# Cold front and Crappie



## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Last couple of weeks I've been catching a few crappie, mostly on a chartreuse and white Cats Whiskere. They've been fairly shallow and fairly aggressive but I'm thinking this cooler weather may change things.
What's your favorite fly and tactic for cold front crappie ??
I'll probably start a little deeper and maybe slow the fly down by Fishing it under an indicator , maybe add something smaller ( unweighted wooly bugger) under the Whiskere.
Have any other tips or tricks I can try ?
Thanks and Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## bobcatbasser (Sep 20, 2014)

Depending on water clarity and wind intensity I like throwing a size 4 or smaller clouser minnow in chartreuse/white. Strip it slowly back in inch long increments punctuated with a few aggressive pops letting it fall for a couple seconds on taut line. Aggressive fish will hit it on the normal retrieve but the pops, especially around known structure or depth changes trigger reaction strikes.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

You were Spot-on Bobcatbasser, I tried several flies before going to an old reliable marabou clouser. Pink and Wht and Chartreuse and Wht both caught fish equally well. The river I fished was clear but elevated, concentrating the fish into eddies. The bite was much better than I expected. I tend to over think things tooo often. Thanks !
Good luck and Good Fishing


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## bobcatbasser (Sep 20, 2014)

Those are some beautiful crappies! Glad old faithful came through for you. There's something about river run crappie that make them even more rewarding to catch especially on the fly.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

bobcatbasser said:


> Those are some beautiful crappies! Glad old faithful came through for you. There's something about river run crappie that make them even more rewarding to catch especially on the fly.


Something else to try that bobcatbasser witnessed one warm December evening after work a few winters back is using a bead chain Clouser minnow for more lethargic fish. The bead chain eyes will sink the fly but at a slower rate. This lets the fly hang in their strike zone for an instant longer and that can make a big difference. Obviously, the limitation is depth. If the fish are really deep, bead chain Clousers won't get down to them as quickly or as well.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks guys.
The Cat Whiskere I've been using is tied on bead chain and had been really good below local spillways all winter. I fished it slow under an indicator in really cold weather.






















I made it back out Sunday and caught a few more crappie on the clouser but quickly ran into some W/B which ended the Crappie day.
Thanks for the tips and Good luck


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