# Crappie spots?



## starcraft

My favorite crappie haunts have to be o shay, then hoover after that. Since i live closer to these lakes. Last season i had the chance to catch some lake erie crappies. The biggest crappie i caught last year came from erie. So i have to add erie to my list.

Where do u like to fish for crappie in ohio?


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## peple of the perch

east branch around the fallen timber


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## BradU20

Indian Lake, used to be St. Marys.....and probably becasue I live close by.

Brad


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## Big Daddy

Portage Lakes, Nimisila, Mosquito, West Branch, Mogadore, Atwood, Tappan, Delaware, Ohio River... Anywhere!!!


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## JIG

Everywhere I catch one is a hot spot!  Mostly WB and Skeeter causeway.


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## JimG

Yes, Erie is good , but it differs in catch rate at least to me. About 9 years ago, I went with the intention to find the big ones and have caught my share.
But there's no big hot spot , so to speak. When the crappies get big in Erie and Sandusky Bay they move alot more often and I always find them somewhat deeper then the spawning numbers of smaller ones.
Over the last couple of years with the water clearing I have had to upsize to 2" in jigs and now more and more each year crankbiats have been good also.

But if you pinpointing big ones, you have to work for them and pay close attention to temps. and wind conditions, for the bigger ones change positions at the drop of a hat.
My best day last year were 9 for a morning outing and I was on the move alot, but the size of the 9 turned heads as I came from the water.

But fishing all throughout the state there's plenty of great bodies of water to fish and I found by using some of the tactics I use on the big lake helps me in those areas also.

Crappies, Don't ya just love it !!!

JimG


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## starcraft

Yes i have to agree with u Jim g. Crappies in erie are very hard to find. The school i was targeting was bitting well for only a hour and they were gone. But if u do find them. It can be very good. What i found interesting was how pretty the crappie are there. 


The color is unlike any i seen before. Beautiful deep dark green tops. Must be because of the clear water present. Only time i had sucess was right before dark under some sort of light. Mostly fishing around port clinton. I will be up there looking for them agian this spring. Which areas do u fish Jim G? Maybe we can hook up, and go chase them around for a bit.


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## misfit

though i've fished several places over the years,i now do 99% of my crappie fishing at hoover.it's closest to me and has an abundance of spawning habitat along with structure(points,dropoffs,channels,etc)along with some submerged timber.you can find fish literally all over the lake.average size has been very good the past several years,along with great numbers.


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## hardwaterfan

i only fish for crappies "sometimes" but the biggest ones i catch are from mosquito.


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## Big Daddy

I forgot LaDue!!!


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## billybob7059

Big Daddy said:


> Portage Lakes, Nimisila, Mosquito, West Branch, Mogadore, Atwood, Tappan, Delaware, Ohio River... Anywhere!!!


HEY half of those are my spots !! I really like nimi and mosquito.


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## atwoodbasser

Is it just me or has atwood's crappie fishing seemed very poor the past few years? It seems like about 7 or 8 years ago i would catch so many my arm would fall off!! But right now i would have to say the best spots for me are West branch, mosquito, leesville, and pymatuning.


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## JimG

The interesting thing about Sandusky Bay is so much of it yet is unexplored. Over the years the water getting clear has opened up new areas the Crappies and White Bass have moved too. West of the bridge that crosses Sandusky Bay on Rt #2 I have started to explore the last three years in my porta-bot seeing that in many places the water is shallow. The further west the shallower it becomes, like around 4 foot at places.

But the big change is going from muddy to more clearer water. West and around Bay View the shoreline is Crappie attractors and last year just using my trolling motor (electric) I was able to make some good catches with Crankbiats. 
Boating traffic in this area is null and void seeing that most head out for the big water. 
Access is the tough part seeing there's not many launching areas, that's where my porta-bot comes in by just launching as close to the area as I can. Around SR.#269 and Rt#2 interchange the bodies of water have carppies now forming up in spring for spawn and I ran into them by accident last year for about three days.

Even driving towards Fremont, Ohio on Rt#6 theres a few creeks that are wide enough to head out toward the Bay and in the bays opening you can find them there also.
The rough part is bigger boats can't make it into these areas, but small boats are just the ticket.

I believe in the next ten years if the Bay continues to clear it will become a hot spot for Crappies , panfish along with Bass.
It not uncommon to hook into a nice smallmouth west of Bay View when you get close to the shoreline.

Also Crystal Rock and Whites Landing off of Rt#6 offers access and there are underwater springs located there that offer a different type of early season Crappie fishing.
Wind is the factor that plays the most, for many a days the shoreline wind is present. When it really blows the water being shallow,churns up fast.

Last year I stumbled upon the crappies just off shore by about an additional 10 feet where the churned up water started to clear, so they stay around even when the wind does its thing.

But I also have found that by May 20-25th it's over and the Crappies for the most part travel back to the bay where it connects to the lake.
Around that time I "key " in on Rt#2 bridge pilings and find them there also.

It's such a new adventure for me in this area that I make a whole day in spring at least two times a week exploring with depth sounders just marking areas I find the fish and the size.

If your after buckets of them, than I have to be honest, I haven't found the Motherload area yet. 

I always knew Crappies , the bigger ones were smart , but it's somthing how they sense the cleaner water and now travel to areas where they were unheard of before.

I plan on inspecting this area two more years yet and will post alot of my findings as the season winds down.

The nice thing is it turns into somewhat of an adventure, for not much traffic and there's tons of wildlife to watch also. I start in early predawn light and make the whole day of it, insepcting and marking results. In some areas it gets so at one with nature, you could fall asleep.

Just thought I'd share,
Good Fishing,
JimG


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## lilkev76

Love some West Branch!!!! ESP by Jay Lake....lot of nice spots back there! Also when I get the guts there are some spots that I shouldn't be in but after talkin to Mark out byt Rockwell I am to chicken, or too poor to pay the fines and love my fishing license.


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## eazyE

JimG,

Hi I am from Clyde, OH and will be home from college next week so I really want to do some crappie fishing. I have a 14' jon boat and have always wanted to take it out on the bay somewhere to catch crappie or even perch. I have never really known where to go on the bay though to find the crappie. It just seems really big and expansive to me so I have stuck to smaller bodies of water. I have had quite a bit of luck crappie fishing from a private pier on Johnson's Island but we may not have permission to fish that property anymore because it has been sold. I would really like to take my boat on the bay for a day of good fishing. I have been reading posts on here and saw yours and had to join so I could see if you could give me any other pointers or be more specific as to where to go. If you don't want to divulge that's fine also. Sorry for the long post. thanks in advance for any advice.


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## soroker74

Where exactly are nimi,leesvile and atwater? I am looking for new locales to fish for, by the way, do these places have good gills, pumpkinseeds or other good species? How close to Cleveland are these places?


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## crappies4ever

hands down deleware for sheer numbers and ave. size. when u go crappie fishing there that is what u catch crappie not channels and carp and the ave. size for me is 10 to 11in.


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## misfit

> hands down deleware for sheer numbers and ave. size. when u go crappie fishing there that is what u catch crappie not channels and carp and the ave. size for me is 10 to 11in.


 i could say the same for hoover
though a bonus cat,bass or saugeye might find the bait,it's loaded with nice crappies.both those lakes have they're share of small crappies and less than stellar days,but when they're on,my average catch is easily along those lines.


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## crappies4ever

i've always wanted to try hoover misfit, but i just can't go past delaware and it's closer and O'shaguhnessy i drive right by it on the way to deleware on 42 just can't get myself to turn right thoough LOL. i am not against bass, cats, etc. but when i go out crappie fishing i like to catch crappie u know what i mean just nice to be able to catch the targeted fish.


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## misfit

> but when i go out crappie fishing i like to catch crappie u know what i mean just nice to be able to catch the targeted fish


 i know exactly how you feel.i may switch during the day,but if i'm fishing for crappies or eyes or whatever,that's all i really want to see on my hook at that time  
and i also have a tough time passing hoover to fish those other good waters.just too close and fun,especially with much more knowledge of it


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