Crappie reports????

[litetackle]

Looking for some crappie. I missed the spawn and have never tried for them in the summer months here in UT. Wondering about Pine view or Holmes....Thoughts??


Thanks,
LT
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[Flyfishinglover]

My best guess if they are still in the shallow area head to spring creek at pineview.

I was there last month and slapped them silly to the point I went after bass later that day. Make sure your in a boat, float tube, or pontoon in that area. Tons of vegetation and the water level was up average when I went.

Good luck
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[litetackle]

Thanks for the tip.


LT
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]At this time of year, month old info is not likely to be helpful. As soon as surface temps warm toward 70 the crappies move out into the middle of the lakes and go deep. They usually suspend somewhere between top and bottom...depending on water temps, chemistry and feeding patterns. In Pineview it is not uncommon to find them on your sonar, suspended at 30 feet over deeper water.

Also, they do not feed as actively when in the summer patterns. They don't chase large lures and they do not bite hard. Crappie pros who know their stuff fish them vertically, with very small jigs. And they learn how to pay attention to the slightest movement of rod or line to signal a bite.

When the water starts cooling down in the fall the crappies will again move in closer to shore. The narrows is a good place to hunt for them...usually in about 15 to 20 feet of water...near fast sloping rocky shorelines. But they will also school up out off submerged points and underwater humps. A good sonar system is pretty important.

As the water chills toward iceup the crappies go deeper. In November it is not uncommon to find them on the bottom in up to 50 feet of water. Look for schools of baby perch near the bottom and the crappies will be nearby.

While there are crappies in Holmes Creek they are not very plentiful. And it is difficult to get them from shore when they are out in deeper water. Much easier through the ice.
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[litetackle]

Thanks much!!!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Welcome. Hope you can get a handle on our local slabs.

I forgot to mention that night fishing during the summer months can be good for crappies too. They come up around sunken lights to feed on the small fry that feed on the zooplankton.

In past times I used to do well just drifting around on a boat with a couple of Coleman lanterns on the bow...on a reasonably calm night. Worked both on Willard Bay and Pineview.

A lot of crappie chasers do very well night fishing for them under the ice too. I have seen the size of fish jump from a few inches to teen inchers within an hour of darkness setting in. But it is usually a matter of finding the regular feeding spots...where there are lots of invertebrates and small fry upon which the big crappies feed after dark.
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