smallie double-header, 
one a 16"er, the other a 17, both hooked within 10' of each other.  Bass spitting up crawdad parts.  The great majority of our fish came from the 15-22' range, tho saw schools both shallower & deeper.  Initially concerned about the wind which was supposed to approach double-digits around 10am, but that didn't show until we left at 12:30.  Drifting with the wind more productive than spot-locking and fan-casting.  Drop-shotted light-colored Yamamoto shad shape worms did most of the work today.  Nada on jerkbait and spinnerbait.  Courtesy dock still in, but ramp has gotta be gettin' close to falling off into the abyss.  Hoping to return this coming Thursday.

Sounds like a great morning on the lake and catching a couple of crappie was a bonus, were you using anything different when you caught those two? With them not letting water out of the dam because of the repair they are doing, it's not likely the water level will drop too much more this year, plus the last time the water was lower than it is now, they extended the ramp, so it goes way out there now.

Didn't use anything different to boat those two nice crappie.  Seemed as tho everything was on a minnow bite, and those shade-shapes look pretty darn close.  We seldom reel, just employing a slow left & drag.  We know they're a school fish, so we were surprised we didn't pick up a couple more.  Light shades better than dark yesterday.

(10-21-2025, 12:29 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:

(10-21-2025, 12:24 AM)perchinski Wrote:

(10-20-2025, 08:42 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:

(10-19-2025, 08:41 PM)perchinski Wrote: Didn't think we'd get the boat out again, but couldn't pass up a bluebird fall day.  Put in at 7am to 39 air and 55 water.  Hit our 3 main
spots and had a ball with 9-10" perch, 11-17" smallies, two 9-11" crappies and one slimer.  Play-of-the-day was our smallie double-header, 
one a 16"er, the other a 17, both hooked within 10' of each other.  Bass spitting up crawdad parts.  The great majority of our fish came from the 15-22' range, tho saw schools both shallower & deeper.  Initially concerned about the wind which was supposed to approach double-digits around 10am, but that didn't show until we left at 12:30.  Drifting with the wind more productive than spot-locking and fan-casting.  Drop-shotted light-colored Yamamoto shad shape worms did most of the work today.  Nada on jerkbait and spinnerbait.  Courtesy dock still in, but ramp has gotta be gettin' close to falling off into the abyss.  Hoping to return this coming Thursday.

Sounds like a great morning on the lake and catching a couple of crappie was a bonus, were you using anything different when you caught those two? With them not letting water out of the dam because of the repair they are doing, it's not likely the water level will drop too much more this year, plus the last time the water was lower than it is now, they extended the ramp, so it goes way out there now.

Didn't use anything different to boat those two nice crappie.  Seemed as tho everything was on a minnow bite, and those shade-shapes look pretty darn close.  We seldom reel, just employing a slow left & drag.  We know they're a school fish, so we were surprised we didn't pick up a couple more.  Light shades better than dark yesterday.

Interesting, so you caught them near the bottom and not up higher in the water column. Sounds like we have been fishing for them too shallow.

(10-21-2025, 02:20 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Once again...a food chain thing.  In  lakes like Pineview, Jordanelle, Rockport and Echo the primary forage base for the predators is young of the year perch.  As late fall  water temps drop, the zooplankton upon which young perch feed migrate to deeper water...even living in the mud during the day and swarming in the dark hours.  The perch follow the zooplankton and the predators follow the perchlets.

By nature, crappies are schooling fish.  But you will find singles, doubles or small groups...especially in lakes with only small crappie populations.

I have caught only 2 crappies from Echo...both isolated singles...surprises.  But I have reliable reports of small schools being found...either near flooded brush during spawn time, or around the docks later in the year.

(10-21-2025, 07:16 PM)FishfulThinkin Wrote:

(10-21-2025, 02:20 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Once again...a food chain thing.  In  lakes like Pineview, Jordanelle, Rockport and Echo the primary forage base for the predators is young of the year perch.  As late fall  water temps drop, the zooplankton upon which young perch feed migrate to deeper water...even living in the mud during the day and swarming in the dark hours.  The perch follow the zooplankton and the predators follow the perchlets.

By nature, crappies are schooling fish.  But you will find singles, doubles or small groups...especially in lakes with only small crappie populations.

I have caught only 2 crappies from Echo...both isolated singles...surprises.  But I have reliable reports of small schools being found...either near flooded brush during spawn time, or around the docks later in the year.

I can add that there is (or was) a small crappie population in Deer Creek also because I caught one there last year while targeting walleye. Maybe it was the only one but it was definitely a black crappie - the only one that I have ever caught from DC and I fish there quite a bit.

(10-19-2025, 08:41 PM)perchinski Wrote: Didn't think we'd get the boat out again, but couldn't pass up a bluebird fall day.  Put in at 7am to 39 air and 55 water.  Hit our 3 main
spots and had a ball with 9-10" perch, 11-17" smallies, two 9-11" crappies and one slimer.  Play-of-the-day was our smallie double-header, 
one a 16"er, the other a 17, both hooked within 10' of each other.  Bass spitting up crawdad parts.  The great majority of our fish came from the 15-22' range, tho saw schools both shallower & deeper.  Initially concerned about the wind which was supposed to approach double-digits around 10am, but that didn't show until we left at 12:30.  Drifting with the wind more productive than spot-locking and fan-casting.  Drop-shotted light-colored Yamamoto shad shape worms did most of the work today.  Nada on jerkbait and spinnerbait.  Courtesy dock still in, but ramp has gotta be gettin' close to falling off into the abyss.  Hoping to return this coming Thursday.

(10-22-2025, 09:24 PM)lovetofish Wrote:

(10-19-2025, 08:41 PM)perchinski Wrote: Didn't think we'd get the boat out again, but couldn't pass up a bluebird fall day.  Put in at 7am to 39 air and 55 water.  Hit our 3 main
spots and had a ball with 9-10" perch, 11-17" smallies, two 9-11" crappies and one slimer.  Play-of-the-day was our smallie double-header, 
one a 16"er, the other a 17, both hooked within 10' of each other.  Bass spitting up crawdad parts.  The great majority of our fish came from the 15-22' range, tho saw schools both shallower & deeper.  Initially concerned about the wind which was supposed to approach double-digits around 10am, but that didn't show until we left at 12:30.  Drifting with the wind more productive than spot-locking and fan-casting.  Drop-shotted light-colored Yamamoto shad shape worms did most of the work today.  Nada on jerkbait and spinnerbait.  Courtesy dock still in, but ramp has gotta be gettin' close to falling off into the abyss.  Hoping to return this coming Thursday.

I was up there Tuesday, and the water clarity was only about 2ft. I don't know why or what made it so bad. When you were there was it bad for you too. I fished south of the boat launch.