CAESARS CREEK 2023 CRAPPIE THREAD!

5909 Views 67 Replies 15 Participants Last post by 9 LEFT, 15 h ago

9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · 1 mo ago (Edited)

2

Let's start this thing off boys!

I took a hike last week in the afternoon for a few hours, water temp is 53°… Fished four hours, jig and a jig n bobber... nuthin.
Fast forward to this morning .... showed up around 7:30 AM… Water temp has jumped up to 57°… Nothing on retrieved jig… However the jig n bobber, set 18 inches deep… In about 3 feet of water.
success!

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and they wanted it too!

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slowed down a little bit around 10 AM… I started casting and retrieving a 1/16 ounce chartreuse jig and I was able to get a couple takers but all the fish on the retrieved jig were only 8" or so. Kept 10 for the pot all were over 10". no hawgs yet.

can't wait to hear everybody's caesars reports on this thread… The annual Crappie campout is going to be a little bit later this year the third week of May… But I will be sure to post all the pics… Good luck, everybody!

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crappiedude

· #2 · 1 mo ago (Edited)

It's amazing how the shallow jig & cork bite turns on some years. Nothing one day, then crazy the next.
It's good to see your annual crappie thread starting

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #3 · 1 mo ago

crappiedude said:
It's amazing how the shallow jig & cork bite turns on some years. Nothing one day the crazy the next.
It's good to see your annual crappie thread starting

thanks crappiedude! truly, my favorite time of year… Crappies, mushrooms, turkeys, walleyes…
though my favorite thing in the world is the feel a little "tick " on an ultralight rod or watching that little bobber just bounce one time and hook up with a slab! can't wait to see all the reports!

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MuskyFan

· #4 · 1 mo ago

I was on the lake yesterday. Water was 60*-62* everywhere I fished. Clearing up nicely, too. Temps may hold or drop slightly with the nighttime lows expected this week. A lot of boats out yesterday. Heard not so many today with the weather.

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #5 · 1 mo ago

MuskyFan said:
I was on the lake yesterday. Water was 60*-62* everywhere I fished. Clearing up nicely, too. Temps may hold or drop slightly with the nighttime lows expected this week. A lot of boats out yesterday. Heard not so many today with the weather.

I could believe the surface temp being that

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Ravbuck

· #6 · 1 mo ago

Like 9 left I fished early in the week and did not have a bite. Water was very stained. Went Saturday evening from 5-8 fishing from the bank in a cove. Tried Slow retrieve plastics and jigs under a slip bobber and did not have a hit. Luckily I had also stopped and and picked up minnows. Caught over 20 with 10 keepers 11”. One was a black crappie all the rest were white. Started out fishing 2 ft under bobber and caught 75% of fish. When it slowed down I moved the depth up to four feet and found them again. Great three hours of fun. Not sure what this cold weather for the next few days will do to the fishing but hoping it will pick up at the end of the week.

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Ravbuck

· #7 · 1 mo ago

Went to the lake again last night. I ran into another fisherman that said the water temp dropped 10 degrees since Saturday. I picked up three with minnows all small. One gentleman was on a hot spot and picked up 6-7 keepers fishing 4 feet beneath a bobber with minnows. Talked to a few boaters who had caught very little. One said that he was marking tons of crappie in the channel of the cove but could not get a bite. It they were crappie, they must be staging for the next run to the banks.

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #8 · 1 mo ago

Ravbuck said:
Went to the lake again last night. I ran into another fisherman that said the water temp dropped 10 degrees since Saturday. I picked up three with minnows all small. One gentleman was on a hot spot and picked up 6-7 keepers fishing 4 feet beneath a bobber with minnows. Talked to a few boaters who had caught very little. One said that he was marking tons of crappie in the channel of the cove but could not get a bite. It they were crappie, they must be staging for the next run to the banks.

that's pretty much correct Ravbuck! The temperature dropped from around 58° to down around 51°… I went to the lake this morning with my dad and my uncle, in my uncles boat. I went to the same spot, where I put a few on the stringer. Previously, retrieved jig… Jig and bobber… Nothing. We finally hit up a cove that usually produces earlier than other coves for us. I was able to pull six fish with jig and bobber… However, I had to set that sucker at 5 feet deep, fishing in 6' of water. and one hour of being there, I only got six crappies… And they were very very sluggish. No surprise tho, with the extreme drop in temperatures over the last couple days.
If I had the time, I would be out there today at noon with my gear going at it… Lol I think later this afternoon is going to be a fun day… Not quite "on fire", but I think a consistent bite is realistic. i think mostly males are being caught, but they will be there for sure this afternoon.

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Backwater

· #9 · 1 mo ago

9 LEFT said:
that's pretty much correct Ravbuck! The temperature dropped from around 58° to down around 51°… I went to the lake this morning with my dad and my uncle, in my uncles boat. I went to the same spot, where I put a few on the stringer. Previously, retrieved jig… Jig and bobber… Nothing. We finally hit up a cove that usually produces earlier than other coves for us. I was able to pull six fish with jig and bobber… However, I had to set that sucker at 5 feet deep, fishing in 6' of water. and one hour of being there, I only got six crappies… And they were very very sluggish. No surprise tho, with the extreme drop in temperatures over the last couple days.
If I had the time, I would be out there today at noon with my gear going at it… Lol I think later this afternoon is going to be a fun day… Not quite "on fire", but I think a consistent bite is realistic. i think mostly males are being caught, but they will be there for sure this afternoon.

Haven't been out yet this year because of work, but hoping to get out next week - are all the ramps operational?

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #10 · 1 mo ago

Backwater said:
Haven't been out yet this year because of work, but hoping to get out next week - are all the ramps operational?

well... campground docks are in as well as North pool docks... not sure about anywhere else

Ravbuck

· #11 · 1 mo ago

The fish that I caught on Saturday all had firm eggs with little blood. I think it is still a little early. Next couple of weeks should turn on.

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #12 · 1 mo ago

Ravbuck said:
The fish that I caught on Saturday all had firm eggs with little blood. I think it is still a little early. Next couple of weeks should turn on.

oh yeah... its a LOT early! I think the really good days are about 3 weeks away yet.

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ruffhunter

· #13 · 1 mo ago

yesterday. went north and south from banks not a single bite

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #14 · 1 mo ago

ruffhunter said:
yesterday. went north and south from banks not a single bite

yes, I fished yesterday also… I ended up with six on the stringer… I had to set my jig n' bobber about 7 feet deep though… That was a pain in the ass. this next week of temperatures is going to slow em' down really hard… But I say that's a good thing ....couple of weeks and we should be catching some more.

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Bronson

· #15 · 1 mo ago

9 LEFT said:
yes, I fished yesterday also… I ended up with six on the stringer… I had to set my jig n' bobber about 7 feet deep though… That was a pain in the ass. this next week of temperatures is going to slow em' down really hard… But I say that's a good thing ....couple of weeks and we should be catching some more.

Were you in the cove where the creek comes in down by the dam? I was in there with my daughter. I have a blue Ranger Z521 with a Mercury 250 on it. If you see me down there flag me down and say hello!

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #16 · 1 mo ago

Bronson said:
Were you in the cove where the creek comes in down by the dam? I was in there with my daughter. I have a blue Ranger Z521 with a Mercury 250 on it. If you see me down there flag me down and say hello!

nope... not me.... I fish almost completely on the north end of the lake in the spring.. I don't really fish the south end of the lake much unless we get a big rain and things get dirty then I can find some clean water down that way

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Thinkum Hooked

· #17 · 1 mo ago

Good to see the 2023 Crappie Thread. I went on 4/15 & put 7 on the stringer including a 12" female in about 4 hours. I went again on 4/20 & put 12 on the stringer including a 12" male (what a stud) in about 4 hours. I have not caught any black crappie yet. This LONG cold snap is going to really slow them down. I doubt I will go again until water temp breaks 56 again which is looking like a couple of weeks out or more based on weather forecast. Maybe this all times out nicely for 9 Left's Annual Crappie Campout the 3rd week of May?

I plan to go fishing this Thursday, but going to pass on Caesar Creek & hit some streams for smallmouth.

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #18 · 1 mo ago (Edited)

3

Thinkum Hooked said:
Good to see the 2023 Crappie Thread. I went on 4/15 & put 7 on the stringer including a 12" female in about 4 hours. I went again on 4/20 & put 12 on the stringer including a 12" male (what a stud) in about 4 hours. I have not caught any black crappie yet. This LONG cold snap is going to really slow them down. I doubt I will go again until water temp breaks 56 again which is looking like a couple of weeks out or more based on weather forecast. Maybe this all times out nicely for 9 Left's Annual Crappie Campout the 3rd week of May?

I plan to go fishing this Thursday, but going to pass on Caesar Creek & hit some streams for smallmouth.

hopefully! i'm kind of glad we didn't do the first weekend this year… Looks to be kind of chilly and rainy most of the weekend.
on a side note, thinkum hooked, you mentioned in your post about not going back till the temp is 56°… Try not to focus on a certain number… Pay more attention to whether or not the water temperature is actually rising or falling… In the last couple years I have been keeping logs on my crappy outings in the spring… A lot of times, the water temp was in the low 50s but it was on the rise and I would have a successful day.
I keep the USGS website on my phone… they have a temp reading Location at Caesars Creek near wellman . When you look at it, there are options to select water temperature in Fahrenheit and then add it to the graph.

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The graph with the water temperature will show up and it has an option below it to scroll through the graph and look at each hour ( temp is recorded on the top of each hour) , when I see the temperature starting to rise. I'll wait a couple hours after that and then head out to the lake, and usually the water temp starts rising by that time. I found this to be pretty successful, but only in the spring for the crappie spawn.. I believe those fish come up in less than 10 feet of water and just kind of stage there around the 50° mark. On afternoons when the temp starts rising slightly, they start moving up shallower and become a little more active, when the temp jobs back down on days like today, they still stick around and so much Shallowater but they're just not active.. and the bite can be very tough ( like painfully slow jig n' bobber tough).
some of my most successful days or when the water temp is only 53 or 54°, but it was actually on the rise… It may have only reason a half a degree in the late afternoon, but during that rise is when I absolutely slayed some fish.

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #19 · 1 mo ago (Edited)

here's a quick example of just a few days ago… On April 16… The water temp was close to 56°, but it was actually rising in the late morning, early afternoon… That was the day it was like 70°… And that was the day I had my first successful outing this year (when I was able to make it out )

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9 LEFT

Discussion Starter · #20 · 1 mo ago

One more quick example if you refer to earlier in this thread, I replied to a post from ruffhunter, we had both fished on April 21 this year… I fished from around 7:30 AM until noon… It was extremely painfully slow, and I only caught six total fish (over nearly 5 hours of fishing). I didn't look at the temperature that day… When I came home, I noticed that all morning long the temperature was doing nothing but falling. it didn't start rising till almost 1 PM… I should've waited and gone later in the afternoon and maybe it would've been a better day.

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