Finding summer crappies video: Crappies are a fun fighting fish and taste at the dinner table, and finding them during the summer can be made easier with the use of Humminbird MEGA Imaging. Jeremy Smith and Dan Lindner talk about how to find crappies at this time of year using electronics.
You may ask how anglers are finding summer crappies? Summer Crappies are set up in specific spots and can be relatively simple to find on any given body of water.
By midsummer, weediness, the thermocline, and water temperatures are well established. Crappies will be related to edges, whether it’s deep weed edges or some bottom composition transition from mud to sand.
Crappies tend to be low-light feeders, so mornings and evenings are always better. Days with overcast can be good from dawn to dusk and every hour in between.
The key is to use your electronics to search these areas to find large concentrations of fish. Often when searching for fish in a new lake, we won’t even wet a line until after driving around and searching all the highly probable edges. With today’s electronics, we can scan large areas in all directions, eliminating unproductive water and eventually finding fish reasonably quickly.
Live bait is great, but artificials can be killer. We often use Rapala Jigging Raps or Slab Rap this time of year. Crappies are pretty aggressive, and these types of lures can easily outperform live bait after finding the fish. Cast them out and count them down to the level where you marked the crappies, or position the boat right over the school of fish and vertically jig the lures.
Great electronics are vital for finding crappies. Again, with the Humminbird MEGA Imaging, we can scan in every possible direction. Often you’ll discover panfish relating to weddings — the classic first place to look for schools of fish. Another great area is to search for zones where the bottom composition changes from mud to a mud-sand mix. Find these spots around flats with a depth change, even if it’s only a foot or two. All over the country, these bottom content transitional changes can be unbelievably good throughout the year.
The next time you go fishing, resist the temptation to drive to where you think the fish may be and start fishing. Invest in quality electronics (like Humminbird) and keep the rods stored until you find fish.
