Stan Fagerstrom
05-27-2002, 09:24 AM
Part Two
Columbia River Crappie
By Stan Fagerstrom
The backwaters of the Columbia River do indeed hold crappie. You’ll find these good eating panfish scattered in the big river’s sloughs all the way from Portland on down river.
In the first of this three-part series we took a general look at crappie fishing. This time around let’s look more closely at where they are likely to be found and what to do after you get them pinpointed
Let's suppose you've found a promising spot in one of the places like the Coal Creek Slough I mentioned earlier. That slough is located 10 miles west of the city of Longview. There is a launching ramp. As I mentioned in the last column, keep the tide in mind when you launch. Don't get trapped, as happens now and then when the tide is out. The water may be so low you can't get your rig back on its trailer when you're ready to quit.
Like crappie elsewhere, the panfish along the lower Columbia aren't scattered all over, especially in the fall through spring. Where they will be is concentrated in tight schools and in just a few areas. The key to catching them consistently is to find these spots. Anybody who knows a crappie from a carp, also knows these wonderful panfish like dead trees, downed logs, rock piles, bridge abutments, log rafts and rock piles. You'll find all of this cover in the backwaters of the lower Columbia.
One thing needs to be abundantly clear. Just because you've spotted a downed tree doesn't mean you can tie up to it and start catching crappie. You've got to find exactly where the fish are clustered in that tree. Time after time I've found crappie in such cover where you couldn't get a bite on one side of a downed tree, but hooked a fish every time you dropped a bait or lure on the other.
There's more than one way to fish downed trees. The one I find most effective is to tie my boat to the branches so I can stay put. I make the least commotion possible when getting my boat in position. Then I sit quietly for a time to let the fish calm down. Once I'm ready, I fish all around the cover until I start getting hits. Invariably, the fish will be congregated in one spot. You have to drop your lure or bait right down into the same place to get consistent action.
http://www.ifish.net/sfct.jpg
Crappie like dead trees.
Always fish carefully around such cover. Also remember it's impossible to fish too slowly where crappie are concerned.
What kind of lure or bait is best for lower Columbia River crappie? Early in the year I find it easier to catch fish consistently on little strips of meat carved from along the backbone of the crappie itself. I might use worms to catch the first one. Once I have it, I kill the fish and slit the skin behind its head. Then I pull the skin back toward the tail and fillet little bait-sized strips from the backbone.
I attach a strip of this flesh to my hook and let it down through the branches. Crappie flesh has a distinct odor and when fresh is almost a bluish-fluorescent color. I'm convinced both the odor and color have much to do with the way they gobble it. I suppose live minnows would work as well or better in this kind of cover, but live fish for bait are illegal in Washington and Oregon.
If I'm using crappie flesh where the cover isn't as heavy as it is around trees, I often hang the bait behind a dime-sized spinner and use a float on the line. I cast this rig, then fish it slowly back to the boat, often pausing to let the lure drop to different depths.
The use of a float is especially helpful if you’ve got someone who is just getting into crappie fishing. It’s a great way to introduce youngsters to crappie fishing. What using that float will teach them---and you--- is just how important it is to take it slow and easy when you’re after crappie.
If you’ve rigged up with a float, try this approach: Make your cast, then just leave the float for awhile. If nothing happens, reel a couple of feet, then pause again. Do this all the way back to the boat. Now and then you’ll find that crappie grab your bait or lure while the float is just setting still in the water
One of the best crappie fishermen I’ve met in this part of the world fished with a float most of the time. He used both tiny jigs as well as bait. In either case he followed the procedure I’ve just detailed. That guy fished for crappie the way most of us bass nuts go after largemouth. I got to know him and he shared some of his crappie-catching secrets with me.
In the next column we’ll wrap up this three-part series on crappie and take a look at fly fishing for these interesting panfish in the process.
http://www.ifish.net/sflr.jpg
On the lower Columbia River you'll sometimes find crappie holed up around log rafts like the angler in this photo is fishing. Fishing at the right depth, regardless of the cover, is another key to successful crappie catching.
Columbia River Crappie
By Stan Fagerstrom
The backwaters of the Columbia River do indeed hold crappie. You’ll find these good eating panfish scattered in the big river’s sloughs all the way from Portland on down river.
In the first of this three-part series we took a general look at crappie fishing. This time around let’s look more closely at where they are likely to be found and what to do after you get them pinpointed
Let's suppose you've found a promising spot in one of the places like the Coal Creek Slough I mentioned earlier. That slough is located 10 miles west of the city of Longview. There is a launching ramp. As I mentioned in the last column, keep the tide in mind when you launch. Don't get trapped, as happens now and then when the tide is out. The water may be so low you can't get your rig back on its trailer when you're ready to quit.
Like crappie elsewhere, the panfish along the lower Columbia aren't scattered all over, especially in the fall through spring. Where they will be is concentrated in tight schools and in just a few areas. The key to catching them consistently is to find these spots. Anybody who knows a crappie from a carp, also knows these wonderful panfish like dead trees, downed logs, rock piles, bridge abutments, log rafts and rock piles. You'll find all of this cover in the backwaters of the lower Columbia.
One thing needs to be abundantly clear. Just because you've spotted a downed tree doesn't mean you can tie up to it and start catching crappie. You've got to find exactly where the fish are clustered in that tree. Time after time I've found crappie in such cover where you couldn't get a bite on one side of a downed tree, but hooked a fish every time you dropped a bait or lure on the other.
There's more than one way to fish downed trees. The one I find most effective is to tie my boat to the branches so I can stay put. I make the least commotion possible when getting my boat in position. Then I sit quietly for a time to let the fish calm down. Once I'm ready, I fish all around the cover until I start getting hits. Invariably, the fish will be congregated in one spot. You have to drop your lure or bait right down into the same place to get consistent action.
http://www.ifish.net/sfct.jpg
Crappie like dead trees.
Always fish carefully around such cover. Also remember it's impossible to fish too slowly where crappie are concerned.
What kind of lure or bait is best for lower Columbia River crappie? Early in the year I find it easier to catch fish consistently on little strips of meat carved from along the backbone of the crappie itself. I might use worms to catch the first one. Once I have it, I kill the fish and slit the skin behind its head. Then I pull the skin back toward the tail and fillet little bait-sized strips from the backbone.
I attach a strip of this flesh to my hook and let it down through the branches. Crappie flesh has a distinct odor and when fresh is almost a bluish-fluorescent color. I'm convinced both the odor and color have much to do with the way they gobble it. I suppose live minnows would work as well or better in this kind of cover, but live fish for bait are illegal in Washington and Oregon.
If I'm using crappie flesh where the cover isn't as heavy as it is around trees, I often hang the bait behind a dime-sized spinner and use a float on the line. I cast this rig, then fish it slowly back to the boat, often pausing to let the lure drop to different depths.
The use of a float is especially helpful if you’ve got someone who is just getting into crappie fishing. It’s a great way to introduce youngsters to crappie fishing. What using that float will teach them---and you--- is just how important it is to take it slow and easy when you’re after crappie.
If you’ve rigged up with a float, try this approach: Make your cast, then just leave the float for awhile. If nothing happens, reel a couple of feet, then pause again. Do this all the way back to the boat. Now and then you’ll find that crappie grab your bait or lure while the float is just setting still in the water
One of the best crappie fishermen I’ve met in this part of the world fished with a float most of the time. He used both tiny jigs as well as bait. In either case he followed the procedure I’ve just detailed. That guy fished for crappie the way most of us bass nuts go after largemouth. I got to know him and he shared some of his crappie-catching secrets with me.
In the next column we’ll wrap up this three-part series on crappie and take a look at fly fishing for these interesting panfish in the process.
http://www.ifish.net/sflr.jpg
On the lower Columbia River you'll sometimes find crappie holed up around log rafts like the angler in this photo is fishing. Fishing at the right depth, regardless of the cover, is another key to successful crappie catching.