Todd2

I'm a huge fan of 1/16 to 1/8 Crappie Slider jig heads. I fish grubs, tubes, and of course Slider paddletails. Comes through laydowns, brush piles, standing timber like a champ. Cast and slow retrieve works well for me.

Interesting, I've never noticed this, probably will now though...lol

Congrats!!!!!! I just went for my 3rd yearly follow up at OSU since my treament and have been given my yearly pass. Get out there and enjoy life again!

I've caught Bass in 38 degree water, had to break ice to get out of dock, but that was clearer water. At 33 and muddy, I'd stay home or find better conditions, lol. But if you are determined, I'd slow roll it with the underspin.

@Team9nine 's screen captures are text book Crappie 101 in my limited experience. I've been getting over that stuff with a Slider Jig on the bottom, with a minnow about a foot or so up the line. Like a drop shot. Most of the time, they hit the minnow, but my bigger ones last Sunday were on the jig. Blue/Chartreuse. Didn't catch any black bass but did land a nice hybrid striper. Those brush piles hold all kinds of stuff.

I'll probably be voted off the forum here, but chasing cold water Crappie is almost as addictive...with a little more reward in Winter. I don't catch a lot of Bass here from now until March. But yeah, fishing is great.

I try (and try is the key word) to fish cover (aka breaks, standing timber, lay downs, brush piles, etc.) that are close to structure (aka cuts, ditches, channels, etc.). Here these run off the high ridges down to the water's edge where you lose sight of it and on out to a main river or creek channel. But depth of any this stuff is the most important piece and the one I struggle with especially after the Fall turnover. Good thread, hope you get healed up quick Tom.

Yeah, I was half joking. I do some Crappie fishing in the cold months and it's fairly common to hook up with a nice Bass every now and then. Throwing a 1/16 oz Crappie jig ain't that different than a Ned rig. I'll catch Crappie, LM, White Bass, and some Smallies up in the river on a light jig in cold water. I'm not too picky which one, any of them beat not getting out. I do have my limits though. Air temps below freezing usually keeps me home.

Crappie Sliders...lol

Good stuff, when jigging just off the bottom, are you targeting brushpiles or marked fish?

Skunk (2014) - IMDB

I love me some Crappie fishing, no matter how you pronounce it...lol. Here it's "Croppy". I fish vertical around standing timber in the mouths of coves here most of the time. Just use electronics to find the depth. But I know an older gentleman that wears them out casting Beetle spins.

My biggest Smallie came on a lipless at Dale Hollow a few years back, but if I was gonna pick one lure to throw for the rest of my life, no way would it be a lipless crankbait. Jigs, paddletail swimbaits quickly come to mind.

Sorry to hear that, you can really bundle up while Crappie fishing since you're not casting so much but I understand. I went through chemo a few years back and it's not a walk in the park. Good luck with everything and kick it's a$$.

The Bass bite is usually good through November here...goes downhill quickly after that. Although I have caught Largemouth in upper 30's water temp. But Crappie, they will bite all through the cold if you find them and jig em. I met an old man on the water last Winter, very cold day. He couldn't believe I was there.saying that he normally had the lake to himself on days like this. We shot the bull and sat there and caught some nice Crappie. Not how I prefer to fish, but does get you out. My lake rarely freezes over though.

John Hope's tracking proved that big bass are affected by the ping. I'd have to go back and read for the details, but if he had on the sonar, the big fish would take off. If I'm beating the bank, I turn my off. For off shore, I leave it on. But yeah, it's a preference thing.

That's the same color as the flukes I got. It was the hook at Academy that had the least on it so I figured I'd try it out in my stained water. I'll give this one a look...thanks.

Ok, like most of you all by now probably, I'm seeing mega shad schools back in creeks. What is your best injured shad lure for off color water? And weedless, I need weedless as these schools are often up in around timber. I picked up a pack of Flukes that I plan on trying this week back there. Ive had luck on those in the past but for some reason they've worked their way down in the rotation. Any thing else working for you? Thanks

Stren, Trilene, and a few others come in Clear Blue Fluorescent.

Been pitching jigs in wood on rivers and creeks all summer. Without a doubt, I catch more fish doing this than pitching to the same stuff on the main lake. If there is visible current, it's even better it seems.

This...the only thing I do a little different is reel into the fish a little more on long casts and then swing.

I've been trying poppers lately and some of them do walk but I do own one Spook that I've had for years. It's not been as productive as I'd hoped. I think my water is too stained here. How clear is the water for you guys that have a lot of success on spooks/topwater?

Yeah, at one point UK was on the wrong end of the #1 and #2 active losing streaks between two teams (Florida and Tennessee).

I just kill it and wait with intermittent shaking..works sometimes. If that doesn't work, I'll throw a worm at them. If that doesn't work, I move.

Yeah, there have been quite a few, but a lot of blowouts too unfortunately.