# Crappie Report



## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

Hit my go to area on 11-26 and scored a few LMB like this ..









And some decent Crappie ..


















Went back on 12-6 and scored a nice Catty ..









Went today and took a video along with some stills ..



















































The Crappie and Neds are feeding and will stack up reel soon ... Cant wait


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## FishingKid (Nov 7, 2011)

Nice Catch' Where is this place?


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Thom please post when the neds are hot. I'd love to meet you there. How far is it from Fenwick Island? Guess a non-resident Deleware license is in order.


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## SpeedRacer (Sep 5, 2010)

Ok. I'm stumped. What is a "Neds"?


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

Yellow perch , old timers call them neds.


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

If you would not mind could you pm me and let me know where this is. Very nice catch.

Thanks


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Tracker01 said:


> Yellow perch , old timers call them neds.


Yup, that would be me.


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## SpeedRacer (Sep 5, 2010)

Ahhh.... Thanks.


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

Sorry Catman , I should have said us old timers.


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

Now I see how you do it:fishing: You've got that tip movin'.
How would you recommend getting as much lure action when using a sliding float?


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Great work Tom and great video.


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

thanks for the most crappie report I've seen all year


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## finn74 (Jul 24, 2001)

Is this Silver Lake


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## Striper_MIKE (Aug 9, 2010)

@*hengstthomas*: Is that simply a weighted bobber or a slip bobber being used in the video? Is there a big difference in using one versus the other for crappie?


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

its a weighted bobber he uses a fixed bober for dephs up to 6ft because it lets him present to jig at the same deph vs a slip float which would give it a more jigging action. both have their places so i hope that helps.


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## Striper_MIKE (Aug 9, 2010)

markedwards said:


> its a weighted bobber he uses a fixed bober for dephs up to 6ft because it lets him present to jig at the same deph vs a slip float which would give it a more jigging action. both have their places so i hope that helps.


thanks for the explanation. so now here's a follow-up question ... is it just a matter of preference when it comes to using live minnows on a jig head versus just using a hook and a couple of split shot for the weight? or are there, again, reasons why you would use one set-up versus the other?


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

i think that would just be personal preference.


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

I agree , I have tried both and really dont see much difference. I guess if you use a jig head you might be able to get your rig back if get hung up.


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## Striper_MIKE (Aug 9, 2010)

thanks to everyone for chiming in. i'm gonna give it a go soon enough! is everyone in this thread mostly fishing east of the bay bridge or are there any fishing to the west? either way, feel free to PM me if you need a fishing buddy one of these days!


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

ground pounding ponds in DE


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

dirtyhandslopez said:


> Now I see how you do it:fishing: You've got that tip movin'.
> How would you recommend getting as much lure action when using a sliding float?


Think of it as Drop Shotting with a "fixed" bobber 

At certain times I will Drop Shot with a tandem rig or just slow roll it acrossed the bottom ...
Click on the Video below


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

Tracker01 said:


> If you would not mind could you pm me and let me know where this is. Very nice catch.
> 
> Thanks


Silver Lake in Dover DE


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

dirtyhandslopez said:


> Now I see how you do it:fishing: You've got that tip movin'.
> How would you recommend getting as much lure action when using a sliding float?


I doubt that you could .. You'd have to fish shallow and vibrate the rod tip .


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

Striper_MIKE said:


> @*hengstthomas*: Is that simply a weighted bobber or a slip bobber being used in the video? Is there a big difference in using one versus the other for crappie?


Weighted bobber .. Like Mark said .
I sometimes have some adjusting to do to find the depth but when I do its ON . I think it'd be hard to do with depths 5 to 7 feet deep with a slip bobber .


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

Striper_MIKE said:


> thanks for the explanation. so now here's a follow-up question ... is it just a matter of preference when it comes to using live minnows on a jig head versus just using a hook and a couple of split shot for the weight? or are there, again, reasons why you would use one set-up versus the other?


I dont use bait for Crappie so hence the Jighead but either will work .. I just dont want to keep rebaiting especially when its freezing out


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## Striper_MIKE (Aug 9, 2010)

hengstthomas said:


> I dont use bait for Crappie so hence the Jighead but either will work .. I just dont want to keep rebaiting especially when its freezing out


Makes sense. About dragging a tandem rig along the bottom, I take it you only do so when you know the fishing spot doesn't have a lot of potential for repeated snags? Also, how exactly do you go about finding your ideal depth for a particular spot?


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

Striper_MIKE said:


> Makes sense. About dragging a tandem rig along the bottom, I take it you only do so when you know the fishing spot doesn't have a lot of potential for repeated snags? Also, how exactly do you go about finding your ideal depth for a particular spot?


Yeah you have to know the area to stay clear of snags but that only comes from trail and error . We here in DE have Shallow Lakes and Ponds with 8 foot being maximum depth for most places but averaging about 4 to 6 foot . You have to know where the Crappie are at any given time of year then adjust your fishing to meet those needs . In the colder season if the water is 5 foot I'll start at about 4 foot and go from there .. No fish the got to 3 foot .. still no fish I drop it to 5 foot and maybe even 6 . Regardless of what some folks say about Crappie only feeding up , that just isnt true they will feed directly off the bottom especially when its cold . The size and weight of the lure is also a key to targeting these fish . This approach also holds true with Yellow Perch .


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## WDinarte (Oct 21, 2009)

Great tips...HengstThomas.
We have some nice ponds ( comunities pond ) by my house, but I'm only lucky with crappies early Sprind or late Summer.
On the summer the "bluegils" are the one who pull the lures. 
The bad part on this ponds, they have a LOT of "rocks" and after a raining day trash. But finding the right spot they are great fishing back-yard spots. ( for catch a release ) lol.


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

He speaks! how ya doin' Tom? you know where to find me


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## wanderboy (May 26, 2011)

i see you reel in real fast. r u doing it so the jig stays on top of the water or just the way that Crappie like their bait lively?

nice clip, btw.


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## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

Nice report Tom. I used to fish at Silver Lake when I was stationed at Dover AFB. I fished by the little dam/spillway for LMB. I even caught a few blue crabs while jigging for fish on the bottom of the creek/dam. Are there still mercury warnings there? I have not fished there since 1995. That whole area is dotted with little ponds and rivers. I thought you were fishing a small tidal spot/river right at the entrance to the Dover Capital. You can see it on the right hand side just as you are getting ready to hit downtown Dover. The bldgs in the picture reminded me of that spot. In the summer there are tons of lily pads there.


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

wanderboy said:


> i see you reel in real fast. r u doing it so the jig stays on top of the water or just the way that Crappie like their bait lively?
> 
> nice clip, btw.


it was windy that day and he had to reel fast to take up the slack and keep up with the drifting float.


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## Orest (Jul 28, 2003)

This what the "Delaware Fish Consumption Advisories" page says from the Delaware DNREC site.

http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Fisheries/Documents/Delaware_Fish_Advisory_Chart.pdf

The pond has PCBs, Dioxin, Mercury.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Damn, I'm a meat angler so I guess the drive to Silver Lake is out.

Silver Lake Dover All Finfish Entire Pond PCBs, Dioxin, Mercury
No more than two
meals per year.


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

Thanks for that Tom.


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