Crappie will look up for a bait, but their eyes don't look down for a lure

Sometimes I don’t take my own fishing advice. Some of my angler friends would say that’s a good thing.

Recently while fishing in five-foot deep water filled with lilly pads and pencil reeds in Lake Kissimmee, Florida for crappie, the fishing was much better than the catching. 

Three of us were dipping minnows for the crappie and it was resulting in an occasional fish. In my mind, I was thinking i was fishing too deep. Using a slip bobber, my minnow was probably within a foot of the bottom.

My friends who have fished the pads for crappie more than me, convinced me I needed to be fishing down about four feet down.

Now, I know I was fishing too deep for the crappie.

For years, I have known crappie look up and will bite up, but don’t look down. They don’t look down because their eyes are on the top part of their head. So, it is important to have the lure or bait at their level or above, and not below the eyes of the crappie.

After the recent fishing trip, another fishing friend, Paul  Keeler, asked me how many crappie we caught. They had been fishing near us in the lilly pads.

“Six,” I responded. “How about you guys.”

“Thirty” was his reply.

Paul said he fishes the pads with his minnows about 30 to 36 inches deep.

Well, maybe I was fishing too deep. I’ll find out next trip to the pads. But, then maybe it’s just that I’m a fishing jinx.

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CRAPPIE TIPS -- Don’t set the hook too hard. Crappie have thin mouths and it’s easy to pull the hook right through them. My Dad always called them “paper mouths”.

Use light line and a light rod so you can properly fight the fish without pulling out the hook.

-- Go small, Crappie have little mouths, so you need to use small lures and hooks.