AboutJack Gaither Expertise I have been bass, crappie, brim and catfishing for over 60 years. Most of my recent experience has been on the Apalachicola R. in Fl. panhandle, Dead Lakes and Lake Seminole. I can answer many questions on places to go and some ideas on tactics especially for largemouth bass in these waters. I can`t tell you what fish will bite but can give some lures and methods that have worked well for me over the last 33 years in this area. I am also well versed on boating safety and small boat handling.
Experience I am not a guide nor a writer or publisher of any magazine on fishing. All of my ideas would come from my experiences and those of fishing partners in local bass clubs in Panama City, Florida.
Organizations Basmasters. Past member (25 years) and instructor in boating and navigation classes in the United States Power Squadrons.
Publications ST. Andrew Bay Power Squadron local publication "Stuffing Box"
Education/Credentials United States Power Squadrons courses in Piloting and small boat handling, celestial navigation, trouble shooting on outboard engines and other non eletronic equipment in boats.
Question I'm about to take my son on his first fishing trip and would like a few tips on how to locate and catch a few crappie to make it a rememberable event for him and me. We live in Knott county,KY.
That is we live back in the sticks of South Eastern KY. and I'm disabled do you have any tips on where to go and how to acomplish this mission.
I would be forever in your dept.
Sincerly,
SFC Randall Everidge /Retired
Answer Randal; I don't know how disabled you are but if you can get into and operate a boat Here is what I would do.
Since you live in SE Kentucky check with your state fiseries department or talk to some game and fish people locally and see if they can steer you to a lake near you that is a good crappie lake. I am sorry but I am not familiar with the area of SE Kentucky.
If your disability means that you must fish from the bank or a dock check with the fisheries people. In some states they have lists of places that are accessable to wheel chairs etc.
As to the fishing itself there are several choices. I do not know how much experience you have but I will assume little and start from scratch. I do not mean to offend I just do not know how much you already know.
If you can fish from a boat one of the best ways of fishing for crappie is to use a cane pole or more modern an extention pole made for crappie about 12' long. Tie an 8lb mono line to the eye and make the line just about the length of the pole.
I like to use the little styrofoam bobbers with a hole through the middle and a little plastic stick in each end. Put the line through the bobber and put the plastic stick stoppes in. I like little gold thin wire hooks about an inch and a quarter long. Place a split shot about 6-8 inches above the hook.
Get crappie minnows at or near the place you plan to fish. They will have the right kind for that area. Different places use different kinds of minnows.
Again assuming for now a boat, find some fallen tree or other brush in 4-12 feet of water if possible. Set your bobber so that the minnow can swim just above the bottom and drop him in and around the brush. In some lakes such brush is not available then look for weed beds that are near deep water and start fishing around the edges dropping the minnow in holes in the weeds and along weed edges. Some lakes have places alongside bridges that are rip rapped. This is often a good place to find crappie in the spring. In any place start near the bottom and if no bites in 5-10 minutes move the bobber down a foot and try again. Keep moving the bobber up until you find the depth that the fish are located. Crappie tend to stack up at some depth until they decide to move up or down. You may find them near the bottom or a foot deep so try all depths. On some lakes early in the spring crappie will move up into and onto the bank so close you would think they were trying to come ashore. They may be in
5 inches of water. Often when they are this shallow and close to the bank I push my bebber up to the tip of the pole and fish without a bobber just dropping the minnow right up next to the bank.
If you would rather go further and get a rod and reel for your son do not buy one of those little cheap things you see at
K Mart in a package. Get a fairly cheap but useable outfit. If there is a tackle store rather than K mart or Wallmart where the owner knows something he will usually give you good advice if you tell him what you want and about how much you can pay.
The guys at the discount stores usually know nothing they are just checker outers.
The rod should be at least 5' and the reel may be a closed face spining reel.
If you go this way there are some changes in the rig that must be made. The hook is the same but instead of putting the line through the bobber and then putting the little plastics stops in, run the line trough the hole in the bottom plastic stick then through the bobber then through the other plastic stick allowing the bobber to slide on the line after putting the plastic sticks in each end of the bobber. Now you need something to stop the bobber at the depth you desire but yet go through the line guides on the rod and even into the reel without fouling. You can buy bobber stops at a tackle store or like myself I simply tie a slip knot in my line at the depth I want and then put a tiny piece of monofiliment through the loop and pull it tight. Snip off the ends of the little piece of mono and this will come through the guides and usually will not foul the reel. I say usually because nothing is perfect. Sometimes a bead placed on the line above the bobber helps it to stop rather than slide over the knot. You can change the depth by pulling the tiny piece of mono out of the knot and pulling the knot out of the line and tieing another higher or lower on the line.
Sometimes a tiny in line spinner tied to the line and the hook attached to the spinner will attract crappie to the minnow quicker than a minnow alone.
Just remember that crappie like cover most of the time and that they are usually at a particular depth. If you fish below them you will catch very few. They will sometimes move up a short distance to bite but usually not far.
Of course crappie are often caught on tiny jigs. These may be fished with the long pole by simply replacing the hook, split shot and bobber and just dabbing the jig around brush and other cover. Again try different depths in the same area until you find the right depth.
Jigs can also be cast with rod and reel but beginners might have difficulty with this. If your son is old enough, probably 9 or over you might want to get him started using a rod and reel. But if he has not been fishing before or not much then I would suggest the poles.
At times crappie can be caught on small plugs like those used for bass but much smaller. Again this is for experienced fishermen not beginners.
Now for fishing without a boat. It has been years since I fished without a boat but before that I did a lot. Usually there are places on a lake where people can fish from the bank or from a pier.
The best way to find these is to ask someone in the fish and game dept. If you know someone who fishes the lake you want to fish ask him or her about it. Most fishermen are willing to share some information with others. Most will not give you the location of their hot spot but will share other information. Ask at tackle stores in the are. Again usually the guy at K mart or Walmart doesn't know or care about anything except putting in his hours. A tackle store at the landing or nearby can be a storehouse of available informaton.
If you are yourself a fisherman, keep in mind your son may not want to concentrate on fishing all the time. I made that mistake with my son years ago, expecting too much out of him. Now he doesn't care much about fishing. That was a terrible mistake because now I have nobody to fish with me. Nobody gave me any advice on how to take a kid fishing. Even if you are not a fisherman but just want to take your boy for a fishing outing, the important thing is to enjoy the outing whether you catch fish or not. I often wish someone had told me that 40 years ago.
Thaks for calling on me to answer your question. I have been very general because I do not know your exact situation. If you have some more specific questions please contact me through the All Experts site.
I hope the information I have given is of some use to you. Enjoy the trip with your son and I hope you catch a lot of fish. But if you do not catch fish I hope you enjoy it enough that you will want to try again.
Jack L. Gaither
Lake Seminole.(in the sticks of SW Georgia). jackgaither@webtv.net
