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AI is too much man! 🤣 Anyways, the TC team hopes to see you on the water this weekend – just make sure you have your head on a swivel out there!
Hope y'all have a great 4th of July, and thanks as always for reading Target Crappie – we appreciate you! Some solid juice in this one, dig in and enjoy!
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If your email program cuts off the bottom of the email click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that – email programs keep changing stuff!
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You can see 'em so why don't they bite?
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Been lot of talk about the whole forward sonar (FFS) deal and fishing pressure. Probably will be for a while til it's either as accepted as other electronics or the next better thing comes along.
Either way here's a little from a post from Bobby Garland's Skylar St Yves on Lurenet.com that has some interesting points about its effect on fish. So – is FFS making it harder to catch crappie? According to Skylar:
> Yes and no. Unlike bass and several other American gamefish, crappie are rarely educated. Being tremendous table fare, legal fish are rarely returned to the water, no matter the size.
> Sonar is not an undetectable field. It sends a pulse through the water and returns to the unit to display the picture. Guides across the country have noted that they notice more often these days the fish sensing the Live sonar.
> Fish can sense this with their lateral line system [yep, although biologists will say fish are not able to "hear" that sonar frequency]. Guides often report fish running from the sonar as they approach.
> Anglers for years have known that fish sense boat pressure and often flee from the shadow cast by the boat.
> After a decade of firsthand experience with the technology, one thing has become abundantly clear from artificial-lure crappie fishermen: Smaller is almost always better, even for the largest crappie.
> This is where the Bobby Garland Original Baby Shad, 1.75" Live Roam'R and 1.25" Itty Bit Series has dominated the soft-plastics category in crappie fishing...making [year-round] jig fishing a reality for not only top end FFS anglers, but for anglers of all skill levels and techniques.
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Here's a little from a different Lurenet post on why the tiny bait deal is so 🔥:
> Most anglers associate a crappie's diet with shad and minnows in the 2-3" range. While that is certainly significant, recent crappie dietary studies have shown crappie consume a wide range of food sources of less than 2".
> Crappie anglers across the country started associating small local forage like mayflies, nymphs, fry, crustaceans and grass shrimp with certain Itty Bit Series body styles.
> "Bobby Garland fishing staff saw the immediate returns of the Itty Bit Swim'R after a year of use. It was determined that other body styles were needed to fine-tune different techniques and presentations. The 1.25" Itty Bit Slab Slay'R and 1.25" Itty Bit Slab Hunt'R were created in response."
Also, since FFS allows fisehrmen to constantly watch how fish eat, the Bobby Garland folks have found out:
> ...from anglers across the country that big fish eat small bait more often than not.
> [The Itty Bit Mayfly's] balanced body, ribbed abdomen, forked tail and proportional appendages create a wealth of finesse vibration and action. It's a great imitator of fry in open water, shrimp over grass flats, and bugs/nymphs around timber and brush."
That's the juice on the bite, but what about the population? That takes us to #2! 👇
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Can FFS hurt crappie populations or not?
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So what about crappie populations and FFS? Here's some info from that same Lurenet.com post:
Whether FFS is hurting crappie populations
> In major reservoir and lake environments, it’s an unequivocal no. Crappie are a short-lived, high-reproducing species. The ability to negatively affect the population through angling pressure is next to impossible.
> Fisheries biologists will tell you that the key to a healthy, sustainable crappie population is through adequate harvest. An average crappie lives 3-5 years. By year 5, a crappie has reached its peak size for all intents and purposes. It has also reproduced to its maximum potential.
> Crappie populations are boom and bust in reservoir systems, where water levels can fluctuate dramatically during spawning season. Stable, typically close to full-pool levels are needed during the spawn to achieve maximum recruitment.
> When bad spawns occur over multiple years, the following usually occurs in the 3rd or 4th year: lower density of fish, especially 8-12" fish, but higher numbers of fish of more than 12".
> The question in smaller impoundments, 2,000 acres or less, is more controversial. Most monster crappie, including many state record fish, come from small bodies of water.
> They are typically few in numbers and when word spreads of the quality fishing on public bodies of water, we have seen a rapid decline in that quality.
> More FFS units and pressure can quickly swoop out these fish until the fishery is abandoned by anglers. And deemed "ruined."
> But the locals that stay after it, more often than not, report a return to honey hole" status within a couple of years."
If we want to see more big crappie
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> If anything, anglers need to focus on harvesting the majority of fish in the 8-11" range, where creel sizes allow. These fish are the most abundant and outcompete for the bait resource, especially in smaller bodies of water.
> If anglers are worried about the “trophy” quality of a lake being ruined by [FFS], it is rarely because too many large fish are being taken. It is the opposite. Not enough “small” crappie are being harvested.
> Too many similarly-sized mouths to feed limit the...potential to reach the quality 12-14" range that all crappie anglers are looking for.
> 14"+ fish are a byproduct of good genetics, unique eating habitats as young of year, and ample habitat/forage. These fish are the exception no matter where you’re located. They are just built differently, and angling pressure has little effect on their ability to reach that size.
> Another thing to keep in mind. Guides make up the vast majority of harvest on many lakes regardless of FFS. They are on the water multiple days a week harvesting up to 4 limits of fish.
> If you were to have 200 guides on a 2,000-acre lake harvesting 4 limits a day, 365 days a year, they still could not outproduce 1 year’s spawn on a bad spawning year.
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SNEAK PEEK: New slab candy coming from Berkley 👀
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TC's Joel had the chance to hang out with the Berkley crew a couple weeks back and got a look at the new (not out yet) slab-sized Power Vibe. It’s a soft-plastic with a flat back that makes it vibrate like crazy. Comes pre-rigged, casts far and sinks quick.
Key features:
- Pre-rigged and internally weighted
- Soft body makes zero noise (vs hard baits)
- Single top hook keeps it weedless
- 1.5" (1/16-oz) and 2.25" (3/16-oz)
- 14 colors
Joel didn't get to fish it much but noticed that having the right rod/reel/line setup is super important. Joel was throwing it on a 6' 9" ML F Abu Garcia Veritas Tournament LTD Rod, a Pflueger 1000 Supreme XT Reel, 6-lb Berkley Forward Braid and a 6-lb flouro leader – said he really like that setup.
Looks like there might be a few things you can do with it to put slabs in the boat! Not sure when the bait is coming out, but should be this year?
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Spooky fish because of low oxygen?
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When it comes to the heat and thermocline on your home lake, if the conditions are right, it can cause real low oxygen (O2) and those crappie can get real fickle.
Check this, from an In-Fisherman post talkin' how pro crappie angler Dan Dannenmueller stays on those low-O2 spooky fish:
> "A lot of things can be happening in summer, depending on river flow levels and current generation at dams. Last year, we had a drought and almost no flow, causing oxygen to decline to about 1 ppm. Crappies went nearly dormant, sitting on bottom and refusing to bite."
> "In low-oxygen scenarios, the best move is to go directly above or below the dam – any place with some current.
> "If your lake has a thermocline, locate it and fish just above that depth, often 12-20' down. In rivers, summertime crappies often sit right behind main-river laydowns or rockpiles....
> ...you’ve got to sneak up on them. With [LiveScope] we’ve watched huge schools of crappies – over 100 fish – come flying out of a single brushpile when the trolling motor goes down.
> "Even the vibration of my voice is sometimes enough to spook fish. Sounds crazy, but LiveScope is opening our eyes to a lot of things, including just how sensitive crappies can be to sound and vibration.
> "We move into the fish with all of the baits in the water, and then cut the trolling motor to let baits glide down toward the fish. LiveScope reveals big fish so well that we’re doing a lot more stop-and-drop style fishing, targeting individual 2- or 3-lbers.
> "If the fish are spooky, you want to pitch in front of them and let the jig pendulum down. You can usually discern which way a crappie is moving, and you never want to cast behind them or fish below them."
Dan's ticket to catching 'em
> [For spooky fish, Dan is] increasingly casting with Mylar and hair jigs and experimenting with dropshot rigs, particularly around brushpiles.
> "In heavy cover, a dropshot allows him to keep the hook or jig clear above the debris while the sinker [is in] the wood.
> [Dan] also relies on weedless jigs, such as TTI Blakemore’s new Weedless Slab Runner. For dropshotting, the TTI Blakemore Live Shot’N Fry 👇 comes with pre-tied hair and Mylar fibers for a lively breathing action, fished with or without a live minnow.
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> When all else fails, [Dan] returns to some of his favorite wood cover, where black crappies often linger before, during and sometimes well after the spawn.
> [He] believes big crappies have adapted to heavy fishing pressure by suspending near cover, rather than within it directly.
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You can just bend down and pick up crappie up North – with your hands???
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Brett from the TC team keeps coming across this FB video and it's so unlike anything he's ever seen his mind is blown!
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This is from a video posted by a guy named Kevin Fox where he's just wading in shallow water and picking up alive and well crappies with his hands!
What Kevin said in the post:
> ...if you go to Carver Beach [NY??] after dark, it’s like walking into a dream.No rod. No reel. Just a flashlight and your hands.
> 15-INCH SLABS sitting shallow, motionless like they hit snooze on life.
> We crept through the shallows and scooped giants like picking fruit off a tree. Unreal.
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What in the world....who wants to go???
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The Crank'n Classic on Grenada is an annual derb (no FFS allowed) open to everyone. Congrats to 'em!
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The Micro Graph Shadz, which will be out fall '25. Still made with Z-Man's 1,000,000 fish ElaZtech! More on that in next week's Target Crappie!
3. TN: Some folks are asking for lower crappie limits
> Some guides balk at the idea of reducing the limit. They say clients want to bring in a limit every trip. Others...notes that if every 2-man boat brings in 90 crappie every trip (the guide can keep a limit too) it will eventually deplete the resource.
4. SC: Santee slabs are on deep brush now
5. VA: Where to find 'em in Anna now
Guide Glenn Vico on gameandfishmag.com:
> Fish that don’t head toward manmade structures can often be found in deep creek channels right in the bend where the current slows.... They’ll also congregate along the deepwater sides of the banks, near places where large trees fell into the water and shoreline trees offer shade. Brushpiles and beaver lodges are also regular haunts.
> The lure he dubs “Old Faithful” is a Mr Crappie Shadpole...in the 'red/chartreuse glow' and 'hot chicken' patterns. He also touts the 1/4-oz Road Runner Marabou and 1/2-oz Silver Buddy. “It may seem too big for crappies, but larger fish will readily hit it."
6. NC: Summer slab 🧃 for Jordan Lake
Guide Travis Bradshaw on carolinasportsman.com – highlights:
> "This time of year, you'll see the fish get into lulls more often, but they'll come out of those lulls, even in the heat of the day, and feed for a bit."
> ...you'll never see him on the water without live minnows. "...in the summer heat, I want to fish with the smallest minnows I can find. And if my bait minnows die for some reason and that's all I've got to fish with, I won't hesitate to put a dead minnow on a hook."
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> "I don't try to find crappie on my depthfinder. Instead, I look for bait balls. Because even if you find crappie, that doesn't mean they are feeding. But if you find the bait, you can bet that once the crappie get hungry, they'll show up where the bait balls are.
> "I look for brushpiles, ledges and bait balls that are in water that's between 8 and 14' deep. You can catch them in deep water right now, and around bridge pilings on the main lake. But this time of year, that's going to put you in the middle of [boat] traffic...."
7. ME: Crappie advisory for Androscoggin Lake
No more than 1 black crappie per month due to PFAS ("forever chemical") contamination.
8. ICAST is coming up!
More of a PSA for y'all but be on the lookout for the new ICAST (fishing tackle trrade show) products that are going to be popping up here in the next few weeks! Got some intel that Mr Crappie and Bobby Garland are gonna be dropping some 🔥!
9. Portable yammy's now at West Marine
Available from 2.5-15 hp. Slap it on a jon and get to slabbin'!
10. Stay out of a ticket on the water this weekend
Game warden advice on how to stay away from common boating violations like: Make sure to pay attention to PFDs, kill switches, visual distress signals and nav lights.
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11. Your new favorite T-shirt?
And who else but Mr Crappie would be the brain behind this greatness!😂 Be on the lookout for it after the ICAST trade show!
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Fish the edge of the crowds
From this The Crappie Connection YT video (filled with crazy good info) on how staying "outside" of people catches you fish that others are missing:
> "[I'm reminded of] the spider-rigging days. I'd always try to fish just outside the big clusters of boats. It’s no different now with FFS.
> "If you find a spot that’s packed with boats, odds are it's a productive area – but it’s also getting hammered.
> "I try to stay just outside of all that pressure, on the edge of the crowd. If they’re stacked in a cove or a creek arm, I’ll fish that outer zone where the fish might be retreating to.
> "A lot of times those pressured fish will slide out, and that’s where I want to be – intercepting them before they settle again."
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