# Delaware Crappie



## ShakeDown (Apr 5, 2004)

Went out late this morning and it was non-stop all day. We slow trolled deep, and although we caught a ton, biggest was 10".

Sowbelly had a crew out with him as well, and when we had left they were whackin them too. He found the slabs I think


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

Good goin Shake...The Crappies are just getting started at my place.
No big numbers yet,but I took 6 or 8 nice keepers in a couple hours yesterday and today....nothing under 12"!


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

thanks for cheering me up
i'm behind schedule getting on the water,but hopefully before the end of the week,i can get out.been laid up in the house all week and haven't even brought the boat home yet

ps...............glad to hear you guys are having fun with the crappies


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## 1977 walleye guy (Mar 11, 2006)

sounds like you had a great day. I do have a question tho. I thought you said Alum is better  What baits where yah trolling?


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

We had a good bite going for most of the day. I would say we probally between the 3 of us we caught around 200 today, with a majority of them being a tad under 9" so there still swimming, however 32 fellars over 10" ended up bein unlucky and went under the knife. We got them shallow and all came on plastic, the bited died around 6pm. We had 10 over 12" biggest was just shy of 14". 

sowbelly


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## ShakeDown (Apr 5, 2004)

Ours came on small cranks and double jigs with tails or minnows trolled on a 3-way rigs. Was trying to pattern them deep (and did) but couldn't get any sizes.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

sowbelly101 said:


> We had a good bite going for most of the day. I would say we probally between the 3 of us we caught around 200 today, with a majority of them being a tad under 9" so there still swimming, however 32 fellars over 10" ended up bein unlucky and went under the knife. We got them shallow and all came on plastic, the bited died around 6pm. We had 10 over 12" biggest was just shy of 14".
> 
> sowbelly


 I was just curious as to how you managed the bigger fish? Did you get them in the pack os smaller fish or did you have to go deeper for them? I know often times when I get in to a pack of smaller fish like you mentioned I can never seem to pull anything bigger. I usually end up moving and trying to locate the bigger ones elsewhere but that does not always pan out either. I was just curious whether you change technique or location at that point.


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

Didnt really have to make any changes. We fished the same color all day and only changed our depth a foot or two up and down. The big ones and the smaller ones were all in the same area, and we never were in water deeper then 7.5 feet. 


sowbelly


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I have not gotten the boat ready to go yet but that gives me motivation to get it ready this week for an annual Good Friday crappie outing.


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## crappies4ever (May 21, 2005)

r the boat ramps open here at deleware yet??


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## ShakeDown (Apr 5, 2004)

Yeah thery're wide open. Lake is down a few feet, but it wasn't a problem.

53 on the main lake, 58 in the coves.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Shake & Sowbelly great job - I wanted to head out this past weekend also but my 7 year old daughter had the weekend booked with birthday parties.
I am hopinng to get the boat out this week and head to delaware.


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## crappies4ever (May 21, 2005)

it looks like a "Good Friday" fishing trip to deleware crappie huntin after a week of good weather they should really turn on.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I know where I'll be in the mornin!

CG


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

I might go out in the morning as well. Probally aim for 8-8:30am.

Sowbelly


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Saw the post yesterday stopped this afternoon at couple spots today from shore and caught about 30-35 in a little over hour. Kept 13 nice fat slabs mostly blacks two dandy whites for delaware. Playin shallow in and around wood plus put a bobber on and in a shallow bay popped a mess slow reeling two small jigs acrossed bay. Caught a small largemouth and 3 white bass as well. Sow i figured you were blastin them shallow so had to try myself have fun out there they are definitly waking up. Hope to have boat on water friday evening on alum ready to bang some slabs and eyes before dark! Will let you know.


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## crappies4ever (May 21, 2005)

hey fishslim catching any females yet??


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I busted some this morning from the Olentangy River. I got about 14-15 good slabs. No fish Ohio's though. I threw back several that were borderline. I got my fish on red and chartruese tube jigs. It sure was a nice morning to be out there!

CG


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

crappies4ever said:


> hey fishslim catching any females yet??


Not any the other day all fat males!! They were in the spring colors though the blacks were dressed up pretty looking for those female to show up! LoL!


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

7 more hours at it today and I would say my catch rate was around 250-300 (fishin solo) crappies total. I kept 15 of these sow's today.










gonna be hard to explain this sunburn tomorrow at work, when i called in sick today. Shoulda quit at noon, cause the bite really slowed down for me after then. 


Sowbelly


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Nice slabs Sow give the guys a break you are killing them i was all over alum tonight checkin out catches What Catches? Alot of the famous line great day to be out though. Stopped over by Delaware saw a few caught and caught a few keepers myself but i hope you been workin that arm out over winter cause it is gonna be sore!! LOL! Way to go i love it all the more because it is was done on plastics instead of live bait. Guy told me tonight better have a minnie on or forget about it. I did!! LoL. Hittin Alum Friday evening but you are making it tuff not to go to my holes on Delaware. Gotta get some eyes as well though i love catchin both!!


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## lv2fish (Jun 23, 2005)

You made my mind up, I am heading to Delaware but can't get there till next Wednesday, hopefully the bite will still be strong. The weather is showing it will hold out till then. My sister is in from out of town and wants to go fishing so it looks like this might be the best action going on. Any pointers for narrowing the target zone without giving away your spots? Colors or choice? or just stick with live bait?


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## ShakeDown (Apr 5, 2004)

Smaller fish came on live bait, bigger ones on jigs/tail. Shallow water next to deep water would be my focus


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

Yesterday I only used a pearl tube with the tassles dipped in lime green Spike-It. I still fished the same area less then 8 fow, and most fish were hitting the baits around 3 feet down on the fall. It seem like once the wind picked up they quit hitting, I noticed some mudlines moving into the area I was fishing and that may have been what settled them down.

No Live Bait, hard to fish live bait where I usually fish. Jiggin a minnow in thick brush is pretty hard to do without hangin up. Sometimes the difference is just in the location of the bait in relation to what direction the fish are looking due to the sun. This has been a key, fish seem to be looking away from the sun.

Slim, no sling for the arm but I can barely bend my pinky from grabbing fish all day. Last time I got into fish like this I ended up with an infection in my finger and had to take antibiotics. I think the 12' rod gives me alot of leverage so my arm dont have to work as hard. hehe

Sowbelly


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## joel_fishes (Apr 26, 2004)

A fish every minute and a half for seven hours is awesome. I can't do that for more than a minute and a half.  

Joel


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

that is one of the benefits i have found using plastic over live bait. all you need to do is make sure your jig is hangin right and the body is on properly and you can get it the water alot faster then reaching in the bucket and grabbin a fresh minnow. Around 10am I would say I was catching fish at a rate of 2 or 3 per minute, around noon is when it slowed. 


sowbelly


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

well,that does it.i just brought the boat home,and will have it ready for action by the weekend,so i can get out for some pre-fishing of my own  
brian,will you be up there next week?not sure if i'll get there over the weekend,but definitely one day next week.


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

im going to try to get out there sometime next week, probally be in the morning on tues or wed. 

sowbelly


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

if things go right,i should be able to make it then.ill keep in touch and hopfully see you then.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

They must be bitin' good and easy to find if the sowbelly can get 'em.  

Good report and the pictures are great as always ! 

Practice up guys. We are counting on taking your money next month !


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

I knew "the king" would have to chime in and do a little bashing, its all good tho, we got your money last year. Total different game this year so better read up on your books and magazines cause da mood of the crappsies has changed. So far there on vacation sipping margarita's and keepin cool. You have a good chance this year as I wont be fishing the tourney, Im outta town that weekend for some family stuff. Hope to see you n "g-string" do good this year, you almost got us last year. :T  :T 

gettin my smack in now!!!

sowbelly


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

aha.well that's one out of the way  
king,you can back out any time and save yourself the agony.we'll not think any less of you


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

The only way "soooooweeee" got our money last year is because "g-spot" got frozen so solid that we had to leave the water at noon or risk our own life threatening hypothermia.........couldn't even save the guys that got stuck....we had to leave the rescue mission to the BigDaddy crew that was cozy warm from hours of sipping their coffee/tequila cocktails after being completely skunked on the water.  

But this year will be different. Those slabs will be in the deeps where we have carefully trained ourselves with proprietary methods to bring home da money !!!!


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

The Deeps first week of May i guess i am still learnin something about that lake after all. If i was doing tourney this Year i would be in The Shallows! LoL


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## sowbelly101 (Apr 5, 2004)

kingie and gstring are a few rooks from sw ohio, there use to catchin them pond crappies.  

Sowbelly


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## lv2fish (Jun 23, 2005)

Appreciate the pointers Sow and Shake. I will let you know how I do when I get back. Sow if your over there next Wednesday, I will be in a 20 ft Crestliner (Maroon and cream color) feel free to say hey.
thanks again.


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## tpet96 (Apr 6, 2004)

Had a great day on Delaware yesterday. Between the two of us, we boated over 250 crappies. Of those.......we kept 35, 2 fish ohio's. Only 2 9.5"ers, the rest between 10-12 1/2. All came in 8-10' of water, away from any structure. The structure was holding the smaller fish. All on plastic. Sow....I have a tube to show you. You talked about the pearl dipped in spike it. I have one that is factory made pearl on the inside, with a chartreuse plastic molded overtop  That's what we caught most of them on yesterday.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Hey Guys - I will also be out either Wednesday or Thursday. I will be in a red and silver tracker. If you see me out and about please stop and say Hi. I have been on this site for awhile but have never really meet to many people out fishing other than shake.


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