04-13-2007, 07:27 PM
I'm not full force into the world of fly angling yet, but I know crappie. Based on my experiance, it would seem crappie would be an extremely difficult fish to target with a fly rod. Crappie usually hold tight to deep structure in large schools. They like lots of flash and lots of wiggle. I've never known crappie to hit top water. I have caught them at sub-level depths on beetle spins or small spoons, but in the warmer months of summer. Jigs are very affective verticle jigging around docks, pilons, and bridges. My personal favorite is live minnows run deep on a cork.
Now, LOL, the trick is to take what i've just told you and find a fly that will:
1. Have plenty of flash and movement
2. Reach the depth of the fish
3. Maintain that depth in the strike zone
4. Easily controled to prevent snags
Now, like I said, i'm no big fly angler (yet), but maybe this info will help you adjust your tactics and find success. Your lake conditions may be different. But i've fished many different types of water for crappie, and they all held in the same spots. Narrow, shallow river: Around the deep water pilons of bridges. Medium sized rivers: Bridges w/ slow current or submerged structure in deep holes. Lakes: Deep water structure, around docks or deep bank structure, etc... If you find crappie on top water in the shallows, that would be a first for me. Usually to be successful, you'll need a sonar unit at your disposal. They make castable sonar units if you're on the bank. From a tube, you know the deal. I hope this helps! Let us know how you do or what you figure out! [cool]
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Now, LOL, the trick is to take what i've just told you and find a fly that will:
1. Have plenty of flash and movement
2. Reach the depth of the fish
3. Maintain that depth in the strike zone
4. Easily controled to prevent snags
Now, like I said, i'm no big fly angler (yet), but maybe this info will help you adjust your tactics and find success. Your lake conditions may be different. But i've fished many different types of water for crappie, and they all held in the same spots. Narrow, shallow river: Around the deep water pilons of bridges. Medium sized rivers: Bridges w/ slow current or submerged structure in deep holes. Lakes: Deep water structure, around docks or deep bank structure, etc... If you find crappie on top water in the shallows, that would be a first for me. Usually to be successful, you'll need a sonar unit at your disposal. They make castable sonar units if you're on the bank. From a tube, you know the deal. I hope this helps! Let us know how you do or what you figure out! [cool]
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