# Fat Fall Crappie



## shorebound

got into some decent crappie action Friday at Berlin jiging some marabou jigs i tied up. i got two nice ones one was 10" the biggest was 11". but all of them i caught Friday got a real good jump start on stuffing them selfs for winter. caught the most on orange and krystal flash 1/8 seemed they liked the smaller size jigs the best.


----------



## chaunc

Got these friday. Conditions were tough but found a good bunch out of the wind.


----------



## shorebound

glad someone was doing something on Saturday i couldn't get one single bite on friday good looking stringer


----------



## NorthSouthOhioFisherman

Chaunc what does your freezer look like?


----------



## chaunc

Not very promising. My daughters and grandsons are fishing my freezer weekly. I'll put 4 to 6 bags in, they take 3 to 5 bags out. But seriously, thats why i clean so many. They've always loved eating fish and so do i.


----------



## NorthSouthOhioFisherman

Lol surprised but happy lol.
Getting so many your obviously just keeping the population in check 
Keep um coming good job!


----------



## chaunc

Got these yesterday but guess what..... my brother is bringing his family over this afternoon to pickup a few bags of crappie fillets. Like i said, 2 steps forward, 1 step back. 









And dont worry. It's a very big lake/ resevoir, and i'm not putting a dent in the population.


----------



## Big Daddy

Lookin' good Ken!!!

If my knee feels better, we'll see about Sunday (depends on weather)


----------



## chaunc

Carl, if the steelers play at 1:, i wont be there. If it's a late game, i'll make it. I threw back 25 fish that day. Just didn't feel like cleaning them and i was by myself.


----------



## Guest

chaunc, how many guys do you feed at the get-togethers also? plus you cook for us.


----------



## chaunc

rapman said:


> chaunc, how many guys do you feed at the get-togethers also? plus you cook for us.


Rich, for those occasions, i'll fish a couple times early that week and put the fish together, for the fish-together. No need to freeze them. If i have a bad week,  , i'll dig some out of the freezer.


----------



## chaunc

Had a couple senior citizens from the burgh come up and do some fall crappie fishing with me. One is 77 and the other is 82. Had a great time and caught some nice fish too.


----------



## CRAPPIE LOVER

chaunc.. Nice bunch of fish Cong's....It had to make a warm spot in your heart to take the Two Old Timers out and catch fish...years ago I couldn't say that now I can I am there...I want too Thank You for taking them out and showing them they are not dead yet...All I can say is you are one Hell of a Fisherman....GOOD FISHING GUY:B 
P.S. What lake do you fish over there...I may have to try it next spring .Pa. is where I was born and raised in for 25 Years and It is still home...As they say you can take the boy out of the hills but you can't take the hill out of the boy...


----------



## chaunc

I fish shenango lake in mercer county. Its just across the border from mosquito lake. About 25 minutes across 305 E. and another 10 minutes to the lake. 
It was really great to be able to take these guys fishing. My dad never fished so this was very special for me. And .... dont wait for spring. They're biting good right now.


----------



## CRAPPIE LOVER

Thanks chaunc if I get a half decent day may just make a run up...Where can I find a Bait Shop and Ramp to launch....Thanks againGOOD FISHING GUY:B


----------



## chaunc

There's a great baitshop right at the end of 305. To get to the ramp, take Hartford rd to Rt 846N. Go one mile and west lake rd is on the right. There's a sign there so you wont miss it. Follow this rd till it T's. You'll go across a set of active railroad tracks before you get there. Turn rt and 1/4 mile up you'll see the Recreational area/ campground and launch. PM me when you plan on coming and i'll give you my cell number to help you get there.


----------



## CRAPPIE LOVER

Ok chaunc will have to play it on a day to day basis...This weather is in the unpredictable stage right now...Thanks for the info...I'll be in touch...GOOD FISHING GUY:B


----------



## bigcat46

What have you been using to catch them.

I am strictly a jig man, and just wondered what colors, and size you had been successful with recently, any plastic involved and are you tipping them with anything. I'm planning on heading out to my favorite crappie holes later this week. 

Thanks


----------



## chaunc

bigcat46 said:


> What have you been using to catch them.
> 
> I am strictly a jig man, and just wondered what colors, and size you had been successful with recently, any plastic involved and are you tipping them with anything. I'm planning on heading out to my favorite crappie holes later this week.
> 
> Thanks


I'm using microspoons tipped with minnows, slow trolled over deep stumps. And I'm also jigging with 1/8 oz head and plastics tipped with a nibble. I start with chartreuse and keep changing til i find the one they'll hit consistently. You can see the spoons at www.microspoons.com. They are a sponsor here too. 1/32 oz rattle spoons work for me. Get your favorite jig colors that you use. These spoons work great this time of year for me.


----------



## chaunc

Still slammin em. Jig and nibble was the ticket today.


----------



## chaunc

A little C&R today. Over 30 caught. Kept these.








The walleye was a nice surprise. 18"s.


----------



## CRAPPIE LOVER

chaunc...You got your s--t togather ...If I were a Crappie and heard you were on the water...I would be finding a way out...or tell everyone to keep there mouth shut till you leave...Great job Guy....
...LATER C L...:G


----------



## Smallmouth Crazy

My Son and I got a few in a local pond this afternoon, got them on minnies, once the sun began to dive the fish slowed down, will probably try to get back out tomorrow.


----------



## chaunc

CRAPPIE LOVER said:


> chaunc...You got your s--t togather ...If I were a Crappie and heard you were on the water...I would be finding a way out...or tell everyone to keep there mouth shut till you leave...Great job Guy....
> ...LATER C L...:G


Was out for a while yesterday. Found them schooled up in shallow water. Kept 17 and threw back 19 that were good keepers too. 3 hours of fishing.


----------



## chaunc

chaunc said:


> Had a couple senior citizens from the burgh come up and do some fall crappie fishing with me. One is 77 and the other is 82. Had a great time and caught some nice fish too.


They're back....... and better than ever. Found the crappies schooled up and hammered them. They'll have enough to last them all winter.


----------



## shorebound

chaunce... i think you should change your name to crappie slayer lol anyways what type of water/ structure did you find them in if you dont mind me asking


----------



## chaunc

Well shorebound, i'm not done yet. This is Mr Jim, from East of the burgh. He's 80 years old. He's been coming up to shenango for a couple years fishing with little success. I invited him to fish with me today, to show him a few techniques and spots, to help him improve his catch rate. Well it worked pretty well for him. He caught more fish today than he had in 3 weeks total. Great guy with some really good life stories ( did i say he's 80 ) Here's todays catch.
















It's a real pleasure fishing with these oldtimers.


----------



## chaunc

The fish were active in the shallow brush. These warm nights are bringing them in from the deep water where the wood is keeping the water warmer than usual for this time of year. Fish the blowdowns on your lake that get a lot of afternoon sun. Jig and nibbles did the job for us today. We didn't use a single minnow today.


----------



## shorebound

thats kind of where i thought they would be the problem is there isn't any wood in berlin right now because its to low and usually when its this low its the beginning of December and i fish a totally different way when the water cools down then what its at now i might have to fish a different lake....


----------



## chaunc

Well, come on up and fish with me. Let me know.


----------



## JimmyZ

Do you bleed your fish? Looks like they were cut. I have done it with walleye but not panfish.


----------



## chaunc

Z, i've never done crappies like that either but Mr Jim said he bleeds them all the time. I dont see a need to do it. Not much blood in em when i fillet em.
I went out today to scout some spots at the other end of the lake and found some quality fish in 3 foot of water. Really, 3 feet. They were up against the tree trunk that shallow. 








Anybody up for a fishfry. You know, it's great being retired.


----------



## ezbite

chaunc, i gotta say, ive watched your post for sometime now and im very impressed with you crappie skills. great job!


----------



## chaunc

ezbite said:


> chaunc, i gotta say, ive watched your post for sometime now and im very impressed with you crappie skills. great job!


Thanks. I persue them like a lot of the guys, here, go after eyes on erie. And the lake is only 15 minutes from where i live so with being retired and no other hobby, i get to spend quality time honeing my techniques. Getting pretty good at it too, huh. Wanna trade a trip next spring? Let me know.


----------



## chaunc

chaunc said:


> Got these friday. Conditions were tough but found a good bunch out of the wind.


Shorebound one, i forgot to tell you that that stringer didn't go home with me. Here's my buddy and KCA member Don, from Beaver, PA, that came up and fished with me that day. He kept those fish.









I've only been keeping about a dozen or so when i go by myself. But they're all nice ones.


----------



## chaunc

Fellas, a friend from the burgh called and asked me to take him out and show him some spots and how to fish them. Me being the NICE GUY that i am, , told him sure i would. We fished from 9AM to around 4PM and had a very good time for a day like today. We caught at least sixty fish. Crappies, gills, and bass. Almost all were keeper size but only kept around 30. I was surprized to find them still in shallow. Got them in 8ft over brush. We used jigs and nibbles. No live bait. Here's Kenny with a nice slab and the final catch for the day.


----------



## Pole Squeezer

I wouldn't be surprised if I saw you guys on Infisherman's TV show some day. I live in Akron, and I haven't seen springtime stringers in my area like what you guys are catching this fall, let alone fall stringers in akron. The fishing wasn't great this year around akron, Too much competition I guess. Fish numbers have been low for awhile.


----------



## chaunc

Pole Squeezer said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if I saw you guys on Infisherman's TV show some day. I live in Akron, and I haven't seen springtime stringers in my area like what you guys are catching this fall, let alone fall stringers in akron. The fishing wasn't great this year around akron, Too much competition I guess. Fish numbers have been low for awhile.


You're only an hour and fifteen minutes away. Come on over and give this lake a try. Let me know when you're coming over and i'll point you in the right direction to the fish. Fall, over here, is probably my favorite time to fish. No speed boats or skiers flying around.


----------



## chaunc

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wouldn't be surprised if I saw you guys on Infisherman's TV show some day.


Not sure about In fisherman, but one day, hope to do a show with Russ Bailey from Midwest Crappie.


----------



## Pole Squeezer

Sounds good. I'll let you know. I'm a truck driver, so i don't often have alot of time but, work is slow right now. I've always wanted to fish the lake, I've heard alot about it. I'll keep in touch thanks.


----------



## Pole Squeezer

I know the host of the "Buckeye Angler Show" Jack Kiser, and I work with his brother who used to produce some of Jacks videos. I'll ask him if Jack does guest segments for the show, will let you know what he says.


----------



## ajangsta04

I thought I'd share my outing from last week. I never really fish for crappie but had a blast.


















































all crappies were caught on white/silver with glitter microtube jigs under a bobber about 2 feet from surface.


----------



## chaunc

Thats a great catch there. Kinda made me hungry looking at the finished product. Maybe you should fish for crappie more often.


----------



## mrphish42

(04) nice catch......the end results( in the frying pan) is my favorite pic'.....thanks for sharing your fish story.....Jon Sr.


----------



## ajangsta04

haha thanks for the feedback....i'm planning on heading back out there this thursday. This time I won't bring my 40lbs of tackle (haha)


----------



## mrphish42

(04).....Have a good trip........and since your going to lighten up your load goin in, that frees you up to carry out that many more #'s of those delicious fry'em up in the pan.....fresh fillet makers.....Good fishin guy.......Jon Sr.


----------



## fishslim

nice looking batch of fish!! Tasty! Hey Chanc I did a pilot for a Ohio show and if it would have gotten enough advertising you were on my list for a crappie show! Never know still might happen if they get things set-up. Would have loved a trip over there showing the Ohio area how you get it done like no other!!


----------



## chaunc

Slim, god willing, i'll be around next spring. Even if we dont tape it, you are more than welcome to come up and fish with me. I'll even come down to Delaware to fish with you. I had a good time there last spring. I'd like to learn a little more about the spring migration there. I saw some very nice crappies weighed in at the OGF tourney. In full spawn colors too. Didn't do bad for a crew that had never seen the lake before by finishing tenth out of the fifty boat field but think i could be a little more competitive if i learn the lake a little better. Sure would like to add another plaque to my wall. I may need a partner for next spring.


----------



## Big Daddy

I'm going to start work on a pilot for an outdoors show here soon as well. I have some health issues I need fixed first, but if and when I get back on my feet, we'll see what happens. I may be calling several of you guys!


----------



## ajangsta04

My 2nd outing was even better. These were taken a week after. Well here are the results.



















My friend's best outing. He was happy with the results.




































also ended up with 2 saugeyes...these things are fun to catch as well



















Now that the lakes are freezing up, I was wondering why people choose ice jigs over other baits/lures. Do micro tubes still work while ice fishing? 

Enjoy


----------



## CRAPPIE LOVER

...After seeing your pics. ...Your friend should be happy ...you guys hit a honey hole...Nice mess of fish...Can't ask for a better day from the looks of them....GOOD FISHING GUYS....C.L...


----------



## chaunc

Good day fishing. You young guys have a lot more energy than this old guy. I haven't felt like cleaning that many fish since early spring.


----------

