OLE' POPS OUTDOOR BLOG

Sometimes late Summer Crappie can be extra picky. Many of the large fish here at Grand Lake in NE Oklahoma have spent from late May to mid August gorging themselves after the rigors of the spawn. Once their body weights start to stabilize they can get finicky. Hopefully these fishing tips will help you land a few more this time of year.

One pattern that really seems to work well for me is finding the deepest brush piles that are holding fish. Once I find these piles with my GPS and Downview/color sonar (which are usually in 25 to 30 ft of water) I tie on quick sinking 3/16oz Big Eye jighed then string a 2.5” Go Go Minnow on it. It’s pretty simple fising from that point on. Cast and reel sloooooow, and I mean really slow. Sometimes I add a few rod twitches but not many. The optimum lure depth is just above the tops of the brush. Crappie in warm water move fast and will bolt out of the piles and hammer the Go Go’s. Don’t expect to catch lots of Crappie from each pile most days either. Take the active fish and move on. Boat control in the wind and waves is vital too. The Charger Vmag (www.ChargerBoats.com) does a masterful job of staying put on spotlock mode. This really increases your casting accuracy and sense of feel. Boat control sets great anglers apart from average anglers.