Crappies at Lake Powell

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Crappie is something I have never pulled out of LP... I have fished many of days and hours and for some reason I have never caught one. I have the walleye dialed in. I am looking at doing a Very late April or middle of May trip for a week to LP and I am hoping to finally catch one. I have caught them plenty at Navajo in New Mexico as well as some other lakes around Durango. As many other have said here I will say this about forward facing sonars like Livescope, Active Target, or Mega Live. They certainly have their place and they have made fishing more fun in someways and they have also made it much easier for certain species. I am a technology guy and I will put the best electronics I can afford every single time I have the opportunity on my boats... I currently use Garmins Lives Scope LVS 34 with a 1243xsv head unit and its a game changer for vertical jigging or scouting out where fish may be. That being said you still have to get them to bite and that can be tough at times. I don't have Mega 360 but have thought about adding it to my boat. I do run APEX 16 at my helm and an APEX 13 up front. They are networked together so I can Side Scan and Down image from either position. I think adding the Mega 360 would give a different perspective to the structure when you are spot locked.
 
I catch one or two crappie. 😆
Don’t use fish finder other than depths and temp, except looking for stripers. All this talk of the more sophisticated “live image” 360 finders that really do find fish is pushing me more and more in that direction! Little brother just put one in his boat and used it for first time in tournament at wahweap little over week ago. He said it was unreal and he still has a lot to learn.
Got ok from wife to get one! She nor I ever need Ok to get what we want, but it always sounds good to say that. Pretty soon the gear tackle and electronics will be more than my boat is worth!!
The Boat maybe equipped with one this spring!! Doing research on which option.
I really want to try it for Crappies and Kokes!!

Ps I’m
Feeling a bit like it unfair and cheating…. I guess I may have to just get over it if I do get it!
😂
 
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Mildog said:
I catch on or two crappie. 😆
Don’t use fish finder other than depths and temp, except looking for stripers. All this talk of the more sophisticated “live image” 360 finders that really do find fish is pushing me more and more in that direction! Little brother just put one in his boat and used it for first time in tournament at wahweap little over week ago. He said it was unreal and he still has a lot to learn.
Got ok from wife to get one! She nor I ever need Ok to get what we want, but it always sounds good to say that. Pretty soon the gear tackle and electronics will be more than my boat is worth!!
The Boat maybe equipped with one this spring!! Doing research on which option.
I really want to try it for Crappies and Kokes!!
Click to expand...
You must be in the same boat I'm in🤣 Same with the wife all so. I wasn't thinking Live, but I saw what a difference a good graph could make, when you could actually see they were round Crappie's. A guy sure don't need them in the spring, but man what a difference maker that might be in the summer on. I'm trying to decide on Solix or Helix, and after seeing the 360 Got my head spinning again. And then the live part next year. Hummingbird had a $1000 back rebate the other day when I looked if you bought one of four different pieces, and one was the 360.
I have felt guilty for spending that kind of money on a FF, but they sure are nice. And would make it more fun for sure. It was like watching TV, with your favorite show on😊
 
Favorite Crappie baits
3'' Yum ribbontail grub in Limetreuse, cheap and my favorite the last four years.
3'' power minnow in Blue pearl shad scale, when I can find them, no minnow.
2'' pearl white stinger, caught ton's at night on them, no minnow.
2'' or 3'' pearl white Gulp grub with twister tale, no minnow. My brothers favorite, all ways brings a bucket of them.
Whole Shad on pearl white fish head jigs, 1/16 and 1/8 th oz, at night, green lights, back in four mile canyon 😁
Whole Chub minnow on pearl white or chartreuse fish head jigs.
Beetle spin with green and black grub 1/8 th
3'' Gray and white gulp minnow 1/16 th or 1/8 th fish head jig for me.

Slow trolling is my least favorite way to fish for Crappie, but is very productive, But casting and jigging, and feeling that thump is by far my favorite way to fish them. And night fishing with green lights, can be nonstop if you find a good spot like four mile canyon was, with a whole Shad or Chub minnow, or the 2'' pearl stingers. I would anchor in 70 ft of water, and catch them as deep as 50 ft at first, and they would just keep coming up, until I could watch them take it.
Let's hear you guys favorite way to catch them.
4 to 10 lb Fluorocarbon line, Zebco reels that use to be cheap, the old 33 use to last, but not any more. I use the Omega's now and there $70 but cast a 1/16 oz great, and accurate, when casting brush or rocks.

DORADO YOU GOT ME STARTED ITS YOUR FAULT MAN 😁
 
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The changes owerwhelm me. I am 72 and can remember not too long ago that a fish finder was a luxury. I was born an raised fishing in Utah. Flaming Gorge was our go to lake and Powell was right up there. I remember fishing Flaming Gorge in the back canyons and seeig so many fish that you couldn't count them. Mostly rainbows if I remember right. Anything that wasn't a Trout or Salmon was a trash fish. Never saw the alure in Bass fishing. I moved down here to Houston about four years ago and have been forced to learn how to fish for Bass, Crappie, and catfish. I am not very good at it, but I am learning. I still prefer Powell and Flaming Gorge using downriggers. I have a new boat on order which should be here by lae April. Have a trip planned in August for a few days at McPhee in Colorado because my son lives there, then to Flaming Gorge for a week, then down to Powell for another week. Maybe I will try for some of those"trash fish" in between Trout, Kokanee, and Stripers. My new boat has a 9" Simrad but all of these live displays have really perked my interest. Trouble is I am at least five generations behind on the fish finders.
 
I was once told by a customer how to catch all the Crappies you want. You need 2 basic things besides your fishing gear.
1. A balloon
2. A loaded BB gun

He told me this. When you catch your first Crappie, blow up the balloon, tie some fishing line to it with a hook on the end. 10 feet of line will do. You then hook the line to the dorsal fin of the Crappie and release the fish.
You can then follow the balloon around and virtually catch Crappie all day long.

Of course, I had to ask....
What about the BB gun? What's that for?
He said, "When you see a Ranger coming your way, you shoot the balloon and get rid of the evidence."

This is a joke. Don't do it! haha
 
KYKevin said:
I'm sure they felt the same back when the paper graph's first came out :)
I think so states have banned them from Crappie tourny's, or were talking about it.
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I remember when fishing at the Gorge we used x15 lowrance paper graphs and vexilar crt screen video finders . They were such a game changer. Compared to previous stuff. Still have to figure out how to catch them. But finding the fish is much easier now with these sophisticated finders.
 
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KYKevin said:
Favorite Crappie baits
3'' Yum ribbontail grub in Limetreuse, cheap and my favorite the last four years.
3'' power minnow in Blue pearl shad scale, when I can find them, no minnow.
2'' pearl white stinger, caught ton's at night on them, no minnow.
2'' or 3'' pearl white Gulp grub with twister tale, no minnow. My brothers favorite, all ways brings a bucket of them.
Whole Shad on pearl white fish head jigs, 1/16 and 1/8 th oz, at night, green lights, back in four mile canyon 😁
Whole Chub minnow on pearl white or chartreuse fish head jigs.
Beetle spin with green and black grub 1/8 th
3'' Gray and white gulp minnow 1/16 th or 1/8 th fish head jig for me.

Slow trolling is my least favorite way to fish for Crappie, but is very productive, But casting and jigging, and feeling that thump is by far my favorite way to fish them. And night fishing with green lights, can be nonstop if you find a good spot like four mile canyon was, with a whole Shad or Chub minnow, or the 2'' pearl stingers. I would anchor in 70 ft of water, and catch them as deep as 50 ft at first, and they would just keep coming up, until I could watch them take it.
Let's hear you guys favorite way to catch them.
4 to 10 lb Fluorocarbon line, Zebco reels that use to be cheap, the old 33 use to last, but not any more. I use the Omega's now and there $70 but cast a 1/16 oz great, and accurate, when casting brush or rocks.

DORADO YOU GOT ME STARTED ITS YOUR FAULT MAN 😁
Click to expand...
HAHAHA I knew you would break down!!!
 
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