# Crappie Fishing



## Billphish (Apr 17, 2006)

I'm 100% a saltwater guy but want to learn some fresh water fishing, mainly crappie, for the next couple of months. I'm in the Cypress area so would some suggestions on where to go, say within about 1 1/2 hour drive. I have a 24' center console boat.


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## chucktx (Sep 12, 2011)

I would suggest contacting a fellow on this board by the name of shadslinger. one of the best on Livingston and a great instructor!!!


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## lonepinecountryclub (Jul 18, 2010)

Chucktx x2! Shad is the man!


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Lake Conroe is not far from you and the water is a little clearer than lake Livingston. Jigs can work as good if not better this time of year than minnows, dead sticking. I find them this time of year 12' to 26' down, they tend to move up and down from day to day and thru out the day if it gets warmer. Don't be afraid to fish 1' of the bottom in 26' water if you see fish on the graph at 25'. The 1097 bridge is a good place to learn to crappie fish if the wind is not blowing to hard. Just motor a long the pilings till you see fish on your graph next to the pilings, if you see fish and they are not biting, keep going till you find some that are. Go back later and check on the pilings that had fish on them that were not biting, they may surprise you and have started biting. 1/8 ounce jigs if the wind is blowing and you are fishing really deep. 1/16 if the wind is not blowing and you are getting bite at 14' to 18'. Its harder to feel a bite at 25' with a lighter jig and some times they just hold it in there mouth and rise up a few inches or so, all you will see is your line go slack set the hook its a fish. I like 6 to 8 pound test line, don't set your drag to tight there is a good chance you will encounter a blue cat or hybrid, happens all the time. Black and chartreuse, pink and black, try different colors till you hit on one they seem to like better than others. If they are really biting good they will hit it on the fall, if your line goes slack and you know you are not on the bottom its a fish. If you get really lucky some times you get into some really huge blue gills that slam your jig. I hope this helps, and I hope my water pump comes in soon.


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## Billphish (Apr 17, 2006)

FISHROADIE said:


> Lake Conroe is not far from you and the water is a little clearer than lake Livingston. Jigs can work as good if not better this time of year than minnows, dead sticking. I find them this time of year 12' to 26' down, they tend to move up and down from day to day and thru out the day if it gets warmer. Don't be afraid to fish 1' of the bottom in 26' water if you see fish on the graph at 25'. The 1097 bridge is a good place to learn to crappie fish if the wind is not blowing to hard. Just motor a long the pilings till you see fish on your graph next to the pilings, if you see fish and they are not biting, keep going till you find some that are. Go back later and check on the pilings that had fish on them that were not biting, they may surprise you and have started biting. 1/8 ounce jigs if the wind is blowing and you are fishing really deep. 1/16 if the wind is not blowing and you are getting bite at 14' to 18'. Its harder to feel a bite at 25' with a lighter jig and some times they just hold it in there mouth and rise up a few inches or so, all you will see is your line go slack set the hook its a fish. I like 6 to 8 pound test line, don't set your drag to tight there is a good chance you will encounter a blue cat or hybrid, happens all the time. Black and chartreuse, pink and black, try different colors till you hit on one they seem to like better than others. If they are really biting good they will hit it on the fall, if your line goes slack and you know you are not on the bottom its a fish. If you get really lucky some times you get into some really huge blue gills that slam your jig. I hope this helps, and I hope my water pump comes in soon.


That's exactly the kind of info I needed. Thanks.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Billphish, I am in the same boat as you. 100% saltwater. Thought we were moving to the coast but that is not going to happen, so I am going to try to get into fresh water. Are the jigs you crappie fishermen are using, feather jigs or plastics? Thanks for helping out a newbie freshwater man.


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## slabseeker (Mar 11, 2006)

Bill and Shag, the best advise I can give you is to go to Summerville and fish the tire reefs at Big creek marina. you can launch right there and be close. small tube jigs with 1/8 once jig heads with just about any color combo. they sale minnows also. but wait until the dam has backed off on the water flow. the lake is way up and there a dumping a lot of water out right know. witch effects the bite. its only an hr and 15 min from Katy. I have been doing it for years. have caught a lot of crappie there in the past. good luck to you.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

slabseeker said:


> Bill and Shag, the best advise I can give you is to go to Summerville and fish the tire reefs at Big creek marina. you can launch right there and be close. small tube jigs with 1/8 once jig heads with just about any color combo. they sale minnows also. but wait until the dam has backed off on the water flow. the lake is way up and there a dumping a lot of water out right know. witch effects the bite. its only an hr and 15 min from Katy. I have been doing it for years. have caught a lot of crappie there in the past. good luck to you.


Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I am quite a bit north. I am close to Joe Pool and Bardwell, not too far from Navarro Mills. I will give the tube jigs a try.


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## slabseeker (Mar 11, 2006)

Fishroadie just gave you some great advice and info. I fish there also when the wind is down. 1375 is good also. but haven't had any luck there the last couple of years. 1097 can get pretty bumpy when the wind is cranking. don't know much about the South end.


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## slabseeker (Mar 11, 2006)

shaggydog said:


> Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I am quite a bit north. I am close to Joe Pool and Bardwell, not too far from Navarro Mills. I will give the tube jigs a try.


 I'm sure those lakes are good also. good luck.


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## Billphish (Apr 17, 2006)

slabseeker said:


> Bill and Shag, the best advise I can give you is to go to Summerville and fish the tire reefs at Big creek marina. you can launch right there and be close. small tube jigs with 1/8 once jig heads with just about any color combo. they sale minnows also. but wait until the dam has backed off on the water flow. the lake is way up and there a dumping a lot of water out right know. witch effects the bite. its only an hr and 15 min from Katy. I have been doing it for years. have caught a lot of crappie there in the past. good luck to you.


Thanks I do prefer Somerville and know my way around the lake but have only tubed and wake boarded. Never fished it.

BTW my bay fishing rigs are loaded with 12lb mono too heavy? If so I have a couple of small spinning rigs I could rig up with lighter line.


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## slabseeker (Mar 11, 2006)

Billphish said:


> Thanks I do prefer Somerville and know my way around the lake but have only tubed and wake boarded. Never fished it.
> 
> BTW my bay fishing rigs are loaded with 12lb mono too heavy? If so I have a couple of small spinning rigs I could rig up with lighter line.


yes, to heavy. use your small spinning rigs with 4-6 lb test. any brand. clear. take 36 to 60 past the town of Summerville and turn on 60. go south to 4. that will take you to the marina. Big Creek.


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## 9121SS (Jun 28, 2009)

It's been a long time, but when I was a kid my Dad would take me to Sommerville at night and they had a fishing area inside a building with holes cut in the floor for fishing. It was great in the winter.


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

9121SS said:


> It's been a long time, but when I was a kid my Dad would take me to Sommerville at night and they had a fishing area inside a building with holes cut in the floor for fishing. It was great in the winter.


I tried doing that -- but there was no water in those holes... Didn't catch a thing. :-(


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## slabseeker (Mar 11, 2006)

Yes. Big creek has a fishing house with ten fishing stalls in it and covered. $ 5 A PERSON. Summerville marina at over look park has a smaller one. Big creek is great during the winter. SM will be good here in about another week or so when they start spawning. you can just leave the boat at home. its slow right know with the water flow. you can look them both up on the web and it will give you all the details. night time is awesome also. I just cant stay up late any more. Getting old.lol


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## nikki (Apr 14, 2011)

SS tales of nite fishing on Sommie. Forty years ago it was believed nite was only time to catch crappie and if you weren't there you wouldn't believe the number of laterns across the lake. I almost burned up our boat when a coleman exploded. Then when the warden saw the lites from OL Marina and attempted a short cut behind the Green Mtn. But I'm still here


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## rustyhook1973 (Aug 25, 2014)

ohh the days of using a lantern for night time fishing ,,,, not me anymore ,,, I made an awesome led light that will do way more than a lantern hanging over the side of a boat ever will do ... crappie fishing is my passion ,,, but ,,,, don't forget about gibbons creek ,,,, I fished it last weekend and will be back this sat and sunday ,,,, they were fat 
big and full of eggs,,,, yep I saw the eggs ,,, just before the fish meat hit the grease,,,lolol ... and stubblefield is also doing real good right now ,,,, 
but a lot of people wont go back in there via boat from 1375...lost of stick up


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## slabseeker (Mar 11, 2006)

I here SM is good at night during the spawn. but never had fished it. I remember the old lantern days also. on Rocky creek. been a long time. the LEDs are the way to go now for sure. I have a lantern one. works pretty good. I had one fall off the boat one night and watch it go all the way to bottom still burning. was a little tipsy from drinking. had to sober up. lol
Cant wait to hit again.


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