San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

For the past month I think I placed a few orders online for crappie stuff (sorry bass no budget left for you). Most of the items are new and a few just replenished old stock. I think end up getting closer to 20 bags of plastics. Really have hope of some items like Zman stuffs, Slab Hunt’r and Crappie magnet bison color (I have good success with trout magnet in same color for bluegill a couple years before. I think I should be good for a few more years. I plan to fish hard next year after slow down quite a bit for golf the past couple years.

Nice

camobass wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 6:51 pmNice

Right? And for all of these still way cheaper than 5 jack hammer stealth I got for bass. LOL. Man I should change to Just_Crappie.

Looking at the size of that crappie you caught recently, I suspect that Canyon Lake is going to be cranking out some three pound ones com spring. Go get 'em.

You know, I've nailed quite a few big gills in 2024 but maybe one of you guys would be willing to school me on some crappie fishing one of these days? I've caught a few, but I'd really like to get a better feel for how to target and fish for them. I've always wanted to learn but most of my fishing buddies are bass guys sadly.

There are some very nice crappie in Barrett but almost no one fishes for them. Every once in while, one will slam a bass lure.

I have tried fishing for them after the bass bite slows midday with a crappie jig under a bobber but the bass won't leave it alone.

Gotfish? wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2024 6:48 pm There are some very nice crappie in Barrett but almost no one fishes for them. Every once in while, one will slam a bass lure.

I have tried fishing for them after the bass bite slows midday with a crappie jig under a bobber but the bass won't leave it alone.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Dannicus wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2024 11:23 pm

Gotfish? wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2024 6:48 pm There are some very nice crappie in Barrett but almost no one fishes for them. Every once in while, one will slam a bass lure.

I have tried fishing for them after the bass bite slows midday with a crappie jig under a bobber but the bass won't leave it alone.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

It is the silver lining on the disappointment of not getting the intended prey. Sometimes smaller baits are what the fish want when the bite is slow.

Biggest bass I ever got at Barrett was 8.9 lbs on a 2" soft plastic on a drop shot intended for bluegill. Got many other bass on this too, sometimes more bass than bluegill.

Small crappie size crankbaits sometimes work very well for bass at Barrett, some say better than full size ones. Bass sized crankbaits are considerably larger than most shad at Barrett.

I have had times in the bay where I was getting a lot of tail bites so I downsized my soft plastic and was surprised with a halibut instead. Maybe just coincidence.

This has been my experience too!

Dannicus wrote: Mon Dec 30, 2024 4:25 pm You know, I've nailed quite a few big gills in 2024 but maybe one of you guys would be willing to school me on some crappie fishing one of these days? I've caught a few, but I'd really like to get a better feel for how to target and fish for them. I've always wanted to learn but most of my fishing buddies are bass guys sadly.

Crappie bites are often incredibly soft and I imagine most people don't even feel a ton of their hits. Your best friends are a very sensitive rod with a soft tip that loads quickly into a good backbone (not your standard UL pool noodle), high quality braided line (I use 7lb Almight) to whatever fairly short leader you prefer (4-7lb is good) and very thin, very sharp hooks that can penetrate the crappie's thin mouth with very light pressure. Just about any 1.5-2 inch plastic will work (I prefer straight tails). Jigheads 1-2.5 grams depending on the wind, my experience is the lighter the better when possible. Good news about crappie is if you find 1, you've probably found a bunch. Floating structures (marinas/docks) and submerged brush or vegetation are what you're looking for typically.

Setup is also super fun to catch small spotties and other misc stuff in the bay, for trout, big bluegill/redears, and you will regularly get quality largemouth bycatch.